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Hey, everyone out there in kettlebell world!

I don’t feel very qualified to talk about staying happy, but I think that this is probably the most important topic I will every post on this blog.

How many of you who are working out, watching what we eat, and reading everything possible on health and nutrition still pause momentarily before stepping on the scale? I find that the moments leading up to my weekly weigh in may be the most anxiety-provoking in my week.

Maybe I’m taking my weigh in a little too seriously. Or maybe, just maybe, I experience complete fear around the thought of not reaching my goal and then reporting it on the world wide web… and far worse… to my accountability partner.

I found that there are two types of people in this world:  those that are motivated by fear, and those who are immobilized by fear. Where do you stand?

Unfortunately, I belong in the latter group. When I am afraid of losing something, especially something I’ve been dedicated to and personally invested in, I just want to pull my head back in my turtle shell.  With that being said, here’s today’s weigh in:

While I am closer to my 2/28 goal, I already know that I’m not going to make it. So, how do I keep my head above water and keep pushing forward?

Through action and interaction.

Here’s what I’ve learned from this process:  I need you! I need you to keep me accountable, because sometimes, I don’t want to do it.

In all of my adult life, I feel like I’ve been seeking this –  someone to rely upon when I just want to throw the sweaty towel in.

I’ve gone down many roads (I could write a blog on my MLM experiences alone!) seeking out partnership. I think having someone (or ones) as my partner(s) is truly the key to my personal happiness.

Then, as it states, right there in the beginning of the word partnership, I need to do MY part:

I have to practice forgiveness, especially of myself. I can start without saying “I have to” and move into “I choose to.”

I can take responsibility for my actions. For example, I chose to eat those peanut butter cookies, nobody put them in my stomach!

I can prepare.  Here’s where my Personal Trainer at FitPro Hawaii comes in. He helps me develop short and longer term goals, as a road map of my journey.

And I can celebrate my successes, large and small. Just to keep myself going, I’m going to take a look at my before and afters. Here are some clips from videos past:

May 29, 2009.

May 29, 2009.

Feb 21, 2010

Feb 21, 2010

Light shines on me

So, to wrap this up– in the future, will I stay happy when the weight on the scale is barely changing and my clothes sizes are not getting any smaller? With your support, yes I can! Mahalo!

Have you ever noticed that as soon as you set an ambitious goal, obstacles appear?

My hurdle occurred on Day #1 of my Isagenix cleanse this month, in the form of a kid’s bean burrito.

You may be thinking to yourself, “That’s not that hard to say ‘no’ to!” Unless you’re me and you haven’t eaten solid food in 2 days.

Add to that the challenge of living in a household where you come home to dessert baking in the oven or delivered to the door from a loving friend, and you’ve just entered a minefield. Anywhere I step, I’m running into something that could blow this cleanse out of the water:  fresh baked banana mufffins, Hawaiian food, a bean burrito.  Check it out:

Well, at least I stuck with the original plan, avoided the kalua pig (my downfall last time), had a laugh with my sister about all the food in the house, and moved on.

Sometimes, I just need a minute to review, renegotiate and recommit to my goal.

How about you? What are you taking on and what’s been challenging you? Leave me a reply below!

Well, kettleviewers… so far, I’m starting 2010 off with a clean  slate. Like many, the new year brings a sense of “I can do it!” to everything I’m taking on.

I think 2010 is going to teach me discipline. My health and overall fitness goals are just part of the whole picture. In every aspect, I’m learning to tackle a little bit each and every day, consistently.

I could focus on nutrition, exercise, saving money, connecting with friends, or even my business goals, and keep myself motivated by doing something — even just a little — every single day.

It’s like the adage of saving for a rainy day. If I put aside a dollar for every day this year, I’d have $365 on December 31st that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

I know, some of you would like to put aside TEN dollars a day — and if you have it, by all means, do it — however, for me, taking bite-sized pieces really works.

I find that setting my sights on a realistic goal, like “get some physical activity in,” or “no sugary sweets today,” allows me to focus on a small choice or activity that will pay off over time. Check it out:

I think that my scale(s) are a little off, so let’s not get excited about losing 5.5 pounds in one week, people. I didn’t starve myself, and I haven’t started my cleanse yet.

What I am really tracking here are the inches on my body. Last week, I dragged myself into training, pretty upset. My clothes weren’t fitting the way they were, even a month ago.

My trainer challenged me and my partner again — lose a pound a week, or pay up! Jerk!

I mean, here’s a picture of him teaching us how to do “the jerk.”

So my workout partner, Ty, and I decided to keep eachother accountable over e-mail/text/harrassing phone calls:

“Eat healthy today?”
“What did you do to workout?” ”
“Put that mini Reeses’ Peanut Butter cup down! Two pounds a week!”

Jerk!

Just kidding! Every little bit helps, really.

I’m keeping my eye on my one  year goal– to have lost 80 pounds, and over 12 inches in my waistline — through discipline, consistency, and a sense of humor.

Not to mention, I have an even bigger goal; that is, to be a healthy mom.

Happy New Year, everybody! Leave me a comment!

P.S.  I’ll be tracking my progress starting from January 2010. Feel free to look at past blogs under the category “Measurements” to see how I’ve fared since May 2009.

Ooooh! My birthday is approaching!

I’m excited — not to be gaining another year — but rather, because I’m finally losing weight!

This week marked my descent into the 180’s. When I was over 200 pounds, I was lethargic, unmotivated and unhappy. Most of all, I felt angry that I allowed myself to gain so much weight after my child was born, and yet, I felt justified in doing so. Classic victim mentality.

Armed with a 4kg kettlebell and the support of my friends and family, I started slowly. I started taking my vitamins daily, and stopped eating dessert daily. I began kettlebell practice with my friend Liz and our trainer, Bill Maeda, at FitPro Hawaii.

I re-learned how to breathe and how to move. I discovered “the plank.” I also found out that a chunky ball of iron on a handle can provide me with the most challenging one-tool workout I’ve ever had.

So, here I am, exactly 25 pounds lighter than when I first started this blog, excited to celebrate my birthday, and looking forward to hearing from you!

Remember, you can shoot me an e-mail at subscribe@kettletell.com to get up to date e-mails from the good folks (that’s really just me) over here at kettletell! We don’t do spam!

Hey folks!

It’s been a strange week. I either had the stomach flu or food poisoning. I didn’t work out all week. I counted calories every single day, using my blackberry. And I ended up with the exact same measurements as the week before, but a pound less:

I’ll do a video progress update soon. For now, I’m just happy that some of my clothes are fitting me loosely!

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