Kettlebell- A Thing That Makes You Go ARGH!

To append onto my food post : Mr. Millie has classes on Mondays-  as I already said.  Right now, our schedules are frenetic, made even more so because Mr. Millie's bosses from corporate are in his facility this week.  So he has to go in early all week to take care of things with the honchos.  This screws up the morning schedule, because usually I'm the one leaving at a quarter to six to go and swim, and he is leaving at a quarter to eight for work.  Because of our two dogs, and one with an injury, we have to stay home and keep an eye on his as much as possible.  -  so this has cut out any possibility of an evening jaunt to the health club.  This completely screws me, because, as I said before this is supposed to be week one of Tri Training.  Swimming I'm totally not worried about in the slightest.  Even if I lose some of the ground I gained, I was up to a mile and a half swim before my "hiatus" so worst case scenario, I drop back down to a 1000m or a 1200m swim-  which still keeps me in good shape for the Tri.

Thankfully, I have both a spin bike and a treadmill at home, so I can still keep up with those.

Ive been concerned with the development of core muscles.  They are obviously needed for both running and biking (and who are we kidding you need them in swimming too if you are stroking properly)  and mine are fairly weak due to a long winter spent on the couch doing homework.

So, I decided to get a Kettlebell and start a Kettlebell Workout.  I have heard awesome things.  I went to Target, intent on getting Bob Harper's Kettlebell Workout.  I follow him on twitter (@MyTrainerBob)  and he said his can be purchased exclusively at Target.  I get stop at Target on my way home Monday and, of course, not a Kettlebell to be found.  (of his anyway).  But, I was dead set on getting a Kettlebell THAT NIGHT- because this was my intended Monday workout- so I was not going home empty handed.  So, instead I purchased Reebok's Kettlebell Routine (about $15 cheaper than Bob Harpers at $39.99)

When I began researching Kettlebells to begin with, I read a lot of blogs that said "Don't start with less than 20 lbs if you are already in shape-  one even said "even if your muscle is buried under some fat- twenty pounds is the minimum you need to get the job done"

Well,  Target didn't have the 20 pounder-  and as I said, I wanted it NOW- not tomorrow, not wait for it to arrive ordering it online.  So I settled for a 10 pound weight.

Let me tell you-  ten pounds is PLENTY.  I also bought Jillian Michaels "Shred It" because I figured that the Reebox DVD that comes with the weight wouldn't be intense enough.  Yeah, I was dead wrong!

The workout DVD is only twenty minutes long, and it is definitely long enough.  Five minutes in, I was already sweating. Ten Minutes in, I was crying for my mama,  by Twenty Minutes I was grunting and groaning and swearing like a sailor.  But it is definitely worth it!

I feel sore (a good sore!  A " I kicked some ass and took names" sore) today.  Just the thought of sitting down in my office chair made me whimper.  But, I know that this means I will get some massive results from my puny twenty minute dvd.  Eventually, I will work my way up to Jillian's DVD.  For now, Im plenty happy with my 20 minute Reebok Workout with my ten pound Kettlebell.

I'm really excited though to find new workouts that I enjoy.  I am definitely keeping the kettlebell in my rotation!

On a brief secondary note.  My friend Robby over at the blog Fat Girl Vs. World did something amazing in the month of February.  She challenged everyone to write down one thing every day in the month that they loved about themselves  Love Yourself Challenge  and at the end of the month, they wrote themselves a love letter. 

This is such an amazing idea.  Because we all get so mired down with our shortcomings, that we forget to celebrate our victories.  And, we stop seeing ourselves through our own eyes, and judge ourselves on the subjective opinions of the other people in our lives.

Everyday this month, if you want to join me, I will take a brief moment to love myself.  You can feel free to share with me your own postings of appreciation to yourself, or just write them down in a journal for your eyes only.   But the entire month of March, I want all of you to spend some time appreciating the good that you possess and not worry so much about the things that may not have worked out so well.

So with out further ado:

Day 1 of Loving Myself:

I Love That I Am A Genuinely Nice Person.  -  it makes me feel good to help other people-  whether it is helping a stranger find the aisle they are looking for in the grocery store, sending a card to a friend who has been a bit down, being an ear, a hand to hold, or a person in your corner, nothing makes me feel better on a bad day than brightening someone elses.  

I have a plaque hanging in my house, and I make sure to embrace the saying as often as I can:

Live Simply, Care Deeply, Love Generously.

And I think I do a pretty good job doing it.