Thursday Dbl's....for weenies....not!

Good-ness! The one workout that is the hardest for me to do alone is my doubles and/or press workout. It's hard for two reasons, dbl's are heavy that's why I prefer to keep the rep count at 5, even swings, and five reps don't fit evenly into intervals, so it's much easier to do with a partner (s)! Of course I write all of my own workouts and let me tell you...as much as I like to kick my own ass, sometimes I find myself turning into a big weenie. This may be because I swing for about an hour before hand? (maybe, huh?) It's not like I skip the swings.....

40 minutes of swings

15 minutes of swing/snatch combinations

33 minutes doubles workout

10 minutes of video taping dbl's workout!

10 minutes of clubbells

*****************************************

33 minute

double presses and light dbl snatch workout

5 dbl cl 15/15

4 dbl pr 15/15

4 dbl pu pr 15/15

4 dbl jerk 15/15

10 dbl snatches 30/30

5 dbl cl 15/15

4 dbl pr 15/15

4 dbl pu pr 15/15

4 dbl jerk 15/15

11 dbl snatches 30/30

5 dbl cl 15/15

4 dbl pr 15/15

4 dbl pu pr 15/15

4 dbl jerk 15/15

12 dbl snatches 30/30

5 dbl cl 15/15

4 dbl pr 15/15

4 dbl pu pr 15/15

4 dbl jerk 15/15

13 dbl snatches 30/30

5 dbl cl 15/15

4 dbl pr 15/15

4 dbl pu pr 15/15

4 dbl jerk 15/15

14 dbl snatches 30/30

5 dbl cl 15/15

4 dbl pr 15/15

4 dbl pu pr 15/15

4 dbl jerk 15/15

15 dbl snatches 30/30

etc....all the way up to

5 dbl cl 15/15

4 dbl pr 15/15

4 dbl pu pr 15/15

4 dbl jerk 15/15

20 dbl snatches 38/22

Basically as I try to explain in the video, each rotation has 5 sets. 4 sets of short dbl cl/presses and one longer set of dbl snatches. Each rotation took 3 minutes to complete, each rotation added one extra dbl snatch rep in the same 30 seconds time until I reached 17 reps. At 17 reps I worked into my rest period. In other words the first seven rotations I did 10-16 dbl snatch reps, adding one extra to each rotation. I had to set the pace slightly faster each rotation. It's physically impossible to do more than 16 light dbl snatch reps in 30 sec, which is a Vo2 Max pace.

Originally I was going to weenie out and ladder up to 15 and the ladder down. I knew each rotation only lasted 3 minutes so I had to repeat it at least 10 times for 30 minute workout. 10-11-12-13-14-15-14-13-12-11-10..... But I rose to the occasion....it was only a 30 minute workout for God's sake! 10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20...it'll start getting hard around 15!

Eat a Meal...not cold bacon!

For the most part I'm pretty good about the foods I eat. Nothing is off limits, but I find myself craving healthier food choices, it's become first nature for the most part. Even when I do think about crazy stuff like eating a pint of ice cream, a box of chocolate, or even a pizza, most time I would choose one of my regular meals over those things anyway.

What I do tend to let happen to me is that I get too hungry waiting too long to eat. I think it's residual crap left over from a weightloss dieting mentality. I think so often when people are trying to lose weight they try and eat as little as possible in an attempt to lose weight fast. But what happens is when you eat too little true hunger can catch up with you and then "that's all she wrote"

Another thing that I tend to let happen is that I will have all of my meals mapped out, but then I don't count on being a bit hungrier sooner after a meal than I think is acceptable. I try and wait 3 or 4 hours between meals and when I get hungrier sooner I try and "snack" it off. This is really what I've been letting happen too often. And when I have too many snack foods in the house, like raisins and dried fruit, crackers, candy (yep candy), let's see.....what else do I nosh on? Oh yes, nuts or PNB. It can even be something like cold bacon!

I got home from work/training this afternoon and had a great big bowl of the yummiest cauliflower, bean, and kale soup, and boy was my tummy full! A couple of hours later I found myself feeling hungry, but it wasn't "time to eat" again yet. So trying to stave off hunger I opened the fridge and saw the bacon I fried up with some ground pork yesterday and started in on it. Did I think I was going to make a snack of freakin' cold pork and bacon? Goodness, I could have a whole meal instead. I have plenty of food already made and just as good, in fact better.

So I heated up another bowl of yummy soup!

I've got to start reminding myself that I can eat if I'm hungry. And, if I am indeed hungry, then to eat a proper meal....not cold bacon! (or put the bacon in my soup!)

Thursday 4/21

6:00am -8:00am kettlebells
9:30-11:00 Bikram
1:15-2:15 KB classes

coffee/cream 150

almonds 110

lentils/raisins 200 (I couldn't eat too much before teaching in the afternoon)

decaf w/ cream 70
apple 100
lg soup 400
handful of raisins 60
cold bacon and pork (4-5 slices 4 oz) 450 calories!
soup 300

1840 total calories today

Wild Horses

I would love to blog more than I have been, but I have a priority list. The very first thing on my priority list is making and preparing my foods. Without a doubt this comes first. I have to eat everyday, multiple times a day, and nothing is more important to me that choosing for myself what foods I eat. I do not like being victim to the choices I have outside my own kitchen. Besides, it doesn't take that long to prep food. Many times in the past few weeks I have been doing just this, instead of blogging.

If I don't get it done first thing in the mornings a few times a week, then I do it after I eat lunch. I rarely cook at dinnertime, because I'm hungry at dinnertime. Not waiting until I'm hungry to make foods is key to not overeating. Even though it doesn't take alot of time to make something to eat, it still takes time. And if I'm hungry I can get impatient and anxious. Not that I don't find myself overeating at sometimes, but it's practically predictible if my foods aren't ready in advance.


Second priority is my training. Wild horses couldn't keep me from my kettlebell training, so you would think it would my first priority! Have I missed workouts because I was sick? Sure a couple of times, but I tried to train anyway! Once I give in to being sick in bed, my only thoughts are recovery so I can hit it hard asap. Training kettlebells takes even less time than prepping my foods, I can always squeeze it in. It takes no room and no time, at the very least 30 minutes 3 times a week. If I didn't have a kettlebell I'd make one up from a paint can with a handle or something crazy ass like that!

Since I lead a few classes a week I'm lucky that other people rely on me to show up, and because of that, even if I didn't fell like it, I don't have a choice. When I know no one will be in a scheduled class I still train as if there were....maybe not as intensely, sometimes more intensely. I've allotted the time for training so that's what I do. Leading others through workouts had been life changing for me because it keeps my creative juices flowing. When I train by myself I do the boring stuff which is as rewarding in a different way.

Speaking of different.....I'll get back to this in a sec.

My next priority is my new job. For those who don't know this, I'm currently writing a book, and it's a big deal. I've signed with Harper Collins Publishing and have deadlines coming fast and furious. My writing energy is focused on that project. I feel great about the writing I've been doing and I'm excited to share the finished product. This book has solidified my commitment to who I've become and how I was able to make the permanent changes that I know will keep me healthy, fit and happy....lucky for me all of those things go hand in hand.

I know that most people have full time jobs, whether formal jobs or stay at home wife/mommy kind of jobs, and are thinking that I have the luxury of time on my side. When I started my transformation I had a full time job, some days working 12 hours, and you know what? I often tell Mark that it felt easier back then! I had to keep my mind focused on my job not much time to obsess about food and exercise. I also had to be way more organized to get these other priorities done. I had far less time to waste when I had other responsibilities to consider.

Full time job, part time job, or no job, wild horses couldn't keep me from my priorities. It's because of these priorities I am who I am....maybe a bit different than most, but I wouldn't have it any other way.....

I've got 15 minutes to get ready for class...but I made time this morning for this blogpost....today this made priority over a shower! Have a great day!

The 4-Hour Body SF "Par-tay"

Zowie...Mark and I are recovering from the party Tim Ferris hosted last night in San Francisco to celebrate the success of his book The 4-Hour Body! I met a ton of great and interesting people, but I didn't take many pictures, (I seem to be having a "taking pictures blockage" these days). Now that I'm practically best friends with Tim (kidding) and having my picture taken with him is, you know, just another photo (kidding again), I would have to say that the highlight was meeting and taking my picture with Nina Hartley!

If you don't know who Nina Hartley is then I'm not going to tell you, but this is how it went down. Mark and I were getting our jackets when he whispered to me "I think that's Nina Hartley". I looked over and sure enough it looked like her. Tim assistant Charlie was standing next to me and so I asked him to confirm. He did, so I walked over to her and asked for a picture. Mark took our picture and afterwards I told her briefly about my part in the book. She then started to tell me her part, "I'm in the section on orgasms". I told her that I knew that, and she didn't have to explain to me who she was. I then told her that one of these days I wouldn't have to explain to anyone who I was, and she "high fived" me! Remember, this was at the end of the night...at least 5 glasses of wine down!

But here's the most amazing part....Nina had somehow touched my arm and told me that I had the softest skin she had ever felt! What???? She said, "You have the softest skin I have ever felt, what do you use?" Then Mark said, "What?" She repeated it to Mark and she felt my arm again. If you know who Nina Hartley is, then you must know that Nina has felt the skin of many women, lol! Anyway, I have to thank my friend Fawn, because Fawn gave me some body oil, Dr. Hauschka's Birch-Arnica Body Oil, that I use on my skin....but for the life of me who could remember a name like that? (except Fawn maybe!) Anyway.....Nina Hartley told me I had soft skin.

I rescheduled my Saturday classes for tomorrow and as I sit here in my dining room, it's kind of weird..... It's just after 12 noon, and I'll be taking a little walk in about an hour to try and erase the last remnants of a slight hangover. As much fun as it was to go to a party it was just as much fun to go to the City too. Goodness....there's a whole 'nother world out there....and in the middle of the night too, lol! I happen to like my own world plenty, and I'll get back to it first thing tomorrow morning!

300 Swing combination workout....done two ways

One of the trends in fine dining these days is when a Chef prepares the ingredient of a dish and shows it done in "two", or "three" different ways.....I'm so over it. But I thought I'd make a little fun with the title of these workouts in the same way.

I did the first workout on Thursday with the 14kg, and repeated it on Saturday, but with 3 different KB weights. I had to make Saturdays version a bit shorter to fit into the first 1/2 of my Advanced class, but it wasn't any easier!

Thursday w/14kg

40-50-60-70-80 = 300

40 reps = 1.0 min (2 hd swings)

50 reps = 1.25 min (transfers)

60 reps = 1.5 min (1 sw, 1 tr x 30)

70 reps = 1.75 min (5/5 x 7)

80 = 2.0 min (10/10 x 4)

These five sets equal one rotation. I completed these rotations 4 times, starting with 1 minute rest periods, then shortening the rest period in each rotation by 15 seconds (1 min., 45 sec, 30 sec, 15 sec.). This video shows the last rotation with only 15 seconds rest periods

#1 rotation = 12.5 min

#2 rotation = 11.25 min

#3 rotation = 10 min.

#4 rotation = 8.5 min (not including the last .25 min rest period)

42.25 min. 1200 swings

Saturday I cut right to the chase starting out with the 16kg with 1 minutes rest periods in the first rotation. The second rotation w/14kg and 30 second rest periods. The last rotation w/12kg was no rest...nonstop for 7.5 minutes!

Saturday

Warmup w/12kg (equal work/rest)

10 2 hd swings x 2 sets

10 tr x 2 sets

1 sw, 1 tr x 20 reps (10 sw/tr)

5/5 x 2 (20 reps)

10/10 x 1 (20 reps)

5 min. 100 swings

16kg, 14kg, 12kg

40-50-60-70-80 = 300

40 reps = 1.0 min (2 hd swings)

50 reps = 1.25 min (transfers)

60 reps = 1.5 min (1 sw, 1 tr x 30)

70 reps = 1.75 min (5/5 x 7)

80 = 2.0 min (10/10 x 4)

#1 rotation 12.5 min

#2 rotation 10 min.

#3 rotation 7.5 minutes

Total workout 35 min. 1000 swings

The first cut of the Four Hour Body Trailer

This didn't make it to the end but it's interesting:

Tim's story about how the video trailer got made is detailed on his blog .

Fingers crossed that somehow I get to do more amazing stuff like this. I don't worry about the details though....good things, no, great things happen to me all the time.

Food Journaling...the "bad" days

Opinions are like....what? How does that phrase go? Anyway, everyone has an opinion about food journaling and I have to be honest and say that my opinion has changed over the last few years. Do I think food journaling is a good idea? Yep. But for reasons different than I used to.

I had kept a consistent food journal for years. It never gave me grief, as it was simply a gathering of data. In addition to food intake I would also journal my daily bodyweight, bodyfat %, and any exercise I did that day. Interestingly, once I stopped I gained weight....around 20lbs! That's quite a bit of bodyweight. Did I gain weight because I stopped journaling, or did I stop journaling because I gained weight? Hmmnn.....

I suspect the latter.

No one wants to journal the "bad" days! Easy to journal the "good" days, but somehow even though no one is looking, or cares, we leave out, or get lazy, when it comes to writing down what we would rather forget. Funny thing is that for some crazy reason we think that if we don't give any attention to it it never existed....it didn't "count".

I have been food journaling, again, for the last few months and the only time I don't is when I've been traveling....that's a different blogpost, lol! But, my point is, I have been logging the data, "good", or "bad" for months, and even now, knowing what I know, I still find it hard to follow through my journaling on "bad" days.

This is what I know. Food journaling is NOT about judgement, nor is food journaling about accountability. If you find yourself judging, or policing yourself, then it will not serve you in a positive way.

Food journaling has great value if you can divorce yourself from the judgement. "It is what it is". Another phrase that is overused, but let me offer something different. "It is what it is, until it isn't". Reality changes. Speaking of divorce. You aren't "married" to eating too much, you aren't "married" to being or staying overweight. You can change it anytime, at any moment.

Journaling the "bad" days are important for change....not that you don't already know you're eating too much food. I knew I was eating too much food to lose weight because I wasn't losing weight! That's the first clue! No matter what shoulda. coulda woulda, if you aren't losing weight then you are eating too many calories. (or you have a medical condition way beyond my diagnosis)

Food journaling is important if you are perplexed as to the reason why you are trying, but not losing weight, if that's your goal. Figuring out what is keeping you, or making you, weigh more than you say you want to starts with an accurate look at you daily caloric intake.

You are not just calories. You are not just your bodyweight. You are so much more, but take responsibility for your starting point. It's just a starting point. Input and output....simply put! If you take in more calories than your body needs it is stored in the form of excess...fat. Now I didn't need to tell you that, did I?

I know how to maintain my current bodyweight of around 140lbs. I train alot, I eat alot. I know how to lose weight, train less, eat less. Hmmnn.... I don't want to do either....right now....until I do! I'm not "married" to this decision, and I can change my mind any day of the week. I'll let you know if I do. In the mean time, lucky me!

I thought I would share with you some of my "BAD DAYS"

friday

7:15 Bikram yog

coffee/cream 175

almonds 60

dried cherry tomatoes 140

sm cabbage salad w/tuna and brown rice 350

apple 100

avocado smoothie 500

tomato soup, brown rice and lamb 450

raisins 300 (I may have eaten more, but I didn't measure and I think I may be wishing it was this amount and no more, lol)

mag and C 40

2115

thursday

extra coffee w/cream 250

raisins 150

lentils 150

celery / pnb / raisins 400

cheese 300

almonds 150

wine 600

9:00pm for some reason (it must've been the wine, lol), I decided to make a big pot of oatmeal w/brown sugar, yogurt, raisins and....Wheaties! Seriuosly! Wheaties? (I stole them from my son Gabe. I never buy cereal) 700-900 calories!

2700-2900

wednesday

9:30am bikram yoga

extra coffee w/cream 250

lg apple 120

butternut, cottage cheese, spinach smoothie 400

almonds misc. 100

lentils / raisins 300

chicken liver pate/crackers 400

grapes 160

califlower soup w/chicken 400 (extra large soup)

2 suckers 160

2290

And these are NOT my "cheat days"...these are miscellaneous weekdays! I like to keep my calories under 2000 during the week. I don't journal my day off, which is Saturday, because it I'm not on a weightloss diet right now. I'll write another blogpost about the "day off" another time.

Today I when I went to yoga, the receptionist complimented me on my muscularity....I was wearing long sleeves! I said "Can you tell that I have muscle? And then I told her that it was a huge compliment considering where I came from. I told her that my husband and I owned the Kettlebell studio on the corner and she told me how she had read my story in the front window. She was thrilled to meet the woman in the magazine article she had read while passing by!

Beginners "100" Swing routine

Here is the first of 3 workouts themed "100" This entire workout is all done at an equal work to rest ratio, and we get to the "100" total in 5 sets instead of 4....progression is always #1 priority.

Beginners

10 10 20 20 40

10 2 hd sw x 2 (20 reps)
10 tr x 2 (20 reps)
1 sw 1 tr x 10 (20 reps)
3 sw 1 tr x 10 (40 reps)

5 min. 100 reps

worksets w/12kg

10 tr 15/15
10 2 hd sw 15/15

1 sw 1 tr x 10 30/30
20 2 hd sw 30/30

3 sw 1 tr x 10 1.0/1.0
40 2 hd sw 1.0/1.0

1 sw 1 tr x 10 30/30
20 2 hd sw 30/30

10 tr 15/15
10 2 hd sw 15/15

10 min 200 swings

repeat first warmup rotation as a cool down in reverse order

3 sw 1 tr x 10 (40 reps)
1 sw 1 tr x 10 (20 reps)
10 tr x 2 (20 reps)
10 2 hd sw x 2 (20 reps)

5 min. 100 reps

total workout 20 min 400 swings

"100" Intermediate

This version of the Intermed workout has less rest than the Beginners and not nearly the volume of the Advanced. We also used double bells for one of our worksets, like the Advanced version.

After the warm up no rest period was longer than 30 sec. video shows an entire work set rotation, so you could essentially train along with us...just play it over for the "repeat"




Intermediate

10 20 30 40

10 2 hd sw x 2 (20 reps)
10 tr x 2 (20 reps)
1 sw 1 tr x 10 (20 reps)
3 sw 1 tr x 10 (40 reps)

5 min. 100 reps

10 tr w/ 12kg 15/15
10 dbl sw w/12's 15/15

1 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kg 30/30
20 2 hd sw w/14kg 30/30

2 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kg 45/30
30 2 hd sw w/14kg 45/30

3 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kg 1.0/30
40 2 hd sw w/14kg 1.0/1.0

9 min 200 swings
repeat

22 min, 500 swings (minus the last 1 min rest)

If I had to do this one over...and I will, lol....I'd add another 2 sets of 50 into the worksets after the 40 reps sets. The last 40 2 hd swings would only have a 30 sec break and here's what the next two sets would look like,

4 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kg 1.25/30 sec
50 2 hd sw w/14kg 1.25/1.00

12.5 min 300 swings

That would add 200 more swings total in about 7 minutes of additional work/rest finishing 700 swings in just under 30 minutes....we went on to snatches, that's why this workout was shorter.

PS I did this workout after my Advanced workout in the next blogpost

Last of the "100" Advanced...for now

Last month the theme for my swing class was "100", that left one more workout to get done before April....whoops did it turn into April already? Oh well, they're just swings! Here is my Advanced level class routine.

The video shows the last 4 sets. Two sets of 50 and two sets of 100. On the very last set I tried telling myself that it was easy....(the background noise is the fan btw)



Advanced
20 30 50 100 = 200

1 sw 1 tr x 10 = 20 reps 30/30 (1 min)
2 sw 1 tr x 10 = 30 reps 45/45 (1.5 min)
4 sw 1 tr x 10 = 50 reps 1.25/.75 (2.0 min)
9 sw 1 tr x 10 = 100 reps 2.5/1 min (3.5 min)

8 min warm up 200 swings

worksets w/12kg, two 12's and 16kg

1 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kg = 20 reps 30/30 (1 min)
20 dbl sw w/12's 30/30 (1 min)

2 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kg = 30 reps 45/30 (1.25 min)
30 2 hd sw w/16kg 45/30 (1.25 min)

4 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kgw/12kg = 50 reps 1.25/30 (1.75 min)
50 2 hd sw w/16kg 1.25/30 (1.75 min)

9 sw 1 tr x 10 w/12kg = 100 reps 2.5/30 (3 min)
100 2 hd sw w/16kg 2.5/1 min (3.5 min)

14.5 each rotation 400 swings
repeat

total workout 1000 swings
36 minutes (minus the last 1 min rest period) 25 minutes of work, 11 minutes of rest


PS you may notice that I use both "45" and ".75" to describe the same timed interval. One is 45 seconds, and the other is.75 min.....same thing

Carrot Fries

Last night I followed through with an idea I had of making carrot fries. Sweet potato fries have been all the rage for a couple of years, and rightfully so! Sweet potato fries are super easy to make and super yummy for sure, but for me, still a little starchy. Not a problem if you can eat a little, but when those bad boys come out of the oven...game on! Easy to overeat, as are all roasted veggies (who am I kidding!)

All root vegetables are somewhat starchy to me, my favorites are sweet potatoes and rutabaga, but everybodys taste is different and what kind of effect starchy veggies have is also individual. Butternut squash is not a root veg, but I include it in the starchy veg catagory. Here is a list of my favorites,

beets

butternut

carrots

celery root

parsnips

potato

sweet potato / yam

turnip

Carrot fries are essentially roasted carrot sticks! A good way to practice your knife skills and you can cut them ahead of time. Toss them with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, throw them onto a hot roasting pan, and into a hot 375 oven. Give them a shake and flip halfway through cooking, about 12-15 min. to make sure they don't stick to the pan and to brown them on the other side. Finish with another 10 or so minutes of cooking and enjoy....I ate them all by the way!