Transforming Body

It's rare these days for me to post one of my KB workouts because my workouts are simply variations of the same theme, lol! I've got so many archived on my other blog that I, myself, could go back and do some of my earlier routines and still get a great workout! (BTW if anyone doesn't know by now, I re-opened Physical Potential months ago, and my curent KB class schedule is updated regularly there). But one of the subjets of this blog is transforming your body, and without a doubt my style of training kettlebells gets all the credit....yoga is great, but it's just a compliment to my real training.

I've come to the conclusion that the 12kg is just too light for me. I can swing it for 2 hours of classes while giving instruction without getting into my target heartrate, and the 16kg just beats me up, even though alternating with the 2 weights works beautifully, for the base of my high volume swing training it was time for me to find an alternative......so I bought and inferior KB in a 30lb weight! (14kg) There is room for all kinds of KB interval training that includes speed, weight, reps, length of sets, etc, but I need to get into my target heartrate for effectiveness, so with Mark's suggestion of 2 minute work/ 30 sec rest sets this is the workout I came up with......


2 minute sets w/ 30 sec rest. Break down the 2 minute set into eight, 15 seconds sections, the first 15 seconds starts with 10 2 hand swings, alternating back and forth w/ 10 transfers. After the first set add on additional sections of transfers (alternating 10 2 hd sw) until the last uphill set and then it's all transfers.

10 2 hand swings, 10 trans, 10 2 hd, 10 tr, 10 2 hd, 10 tr, 10 2 hd, 10 tr
10 2 hand swings 20 trans, 10 2hd, 10 tr, 10 2 hd, 10 tr, 10 2 hd
10 2 hand sw, 30 trans, 10 2 hd, 10 tr, 10 2 hd, 10 tr (get the idea?)
10 2 hd, 40 tr, 10 2 hd, 10 tr, 10 2 hd
10 2 hd, 50 tr, 10 2 hd, 10 tr
10 2 hd, 60 tr, 10 2 hd
10 2 hd, 70 tr
80 tr
repeat backwards downhill

40 minutes total (not including warmup)

I think this new weight is just what I needed, by the time I got about halfway through I was sucking wind big time wishing my rest period was longer.....perfect! These types of work/rest sets will be my Monday KB workouts, Max on Weds., and Saturdays I do all sorts of stuff with my 4 back to back swing classes (the toughest part of the workout with my intermediate swing students).

Is it time for you to re-evaluate your workouts?

I just want to feel good

When did I start trying to turn every part of my life into a metaphor? When did every word I spoke have multiple meaning depending on some answer I may be looking for, some "sign" that I'm doing things right, or as a warning I'm not.....or why I'm not....I never wonder why I do things right, only when I don't, lol! And what is wrong and what is right....what are the answers I'm looking for? How to be perfect is the first thought I have when asking myself that question. Good God, being conscious of the choices I make for my life is one thing, but living in fear of saying the wrong words, decoding every move I make and missing the answers given in "signs" is starting to work my last nerve! I just want to feel good.

Why, why, why?......I'm tired of asking the questions, I'm tired of looking for the answers. It's time to lighten the load.....hmmnn, "lighten the load".....what does that mean? Just kidding, but seriously.....I've gotten to the age where I want to throw everything out and start over. Hmmnn, start everything over.....what does that mean? Is my age, or is it something else? I think it's age! We only have so much time.....only so much time in a day, only so much time in a life. Clearing out the "chatter", the "clutter", the things and people in our lives that drain our energy. Hmnn, maybe that's it......is something draining me or energizing me? Interesting..... OK, today I'll do things that energize me, and try to recognize when I let the things I do or say drain me, and turn them into postives.....

This is what I know about today....

Kettlebells in 10 minutes....good thing.

Make some veg soup.....good thing.

Clean my house before yoga....good thing (a clean house feels good!).

Scheduled appt with a friend to do her nails and pedicure.....draining, but I'll have to change my attitude about it and turn it into a positive....afterall, I've already made the commitment, so at least I can feel good about keeping my commitments.

Taking in my back screen door to be re-screened, (those freakin' cats!)....a good thing.

Making resevations for a trip down South next weekend.....good thing.

I have so much free time and I'm lucky to recognize it!....good thing.

Although I'm tempted to go back and do a 4:30 yoga class (my second for the day), instead I'll spend my time with Mark.....good thing! He can help me medicate the cats for fleas.....definitely a good thing!

Changing my attitude about things I may see as draining, or not 'good things" will be my focus today....afterall I have to put on some tight yoga clothes and find a way to feel good about it, lol!

Life is good, feel good about it.

To Weigh, or Not to Weigh....that is the question

Everyone has an opinion about whether or not one should weigh themselves everyday, every other day, once a week, or never! I have changed my own opinion many times, especially over the past year! But the one opinion I have about weighing yourself in general has stayed the same.....if you can weigh yourself and use that information as simply "data" then knock yourself out and weigh as often, or not, as you feel you need to.

When I started my weightloss in Jan. '05 I weighed once a week, and I stuck to that even though I was tempted to weigh myself more often. It wasn't until I decided after my original goal weight of around 145lbs. to lose another 10-13lbs (shooting for 132lbs for the April '06 Cert) that I started to weigh everyday. I felt I needed to weigh more often so I could make the adjustments needed to reach my goal in time. From that point on, daily weigh-ins were used in that way....as data, because I started journaling my training as well and it was all part of the same "experiment".

Since my surgery in Dec. 08, it's never been the same. I don't know what happened but my body and my mind just went "willy nilly". So many changes with major surgery, my age, my hormones, my training, my eating, even my personal life has seemed to play a role in this emotional rollercoaster of how I feel about my bodyweight. I admit for many months I would step on the scale and be, downright, depressed....but that's another story, lol.....

Yesterday I was debating whether or not to weigh myself since I had weighed myself the day before (on Sunday, after an "all you can cook day"), because I knew it was going to read a higher number that I was hoping for, but then I asked myself this question, "Will knowing the number on the scale change how the rest of the day is going to go for you? In other words, my meal plan for the day was already prepared and in place, my training schedule was not going to change, and if I could see my bodyweight information as data, then what's the harm? I weighed myself, and I felt fine about it...will I weigh myself today? Probably, because I'm interested to see if I've been successful in moving back to my maintence bodyweight.....and I think I have. (but if I haven't then I know I need to make some changes)

At this point in my life I don't think it's good for me, or necessary, to weigh everyday. I can see the number on the scale objectively most times, but I would be lying if I claimed to be able to always see it that way. "Tracy's Fantasy World" is a world I live in never feeling the need to weigh myself because in "Tracy Fantasy World" I have healthy eating habits that reflect a heathly life, therefore a healthy body. The truth is that I know what I weigh before I step on the scale. My bodyweight is dependant on how much I eat, not on how much I train, and I know when I'm eating too much, and eating more food than my body needs will always reflect on the scale.

PS The one practice I don't think is healthy....and I'm guilty of it myself....is multiple daily weigh-ins.....I won't be doing that anymore, but don't make me promise, lol!

Meditate, Meditate, Meditate

It has become very clear to me that my compulsive behaviors are triggered by anxiety. The feeling of anxiety is always a prelude, and the start of acting in a way I might not "normally" act. What is causing my anxiety? Who knows, lol! The important thing is that I find some calm. These past few weeks as I think about "the first compulsive bite", it occured to me that the first compulsive bite was actually the second part of binge eating....the first is the anxiety. If I could calm the anxiety, then the feelings of compulsion could go away. Calming anxiety ususally happens as I start to think logically, instead of emotionally.

Meditate, meditate, meditate is what I remind myself to do when I start to feel anxious. Meditating may be different to everyone....do you meditate? How do you meditate, or calm your anxieties?

What's harder than 4:30pm yoga class?

Four-thirty Bikram yoga when Yi-ting is teaching! And my fellow students know what I'm talking about, lol! (Me, Yi-ting, Jayne, and Liane)

Since I get up in the morning before 4:00am, by the time 4:30pm rolls around the last thing I want to do is go to a 90 minute, 104 degree yoga class! Most of the time it's my second class of the day, and it comes after a KB workout, and sometimes a 40 minute walk.....but that's why I go! Sometimes doing what we don't want to do is exactly what we need to do!

The one thing that 4:30pm yoga makes me do, however, is it keeps my eating schedule in check, and that's my biggest motivation for putting it on my training schedule at least 3 times a week. There is no way in hell you can overeat before an afternoon bikram yoga class.....I did that one time! One time is all it takes! Overeating not only makes it uncomfortable because your body is busy trying to digest all that food, but what you eat can cause dehydration, and that's not good!

Who really wants you to lose weight?

This is part of an email from a client/friend of mine and I thought I would share it because it reminded me of a blogpost I started to write months ago, so it inspired me to finish.....

"I am often amazed at the things people say. Earlier today while I was preparing my lunch; one of my co-workers came up to me (male) commenting, "That looks like a lot of work." My response, "Well, I dedicate Sunday's to preping and cooking my food. I actually enjoy it. And I go to farmer's market on Sunday morning." So, then he proceeds to "explain" to me that that will all end when I meet a man. That he is not going to want me to spend my Sunday's doing that kind of stuff. WOW!!!!! That is like telling me that I am wasting my time taking care of myself and that I will gain the weight back, the day I am in a relationship. WTF!!! I know you warned me about people making negative comments throughout my journey, but WOW!!! It was not just what he said, but also the way he said it."


I believe that no one but your immediate family wants or cares if you lose weight. In fact I'll be bold enough to say that I think everyone, but your immediate family, wants you to stay fat! I think it's true. Of course if you've hired a personal trainer, then their success depends on your success, but they're getting paid!

Your immediate family.....with, in some cases, the exception of your spouse! If your spouse is fat and wants to stay that way, then you're not going to get alot of support, because they'll lose their "eating partner! If your spouse is a "saboteur", because of their own insecruities, maybe they're afraid you'll do better and leave the relationship, or get too much attention, etc., they will not support your wanting to lose weight. But most of the time, your spouse does want you to look and feel your best, so I think the other is the exception, not the rule!

Your kids.....of course your kids want you to be skinny because at a certain age they don't want you to embarrass them in front of their friends. And your parents.....they will love you regardless of what you look like, but they don't want to outlive you! Some parents see their children as reflections of themselves and they may want you to "represent" success to prove that they were good parents, so how you look to the "outside" may be of some importance to them.....again, in this case, the exception, not the rule.

But let's get back to everyone else......non immediate family members,(cousins, aunts/uncles), friends, and coworkers. They don't want you to lose weight because, they don't want you to be skinnier than them.

1) If they're fatter than you, they'll feel bad about themselves. And if they can't find the motivation to change it for themselves they may say the words in support of you, but they'll also be the first ones to try and sabotage you by saying things like, "Oh come on, go to lunch with us", or "Just have one bite, one bite never hurt anyone!", or "I was at Starbucks and I picked up this Mocha for you because I know it's your favorite." (extra large, super vente, of course). Misery loves company.

2) If they're skinnier than you, they want to stay that way.....skinnier than you!! Their own insecruities always want to be "one up on you". The don't want more competition for attention, they want it all.

Both groups of people will be the ones talking behind your back taking bets on how fast you'll put the weight back on. They might even say something stupid like...."Now, you don't want to lose too much weight.".....Oh yes, that would be a crime now, wouldn't it? God forbid we lose too much weight! What the hell are people thinking? And what's anyone's definition of too much weight? I think it's a bodyweight that is lower than theirs, lol!

How many times have you heard people say about someone they know who has lost weight, "They're not the same anymore, they act different now!" Yeah, more confident maybe? Healthier? More energetic? How can you not be different?

You know what else bugs me? when people say, "You know, you have to lose weight for yourself, not anyone else" What the hell does that mean? Of course we lose weight for ourselves, good freakin' Lord, who did we get fat for? Who did we eat that bag of cookies for, that serving of nachos with extra cheese and sour cream....someone else? What does this mean????? As if losing weight was suddenly going to be easy because they've just given us the answer....of course....just lose weight for ourselves.....brilliant!....now I can do it.......why didn't I think of that...?????

If someone has never done what you want/need to do, then do not listen to their stupid advice.

All You Can Cook Day

I have always given myself a day off of my diet, at least once a week, calling it a "cheat day", then a "high calorie day"....playing with the wording, of course, to try and make it sound positive (nothing positive about he word "cheat"). I credit my "high calorie day" for the fact that, along with my KB training, I had never hit a plateau during my weightloss.....never! How many people do you know that can say that? I believe the reason this method doesn't work for most people is because of the fasting day that follows.....but that's another blogpost for another time.....



In the past I always reached, first, for "sweets". Sugar, in abundance, is what I crave, so on my high calorie days it was not unusual to consume a whole pint of ice cream, a whole bag of cookies, 1 lb See's candy, etc., and because I started out with sugar it killed my appetite for "real" foods, and because of that, many times, I wouldn't eat one nutritious thing on a high calorie day! But recently as I became more and more aware of the infinite food choices we all have it occured to me how much I'm cheating myself of all of the goodness of more nutritious, yet also high calorie foods, such as butter, cream, bacon, bread, pastas, cheeses, nuts, even olive oil, etc.. And since I have the ability to cook whatever my little heart desires I've decided to start eating more of all the lovely high calorie savory foods, first, and then if I have room (and I always do....but less room), then if I want sweets I eat them. I've also been making more of my own homemade sweets, like puddings (coconut rice, butterstotch, rich dark chocolate!).

I don't call the way I eat during the week "a diet", because I don't feel deprieved in any way, I love my salads and soups, in fact preferring them over fatty/salty/sugary foods, mostly because of the way those foods make me feel. My workouts come first, and there's nothing worse than feeling heavy and sluggish during a workout. Once you overeat before a 4:30pm Bikram yoga class, standing in 104 degrees burping up 1/2 loaf of cinnamon bread from 10am that morning, you never want to do that again, lol! But there are so many foods that don't make the "cut" during the week, like, sweet potatoes (or any potatoes, really, not even mashed....yum), breads and pastas, although they're not bad for me, but I can only eat so much, having to pick and chose, so I chose healthier less calorie foods as my main meals.

So, I started to use my "one day" as my day to do two of the things I love the most......eat and cook! I call my day the "all you can cook day", instead of the "all you can eat day"! On this day I can cook using all of the oil and butter I want! But I usually start out with a glass of wine, some bread and/or cheese, homemade spreads like pestos, and I'll shell some local walnuts while I prep dinner......it's turning into an "experience", not just a "pig out"!

Here's what I had on Sat.,

Spicy Crispy Sweet Potato Fries (pictured above)

Grass Fed Beef Patty Melt w/ Bacon and Smokey Blue Cheese, on sprouted wheat bread slathered in butter!

Rich Dark Chocolate Pudding

It was my intention to put some grilled rainbow chard on my patty melt, but after a couple of glasses of wine......

Yes, I did eat a Chick-O-Stick candy, and a couple of molasses cookies, from Whole Foods, too, but what can I say?




Spicy Oven Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 sweet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch sticks
olive oil (lots!)
salt & pepper
chipotle chili powder (a few pinches)

Heat oven to 400-425 degrees. Place sweet potatoes, in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle salt, pepper and chipotle chili powder, toss with oil. Put them in the middle rack of the hot oven for 15 min. or until they get nice and crispy brown on one side, then turn them over and finish for another 15 minutes on the other side.




(Tip from Fawn.....put you baking sheet in the oven while it's heating up, toss you veggies in oil, s & p in a seperate bowl, and then pour them onto the hot baking sheet)