Fly

You were born with potential.

You were born with goodness and trust.

You were born with ideals and dreams.

You were born with greatness.

You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don't. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.

- Rumi


My mother recently sent me a card she had saved for me written by my paternal grandmother, Mabel Wildman, in 1979, I was 16 years old that year.  What seemed as totally random were the last two sentences,

Don't be afraid to fly.  It's the only way to go.

Reading those words at any other time of my life I would have thought she meant air travel!  But what did she really mean?  I'm choosing to believe she meant it much the same as my favorite Rumi phrase.

"Plus 50%" Swing/Snatch workout #2

Here is the workout I did on Thursday morning.  Using four of my progressive swing combinations and four progressive snatch combinations (six for the Inter/Adv. version), it is the best of both worlds!

I ran out of batteries in my flip during the second rotation, but I'm sure you'll get the idea after watching the first video.  In rotations 3-6 I only lead you through the snatch portion, no point in watching me repeat the swings.  Although I would be interested if anyone uses these videos as "work along" or just for demonstration purposes.  I'd be happy to include the entire workout, as I am doing it anyway!


warm up
10 2 hd sw x 4 (15/15 = 2 min. 40 sw)


here's where the first video starts.....

rotation #1
10 2 hd sw
10 tr
1/2 sw ld
5/5 (all x 1 set = 2 min)
1 sw, 1 sn, 1 tr x 6 x 1 set (30/30)
"    "   + 10 2 hd (45/15)
"    "   + 10 tr
"     "  + 1/2 sw ld
"     "  + 5/5
7 min. 140 sw, 30 snatches





rotation #2
10 2 hd sw
10 tr
1/2 sw ld
5/5 sw
1 sn, 1 tr x 8 x 1 set (30/30)
"    "  + 10 2 hd (45/15) (this is where the batteries run out!)
"    "  + 10 tr
"    "  + 1/2 sw ld
"    "  + 5/5
7 min. 120 sw, 40 snatches



rotation #3
10 2 hd sw (I'm changing batteries during my rest periods, lol!)
10 tr
1/2 sw ld
5/5 sw
5/5 snatch x 1 set (30/30)
"    "  + 10 2 hd (45/15)
"    "  + 10 tr
"    "  + 1/2 sw ld
"    "  + 5/5
7 min. 90 sw 50 snatches




rotation #4
10 2 hd sw
10 tr
1/2 sw ld
5/5 sw
6/6 snatch x 1 set (30/30) (video starts here)
"    " + 10 2 hd (45/15)
"    " + 10 tr
"    " + 1/2 sw ld
"    " + 5/5
7 min. 90 sw, 60 snatches


28 min  480 swings, 180 snatches (660 reps total)




rotation #5 (bonus/adv.)
10 2 hd sw
10 tr
1/2 sw ld
5/5 sw
7/7 snatch x 1 set (30/30)(video starts here)
"    " + 10 2 hd (45/15)
"    " + 10 tr
"    " + 1/2 sw ld
"    " + 5/5
7 min. 90 sw, 70 snatches ( 35 min. 570 sw, 250 sn, 820 reps total)




rotation #6 (bonus/adv.)
10 2 hd sw
10 tr
1/2 sw ld
5/5 sw
8/8 snatches x 1 set (30/30)(video starts here)
"    " + 10 2 hd (45/15)
"    " + 10 tr
"    " + 1/2 sw ld
"    " + 5/5
7 min. 90 sw, 80 snatches (42 min. 660 sw, 330 sn, 990 reps total)





Zowie!  I managed to get a meatloaf finished, 5 servings of chicken/turkey pate done, publish this workout, and now I'm off to yoga, lunch packed, extra coffee made....all before 6:30am!  I may add more information to this workout post, but if you have any questions just comment and when I get back this afternoon I'll fill in any gaps.


Enjoy!  (the weekend and the workout!)

Purple Sweet Potatoes, Too Philosophical?

What's better than sweet potatoes?  White Japanese sweet potatoes.  What's better than white Japanese sweet potatoes?  Purple Japanese sweet potatoes!  What do you do when the season is over and you can't buy them anymore?  Well...you drive all around town to every specialty market you can think of buying and hoarding as many as you can store in your fridge and pantry.......oh, is that just me?

I went through this with Delicata squash about 2 months ago....and let's see....corn and tomatoes in the summer....let's not forget the Xmas candy and fruitcake on sale.....  The reoccurring theme is the feeling of missing out, the feeling of not getting enough, and the feeling of lack.  Sometimes I feel this rush of urgency to stock up.  But I'm getting better and better at recognizing when the habit of hoarding starts to erupt.  And for me it's simply a habit I acted on much of my life to fill some sort of need.  The "need" isn't what is wrong, how I act out, through habits and behaviors to try and have that need met is what I'm learning to change.  Change in a way that gives me greater benefits.

Hoarding has gotten a lot of attention is the past couple of years because of TV shows exposing this disorder.  It's can be a very serious situation and I'm not trying to make light of it by comparing it to overstocking my kitchen with sweet potatoes, but there can be a fine line between "stocking up" and "hoarding", when it compels a person to act in the same ways out of some kind of fear.  Fear of not having enough is what compels me.  My need was to feel secure.

We all have childhood, teenage, young adult, and even "old" adult, psychological "stuff" that leaves a deep enough impression on us that we develop habits in order to protect ourselves....habits that may no longer give us the relief we were looking for.....but I'm not going to get into all of that.  What I do want to offer is that I know, for a fact, that the more aware I become of the habits and behaviors that lead me to act in certain ways, that are no longer healthy, the easier it is for me to change them.  And I do, and I am, everyday.

I did not buy extra Delicata, I did not drive all over town for purple sweet potatoes....although I did buy 5 fruitcakes on sale....hey, I said I'm working on it! (you can freeze fruitcake!)  Anyway....reminding myself I have enough, reminding myself that there is always more of anything I could want, and if not, something else will take it's place.  There is no shortage of wants, there is no shortage at all....of anything, there's more than enough.

Some might say, "well that's nice for you, but I don't have near all the things I need, much less want".  I'm not talking about "reality", I'm talking about how I feel.  If I lie in meditation (or just sit still and quiet), and visualize having all the things I want, right in front of me and really feeling what that would be like, then there's nothing I can't have.  It's the feeling that changes me, not the "having".  How many times have you purchased something thinking it was going to make you feel a certain way, and then you felt the opposite, or at least not as good as you thought it would?

I can have a purple sweet potato any time I want it.  All I have to do is close my eyes....but I've moved on....

This subject may, can, does, relate to overeating, at least it did for me, and I hope to write more about it.

Tracyrif"s "Plus 50%" Snatch Routine!

Here is my snatch version of "Plus 50%", another workout that I love, love, love!.  There are a couple of ways I increase the workload by 50%.  One is that when you get to the first 1 minute long set you only get a 30 sec rest, this equals a 2 to 1 work to rest ratio. The second is the last two sets increase the rep count by 50% (without a hand switch) into the rest period which equals a three to one work to rest ratio.  Enjoy!



5 rest 5 (15/15 x 2)
5/5 (30/30)
10 rest 10 (30/30 x 2)
10/10 (1 min/30)
15/15 (45/15 x 2)
7.5 min, 90 snatches

6 rest 6 (1 min)
6/6 (1 min)
12 rest 12 (2 min)
12/12 no rest (1.5 min)
18/18 (2 min)
7.5 min, 108 snatches

7 rest 7 (1 min)
7/7 (1 min)
14 rest 14 (2 min)
14/14 no rest (1.5 min)
21/21 (2 min)
7.5 min, 126 snatches




8 rest 8 (1 min)
8/8 (1 min)
16 rest 16 (2 min)
16/16 no rest (1.5 min) (apparently in the video I forgot this set...too much talking!  Don't skip it!)
24/24 (2 min)
7.5 min, 144 snatches


30 minutes, 468 snatches

There are a number of benefits of practicing snatch pacing.  I've been incorporating pace work into my snatch workouts for as long as I can remember and it's provided many, many super challenging routines.  But at the beginning of the day everybody has to start somewhere, and in my level 1 classes I rarely design workouts that use a pace faster than 6 reps per 15 sec. (that's 12 snatch reps per 30 sec interval), and super rare that I ask my students in those classes to snatch for 45 seconds without a hand switch.


Keep that in mind if you try this workout.  If you've been training the snatch for 2 years or less, and especially if you haven't, or don't train it regularly (once or twice a week), then only practice 5 rep and 6 rep rotations. (and try the 4 rep version below) You may not even have the strength endurance to snatch for 45 seconds without a hand switch.  Do not judge yourself! That's what these workouts are designed to do...progressively get you stronger! 


Everybody wants to go fast, fast, fast!  And that's probably because we are all speed demon cardio endurance junkies! At some point everybody needs to train strength endurance, and that's what those slower longer holds overhead do.  As I mentioned in the last video, I used a heavier bell on Tuesday and my rotations were, 5's, 4's, 5's, and 6's.  If you don't think slower reps and longer holds are challenging then you need a heavier bell!


Slow and/or heavy option

4 rest 4 (1 min)
4/4 (1 min)
8 rest 8 (2 min)
8/8 no rest (1.5 min)
12/12 (2 min)
7.5 min, 72 snatches

Are You Taking Your Training, Practice, or Workouts for Granted?

Recently I had to face the fact that I've been taking my yoga practice for granted.  For months now I've felt as if my practice has not been improving, totally taking responsibility for it, but not in the right way.  I thought I was at a point when my training was hitting a natural plateau, and I could only expect minimal gains, and found it frustrating.  I was miserable in my practice, so much so that I was starting to blame the practice itself (Bikrams) for my bad attitude....not for the stagnation of my practice, but because I wasn't having fun anymore.  To me, fun means seeing and feeling improvement.  Improvement can mean a lot of different things....it's about "the journey, not the destination" right?  Because I had lost respect for my practice my attitude was getting really stinky....even more than usual (lol).  Not nice!  And realizing that it was me that stunk, not the practice, was a real eyeopener!

I thought I was treating my yoga practice as if it was important to me but I didn't realize how little, if any, effort I was putting into setting myself up for a good practice.  I was on auto pilot, simply going through the motions because yoga "was on the schedule", hoping each practice would be a "good practice", but not giving any thought or anything extra, pretty much just "showing up".  I was treating it more like "exercise". I was not taking into consideration what I was doing the day before a scheduled workout (practice) to help ensure I would be at my physical best for the next days practice.  This includes what, and how much I eat the day before, and it includes enough rest and recovery.  Not just packing my mat, water, change of clothes and lunch!  Like anything you want to be successful at, planning and preparation are the actions that can set you up for better results.  Planning and preparing to be my strongest, most ready, physical best, and to feel my best, is the best attitude adjustment of all!

Sometimes it seems easy to "be on our best behavior" when we have important dates coming up.  When we know a meet or competition is approaching we are careful to plan and prepare to be our best on that day.  When we have a performance or meeting we plan and prep to be our best that day. When we have an occasion, a party, a wedding, an event that we want to look and feel our best for we plan, we prepare.  What's so hard about putting in a little effort everyday for the next?  Isn't everyday important, and every practice/workout important?  Are you just "showing up"?

This is what I've learned not just for improving my yoga practice, but for improving my life.  One of Mark's phrases that truly sets the tone of our lives is "Training is the Source". Through my training I've learned about my life. When you take something, anything for granted you become a victim of the outcome.  Your attitude may be the one thing making you miserable....think about it!

The Best Use of Your Time...."Eating In"

On of the most common question I get asked is "Can I swing kettlebells everyday?"  To which my answer is always...."If you could, I would!  Why do you think I took up yoga?"  So the answer is no.  To which is always accompanied with the look of disappointment.  (The quick answer is that you should not train any weight resistance exercises every day. Body weight exercises like yoga and walking (running) can be trained everyday)

But I never get asked the question, "Can I make my own meals everyday?"

I can get excited at the thought of pursuing many different physical sport/hobbies/practices.  I love the idea of getting back into the Martial Arts, I love the idea of getting back into cycling, or even learning how to swim and train for a mini triathlon.  I could get excited about training some of the power lifts, as well a signing up for beginning adult ballet lessons.  It would be easy for me to try and do it all, the only thing stopping me is...well, there's two...the first is, I kind of like spending time with Mark in the evenings more, and the second is that I have other things that take priority, like preparing my meals for the day/week.

I have all mornings, from the time Mark leaves for work, until he gets home, to do anything and everything I want to.  I train/teach and lead kettlebells for 2-3 hours 3 times a week, plus a few private lessons.  I have a 5-6 day regular Bikram's practice a week.  I walk 2-4 times a week either running errands around town on foot, or simply pounding pavement for 40-60 minutes.  All of those things, with the exception of my kettlebell training take a back seat to my other number one hobby, and that's cooking.  If I only had time for two things it would be those two, training kettlebells and cooking....in that order. These two things have made, and continue to make, the biggest differences in my physical body and my life overall....not ballet lessons!  But why kettlebells before food/cooking, if food is indeed what made the biggest change in my body...the biggest body weight change.

Cooking and preparing food involves planning, shopping, prepping, actual cooking, clean up and that may include packing meals for another day.  I consider cooking a hobby, and there's nothing I don't enjoy about it....not even dirty dishes!.  Cooking is a hobby that satisfies all of my senses. Yes cooking is a science, but it's also an art....an art that feeds my body, and for me, my soul.  I don't take it that seriously in the sense of perfection.  It's just one more"practice", and if there are two things I love, it's practice and repetition! (routine, regularity).

For most people regular exercise is easy compared to making your own meals regularly...that's why they want to try and exercise off the extra weight.  And swinging kettlebells especially is so much fun, (and why I hear the question) it would be awesome if we could just swing ourselves skinny!  When most people find an exercise they like, or at least find tolerable, they want to commit to it everyday, but won't commit the time for making the changes in their daily diets.

I'm telling you now that there is no better use of your time, for long term permanent weightloss than spending it creating the food and eating habits of a healthier lifestyle, besides, you'll get faster at it, and it will take less and less time!  You don't have to become a gourmet cook (unless you want to!)  I would find it surprising, not impossible, but surprising, if a person that eats out, and/or purchases fast, ready made foods, more often than not, could maintain a significant weightloss for any extended period of time, much less permanently....but that's my opinion.  Using your time to learn how to feed yourself is not something you try to avoid by choosing to overexercise instead, or doing exercises/workouts that produces little, if any, noticeable physical change.

I know how I feel after a good workout, and I know how I feel when I open my fridge and see the lunch I made for myself waiting for me!  The feelings are the same.  I feel accomplished.  I feel empowered.  I feel confident, in control and in charge!  And I bring those feelings to everything else I do!

How do you spend your time?  What are your priorities?  How do they make you feel?  Now, what's the next meal you are going to spend your time making?

PS But why kettlebells before food/cooking, if food is indeed what made the biggest change in my body...the biggest body weight change?  Because I've practiced making my own foods so much that it takes practically no time at all, it's a no brainer.  It's not hard, it's not bothersome, it's not boring...it's a joy.  Believe me, I spend and take more time designing, creating, journaling and posting swing routines than I do on "recipes", and that's a joy too! Each one inspires the other.  The better I feel about my health and body, with training the swing and eating good foods, the more I want to do those things....that's motivation!  Lucky me!

Hope and Motivation, part 1

When I started blogging back in 2006 after losing 120lbs I felt like I had never in my life felt before.  What had happened, and what was happening was way bigger than a weightloss story.  I couldn't really describe it because I've not known of anyone that had, or was having the same experience...so I just started writing.  After being asked over and over again "How did you lose all that weight?" I was compelled to write about how, at the age of 41, I was feeling and looking better than I could ever imagine.  With the foundation of the "former" Tracy I felt like a new improved version of myself.  If I had to use one word, only one, to describe this new way of feeling it would be "confident". Feeling truly confident is the best feeling in the world, and covers many, many parts, if not all parts, of my life.

During those first years of blogging I dreamt about being the one that found the answers to the questions of motivation.  How does one get it, how does one keep it, how does one share it?  It is not the million dollar question...it's the million dollar answer!  I wanted other people to experience what I had, and I felt the only way I could do that was to find the answers to what inspires motivation.  But I could only share what it was, and is, that motivates me.

I've been asked many times what motivated me to lose the weight.  The answer? Lots of things.  The first motivation was the fear of dying.  I mean really dying...dead!  Another motivation was the weightloss contest (bet) I got involved with at work, a competition.  Yet another was a personal challenge, the one I made to myself to not eat out at all, and make all of my own foods and meals.

I didn't die, I won the bet, and making my own meals is no longer a challenge but a gift I give myself and my family.  How, after accomplishing those things would the motivation to keep going, keep improving, or at least keep changing in a positive way, continue?  Training kettlebells.

This may sound hokey, it may even sound like I'm trying to sell something, but you can't buy what training kettlebells can give you.  It's not the "kettlebell" alone that's magic, it's "training", and the two together has been an unbeatable match for me.  Without one I would not have the other.  There is nothing truer than the phrase that Mark came up with "The kettlebell won't swing itself"

Before I go on I'd like to share a blog post I wrote 5 years ago a couple of months after I started my original blog, here it is;

TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2007

Hope for the New Year

So much has happened to me in the last few weeks, in the last few days, I can only wonder what this next year holds for me.

Two years ago today I was happy. My life was good. Yes, I was fat, but I never defined myself by my weight. I always felt that I was smart, talented, and had a good life. I enjoyed eating alot of food and took responsibility for the results of that. In fact besides being phyisically uncomfortable at times I felt the biggest drawback of being so heavy was the judgement of other people about me because of my weight. I felt invisible. Not respected. And I did feel shame about my weight.

Being Mark Reifkind's wife, many times I wanted to hide. Married to a personal tainer and being so over weight I remember asking Mark when he would want to introduce me to a client or friend " Did you tell them I'm fat? You need to tell them I'm fat, because I don't want them to be surprised." I felt bad for him because I didn't want my weight to be a reflection of him. After all, should the worlds best personal trainer have such a fat wife?

I knew I had it in me to lose the weight and start exercising, I just didn't want to. Why? I don't even know the answer now. I think everyone knows how to lose weight. The question is why don't you want to? I, personally, don't think it matters why. You and I have the rest of our lives to try and figure that out, if we want to. It doesn't change the fact that 2+2=4. In otherwords, the fact is if you count your calories and start some sort of exercise, you will lose weight. You don't need me to tell you that.

What I want to offer is hope. Hope that you can recover from being overweight. Hope that you can recover from being out of shape. Hope that you can recover from being ashamed. Hope so that you can feel healthy, strong and proud. And that you can come through it looking and feeling better than you ever have before.

That's what kettlebell training has done for me. I tell everyone that my diet (food) changed the size of my body, but kettlebell training changed the composition of my body. And I wouldn't of believed it until I experienced it. Kettlebell training has given me hope. Hope that I can keep the weight off and feel and look great. Sometimes I think if I only would of known about KBs 10 years ago I might never have gained so much weight.

I hope that you find the motivation this year, if I can give you any I will. If you have already found your motivation, like me, I hope you keep it going strong.

You might have noticed that the title of this blog post, "Hope and Motivation" includes a "part 1", and that's because I have so much more to write.  Explore what I think is the answer.  The answer, my answer, is hope.