Schedule for KB Swing classes with Tracy and KB Snatch, Max V02 Workshops at Girya with Master Instructor Mark Reifkind

Earlier class time for the months of July and August @ Girya. Starting July 4th I'm only taking 4 spaces in the new series of "Learn to swing" 8:00am class, so make sure and reserve a space ASAP. Email me tracyrif@yahoo.com

Starting in July and August there will only be 3 classes in the "Learn" series as I will be out of town at least one weekend a month through the rest of this year. The cost is $75, and all class times will be scheduled earlier in the mornings, starting @

8:00am for the Learn class,
8:30am for the Basic Beginning
9:00am for Intermediate Swing/Snatch
and a possible Max Vo2 @ Equinox 10am-10:45


Woo hoo, a new group of super smart people will be able to learn the magic of training the kettlebell swing! Space is limited, so don't put off your desire have whole new level of fitness any longer, or your curiousity about how this revolutionary style of training can change your body and your life, like it did mine.

Reserve your spot ASAP via Paypal, email, phone comfirmation.

Class times for Saturday, July 11th,

7:30am-8:30am Testing for the SSST & Max Vo2 based training @ Equinox

9:00am-9:45 Intermediate Swing @ Girya

9:45- 10:15 Basic Beginning @ Girya

Check back weekly for any additional classes or time changes.
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Saturdays, @ Girya, Palo Alto

8:00am-8:30 Learn to Swing Class
8:30am-10:00 Beg/Inter Swing Classes (check above schedule weekly for exact times)

Master Class available upon request and confirmation.

All classes are $25 drop in fee or...
4 classes for $75 ( must be used in consecutive weeks, this is a short time promotional offer)
All Saturday Swing classes taught by Tracy Reifkind, RKC

The 30 minute Beginning/ Intermediate Swing class will almost always be an "equal work to equal rest ratio", and it is scaleable to your current ability.....your ability can, and will change very quickly, lol!

The 30 minute Max Vo2 based workout consists of snatches and speed swings, mostly done in a 15 sec work to 15 sec rest ratio, and it's not unusual for class to end with and endurance snatch set lasting 3-5 minutes (no rest).

The Master class is a 45 minute workout. The Master class will be swing sets with a "longer work to rest ratio" that can last up to 4-5 minutes, and may include snatches. In the Master class you'll be my "training partner" because it is my actual workout. The Master class is scalable, but if you need to scale it down, until you build up endurance then it is your responsibility. The Master class does not forcus on coaching so your skill level must already be advanced.

The 30 minute Learn to Swing class is for new students that have never swung a Russian kettlebell, or if you feel you need more practice and/or instruction before attending the beginner class. I recommend 4 weeks of learning the swing and it will be instructed as follows,

week 1, 2 hand swing and variations of the 2 hand swing
week 2, 1 hand swings and transfers
week 3, roundabouts
week 4, combinations of all of the above swing movements and practice, practice, practice!

I am offering 4 classes for the price of three, but they all have to be attended consecutively, in the same month period of time, for the simple reason that I believe in consistency. I'm most interested in people getting results, and to do that you have to train regulary.....I haven't missed a workout in almost 3 years, and I expect the same from anyone interested in training with me! Come 5-10 minutes early to stretch and warm up on your own, or park a few blocks away and use walking as a warm up, but be ready to start swinging, on time!

Girya is a small studio and can only accomodate 5-8 students, so I encourage you to reserve your space via email or phone, tracyrif@yahoo.com, (408)421-8293.

I hope these classes can work into your schedule because, I promise, you can be truly inspired to take your training to a whole new level!

Master swing Class and Programing the Swing Class available upon request

Finding Balance

In Bikram yoga this pose is called "balancing stick". It may look as if I'm simply bending forward while holding my right leg up, balancing on my left leg. But in fact what I'm really doing is contracting both of my quadriceps, contracting my glutes, while gripping the ground with my toes. I'm also squeezing my ears with my bicep muscles, contracting every muscle in my arms, down to my fingertips, leveling out my right hip, sucking my stomach in, and trying to breathe calmly. All of this while creating so much tension, pulling my body apart in opposite directions from fingertips and toes, like a tug of war......

"I don't know quite what the future holds for me, but I'm all about making my life easier, not harder."

I wrote those words almost 2 years ago when I started this blog. I was constantly being asked to share the exact details of how I lost over 100lbs. and transformed my body. So by journaling the changes in the foods I ate, and the way I developed my own style of training Russian Kettlebells, I did that. I was excited to do that, but what I forgot to do was to make my life easier! Trying to balance is hard work!

This will be my last blog post here, and instead of writing a blogpost about not continuing this blog, I'm going to clean my house first thing in the morning more regulary creating peace of mind to go to yoga class with Mark.......and I'm going to put my fat cat on a diet.

This blog chronicles step by step not only the last 2+ years of my continual physical transformation but the thought processes of my original methods and evolution of my training. The value of my experiences and the time I've taken to share them with readers, I hope, is a gift that will always be recognized.

Trust

Surrender

Forgive

Let go

What Am I Going To Eat Today?

"What am I going to eat?" How many times have you asked yourself that question? If you're like me, then you ask yourself that question before every meal. But why do you ask yourself that question?

If you're like me, then it's because you have so many good choices of fresh foods at home waiting for you in your fridge or freezer, that it hard to choose. Or, like me, you're so fast and efficient at preparing fresh, nutritious foods that you know within, sometimes as little as, 10 minutes for a salad (dressing and all), or 20-30 minutes in a pressure cooker you can have everything your body needs to stay and feel healthy....vegetables, protein, grains, etc. It's because you already know you have the skill and knowledge to cook and prepare anything you could want, and need, with the best quality ingredients you can afford....and that comes from practice.

Or....

Is it that you truly don't know because you have nothing at home waiting for you, either prepared, or within a short time, easy to prepare? Is it because, like most of the people in this country you haven't decided which fast food resturant it's going to be for lunch today? Is it because you don't know if you have the right ingredients to try a new recipe? Is it because making sure you have good, nutritious, fresh, foods isn't anywhere near the top of your priority list, if not, why not?

What am I going to eat today? I know what I'm going to eat, do you?

Breaking Through

Sometimes breakthroughs come from breakdowns.

The definition of insanity.....doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Everything works, but nothing works forever.

Increased carbs

Smaller portions

More exact calorie count

More frequent meals

High volume, lighter bell KB's

Yoga everyday, sometimes twice a day

Relatability

I'm coming up on my 4 year anniversary of the day I started my weight loss of over 100lbs, that means for 3 years now I've been able to maintain that loss...have I been perfect? No, but I don't need to be perfect, I just need to be the new person I am.

I was asked the other day (as I am often asked), "Are you afraid of gaining the weight back?", this question drives me freakin' crazy! It drives me crazy because it's so typical that people expect former fat people to get fat again! When a fat person loses a large amount of weight, the common response is always, "I wonder how long it will be before they put the weight back on?", not, "I wonder IF they'll put some weight back on"...I'm guilty of this sort of thinking myself!

I know the odds are not in favor of keeping weight off, especially extreme amounts of weight. So why am I not afraid of gaining the weight back?

I am not afraid of being fat again. I will never be 250lb+ again, never. Why not? Because I am not that person anymore, I'm just not. But that doesn't mean I don't remember that 250lb+ person....I will never forget where I came from. Just because I don't "live" there anymore doesn't mean I forgot what it was like. I understand it, I don't judge it. And I don't care what kind of trainer, dietician, nutritionist you are, if you've never had to lose a large amount of weight, then you can't possibly relate to someone who does, in a way that understands that it's about more than food....it's about eating, and the it's about the disconnection with our bodies.

Sure, a motivated person can find the kind of willpower and discipline it takes to reduce calories and exercise to lose weight, but motivation only lasts so long....and then what? You have to change who you are, you have to change how you think about food and eating, and you have to change how you live, permanently. Someone who's never had to do this can only offer the "calories in, calories out" theory.

Many people that have never had to lose weight aren't even healthy themselves, they're just thin, or of a "normal" weight. They can eat any kinds of foods they want, many times processed foods, they don't feel as if they need to pay attention to the quality of the foods they consume, or they just don't think about it. I've had to become conscious of the foods I choose, and the way I eat....lucky me!

Awareness and consciousness is always a good thing. Once you know the difference, you can never "un-know". I will never un-know what it was like to be extremely overweight, and for that I am grateful!

The old Tracy meets the new Tracy

Part of my new way of eating.....my new way of thinking....



For a long time I've known that my portions were going to have to change. Feeling "full", really full, even stuffed full, is part of the mental crap that got me into trouble in the first place. I felt I was lucky to figure out a way of eating loads and loads of food without many calories, and still lose weight....and it worked for many years. But it didn't change my habit of overeating.

Now having to readjust, and reconfigure the types of calories in my food choices, to give me the fuel, and energy I need to stay strong in my training, and not starve myself, while still losing this extra 5-10 lbs I say I want to lose. I've been holding steady at 132lbs all week, down from an average of 137-138lbs. this past 6-7 months. More details on food and Thought.