Strength is Tension

Mark giving a lecture on "strength is tension". Brilliant as usual, it actually inspired me to want to press heavy!
Karen and Fawn (Karen, standing, Fawn, on hands) practicing a drill on tension. Karen and Fawn are 2 amazingly strong women on my team.

Mark and Pavel talking.

I've got more pics, but not enough time to post. Since I am an assistant, and not official picture taker, it's not that easy to get alot of pics. But today is the last day and I'm going to try and take advantage of it.

Lunchtime Workout

Warm up
40 2 hand swings w/26, 1 min. on 1 min. rest x 3 sets= 6 min.
40 2 hand swings w/36, 1 min. on 1 min. rest x 2 sets = 4 min.
Total warm up 10 min.

Work sets

10 double clean, dbl push press w/ 2, 26's 45 sec. on 45 sec. rest x 10 sets
100 double clean, double press, 7.5 min. total

10 2 hand swing w/ 36, 15 sec. on, 15 sec. rest
20 2 hand swing w/36, 30 sec. on, 30 sec. rest
30 2 hand swing w/36, 45 sec. on, 45 sec. rest
40 2 hand swing w/36, 1 min. on, 1 min. rest

Total 100 swings per rotation = 4 min. x 4 sets = 16 min., 400 2 hand swings

Total workout 33.5 min.


We only had 45 min. for lunch, so I pulled together this quick workout. I had also walked to the cert from the hotel in the morning, but that won't save me from the damage I did at dinner, and dessert! I don't think I'll be weighing myself for a week after I get home. I'm not kidding!

Dave Whitley doing the 2 hands anyhow w/bulldogs. (I'm in the background)

Slight Panic

I'm going through serious workout withdrawl. Combine that with moments of food "panic" and things are a little shaky right now. I'm having a great time, but not being able to control my workouts (or lack of) and food exactly, is messing with me, just a little.

I was able to walk back to the hotel, instead of taking the shuttle (about 2 miles) last night, and I did get to participate in Geoff Neuperts' drill for 10 min., so not all is bad. I plan to test the 10 min. snatch this morning, and get a workout in at lunch time.

Geoff's Drill
2 hand swings , I used the 20kg, 16kg, 12kg (he had the women use 16,12,8). All sets done in "I go, you go" fashion.

#1 set, 10 w/20kg, 15 w/16kg, 20 w/12kg (45 reps)
#2 set 15 w/20kg, 20w/16kg, 25 w/12kg (60 reps)
#3set 20 w/20kg, 25 w/16kg, 30 w/12kg (75reps)

I'm actually surprised about how much I depend on my scale. This is very uncomfortable. I fantasized about putting it in my suitcase next time I go on a trip!

I had my usual coffee w/cream in the morning and didn't eat until lunch (time ?), even though I wasn't really hungry. I took snacks with me, but only ate about 3 prunes and and apple until I got back to the hotel at 7:45.

Room service didn't pick up the stinkin' phone, so I had to walk down to the resturant, but before I did that I stopped by the "hospitality room" (we are staying in the room next to it) and guess what? Free snacks! Even though I had plenty in my own room, I had to take the free food! At least I resisted the huge bowl of peanut M&M's, but the almonds were still there and some trail mix with fruits/nuts and coconut, which I helped myself to, because at this point I'm panicked and I know by the time I order my dinner, and get it, it'll be 9:00.

I was already in my PJ's, so I had to get dressed again, and the menu of food sucked, so I knew I wasn't even going to get to eat anything good. At this time I turn into a total bitch, and get cranky and that just feeds on itself. Long story, short, today's a new day, the extra calories consumed with come in handy for my workout today, I've got a great cup of coffee right now and life is good.

I promise my next post will be filled with positivity! Of course Mark reminds me that these situations are part of what and why you 'train".

More Pics from the Cert

Trying to get some sun on my feet, but I wore a jacket all day to keep it off of my chest andarms! (I need to crop this photo, but I don't know how!) The weather is perfect and I had an incredibly good "hair day"

Finally, some attention from my husband!

I took these 2 photos mainly to show what kettlebell training can do for a womans arms! I'm not the only one with great guns!
Part of my team, the first 2 gentlemen are assistant Mark Toomey and team leader Geoff Neupert.

More update coming soon. Right now Mark just left to go to dinner with Pavel and the other Seniors/Team Leaders, and I chose to stay in and order room service.

I just looked at the room service menu, yuck!!

Greetings from the Cert

Naina, Tracy, Pavel Doug, Tracy, Kori
Mark w/friends Mark Toomey and I are assisants on the same team, Team Neupert.

Arrived safe and sound in Minnestoa just in time to check in and go to the "Meet and Greet". I'm getting really excited to get started in the morning, everyone is so motivated to learn and improve their training with Kettlebells.

I met many people that were familiar with me because of this blog, that's fun! Naina (rhymes with banana!) came up to me so excited about the weekend and what KB's have done for her and her training, she said to me,"I saw your name tag from across the room and I and to introduce myself! I've been on your blog!"

Thurs. AM weight 127.2 (perfect)
6:30 Bikram yoga

Menu

coffee w/cream 85 cal.
oats/milk/sugar 240 cal.
lg. apple/celery/chicken salad w/blue cheese and walnut dressing 600 cal.
broccoli and tuna salad w/grapes 600 cal.
stinkin' free food at the "meet and greet"
melon, strawberries, pineapple 100 cal.
roasted almonds w/olive dip 450 cal.

Total calories 2100?

Man, I can hardly pass up free food. I tried, really, I thought I tried. But there were these huge bowls of salted roasted almonds just sitting there, free for the taking! And then I spotted the olive dip and thought, mmm, I'll scoop the nuts in the dip! I suck. Not really. But the blog police are out in full force. If anyone sees me eating they want to know, "Are you going to write that down on your blog?". Of course I will.

On a more positive note, I was overjoyed to see not only a mini-fridge, but also a microwave!!

Life is good in Minnesota. More pictures tomorrow. Snatch test in the morning!

Last Workout before the Cert.

7:00am KB

Warm up

40 2 hand swings w/26 x 3 sets, 1 min. on, 1 min. rest = 6 min.

Work sets / All sets, 30 sec. on, 30 secs. rest

#1 20 2 hand swings w/36
#2 20 transfers w/36
#3 20 2 hand swings w/44
#4 20 2 hand swings w/53

I alternated these 4 sets x 8 rotations. All 4 sets took 4 min. to complete x 8 = 32 min.

15/15/15/15. bottoms up cleans, 2 min. on 1 min. rest x 2 sets = 5 min.

Total workout 43 min.

I had a hard time only training for about 40 min., but I want to test the 10 min. snatch this weekend and didn't want to overdo today's WO. I chose to do heavier weights today, but short sets and short rests.

Tuesday Am weight 127.8
8:00am 40 min. walk
7:00pm Bikram yoga

Menu

coffee w/cream 70 cal.
11:30 oats/milk/sugar 240 cal.
2:30 lg veg soup w/squash and chicken (4oz) 450 cal.
4:30 strong decaf coffee w/whipped cream 100 cal.
5:00 yogurt w/sliced almond 230 cal.
9:15 leftover pasta w/sausage and broccoli 300 cal.

Total calories 1390

7:00pm Bikram yoga is brutal! Having to stop eating ideally by 4:00 is pratically impossible. And I can't believe I was eating as late as 9:15pm, but I didn't get home from class until 9:00 and I hadn't eaten enough during the day. I still didn't eat enough. Sweating right before I went to bed reflected a low body weight in the morning.

I can't believe that at the first part of last year (Jan-March 06) I went to Bikram yoga everyday and sometimes twice a day (2 calsses in a row!), crazy! I can barely seem to make it to class 3 x a week. But since yoga is not an option I had to go at 7 pm to fit it into my schedule.

Wednesday AM weight 126.0
7:00am KB 43 min.

Menu

coffee w/cream 85 cal.
10:45 oats/milk/sugar 230 cal.
11:00 prunes/PNB 150 cal.
2:30 lg spinach, tomato, asparagus and chicken salad w/anchovy dressing 500 cal.
4:00 espresso w/whipped cream 100 cal.
5:30 veg soup w/leftover pasta and sausage 400 cal.

Total calories 1465

I had a really tight schedule today and ate exactly at these times between appts. I can't believe my calories were this low, I had to of forgotten something??? Oh well, the scale will tell me tomorrow.

Lots to do still before our trip, still hoping to make it to one last yoga class in the morning at 6:30am!

The weekend starts on Thursday this week! Life is good.

My Body, a Science Experiment

Part of calming the emotional charge around food has changed my focus about my weight and body to more of a scientific approach. I am confident about my ability to change the numbers on the scale, if I want to, more than ever. The scale provides data. Not judgement. Not self worth. Not failure. Just a number.

I always tell people that when you weigh yourself, and you weigh more than yesterday, you ate too much, and if you weigh less than yesterday, you ate less. Adjust it accordingly. I know easier said than done, especially when you have so much emotion driving hunger, or what you perceive as hunger. So how do you calm the emotional charge?

I don't know the answer for everyone, but I do suspect that everyone that finds themselves out of control with food has anxiety at that moment. For me my "all or nothing" attitude takes over and in my mind I've already lost control, so I keep going with the attitude that if I can't be perfect (on my diet) then I'm going to completely blow it. That type of thinking feeds (no pun intended) the anxiety, not calms it.

So, for me, calming the anxiety is key to being able to make reasonable, rational desicions about food. Some of the mind games I use are questions I ask myself like;

"Is it going to kill you not to have that piece of candy (or cookie or whatever)?"
"Are you going to die while waiting 15 minutes to make a salad?"
"Do you really need to eat 5 prunes or do you just need something in your mouth and 1 will do?"
"What if you were having surgery at 2:00pm and you couldn't eat?"
"You could probably live off your fat for a couple of days!"
"What if chocolate was never invented?"
"Is this (food) going to make your life better? I mean really, will your life be better? And you do want to make your life better, don't you?"

There is probably not one day that goes by when I don't ask myself one of these questions, or something similar. And everytime I put things in perspective this way, it gets easier to keep things in perspective.

So now I'm calm, and I see a number on the scale I don't like, now what? Since the number is just data, I have to compare it to the other data in my training/food journal. What were my workouts the previous day and what time of day did I workout? What did I eat that was different and when (again what time of day)? How much did I eat (volume as well as calories, a pound of salad does weigh a pound!)? Was I "regular" that day or the day before (yes, did I poop? LOL)? Etc.. The answers to these types of questions is the data you need to make different desicions or choices, if you want.

I know it's not easy, it's taken me 2 years to get to this point. But being able to see this type of progress, scientifically, adds to my calm. I never thought that my body would turn into a science experiment!