Tag Archives: kettlebell

Back, Butt, Cardio, Fitness, Plyo, Squats

I Am Giving Myself Permission to…

December 22, 2013 Kim 57 Comments

Today I took a couple of basic moves and combined them for the 44. I did a squat with a row. But, I wanted to make it even more challenging so I made the squat a jump squat.

I used my kettlebell for the rows – 20 pounds. This move got my heart rate way up there!!!

I don’t always work out on the weekend but since I took the entire past week off I decided to do a short workout today. I did Turbo Jam, Cardio Party 2. It is amazing how much conditioning you can lose in a short time – I was huffing and puffing through most of this workout!

I decided that I want to really enjoy the next couple of weeks and not feel guilty for certain things. So I have given myself permission to:

Sleep until I wake up and skip the normal 5:00 am wake-up alarm. Some days I wake up and feel guilty if I don’t get up super early but I’m going to give myself these couple of weeks to sleep without guilt!
Go simple with meals – use the crock pot as much as possible to make life easier. (I actually do this a lot but sometimes around the holidays I feel like meals have to be more elaborate and this year I’m letting that go.)
Spend time doing things that aren’t productive – TV, computer stuff (not work related), reading.
Hang out – after this Christmas break, Jordan only has 3 more before he will not always be home with us. I want to take advantage of the time and ~~make the boys~~ spend time together playing games or whatever.
Enjoy life and not be stressing or rushing around thinking about lists and things that need to be done. This one will be hard because I spend most of my time thinking about the next thing and the next and the next…

Basically I am going to try and just enjoy the next couple of weeks without getting stressed or feeling guilty (easier said than done!) about things.

What are you giving yourself permission to do? Is it hard for you to relax without feeling guilt?

Happy Sunday!!

Kim

Core, Fitness

I Choose Happiness!!!

November 13, 2013 Kim 81 Comments

Today’s 44 is one that Josie @ Yum Yucky demoed the other day. It is called a living plank and it is fun!!!

Start in plank with a kettlebell (you could use a dumbbell) above your head. With your right hand, move the KB down near your thighs. Use your left hand and return the KB to the start = 1 rep.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Xd89TPqBQ’]

Try this for a new way to spice up your plank. The last few reps were hard – I had to work hard to lift the KB and not drag it!

Yesterday I wrote a post full of griping and complaining and then proceeded to let myself be in a major funk all day!

Today, I choose to be happy and share some happy things.

Saturday – Wrestling Tournament:

waiting - lots & lots of waiting — waiting – lots & lots of waiting

I don’t totally get all that goes along with wrestling – it is new to me – but Hunter had 3 matches on Saturday – he lost his first then came back to win his 2nd which sent him to the consolation round. He won that match by pinning his opponent!!!

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5VMlstalXk’]

3rd place in his category at his very first tournament!!

Sunday – Jordan’s Birthday:

For several years now, Hunter has been trying to get Jordan to give him 5!

come on - give me 5 — come on – give me 5

Sunday – Cello Group Concert:

This concert was Hunter’s cello group, a clarinet group and a flute group – all were great. The cellos ended the program with a version of William Tell’s Overture – it was awesome!!

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KvzVijWsKo’]

Monday – Veteran’s Day:

Monday – Birthday Dinner (a day late because of the cello concert!):

cookie cake - 15 candles — cookie cake – 15 candles

After looking at all the awesomeness around me – how can I not be happy?!

We all know I love to exercise and today I’m going to exercise my happy!!!

Happy Wednesday!

Kim

Butt, Fitness, Hamstrings

Happy Birthday, Hunter!!! (and the link-up that wasn’t meant to be)

April 8, 2013 Kim 24 Comments

Today is Hunter’s birthday – my little boy is growing up – not really little anymore!!

I still got in a 43 amidst the before school birthday festivities! Today I adapted a move that Tina at Best Body Fitness had as part of her Move-It Monday Lower Body Burner. She had a sumo deadlift as one of the moves. I did a pretty close version of the move she showed but I chose to keep my legs straight on the way down.

I used my kettlebell (20 pounds) which I really like for deadlifts – it helps keep me centered!!I stood with my feet in a wide squat:

From that position, I leaned forward until the kettlebell was right at the ground.

I love deadlifts – I think because you are supposed to stick your butt out!!!

This was a fun 43!!

The rest of my workout was a run. I was planning to link up with Miss Zippy because she is having a #Best Run link-up today. However, near the end of my run I decided there was no way to qualify today’s run as a best of anything!

I ran 5 miles in 37:00 (1.5% incline) and did another 1.5 miles as a cool-down. The problem today is my hamstring hurt the entire time I was running. Last week when I ran 24 miles the only part of my body that was really sore was my left hamstring and butt. I figured it would go away (isn’t that how things usually work??!!) Today it still hurt when I ran – really?? I thought that a hamstring injury was a sprinter problem!!! (OK – I know it can happen to anyone but seriously, I just got back into hard running after my stress fracture – ugh, and it was my left hip – coincidence?)

Anyway…..this wasn’t my best run so I’m not going to even pretend that it was even though I really wanted to participate in the link-up fun!

But, it’s still a great day because today is my baby’s birthday – I guess being 12 means he isn’t really a baby at all!

Hunter was born 6 weeks early and had to spend his first week in the NICU. Sadly, I didn’t even get to hold him until he was already a day old because I had my own problems and the nurses and DR wouldn’t let me get up. The bottom pictures are his last day in the hospital (which was Easter that year!) and Jordan meeting Hunter for the first time – brotherly love from the start!!

This morning, Hunter opened his presents – mostly new Rubik cubes which is exactly what he wanted! The bottom right picture is him under the clock at his exact time of birth (7:31 am).

I’m very proud of the young man that Hunter is becoming! It is been 11 awesome years and 1 year that was not quite as awesome :Wink: (When Hunter was 3, was really into pitching fits – lots of them -all the time for no reason at all – GOOD TIMES!!!) Hunter really does make me happy every day!!!

Happy birthday, Hunter!!! I love you!!

Happy Monday!

Kim

Fitness, Shoulders

Friday, Friday, Friday – 3 Favorites

January 4, 2013 Kim 10 Comments

The 43 today was one more kettlebell move!!! I feel like I turned this week into – Theme Week! Today I thought it was going to be a super easy move – WRONG!!! (I guess it could have been easier if I took a couple of the plates out of my KB but I left it at the full 20 pounds!)

I started with the KB in my right hand – passed it behind my body to my left hand – passed it in front of my body back to my right hand – did an upright row with my right hand/arm for 1 rep. The row was the killer part!!!

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMTKELPiUSg’]

In the demo (made the other day), I switched directions after just a few reps. This morning, however, I did 43 with my right hand then switched and did 43 more with my left. Good stuff!!

Today for day 10 of the 12 Days of Fitness we added in 10 overhead presses (I used 15 pound dumbbells). Just 2 more days and I will have successfully completed this fun challenge!!!

For my work-out I picked something that would be more like a recovery day! I did a FIRM DVD – Cardio Sculpt Fusion. This was a fun mix of cardio, body sculpting and dynamic yoga/pilates stretches. I enjoyed it a lot and still got in a good work-out!

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_-v_51d5No’]

This is one of my favorite songs (and bands!)!!! Just hearing this song makes me happy, happy, happy!!! (even when I have my toes in the snow instead of sand!!) Jordan gets on to me every time I sing it – “Mom, you’re cussing!!” Not cussing (this time!) – just singing!!!

Chris is my favorite person in the whole world!!!

Yesterday, even though he also worked all day, when I came home from the library (checked in and out books to over 300 kiddos yesterday!) he said he would make dinner! (He probably cooks as often as I do!) Last night he made chili which was awesome because it is cold here!!!

Cowboy Boots – Love them!!! At least while my toes are in the snow I can wear my fun boots. I wear them with everything – jeans, dresses, leggings….In fact here are the ones I’m wearing today – happiness!!

I’m not sure that Friday is my favorite day – that probably changes daily – but it is always sure to be a

Happy Fun Friday – hopefully y’all have some of your favorite things to enjoy today!!!

Kim

Biceps, Butt, Core, Fitness, Lunges

Back to Reality!

January 3, 2013 Kim 2 Comments

This morning when my alarm started screaming a little after 5 – all I could think about were the words to this song.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGkZXYrAAys’]

I, however, was not dancing around like Will! (Cannot lie – I always liked Will Smith in The Fresh Prince!)

So, I ~~jumped out of bed~~ rolled slowly out of bed, and got on with my daily 43. Today I used my kettlebell again – love it!!! The sequence for 1 rep:

right knee lift with KB pass under
left knee lift with KB pass under
right lunge with KB pass under
left lunge with KB pass under

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72jW0_PWL6U’]

Hunter helped me out with the demo yesterday afternoon. We took a couple of plates out for him. This morning I did all 43 reps with the 20 pound kettlebell and I tried to lift my knees to chest height and go into a deep 90 degree lunge – I was sweating for sure!!! What I really love is the number of muscles that I could feel working – legs, butt, core and arms.

Today was day 9 of the 12 Days of Fitness. (I sort-of have to sing the song to remember how many of each exercise, especially when I’m doing this at 5am!!) Today we added in lateral lunges (I used 25 pound dumbbells for this move.)

For the rest of my work-out, I pulled out an old classic – TaeBo! I did the Ab Bootcamp DVD from Billy’s Bootcamp series. It is 35 minutes of solid core work and I’m sure that tomorrow I will remember the work-out!!!

Gotta get moving – boys back to school today and I’m back to my long-term library gig! First though, Hunter has an 8:00am orthodontist appointment – who scheduled this thing?!?!