This has not been good for my body or my spirit. Even before I got sick, I was starting to
feel the lethargy brought on by inactivity as well as the shorter days. I’ve fallen back into the doldrums, fearing
that all my progress on a healthy lifestyle was circling the drain. Luckily I have not gained back any of the
weight I lost, but I haven’t made any progress losing the additional 50 pounds
I should either.
I’ve finally come to grips with the notion that the
northeast is experiencing what most would call a “normal winter”, and waiting
for those “nice days” to return so I can bike and Trikke is just not a
realistic fitness plan. So I was feeling
well enough today to pull out of my tailspin, and recommit to an indoor
exercise program for the winter. I
decided to return to the kettlebell workout program that served me so well in
the summer.
For those of you unfamiliar with kettlebell workouts, they
are weight lifting moves that combine strength training, core fitness, and cardio
all into one workout. Unlike
conventional free weights, which target a single muscle group, kettlebell moves
are more complex and target multiple muscle groups at a time. This allows you to get a more complete
workout in a shorter time, and also mimics the real world motions you would go
through in other sports and activities. Remember
that your Trikke is a full-body exercise machine, so why not adopt a similar
full-body exercise program?
The kettlebell system I chose is called Kettleworx, and I
have the 6 DVD set with the 5 pound kettlebell.
The premise of this system is you do three 20-minute workouts a week. Each workout focuses on one of the following:
resistance training, core fitness, cardio, although all of those elements are
present to some degree in each workout.
When you include the warm-up and cool-down, each workout is
about 25 minutes long. For most of us,
it would take this long just to drive to the gym and back, so a short workout
like this can help eliminate the excuses that come with our time-starved lives. Furthermore, the Introduction DVD recommends
you take a day off in between each workout to give your muscles a chance to
rebuild. Doesn’t the commitment of 25
minutes a day, 3 days a week sound like something anyone can handle?
So with this choice of exercise program made, I’ll write my
commitment to doing it on this blog to hold me accountable. I just completed the Week 1 Resistance
Training workout, and although I’m hurting, it feels great to have taken my
first steps back towards fitness. I’m
going to set the due date for each week’s workouts to Monday, since my typical
weekend is Saturday thru Monday. This
will give me the greatest chance of actually getting it done. My plan looks like this:
- Week 1 due 12/31/12
- Week 2 due 1/7/13
- Week 3 due 1/14/13
- Week 4 due 1/21/13
- Week 5 due 1/28/13
- Week 6 due 2/4/13
Tonight’s workout was difficult, and a literal painful
reminder of what happens when you let your fitness plans slip. I recall the first time I did that workout in
the summer though, as it was much more difficult than tonight. After I completed the six week plan, it was actually
becoming fairly easy, and I was looking to move up to a 10 pound kettlebell. One of the joys of this program is that you’ll
make rapid progress.
There’s a lot of good news from tonight’s workout. First of all, I realize I am still in better
shape than I was 5 months ago. Secondly,
tonight is the worst I’m going to let it get.
Each workout from here will get easier and more enjoyable. Finally, I can already feel a boost to my
mood from the exercise. These endorphins
do wonders, and it literally feels like someone flipped a switch in my head
making me happier and more vibrant again.
I hope all of you are holding up well this winter, and finding
a way to keep fit indoors if you’re among the majority of us who live in cold
climates. I’d love to hear what your
winter plans are, and how you’re doing with them. As for me, I’ll make an update here every
Monday to share my progress with you.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any
compensation for writing this post. I
have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have
mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance
with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guidelines Concerning
the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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