My Kettle Bell Course

This past weekend I spent it entirely on continuing education. Specifically Kettle Bells and TRX. 

First up....Kettle Bells.

I've been teaching a kettle bell class for a couple weeks now and spend Friday evening getting officially certified. I thought I would share some of my fave moves from both my class and the certification course!

First...the "get up"

I do this move with only 1 kettle bell and make sure to hit both sides of the body evenly!

It's a great move for the whole body but really targets that core!

next..."kettle bell swings"

It's a staple go-to move in any kettle bell class. It again engages the whole body and allows you to move through a full range of motion!

Next...my favorite..."figure 8s"

Please ignore this girl's form. Her back looks awful in this picture and I would not let anyone in my class bend like this but it was the only pic I could find of a "figure 8"

Even despite her horrible form...I think you get the picture! I love this move and seriously use it in every class!

Up next...a little TRX love!

Adding fuel to my fire!

This week marks the addition of two new classes for my repertoire.... 

Kettle Bells

And TRX...

If you haven't gotten a chance to try a kettle bell class or a TRX class....I highly recommend trying them out!

THEY ARE SUPER FUN!

Kettle Bells lets you add strength to a cardio routine well the TRX challenges your core in a whole new way!

I will be getting certified in both classes this weekend and begin teaching as well! I will keep you posted on how things go as well as share some of my routines and favorite moves! 

Training for a spring marathon?????

When I decided to partner back up with TEAM In Training....I immediately went for a flashy race...

The Nashville Country Music Marathon April 28, 2012.

When I was day dreaming about how awesome the race would be and how much fun I would have on the trip....I mentally blocked that fact that I would be training for a marathon throughout the winter....and that I live in Nebraska.

On Saturday...I ran 10 miles.....it was 10 degrees outside....

A Little Cabin Fever

Apparently Mother Nature remembered that is is supposed to be winter here in Nebraska. 

I think she decided to make up for lost time!

I've had to hit the treadmill and few times this past week. Some days have gone well...the last one did not. I'm starting to get cabin fever and my runs seem to be the first thing suffering. 

BOOOOOOOO!

On a fun note....

Wes and I hit up the Omaha Children's Museum!

We played for several hours and then met up with Dave for lunch! It was a good time.

We are going to attempt an outdoor run tomorrow. Since the morning temp is going to be 1.....yes literally 1 degree, The TEAM will head out at 1pm. 

Wish Us LUCK!!

My Run Week

So, this week marks my first long run that required on of these....

We did 12 miles on Sunday. It went really well!! I had a really fun run with a team-mate and my legs felt great. 

Today I did my first tempo run of the season. 

Here's how I broke it down....

Warm Up: 1.5 miles at 10 m/m

Tempo: 3 miles at 9:20 m/m

Cool Down: 1.5 mile at 10 m/m

Our YMCA got new treadmills that are awesome!! They have a virtual training mode that allow you to travel through trails of state and national parks, it includes the incline of the terrain as well as lets you visually "travel" the course. The HD screen is pretty awesome. It gives you something decent to look at! It also gives you little tid bits of info about the course too!

Today I did my tempo run the the state parks of Utah. I virtually ran through canyons, forests, by rivers and streams. The incline varied from 0-2% randomly throughout the course.

 It is a great distraction and my 6 miles really went fast!

Another exciting tid bit from my life....The Pilates Center of Omaha is expanding their studio to include a "fitness" studio to hold a variety of classes that vary from Yoga to TRX to Kettle Bells and more. They have asked me to manage the fitness studio! I have been working with instructors to create a class schedule and working with the owners to build, design, and promote the new space! We are hoping to have our grand opening in the next 2 weeks and to kick off classes shortly after! 

Check out the website!

www.pilatescenterofomaha.com

Skinny Squirrels and Fat Americans

While in Florida, it was very obvious that the weather stayed nice year round. First sign...the squirrels were skinny. Noticeably skinny. In January, here in Nebraska....the squirrels look more like this..

Yup....they have put on their winter weight to try to survive the harsh winter here in the Heartland. Not in Florida. I also noticed something else striking regarding weight. Americans are fat.

Disney World attracts people from all around the globe. Our resort had a particularly large population from Brasil. It was incredible. It was glaringly obvious. We are a nation of gluttony. So, I did a little research. 

The Center for Disease Control reports that one-third of American Adults are considered obese and that 17% of kids age 2-19 are considered obese. 

2010 State Obesity Rates
State	%	State	%	State	%	State	%
Alabama	32.2	Illinois	28.2	Montana	23.0	Rhode Island	25.5
Alaska	24.5	Indiana	29.6	Nebraska	26.9	South Carolina	31.5
Arizona	24.3	Iowa	28.4	Nevada	22.4	South Dakota	27.3
Arkansas	30.1	Kansas	29.4	New Hampshire	25.0	Tennessee	30.8
California	24.0	Kentucky	31.3	New Jersey	23.8	Texas	31.0
Colorado	21.0	Louisiana	31.0	New Mexico	25.1	Utah	22.5
Connecticut	22.5	Maine	26.8	New York	23.9	Vermont	23.2
Delaware	28.0	Maryland	27.1	North Carolina	27.8	Virginia	26.0
District of Columbia	22.2	Massachusetts	23.0	North Dakota	27.2	Washington	25.5
Florida	26.6	Michigan	30.9	Ohio	29.2	West Virginia	32.5
Georgia	29.6	Minnesota	24.8	Oklahoma	30.4	Wisconsin	26.3
Hawaii	22.7	Mississippi	34.0	Oregon	26.8	Wyoming	25.1
Idaho	26.5	Missouri	30.5	Pennsylvania	28.6

The CDC wrote... " The public is already flooded with nutrition and diet information from multiple sources. As a result, they are sometimes confused about what, how much, or even how often they should eat."

I Call Bullshit.

Is it really confusing that eating an apple is a better diet choice than a snickers bar. Is it really confusing that eating a turkey sandwich is better for you than a 10oz Porter House steak. Is it really that hard to understand that eating a plate full of Pasta with Alfredo and dunking a butter covered bread stick in it just might be overkill??

Why are kids fat? I have never seen a 7 year old sitting behind the wheel at a McDonalds drive thru. I have never seen a 5 year old pull out their debit card to pay for a large soda and cotton candy at a baseball game. 

Come on!

It's not confusing. It's about choices. We are choosing to be fat. We are choosing to be unhealthy. 

Why??

Because it is easier. It is easier to stop at a drive thru than it is to cook a meal. It is easier to buy a cotton candy that it is to tell our kids "no". 

Alright America...it is time to MAN UP! 

We don't want the world to think of us as fat, lazy Americans. Not cool!

We don't want to be a generation of people that make our own children sick.  

We don't want to be a generation of people that spends more time in the hospital than with family. 

It's time. Take charge of your own life, your own health, and think about our kids needs....not their wants. 

"I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead, others come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me." - Dr. Seuss