Barefoot Girevik

If you have been following my blog, you may have noticed, well, nothing for the last couple weeks.  For that I am sorry.  December is extremely busy for me and I haven't been near the computer other than checking the spelling of a friend or family member's name on Facebook because I blanked while writing their card.  In our family there are 3 birthdays in a span of 3 days in December so when you add birthday parties to the countless Christmas parties and Holiday celebrations, the baking, home crafted gifts, shopping, wrapping and decorating, somewhere, something is going to be pushed aside.  All of that brings me to my reason for writing today.  I want to give you some ideas to survive the Holiday season somewhat unscathed.  First of all, make lists.  When you have 25 tasks rolling around in your head it is so easy to stress over finishing them.  When you make a list you can prioritize, start at the first one and work your way down.  Chec...

In October, AGATSU started a Paleo Nutrition Challenge.  I didn't sign up for it for various reasons but it intrigued me enough to do a Paleo Challenge of my own.  I bought a couple of books about Paleo (complete with recipes and meal plans) as a pre-reward for finishing the challenge.  I figure if I reward myself before I start something I have to finish it.  I think you have to be very dedicated - or slightly insane - for that kind of logic to work. For those of you who don't know what a Paleo Diet is, it is basically eating the way our cavemen ancestors did.  There are some different versions of Paleo out there.  Some allow dairy products, although I don't think our ancestors were brave enough to just stroll up to the wild version of what we call cows today and just start yanking on parts of it's anatomy to see what came out.  Others allow clarified butter and bacon is quite common in a lot of the information out there.  S...

In the AGATSU Kettlebell certification course Shawn Mozen taught us the importance of movement mastery.  Shawn is the founder of AGATSU and the man responsible for bringing kettlebells to Canada.  In his seminars Shawn puts a big emphasis on being able to move your body the way it is meant to move. When I was a kid I could sit cross legged with my legs tied up in a knot, feet resting on my thighs.  From that position I could rise up and 'walk', upright, on my knees.  Now I can't even get my legs into that position, let alone walk anywhere (but I am working on it).  We all have stories like that but we all just seem to accept that we lose mobility and flexibility over time, but why?  Why are we OK with the fact that as we get older we disable our muscles and joints through misuse or lack of use. What if someone told you that there was a magic solution to your mobility issues.  Would you jump at the chance to be able to move the way you could wh...

 ""Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."  - William James That is one of my favourite quotes and I believe it to be so very true.  Think back to your last run.  You start out strong, pacing yourself but at the same time pushing just a bit harder than last time.  There is always a spot in your run when you feel really tired.  You are breathing heavy and you really have to start focusing on your form to keep your feet from slamming the ground.  For me that spot is around the 5k mark where there is a big up-hill on a gravel road.  Miraculously when I reach the end of the road and round the curve I explode onto the new path and I feel amazing.  I still have another 3-5 km's ahead of me depending on how much time I have to train that day ...

My first mistake could be my blogger name.  Unless you are immersed in the Girevik lifestyle you have likely never even heard that word before.  Truth is, I don't really know if I am worthy of that title.  A Girevik is someone who trains with kettlebells and this is the story of my journey.  When I first picked up a kettlebell and tried to swing it, I thought "Oh gosh, what have I gotten myself into...".  It was a measly little 8 kg bell and it was just a swing.  Ha!  That's easy to say now but that first class I really thought I had found the ultimate in extreme ftness.  Up until that day, I wasn't a total couch potato.  I did Muay Thai, I went to the gym and used the elliptical and free weights, I played Ultimate Frisbee and I swam.  I was a Lifeguard and Fitness Instructor and for awhile I allowed myself to get into a rut.  I would get home at the end of the day and think "I was in the water all day" or "I w...