Barefoot Girevik

I was going to write about goals and resolutions.  I was going to ask how the resolutions are going and give you advice to succeed in your goals this year.  As I was looking for a good picture to go with that theme however I realized that there are numerous posts on that exact topic.  I'm fairly certain that I even wrote about that once before.  Actually if you want to read some really good advice on goal setting go to http://www.agatsu.com/goal-setting-top-5-in-5/  for a blog written by a great trainer and coach who knows her stuff. Instead I am going to talk about good old fashioned hard work.  Elbow grease.  You know once when I was in the 1st grade I got some marker on my desk and my teacher told me to clean it off.  I was having some trouble getting it cleaned up with just water and those awful brown paper towels that schools use and my teacher told me to use some elbow grease.  I asked her where it was...I was 6.  Little did...

Tucked away in a corner in a tiny restaurant at the Toronto airport I am reflecting on the whirlwind that I just experienced. It has been 3 full days of kettlebell work with Shawn Mozen of Agatsu, hand balancing with Ido Portal, power lifting, Indo Boards and even Olympic lifting. I am exhausted and sore and ecstatic. My friend Andrea and I were up at 4am Edmonton time every morning and at the gym for 14 hours of certification and workshops in an attempt to cram in everything that we could in just a few short days. There were some awesome people in our AKC 2 cert. We shared in each others successes and cheered one another on through it all. I can't even begin to describe how it feels to know that "I did that!". Leading up to the cert. it was interesting that every person I spoke with about it admitted that they were "terrified". I found it oddly comforting to know that they were feeling the exact same emotion as I was. Now that it is all over, I am very...

Well, day one done and I survived. The flight though extremely rough was uneventful and on time. I even met up with my friends for a bit of supper last night and again this morning to share a cab to the Academy of Lions where the AKC 2 cert. is being held. I have learned many new things, had a chance to review and practice some technique and worked my butt off. The Agatsu Conference has been amazing so far. I have learned some very helpful and interesting information and techniques from brilliant instructors. I have enjoyed meeting everyone at the Academy of Lions, found some good barbecue for lunch (and supper - so much food!) and finally tried a coconut milk latte at The Primal Grind (a paleo cafe inside Academy of Lions). It was delicious! Finding food has been no trouble whatsoever. There is a little market close to the hotel where I was able to buy bananas and orange juice and then another great little market close to the gym where the names of the vegetables are all missp...

In my last post I promised to write more on nutrition requirements before and after exercise.  That was about 2 weeks ago.  I have to apologize for my absence in the last while.  Once I was feeling better at the end of April I really started to kick 'er down as my father-in-law would say.  I upped my training and seriously increased my caloric intake.  With all the extra training, attention to nutrition and extra work I have taken on, there has been no time to even think about blogging.  Well that and any time I could have, my computer was being monopolized by my 2 boys playing their new game or my husband doing his work.  AKC 2 is in a few short days and once that is over I will be able to focus once again on posting the articles that I have promised in the past.  I am into my light training week now and seriously panicking about the cert.  With only a few days remaining, I do not feel ready but if I train too hard this week I will wreck my ...

In January I decided to step up my training in preparation for AKC 2. While I was training harder than ever I had my husband and some clients doing a Paleo Challenge. I was so busy developing and testing new recipes and ideas that I wasn't eating a balanced enough diet. I was also eating too many low glycemic index carbs and not getting the right fuel at the right time. I did the challenge with everyone as a way to get back on track after too many Christmas treats. In retrospect, I don't think that was the wisest idea. In "The Paleo Diet For Athletes" by Loen Cordain and Joe Friel I learned about how to properly fuel your body for hard training. You need to make sure that you are replacing all of the muscle glycogen stores, fats and protein after each workout so that you are prepared for the next one. As a group fitness instructor and trainer I have days where I teach 3 hours in a day and still do my own training. I am not the type of instructor or trainer to just sta...

First I have to apologize.  It has been a very long time since my last post and I am a little ashamed.  Sometimes you just need to take a break and if you are too stubborn to take one, nature will make sure that you do.  I have been working very hard for the past 6 months in preparation for my level 2 Agatsu Kettlebell Certification.  I picked up extra shifts at work to offset the cost of the certification and upped my training as well.  AKC 2 is a very intense physical certification and it has me a bit nervous.  Perhaps "a bit" is somewhat mild.  I am training like mad, laying awake thinking about it nervous.  Right around the end of spring break I started to get a bit sick, a cough and sore throat mostly, nothing serious.  I kept up with my training, didn't miss a shift at work and even went to an AKC 1 cert and managed a PB in the Chrissy workout.  Finally on a day off, I decided to take it easy, rest and get better.  In ret...

When people ask me where I work and I tell them that I teach AquaFit at our local pool I almost always get the same response.  "What's AquaFit?"  You would think that after being asked the same question countless times over I would be accustomed to it.  You would think, but that question always takes me by surprise.  It is in the name Aqua = water, Fit = fit, fitness.  Many people think about the old water aerobics classes of yester-year.  Old grannies in flowered swim caps gabbing away while the instructor pumps out the same tired, old routine.  I found the following statement on Wikipedia in a brief description of "Water Aerobics" under the title of "Disadvantages".  "Although aquatic exercise greatly reduces the risk of injury, not as many calories are burned as would be in some other activities. [4] Though aquatic activities in general expend more energy than many land-based activities performed at the same pace due to the increased resis...

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...