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Technology stinks. The kettlebell rocks.

At least it stinks when stuff starts malfunctioning and my tech-savvy husband isn't available to fix things. Fortunately my tech-savvy brother-in-law is around or we'd still not have internet/PS3 capabilities, and that would have made life somewhat stressful.

My kettlebells, however, are functioning just fine. I read a book last week called "The Swing" by Tracy Reifkind, a lady who lost 100+ pounds and gained an amazing physique with kettlebells. Her program is simple: the kettlebell swing with a couple variations, 15-30 minutes a day, 2-3 times per week (now would be a good time to mention that I am in no way affiliated with this book/program. I am writing about it because I like it:). I did my kettlebell swings Friday morning for 15 minutes (not continuous, 10 swings per minute) followed by 5 sets of 15 reps of the Russian Kettlebell Twists. I was sore the next day! (Yes, I totally found that exciting. Yes, I'm slightly odd.)

I did another workout today and was pleased at the simplicity of the routine. I love my Human Trainer and my weights but I was feeling out of it today and just wanted to lift heavy stuff without thinking about it. This fit the bill perfectly. 20 minutes total time, 130 calories burned and muscles pleasantly worked. Love it.

In case you're interested, I use a 20-pound kettlebell for the two-handed swings and an 8-pounder for the single-handed stuff. I'll need to get heavier kettlebells if I keep this up though.

Diet? Her calories are really low but I like her approach to the "cheat meal". Basically she stays in her normal range for five days of the week, eats more one day and then less than normal the next day. I tried it and felt really good, although my "low" day was still 1800 calories:) (You don't want to know how many calories I ate for my indulgence meal. Ok, ok: six slices of pizza + a small cupcake doused in 1 C. icecream. I usually keep it to four slices of pizza and 1 C. icecream but I was hungry and it was my mom's birthday, hence the cupcake).

So if you're interested in the kettlebell give her book a try. It explains the proper form for the swing and her story, which is inspiring. If you're already a hard-core weight-lifter you might find it a bit basic, but like I said, I like the simplicity of it all.

Have a happy Monday!


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