BODIES

In moderation...

It is true...that is how I feel.  I don't want to be skinny.  I want to enjoy delicious food.  I don't mind being a bit of overweight.  I am very comfortable with myself.  The first posting below, by Jen Sinkler, talks about different body types and their value.  Love it. 

The second article by Taylor Ryan offers a different perspective I think.  She is talking about working toward goals.  She is saying love who you are at the moment but challenge yourself to be better and more fit.  Set goals.

I love both these articles.  They both have merit.  They both resonated with me.  I am happy in my body type.  It works for me.  However, I have a specific goal.  I am working toward the SFG Barbell Certification.  The less you weight, the easier achieving the goal is.  As my weight goes down, the amount of weight I have to push, pull and lift changes.  Fifteen pounds less would make a difference.  On the other hand, I can just work super hard and do this a higher weight.  We shall see what June brings.

Please check out their postings..

Jen Sinkler talks about women loving their bodies in the face of societies attempts to define beauty and how difficult and ugly that can be. 

EMBRACE YOUR BIGNESS

The deadlift is rising up. Standing proud. Taking up space. This is a lift for women.

Over and over, I’ve witnessed a dramatic increase in body confidence when women start lifting.

If you lift weights, certain body parts may rearrange themselves. #embraceyourbigness.

Bigness is not about body size—it's a way of being." #embraceyourbigness

“INFERIOR JEANS! You cannot handle my giant muscles! I am TOO BIG FOR YOU!”

https://www.jensinkler.com/embrace-your-bigness/

The second article is,


WHY I HATE THE LOVE YOUR BODY TREND

What is it about?

– It’s about loving yourself enough to want to be better.

 

– It’s about accepting where you are today, but not where you can be tomorrow.

 

– It’s about SELF love as opposed to obsessing over the girl next to you on the treadmill. You know the one… she’s thin, doesn’t have a single cellulite dimple and is toned from squatting MAYBE 15 lb dumbbells. Trust me, she’s comparing herself to you and picking out the things she wishes she had.

 

– It’s about creating your own individual journey with self motivation, goals, and reasons.

http://www.liftingrevolution.com/the-naked-truth-i-kind-of-hate-the-love-your-body-trend/

 

  

Personally,

I LOVE the look of Serena Williams.  She has the ideal body type in my eyes and she says...

 

I am a full woman and I’m strong, and I’m powerful, and I’m beautiful at the same time. - Serena Williams 

  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alanah-joseph/feminine-muscularity-resh_b_9397370.html

GIRLS GONE STRONG - THE BEGINNING

My goal is present the young woman who inspired my strength training journey.  It began with Tony Gentilcore's blog as I previously stated.  His blog led me to the first Girl's Gone Strong. 

I'm a movement by myself, but I'm a force when we're together..." - Fabolous

One official release...

http://www.jencomas.com/2011/10/girls-gone-strong.html 

Their blogs and videos showed women lifting heavy shit and doing real chin up and pull ups.  They pushed sleds and they snatched.  I watched some of the following videos over and over trying to figure out how to get to where they were.  I was amazed and inspired by what these women were doing.  Notice the hardwork, fun and camaraderie shared in this video.





They was Maryann Kane, Nia Shanks, Neghar Fan, ooni, Molly Galbraith, Julia Ladewski, Jen Comas and Allie McKee.  (Sorry if I forgot anyone.  I tried to do this by memory.

Not only did these women promote strength, they talked about nutrition, loving your self as your are and supporting other woman.  The following picture is from their facebook page in 2012.

I never wore much jewelry.  I bought the necklace below in 2011 or 2012.  I wore it always.  It was a constant reminder of who I wanted to be.  Sadly, I was doing sprints on the treadmill and went flying off my neck never to be seen again.  However, it did its job motivating work on becoming a stronger female.  As Julia Ladewski wrote on the blog..."I'll wear this one loud and proud."

It seems this photo was the first on GGS facebook page.

The group has changed and mature since the beginning but what hasn't changed is their ability to inspire.

You might say but Patti, I am over 50 how does any of this pertain to me.  Oh but it does.  They should inspire you to want to get as strong as you can be.  It should inspire you to try new activities.  What they do should inspire you to get fit.  Now we all have limitations so strength, activities and getting fit will reflect who you are!

LESSONS LEARNED

So I wrapped up the first week of Iron Body by Artemis Holiday Swing Challenge pretty strong.  Also, I did most of my regular workout during the week...if you know me you know I cannot live without Turkish Get Ups.

Day 5...

300 Swings

4 rounds with the 12 kg

2 rounds with the 14 kg.

Cut up my left hand yesterday. Wasn't sure I would be able to swing today but I did a pretty decent wrap job that lasted 6 rounds.

Total swings for the week = 1450!

  When I woke up Sunday morning, my body was exhausted.  I knew my planned work out was just not going to work.  So, I listened to my body.  I did 3 rounds of farmer's carries, racked carries and overhead carries.  When I am not feeling a work out, I always get in some carries. 

I always knew Sunday would involve a lot of walking. 

 

My day would involved was going to involved walking 1.2 miles to Gillette Stadium and 1.2 miles from Gillette back to the parking lot.  Then there was the hike up to my seat with the Gods. 

Point of all this is whether you are just starting out or if you are an experienced exercise enthusiasts, it is important to listen to your body.  It is important to learn the difference between a need to rest and simply a lack of motivation.   

AND I QUOTE (AND MORE SWINGING)

And I quote...

Yesterday's Swing Challenge:
Day 4...

Whoo Hoo! I FEEL GREAT. This challenge was just want I needed to kick my ass and get my engine restarted.

Totalled 280 swings.

100 2-handed swings with the 14 KG bell. I opted out of Double KB swings because my doubles need work and the challenge isn't the place to do it. I may slipp a couple rounds in as the challenge progresses. Also, this is a reminder to practice them.

180 one arm swings.

244 swings with the 14 kg

35 swings with the 16 kg.

Now let the weekend begin.

Motivation

There are a couple postings I want to share with you.  This post can by found at https://www.facebook.com/IronBodyByArtemis?fref=nf  It was written by Artemis Scantalides.  The post is a reminder to me that I need to sit down and write.  I need to carve out the time.  All those crazy ideas rattling around in my head while I am driving should be written down as soon as I stop the car.  It is a reflection of where I would like to be.

I want to make sure I give proper attribution...so I give you this motivational (to me) post by Artemis.  Please check out her facebook page and Iron Body Studios.    

The Writer
I have a list of administrative tasks I want to complete today, including write or at least start to write a blog post.
As I was getting ready to leave my house this morning to walk to work, I had my back pack on, strapped and buckled, headphones in my ears, lunch bag in my hand, when I realized that I didn’t have the notes I wrote down for the blog I wanted to write.

I wrote notes for this blog almost a month ago while Eric and I were on vacation on a page on the inside cover of the Precision Nutrition textbook while I was studying at the beach.
I was trying to study and these thoughts kept popping into my head and distracting me from studying so I just wrote on what was available to me. A textbook.
I didn’t want to bring the whole textbook with me so I ripped the page out of the book.
I laughed at myself after I ripped this page out of the textbook. I laughed because 1) every writer has writing habits that are specific to him or her, and 2) when did I become “a writer”?? Haha!
But I am. I write, I post, I share. It’s a large part of what I do.
Daily, I record ideas and notes for posts and blogs.
Sometimes I write them down by hand on a miscellaneous piece of paper.
If I’m on my computer I will type them into a word document or in notepad.

Or if the only thing I have handy is my phone I will text these thoughts to myself.
I send texts to myself A LOT.
Many times, I come up with the best ideas while I’m in the shower and when I do, as soon as I get out and dry myself off I write them down or text them to myself.
I am a maniac.
A few weeks ago I was listening to an interview with Becca Borawski Jenkins, former Managing Editor for Breaking Muscle, on the RDella Training Podcast. Scott Iardella asked Becca about writing, her writing habits, and how does one become a better writer.
Number one on her list was if you want to become a better writer you find time to write EVERY DAY. You practice. Writing can be a blog, a social media post (YES A SOCIAL MEDIA POST), or a contribution to an article for a publication.
I never really thought about social media posts as “writing” or practice towards writing but Becca is correct. It IS writing. It counts as practice.
For those of you who are writers, what are YOUR writing habits?
Does it take you 20 minutes to get situated with your tea (or in my case kombucha) before you sit in your special spot on the couch to write?
Do you record thoughts on miscellaneous pieces of paper at random times of the day?
For those of you who are aspiring writers and who are wondering how to get better at writing, it’s like anything else, you must PRACTICE writing EVERY DAY.

A more recent blog post by Artemis also struck a cord....please check it out especially if you are interested in training.  Becoming stronger and sticking with a goal or program takes a lot of mental fortitude.

http://ironbodybyartemis.com/2015/09/24/the-power-of-mental-fortitude/

This is where if all began for me...my training toward SFG certification.  Check out Artemis' workshop.  It will put you on the road to greater strength or it will enhance your current path. 

 

 

From Iron Body Studios...I AM Not Afraid To Lift

 

 



https://www.facebook.com/events/431421273717223/

 



SMART TRAINING

 In addition to trying a free class at Title Boxing Club this weekend, I did a workout at the Torigian YMCA.   They have a decent number of kettlebells and barbells both of which were on my training agenda.

Over the years when people have complimented my training and/or my technique, I've usually brushed it off or been annoyed that my training was interrupted.  On this day, a young guy came up to me after I had completed a Turkish Get Up using a 12 KG or 26 pound bell.  He more than enthusiastically described my TGU as perfect.  He said most guys can't even do a TGU without weight.



14 KG TGU in my messy backyard!

What I haven't learned is that because someone compliments you at 12 KG, it doesn't mean you have to immediately do one with 16 KG or 35 pounds.  Well, that is what I did.  That wasn't about training.  It was about trying to impress someone.  You see, for a number of health and joint reasons, I need to be smart about how I train.  That wasn't smart.  It doesn't mean I can't do 16 KG because I can.  It just means I need to be intentional about when I do them.

As many of you know, I went into the Strong First Certification training with a number a number of injuries.  I worked through them.  Eric Gahan, co-owner of Iron Body Studios, offered the best advice when I first started training there.  He said,  "You need to remember the goal."  Without that advice, my injuries would not have been under control by the certification.  I know I would have pushed myself.  All I needed to do was push, pull, snatch, clean, swing and squat 12 KG.  Without those words, REMEMBER THE GOAL, I would have pushed myself to push, pull, snatch, clean, swing and squat 14 or 16 KG.  It would not have been smart.  Full disclosure...there were times I did at 16 KG TGU.  One time, I almost attempted a 16 KG snatch.  At the time, none of it felt right. 

Snatching with 12 KG

Without Eric and Artemis knowledge and experience, I would know have become an StrongFirst Instructor.  I would not have reached this goal. 

Smart training is to have goals and understand that it takes to get there.  Remember the goal.