High Tension during the holidays??

well, yes! But the good kind! Here is what I did today:
Bottoms Up Cleans 3+3 3x with 16kg L/R
Bottoms Up Presses (1,2,3) 3x L/R
Bottoms Up Clean and Presses dbls (1,2,3)3x
Bottoms Up Squats using 12kg (1,2,3)3x
then Bottoms Up Squats (1,1) using 16kg and 20 kg(weak coming up, not pretty) 3-4x
The training felt solid and I loved the way my body felt afterwards...

I hope this season finds you feeling love, happiness and a renewed spirit and a brigther outlook on our future in 2011. In training as well as life I try to stay focused on how it feels.... is my head in the right place, my heart in the right place, my actions in the right place. When I run through the checklist I usually have a good outcome. So it is in life!!!!

How do you Celebrate Life???

As I write this, I wondered if it was appropriate to share my thoughts about this on my blog. In fact, I thought about sending it to all my current clients at RRF. But then I thought not. I figured if they wanted to read my blog voluntarily then maybe this would strike a natural chord and not an obligatory one. You see I have been thinking alot lately about family the importance of relationships and my relationship with God and others basically. Enjoying Thanksgiving immensely because for some reason in spite of my busy-ness, I seemed to feel focused on my children and husband and extended family. And it felt good.

This Thanksgiving was the first time we had hosted family members at our house. We enjoyed it alot. The preparation, the engaging conversation and "picking up where we left off" with most of our cousins, aunts, and uncles, grandparents etc.

As the weekend came to a close and we were headed off to church, the cell phone rang.... My husband answered it jokingly as it was a friend from college one he had lost touch with through the years... But then his voice suddenly changed... from comedic dry wit to somber, quiet verbal gestures like uh huh, oh no, and I am so sorry..... When he ended the call I asked what was wrong. He told me one of our friends had lost their 17 year old son to a deadly car accident just last night. He lost control of the car, overcompensated, and flipped killing him instantly.


I tell you this not to sound morbid, but to speak of feelings that came over me that made an impact on me in the way I treat others... All of a sudden when I heard the news I felt a sickening pain  of a mother losing her son. I looked over at my boys in the back seat thinking they'll be driving soon. What if it happened to one of them....

My prayers go out to our friends who lost their son last night. Only God can heal their hearts and minds right now. But I leave you with this thought which extends from my thoughts and feeling of this tragic accident.

Life is precious.... how do you celebrate it??? Through shared times with loved ones? Through hard work? through physical activity? your favorite sport, your favorite food, your favorite book, your favorite pastime?

 I think of all that is healthy and good and think I would like to begin to celebrate my life and life of others more thoughtfully, more mindfully enjoying those around me exerting more patience and compassion for others, and the capabilities I have right now to enjoy myself on earth through movement, expression, and living life heart and soul.

I look at things like exercise in my life not as a chore but as a blessing.The ability to move is precious to me and so I love to exercise. It also brings immeasurable healthy healing of my mind (those endorphins that get my head in the right place, making me a better mom, wife, daughter, instructor, and friend. I absolutely love it and am thankful everyday that I can move well. I haven't been moving pain free lately. And I pray God will show me my path to healing although I can be quite stubborn at times and miss His obvious ways sometimes.

I leave you with this thought that still is quite vivid in my mind. I am blessed and those around me are blessed. Be thankful for the moments in your life... exert more patience with one another, communicate positively to one another, and exercise beautiful movement with one another in whatever form that might be. Life is precious and can be taken away in a single moment.

As I told my husband tonight after getting our Christmas tree he exclaimed "really do we have to put the lights on tonight?" ( you know the sentiment, I'd rather wash windows, do laundry or pull teeth than hang the tree lights....)I said well honey it beats the alternative, we could be dealing with alot more pain that that, like what our friends are going through right now.

Needless to say the lights didn't seem to be big deal one way or another so I exerted patience on not hanging the lights. There are really more important things in life. Instead, I went back upstairs to be with my boys....in awe of just how precious they are....

May this bring real thought to how you live your life and affect others.....

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DX4Qm9cGRub0%26feature%3Dshare&h=c4c98

I could identify alot about myself in some of the things she said. I hope we will all become more vulnerable. Write me and let me know what you think ....

In honor of all Veterans....

This Veterans Day, as our country pauses to honor the men and women who served in the U.S. military I give thanks to all th men and women who served in the military to protect our nation and for those that serve in the military now.
Pictures tell a thousand words...
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/veteransday

If you would like to send words of gratitude, support, and compassion for these men and women serving in the military overseas and at home click here: http://action.uso.org/action/sem-thank-you-vday?sc=OM-MY-p_Veterans_Day

The 3 Ps!!!

Quick check in of what I am up to these days in my training. I have just finished a 12 week cycle with a week off from doubles kettlebell work. The work was as expected. Hard, intense and based on high quality movement patterns paying close attention to sleep and diet. The goal? To add lean muscle.I met the goal...Won't bore you with the details, unless you really want to know. And if you do, email me here: rapidresultsfitness@gmail.com.

So now I am ready to go back to something that will probably tax me even harder, yet totally different. Don't get me wrong, this is not something I have never done before. It's just that I have not trained this protocol in well over a year. You should realize your training goes through ebbs and flows. And as you leave certain training protocols you may have to start back at a much different base line than where you ended the last time you trained the same protocol. So what will I be training you ask?

Well, today I started my first day of a 4 week program consisting of Pullups, Pistols, and Presses. Three high tension exercises that demand high quality each rep for safe results. Having said that doesn't all training require high quality reps?? Anyway, the point is, I will be starting at a lower baseline than I ended with the last time I worked this kind of training well over a year ago. Geez! no wonder the training today felt so taxing! So I started with a ladder of pullups (the 5RM Russian Pullup Program). The pullups will be done everyday for 30days. The pistols and presses 3x a week with rest days in between. Pistols were body weight only today alternating each leg. Presses were ladders (1,2,3,4)using double 16kgs.

I'll update on the training, so check back for updates.

In the meantime, check out http://dragondoor.tv/ to see a "fit tip" that we use in our regular kettlebell classes at Rapid Results Fitness
plus some other fun footage of me and my fellow female RKC instructor colleagues. Save www.dragondoor.tv to your favorites! It has everything kettlebells and more!
Stay focused and fit!
Betsy

Take the Labor out of Labor Day!

Afraid your holiday plans will sabotage your fitness goals?? Not to worry squeeze in this KB workout while you are enjoying your Labor Day weekend! In under 30 minutes, you'll be done and poolside, lakeside, or oceanside in no time! An the best part? You'll still be burning calories long after the workout! Enjoy!
Swings 3x25
Get Ups 2x5/5
Clean and Press 3x5/5
Snatch as many as you can in 3 minutes

Motivation - Have you Lost Yours?

As I write this I am a little upset with myself that I have let 2 months and 22 days go by without writing on my blog. I guess it might look to the outside world that I have lost my motivation to write. But that's not entirely true. I was in "summer pace" if you will, still working regularly, but not as driven to express myself through my blog. Now that I write this, maybe it was a lack of motivation. Which brings me to where I am now. "What influenced me to write today?" you might ask. The truth is I am motivated right now more than ever. I absolutely love this time of year. I don't know if it is the change of the season (which btw hasn't changed much in terms of heat temperatures yet)but I love this time of year and all that it brings. Yes, it's super busy! But I love the fresh start and sense of renewal it brings of going back to school, entering more structure which in turn brings some amazing results if you can wrap your head around it. This brings me to some points for you to ponder. I wrote an article not too long ago on Motivation as it pertains to Fitness for a local magazine. Some of you may have seen/read it. The gist of the article was this, positive thinking can lead to a fitter, happier you. I encourage you to read below an article on Intrinsic Motivation. Take this in and see how you may apply it to your own lifestyle and goals to achieve. I believe we all have huge potential (untapped) because we are stumbling over our own lack of intrinsic motivation. Find yours today! Drop me a line and let me know what happens! All the best to you!

Intrinsic Motivation (written by Psychology Campus.com)
Intrinsic motivation is striving inwardly to be competent at something and to reward yourself inwardly. There exists a basic question of whether or not extrinsic motivations (rewards provided by outward sources) undermine intrinsic motivation (self-motivation). Research shows that having extrinsic rewards for something that would naturally be intrinsically motivated, decreases intrinsic motivation.

There are certain theories that are used to determine the effect of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation:

1) Cognitive Evaluative Theory:
This theory states that how rewards are perceived by the athlete is important in determining whether intrinsic motivation will increase or decrease. If someone is feeling controlled by their rewards or if they feel that the reward suggests that they are not very competent - this decreases intrinsic motivation. Rewards that increase and provide positive feedback increase intrinsic motivation. When competing - if success occurs then intrinsic motivation increases, if failure occurs it decreases. These ideas can apply to items such as athletic scholarships.

There are ways to increase intrinsic motivation (self-motivation):

* Give the tools needed for success.
* Give rewards based on performance.
* Use verbal and non-verbal praise
* Vary the content and sequence of practise drills.
* Involve the participants in decisions.
* Set realistic performance goals.

2) FLOW!
Flow is a certain kind of intrinsic motivation that someone can feel. It occurs when someone feels an overall, intrinsically motivated feeling when they are totally involved in an activity and are on "auto pilot."

Certain elements are needed to achieve flow:

* A balance of levels of skills and of level of challenge
* Complete absorption in the activity
* Merging of action and awareness
* Total concentration
* Loss of self-consciousness
* A sense of control
* The absence of certain outward goals or rewards
* Effortless movement
* A motivation to perform
* Achieve optimal arousal before performing
* Appropriate focus maintenance.
* The use of pre-competitive and competitive plans and preparation
* The achievement of optimal physical preparation and readiness
* The exhibition of confidence and positive mental attitudes
* Positive team interaction
* Good feelings about performance

Some things that may prevent flow are:

* Not feeling physically prepared and ready
* Injury
* Fatigue
* Not feeling good
* External Stresses
* Unwanted crowd response
* Uncontrollable influences of the event
* A lack of confidence
* Negative thinking
* Self-doubt
* No control of mental state
* Thinking too much
* Worrying about what others are doing
* Frustration with team-mates effort
* Poor pre-competitive preparation
* Distraction before competition
* Interruption to preparation
* No goals set
* Lack of challenge
* Low arousal or motivation
* Not relaxed enough
* Too relaxed
* Poor team performance
* Not feeling part of a team
* Negative talk within the team
* Errors
* Poor techniques
* Things not going as planned
* Stoppage in play
* Oppositions activity
* Negative refereeing decisions
* Inappropriate, negative, or lack of feedback
* Worrying about competition
* Daydreaming
* Loss of concentration
* Self doubt
* Putting too much pressure on yourself