Happy birthday toOoOOo ME!

What's the saying, another year older and hopefully wiser?  It's amazing the changes we can make physically, emotionally and mentally in one year.  A year ago on my 28th birthday, I had touched a 10kg, 12kg and maybe a 16kg kettlebell. I had probably whined that they were so heavy too.  At this point, I really didn't get "it". What I mean by "it" is that as a women you can move and lift REAL weight and not turn into a man. I also learned food is not the enemy! Imagine, eating! I know that some of you are laughing but a lot of women avoid foods because they have fat in them. I  learned more about fats and realized its okay to eat nuts and bacon .:) In the past few months I adopted more of a paleo or primal diet .The biggest change I've seen in me though, is my training. There are several reasons I say my training changed more than anything else.  I always went to the gym and worked out but I never "trained" for something. I decided to sign up for the RKC in August, after experiencing my bf's graduation workout in San Diego.  We were stuck in Hawaii when I tried to book my spot. I will admit, begrudgingly, when I first looked on dragon door's website and saw full, I flipped out as though I wouldn't have a job or home come May if I did not attend this RKC. So I emailed dragon door and to my delight they had opened more spaces. Phew, I was almost RKCless hahaha.  

I look back to videos of me performing swings, cleans and TGU's from last year and can't believe how my technique has improved. The most valuable lesson I feel with technique is always being humble and knowing it can be improved. Looking back at myself a year ago, seeing the girl I was who just "went to the gym” to now, looking in the mirror and seeing a tough @ss chick!  A chick that wants to get stronger and better with everyday I train.  I've learned so much about ME and how hard I want to work and how much I'm willing to put into something.  I'm looking forward to this 29th year. I can't wait to see how my evolution continues to unfold!  Stay tuned. The sky is the limit! 

Elizabeth M

It's COMING !

Most of us are concentrating on the upcoming holidays. The food, drinks and don't forget the presents. Oooh and let's not forget my birthday. ;)  Yes I have all these things on my mind too and my training as well.  When I signed up for the RKC in August it seemed so far away but it's already December! So what's in store for me this month?  Well aside from my training designed by the coach to help me work on technique and getting stronger, Im challenging myself to do pullups/chinups for the enitre month of December (yes everyday). My standing Nov 30 was 2 chinups 1 pull up. On December 31 I’ll retest for how many of each I can do. The evil bf/coach challenged everyone to get better this month. He told us to pick one thing to really focus on just oneee thing.  It seems so simple, right? Its very interesting that most of us try to get better at five things at once and end up not accomplishing any of them! I will take on the challenge and get better. That being said off to do more chin-ups. =)

Elizabeth M

Go sit in the corner !

In this day and age it seems people are always on the go. We all have lists of chores and things that need to get done two days ago.  I find myself to be  included in this generalization. Most importantly, I find I do this in my training. I never take the hint from my body or my evil boyfriend/coach, to take a time out. Approximately three or four months ago I hurt my right shoulder.  At this time I started seeing someone for structural integration ( if you're interested, check out Alyssa Dodson's website  www.alyssadodson.com/.testimonials.com) and it really started helping. What's that you say? Did I ease up at the gym?  Of course not! That would make sense. "Hey, you're injured. Take a break, dummy."  Slowly, my shoulder felt better as I continued to work out.  About a month ago, the boyfriend asked me to perform a move checking my shoulder mobility. Just as I feared, the verdict was, "Your mobility stinks, to put it nicely. No snatches or presses for you." Being the brat I can be when being told I can't do something I start whining, "What this? Can't be. I'm gonna do it anyway." After hearing this I had a thirty minute ride home to let this sink in. Hmmm, maybe he's right. Maybe I should listen this time before I really get hurt.  So, I decide to listen to him. Ooohhh unbelieveable!  I took it easy for about two weeks.  It was easy enough until I realized I had to get in 3,000 swings in three days to complete my 10,000 swing challenge for the month of October. Well I finished it.  Usually I'd say, 'woohoo!' or something to that effect. Not this time, for several reasons. One, I did not plan this challenge out well. I knew I was going away in a few days where I had no acess to kettlebells and I knew my shoulder wasn't feeling great. Sometimes it's okay to throw in the towel. "The goal is the goal", and my goal is the RKC, not to do x amount of swings.  So, the coach wrote me an email advising me to go home Monday night. No gym until friday :(.  I was sad but I know it's in my best interest to rest and do a lot of mobility work.  I guess sometimes even as adults we need to be put in time out :)

O ye of little faith in YOU!

People are always advising that you should believe in yourself. You can do anything if you really put your mind to it, right? Isn't that how the saying goes?  I've been "greasing the groove" with bands in the pull up department for about a month now . I've been doing this three to four times a week and it had been getting easier. About a week ago my boyfriend/coach  said, "In november you're just going to do pull ups. Lose the bands". Excuse me!  What did you just say?!  No! No way, not happening.  I will not give up my security blanket! I was a little upset, to say the least. How could he think I was capable of doing that? . The real question is, why did I think I couldn't?  So, it was Wednesday around 8:30 pm and we had just finished 'boot to butt' kettlebells. One of the guys started doing pull ups. I'll be honest, as soon as I saw this I knew I was in TROUBLE . I looked around in a panic  to find someone to engage in a conversation.... too late! I hear, "Bubb, Bubb come here."  It was the evil boyfriend. "Go ahead Bubb." He grabbed a chair, put it infront of the trx rack, and said, "Have at it."  I get on the chair and I say, literally out loud, "Now what?"  He said, "You hold on, hang and pull up. Duh." Wow. Really? That easy? I must admit I had a million things running through my mind at this point. I figured I had no other choice but to try. Okay, hands on the bar. Now walk off the plank ;) ( I know, I'm dramatic.)  So hands on, step off, hang and pulled up. I DID IT!!! I was shocked, ecstatic and so proud of myself. I admit this was a much needed lesson for me. When trying something new believe in yourself!  What's the worst thing that could happen? You don't do it and you have to keep trying.  Have faith in you!  What's something you accomplished you never thought you could achieve?

Elizabeth M

Lunch is served !!!!!!

I have to start by saying as a full time dental hygienist im very lucky! First, I have a full time job and in this economy I'm very grateful and thankful to have it . There are several perks at my job and one of them is our lunch is purchased for us daily. I find the ordering of lunch in my office very entertaining. I call it 'feeding time at the zoo'. :)  We order from a website so there are many restaurants from which we can choose. On any given day there will be sushi, pizza, burritos or my favorite, grilled chicken and steamed veggies.  I order the same meal every single day of the week ! I know you're shocked.  Why would I do that when I could eat something different everday.  Hmmm, maybe you think im boring ? I just like having good clean food that will fill me up. Im sorry, but a cup of salad with cucumbers and carrots is not going to satisfy my appetite, let alone get me through a workout.  The women I work with refer to my lunch as "chicken poop".  I find this very amusing.  They always tease me about eating the same thing everyday. Shockingly, whenever someone wants to eat healthy they order the dreaded "chicken poop". ( even my boss ;) shh don't tell) I don't feel there is anything wrong with eating the same, if not similar, meals on a daily basis.  If I was bored or sick of it I wouldn't eat it!  If you get bored of the same meals switch it up!  But switching it up doesn't mean it has to be unhealthy. Do you have any meals you like to cook/eat on a regular basis?

Do what YOU love !

                             



When it comes to working out and staying healthy there are hundreds upon hundreds of philosophies.  So what's the best?  There is no one answer to this because it should be based on the individual.  Everyone has different fitness and training goals. No two people have the same strengths and weaknesses. A wise man once told me to train those weaknesses! ;)   Aside from basic differences most people have likes and dislikes. For instance, I love going to the gym for a group class called sports conditioning ( it's a one hour boot camp that the instructor actually puts his foot up your @ss hahaha, no anesthesia required) I enjoy the comradery, intensity and having my butt sufficiently kicked. If I'm not working to my full potential I want the guy next to me to tell me to MAN UP !  I also take a small group training kettlebell class with an amazing group of men and women. All of us constantly push one another to work to our full potential. Everyone strives to be better and learn as much as we can cram into our brains.
All this being said, zumba is also a small group class. Im sorry, but  you'd have to tie me up and gag me to get me in that class. I'm pretty strong so good luck with that hahahaha :) . I don't think the lady next to you is going to say you're not gyrating your hips enough.  
About a month ago, my sister, cousins and a few girlfriends mentioned they were going to do a 5k. I've done this race before. It's called the tunnel to the towers. You start in Brooklyn, NY, right before the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, and run down to the World Trade Center site. This race commemorates a firefighter who on 9/11 ran in all his gear to try and help at the towers and lost his life. So I contemplated running it.  I was actually all ready to sign up. Then came the shocking realization that I don't enjoy running. I'd honestly rather tackle obstacles, run sprints with a parachute or run stairs with a weighted vest. I just find running very boring.  I know some people love to run, and thats awesome, it's just not my thing. I'm not saying this to deter anyone from running, I just prefer kettlebells . Not everyone is going to enjoy kettlebells and I understand that. So, when you realize you're participating in something you don't like find something new. I'm not saying if you feel like your working too hard, quit ! Just do what you love! What do you guys love?

You are what YOU eat !

We've all heard the term you are what you eat!  In most situations it's meant figuratively but how about you take it literally! Errrr what? Let me explain .... I was a junior in high school,  in my honors English class . Our teacher incessantly  teased that the class as a whole was a bunch of nerds. We all thought this was hysterical (like she said nerds lol).  One day while we were all filing into class, she seemed very excited to get the lesson started.  But we were the nerds?  =) Finally, the bell rings for class to start  and my teacher begins walking around from student to student, placing a small box on each desk.  Everyone was in such suspense as she walked around. What she placed on our desks was nerds the candy!  After she had handed one to each of us she then declared with such enthusiasm " you are what you eat" ! In this situation it was true. ;) But are we really a product of what we put into our bodies ? ? Is what we put in our mouths a direct reflection on our daily performance ? 
Take a look at the person that constantly indulges in fast food and alcohol. Is this the diet of a person training for a race or any type of physical competition? Now take a look at the person eating clean ( lean protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats ). I don't know about you guys but ill take the clean eating over the fast food. I know its hard to eat clean! You have to go food shopping , cook and carry food with you constantly. I know this because I challenged myself in the begining of September to be ONE HUNDRED percent compliant. This also meant NO alcohol!  I know, I nearly passed out when I decided to commit to this. The reason I decided to do this was first, to see if I had enough self control to eat healthy and stay within my calorie range. Second, to see if there was a difference in my performance during my workouts. Third, to see if my body fat would change. I did not do this because I felt I needed to lose weight!  I should have measured my body fat before I began but I didn't =(  (Come jan 1, I will be taking measurements and checking my body fat . Jan 1 marks one hundred percent compliance until after the RKC in April ) Here it is oct 1, and I did it ! woohoooo ! Where's the wine and champagne to celebrate ? Lol. But seriously, what did I learn?  I learned I have all the control!  I was faster with my sprints, my workouts were crisper and I definitely noticed a change in my body fat. So what exactly did I eat?  That's another blog :) So if I am what I eat im defintely a chicken !  What are you???
Elizabeth M

EXTRA, EXTRA read all about it !!!!

Magazines.  There are millions of them, gossip, health, fashion, cooking, science and bodybuilding, just to name a few.  As a woman I can't deny that I've purchased hundreds, if not thousands, of magazines in all different shapes and sizes. I won't lie, I had to get my hands on People Magazine and see Kim Kardashian's three wedding dresses.  I previously had a subscription for womens health.  I actually considered asking for my money back. I finally had a realization. Why am I subscribing to this crap? Lift light weights, do lots of reps, be four pounds. :) Let's look at the content in these magazines. Every magazine these days wants to tell you what your favorite celebrity eats all day and what workouts they are put through. Hey listen, if I had a team of people cooking for me and telling me what to do every minute of the day I could eat a piece of lettuce all day too!  Lol, yeah I don't think I could or that I'd want too! But that's the mind set we all seem to be in as women, "if we aren't starving were doing something wrong!"  I know every single person reading this has said or heard a friend, girlfriend, co-worker, wife, sister or mother say "im eating a salad , im on a diet."   
So many of these  magazines instruct you to use 5 -8 pound weights. Hmmm... okay really? They say they are looking out for us they don't want us getting buff. First of all, what in your life are you picking up that weighs 8 pounds? My purse weighs more than that! You are not going to look like a body builder if you lift heavier weights! Don't believe me? ( 7 Myths of Women's Weight Training and Female Bodybuilding ) Psst, you have to get rid of the fat before you get buff ;)  Do you know how hard those women work ? How they constantly eat but eat clean and nutritious foods?  These magazines try to make women feel badly because they aren't "four pounds", but why would you want to be? (This term is used loosely to refer to women who appear alarmingly thin to me. It is not meant to insult anyone who is just naturally very thin. It's to the women who starve themselves that I use this term .) Who cares that you're not four pounds! Are you strong ? Do you bust your @ss in the gym ? Do you push yourself to be better ? Then throw those magazines out!
Elizabeth M

The HKC and me !

This past Sunday, September 11, was the HKC in West haven CT. I drove up the evening before with my sister, Olivia.  We had a nice dinner, then I made sure to find  the gym.  I'll admit I have an ocd personality or, shall we say, curious lol. Those of you that know me personally know its the former, not the latter. :)  So we finally find the gym after getting a bit lost, me freaking out a little, and my sister suggesting we stop and ask a cop. When we finally get there it was dark outside so I park the car and get out. I gaze into the huge floor to ceiling windows and check the place out. ( Not normal behavior you say ?) My sister said  I looked like a robber staking out the place and we'd better go before the cop comes back thinking we're up to no good. But then I froze and got really still because I saw the pull up bar! Olivia asked me if someone was in there. I said no, pointed to the dreaded bar and she started laughing.  I had been sweating this flexed arm hang for weeks. Why?  Well let me tell you, DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. As I would soon find out, there was so much more for me to focus on there.

The next day began at 730 am at kettlebell daily. I walk in and am imediately handed a packet of papers to fill out. Then I get over to the dreaded bar and I know I need to own that arm hang.  I get up to the bar and I DO IT !  We were very lucky to have Dave Whitley, Master RKC,  as our instructor . The day consisted of LEARNING, yes LEARNING, how to preform  and teach a swing, turkish get up (TGU), and goblet squat. Dave was absolutely awesome. He was able to break things down and not only explain what we as students need to learn to better our swings, TGU, and goblet squats, but he also helped us with drills so we can teach others how to perform them.

 

The day ended with the dreaded test. First, we were tested on being able to explain and show someone how to correctly perform all three of these exercises. The second test was to execute them one at a time . After these tests we waited...  We were called in one at a time to find out how we did . For those of you who don't know, I passed =) ! It was a great day. I met alot of great people (strong women and men) ! I was also pleased to meet Amanda from sistasofstrength.com, whose blog I follow . One tiny, itty bity step closer to the RKC in April 2012!

Just be the best YOU!

As women we can't help but be constantly assaulted with images that tell us there is a part of our body that needs fixing. We are surrounded  by magazines telling us what to eat to lose ten pounds, get the perfect butt or amazing abs. Then, turn on the TV and commercials show us what face creams to buy to look younger and reduce those wrinkles. Clothing advertisements showing us the "four pound model" in clothes we should desire with the body we should envy. (This term is used loosely to refer to women who appear alarmingly thin to me. It is not meant to insult anyone who is just naturally very thin. It's to the women who starve themselves that I use this term . Remember the camera adds 10 pounds. P.S., my mom was thin and so is my sister.  :) ) The picture above is of my sister and I from last sept (before I decided to get buff. ) I'm not going to lie. For a looooong time I wanted to be "four pounds" some times three!  I tried it all. I was a cardio queen. I'd spend two hours on the stairmaster and not bat an eye.  I'd eat the bare minimum, limit carbs to the extreme.  But guess what? ???????  I got hit with the shocking reality, "I WILL NEVER EVER BE FOUR POUNDS"! Although I realized more importantly, I DON'T WANT TO BE!  I'm a strong chick who has curves. Yes, I have a butt (that I have no intention of making smaller )nike ad my butt-is-big ! I'm happy with me. I realize there are many things I can change and improve in my life. I can train harder, get stronger and eat cleaner. But I will never idolize or want to be a "four pound" model. You know who I admire and look up too?  All the women whose blogs I follow. Some are moms, wives, full time employees and personal trainers. But what they all have in common is they are strong women who radiate strength, power and of course, love kettle bells . ;) Everyday I try to be the best me I can be. You have to accept who you are and continue to push yourself to be better. That's the type of woman I admire and aspire to be more like. What about you??????

The constant evolution of ME!

I guess the best place to begin is at the beginning, right?  So my name is Elizabeth michalski i'm 28 years old born and raised in queens new york ( one of the five boros of NYC ). I'm a registered dental hygienist and kettlebell enthusiast. Growing up I was always involved in sports volleyball and then swimming in high school. I started going to the gym and taking step aerobics my junior year of high school. This was not by choice my mother said "if you have no plans for a Friday you will be coming to class with me".  As a high school  junior I was completely aghast. Spend a Fri night working out with my mom are you serious? Then to add insult to injury I had to use my own money to pay for this!  Seriously there had to be something severely wrong with my mother.  I should add at this time of my life I was over weight I had been over weight since about third grade. Nothing crazy probably 20 pds.  I continued to work out through high school and college. In April of freshman year of college I lost my mother to cancer.The picture above is from my high school graduation 6/2000 right before we found out she was sick. What rescued me was joining the gym and becoming a cardio queen and lifting 4 pound weights. I became obsessed with my weight.  At one point I was down to 128 pds I thought that was the perfect weight for me until I got there and wanted to weigh less. As women we obsess over the scale!  Why do we do this?  Ill address this again very soon. About seven years later and at 138 - 140 pds omg she told us how much she weighs. :)  Seven years ago actually two years ago I would never have told my bf let alone post that on my blog.  So what changed?  Everything !  I stopped obsessing about the scale I starting using weights that weren't 4 pds!  Started training using trx which is suspension training and kettlebells.  I started noticing changes in my body and my clothes were looser. Guess what the scale didn't change what the helll. So I started measuring myself and low and behold I was losing inches no weight.  What do I do now?  Cut calories ? starve ? more cardio? Wrong! Train harder ! So now is the time I've decided to train for something instead of just "working out ". Believe me there is a huge difference. First up is the HKC or hardstyle kettlebell certification. This requires a 15 sec flexed arm hang, learning and teaching the TGU, swing and goblet squat. Second on the agenda is the RKC april 2012.  So let my story to getting buff begin!