We’re giving Lori Harris a break this week so we can bring in the guys from Punch Gym Janesville. Opened earlier this year, Janesville is owned and operated by Chiropractors Andy Paull and Joe Arreola. As chiropractors, Corrective Strategies makes up a big part of what they do with their patients and clients.  Here’s the first of what will become a regular contribution from our Punch Janesville trainers… 

 

There‘s been a lot of buzz lately here on the AOS website about Corrective Strategies, whether in the MOS or over on the forum.  Well, a few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to come out to RI to collaborate with Anthony on the Corrective Strategies progressions. 

 

We had been using many of these exercises, and kettlebells in general, for rehab in our Chiropractic clinic for a little over two years with Anthony’s input, but now, after being able to really sit down with Anthony and go through all of these progressions, it really pulled it all together. We are very excited to be able to offer these tools and this education to the entire Chiropractic profession.

 

When we got back to WI, we decided to hold a “Group Rehab Class” for a small group of our patients to see how this system would work not only as 1 on 1 rehab for the Chiropractic patient, but also how it would translate to a group class setting within our clinic.  Participants included everyone from a high school football player with tight hip flexors and chronic low back pain to a 65 year old woman with osteoporosis and frequent neck pain and headaches.   

 

What we found was nothing short of amazing.  Our patients were performing exercises, going through movement patterns and doing things that they never thought they were possible for them. They felt good about themselves, they were empowered, not to mention significant decreases in pain symptoms.  The nice thing for us, was being able tailor the class to each individual and their abilities and watch them improve over time. 

 

We’ve also found this to be a great tool in the gym.  It has allowed our members to really get back to basics and recreate that solid foundation in a slightly different way utilizing these vintage progressions.   

 

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing more of our experiences using these progressions in our clinic and the gym, as well as other valuable tips and info.  If you have any questions about these exercises or kettlebells as they relate to specific injuries or therapeutic exercise, please feel free send us an email at punchgym.wi@gmail.com with “Women’s Page”  in the subject line, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can and we may pick some of your questions to include in another Women’s Page article.  Stay tuned, there’s more to come. 

 

 

 Why would anyone do strongman? After all, it hurts – a lot. There’s bruising, blood, and agony. I only like these things, because they prove the hard work I do. Strongman tests me. It’s my way of doing something with myself. It feels like an accomplishment, like I’ve done what I want to do. It’s how I follow my bliss. 

 

We don’t normally think of something like “bliss” in the gym, but in fact, that is exactly what Punch Gym Norwalk is for me. Every time I walk in, I think I’m living my dream. That is why I do everything that I’m doing; I love it. 

 

It is very freeing to have a dream and to know what that dream is. Having something to do that I love makes it easier in the long run to move forward. In the well-paying accounting job I once had with good benefits and a great boss, I nevertheless cried nearly every morning on my way to work. I was lucky to have the job, and I did it well. Yet, selfishly or not, I needed something more; I needed to feel more useful to others. 

 

It’s great to have a dream, but it’s not so easy to pursue it. I felt pressured to stay with my accounting career. The money I could make as a trainer was nothing in comparison. And for that, I had to get up at four in the morning. I had no benefits, no money, and besides, I was frustrated with the fitness techniques I was using. It was hard to believe that I had made the right choice, and some who were close to me didn’t think so either. Despite everything, however, being a trainer was all that I could really imagine myself doing. 

 

It’s often not a clear choice to follow one’s dream. There are costs and real constraints to consider. There is very likely to be struggle and hardships and even possible failure or disappointment. Fortunately for me, what I’m now doing feels fantastic, and I’ve never regretted my decision to follow my current path. 

 

At first, however, I didn’t even have a clear dream. It was only after seven tedious and frustrating years as a trainer, that I found what sparked something passionate in me – kettlebells and AOS. 

 

Woo-hoo! Now I had something that could truly drive me. I immediately took to the people at AOS and to their philosophy about fitness. I knew it was for me. It was a way for me to really help people with fitness, to workout with a purpose I could genuinely appreciate. 

 

I knew right away that I wanted a gym and that I wanted it to be a Punch Gym. I wanted to help people, as I at last saw that I could, with cancer, or whose doctors told them not to move. I could see myself helping women to be strong and to help people be truly fit. This was my epiphany, my Ah-ha moment. 

 

Finally having a clear dream gave focus to my whole life. I reevaluated everything in terms of what was most important to me, and I had a new, refreshing vigor. Even my relationships with other people began to improve and be healthier. I understood what it meant to be true to myself. 

 

It was still a long haul to get to where I wanted to be.. I was working at a traditional gym with no kettlebell program, and it would be another year before I got to first open Punch Gym Norwalk. Generally, nothing, especially a dream, comes easily. I’ve had to scrimp and worry at times, but I was fortunate enough to eventually get the resources I needed and to find the right partner, Kat. Along the way, I’ve made new relationships and improved on others. I knew my mother, taken aback when I left accounting, had come around and was proud of the new me when she gave me a beautiful kettlebell pendant. 

 

It’s been almost a decade since I left college, and sometimes I can’t quite believe how lucky I’ve finally become. I look forward everyday to what I do. I know what my goals are, and I’m privileged to enjoy working toward them. Most people, by circumstances and sometimes by choice, don’t get to pursue dreams. It’s not always possible to find a dream, let alone to achieve it, but if one has the opportunity, it’s certainly worth trying. To break free of a job or life that might be limiting and fulfill oneself can be wonderful, but it’s usually costly and risky and requires a struggle, just like the strongman competition. The way our economy is structured, it is just not possible for everyone to follow his or her bliss. Most people can’t and don’t. Even when one does get to try, there are significant risks and sacrifices, but if you find your own dream, if you can grab hold of it, it will motivate you like nothing else can. 

 

Your dream may be a new career or status, or it could just be a new home, your kids, a new interest, a political or social activity – anything you choose to make important to yourself. Whatever it is, it can change your life — invigorate your priorities, alter for the better how you feel about yourself and others, and probably even make you happy. That is exactly what the Punch Gym, working with kettlebells, and doing strongman have done for me. 

 

Anthony once told me, “I’m proud to see you following your dreams. Don’t ever stop.”  I won’t.    

 

 

 

 

 

Remember when your mom used to tell you to tie your shoes? Well, in the sport of triathlon tying your shoes is a sin, it wastes precious transition time and takes your focus from what it needs to be on – the race. These Easy Laces eliminate the task of tying your shoes. Made of a durable plastic, that will most certainly outlast your actual shoe, simply pull them tight then fasten them down with the easy locking mechanism. The best part? Not only are they worn my world-class athletes but they’re wear-resistant and made for single handed use so you can fasten both at the same time. Check them out at Tri Sports.

 

DO THIS 

 

 

Insalata Caprese is one of the simplest and most delicious of salads. It requires only the right ingredients and the right season. The season first. This is basically a summer dish from which follow the ingredients: it should be made only with local vine-ripened tomatoes that are red, juicy and flavorful but not overly soft, and preferably unrefrigerated.  With a good quality fresh bread and a glass of cool or slightly chilled white wine, this makes an excellent summer lunch or, in a small portion, an ideal first course for a summer meal.

 

Remove the hard stem from the kale leaves and tear the leaves into small pieces. In a large mixing bowl, juice the lemon and massage the lemon juice into the kale leaves. The leaves will soften. Simply toss the rest of the ingredients onto the bowl, snap the lid on and shake.

 

Feel free to email me with any questions on eating RAW and training hard! 

 

 

 

In a circular design around the side of a serving plate, alternate fresh mozzarella slices on a large platter (or on individual plates if you are doing individual portions) with sliced tomatoes, overlapping for effect. 

 

Tear fresh basil leaves and sprinkle liberally over the slices. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Sprinkle capers over the top.