Art of Strength - The Biggest Struggle

The Biggest Struggle

The largest barrier we face in the gym, and really in the clinic too, is the fact that many people are just looking for a quick fix. There are no easy answers to fitness or good health. A strong, healthy body comes from a lot of hard work. It doesn’t happen in a day, 5 weeks or even a year. Health is not something one works on for a short period of time, only to neglect one’s body for the days and weeks to follow.

What happens when we do that? Our bodies return to their old ways, pounds go back on….we get sick, we feel tired, we become more and more sedentary. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy at work. The only way to have a strong body is to work at it day after day, and make the long term commitment to be healthy, not to lose 5 pounds or to fit into whatever size it is we think makes us better or happier. Those are short term goals that are great to get us started, but they won’t keep us going. They are fleeting, they won’t last and when we focus on those kinds of goals and those goals alone, we will fail….

The same is true in our chiropractic clinic. We can adjust a patient for a back complaint, but if that person doesn’t make the commitment to keeping his/her body strong, the same problem or a similar one will come back again. If the patient doesn’t see that chiropractic care is really about a choosing lifestyle of healthy living….getting treatment when we ache, but also seeing our doc when we are feeling good too, to keep our bodies strong, well….we will get what we ask for….more hurt.

So, for the most part, the biggest struggle we face is not whipping a body in to shape. Kettlebells offer one of the best ways to get one’s body feeling strong and looking great. The hardest part is challenging what people think, and how they feel about fitness. Our culture’s sedentary lifestyle is hard to shake. People want an easy answer, they want an easy fix, they want to pop a pill and just go about their lives. We aren’t about pills, we aren’t about doing things the easy way, but what we are about is doing them the right way, the healthy way.

Take some time today to stop and think about what your views are about living healthy, about being fit. Remind yourselves that it starts today, but the commitment to being healthy lasts a lifetime.

If you have any questions about kettlebells as they relate to specific injuries or therapeutic exercise, please feel free to 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.

ARTICLE

FIT TIP

OVERHEAD SQUAT

For beginners, this routine can be done with a kettlebell or dumbbell.

Start by snatching or jerking your barbell to the overhead position.

With your fee facing forward, turn your body (at the hips) towards the side of the overhead bar.

Sending your hips back, and with your head up and facing the barbell, squat down into a rock bottom position.

Drive off your heels and stand up

The barbell overhead squat is the most advanced version of the overhead squat. It requires not only muscular strength but also, and most important, balance. If you’ve never attempted the barbell overhead squat start off with little to now weight on the bar or loaded in the spheres until you first acclimate yourself to the movement.

DO THIS

Here are the rules for these 5 minute rounds. Add them to the beginning or end of any workout performing each exercise for 20 seconds with a 10 second break between each exercise. Work hard, be safe, and have fun!

1-Sumo Deadlifts

2-2 Hand Swings

3-One Hand Swings Right

4-One Hand Swings Left

5-Figure 8’s

6-High Pulls Right

7-High Pulls Left

8-Hand to Hand Swings

9-Snatches Right

10-Snatches Left

KB Front Squats

2-Tactical Lunges

3-Sumo Deadlifts

4-Overhead Lunges Right

5-Overhead Lunges Left

6-Behind the Neck Squats

7-Walking Prisoner Lunges

8-Hand to Hand Sumo Deadlifts

9-Flip and Squat

10-Jumping Lunges

1-Figure 8’s

2-Tactical Lunges

3-Russian Twists

4-Triple Crush

5-Plank

6-KB Pullovers

7-Spiderman Push Ups

8-Dive Bomber Push Ups

9-Burpees

10-Flip and Squat

STACI PICK

EAT THIS

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

4 cups pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup margarine, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup white sugar, divided

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Combine the pumpkin seeds, margarine, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl; stir to coat the seeds. Spread the seeds in a single layer in a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes; stir and return to oven for 15 minutes more; remove from oven and sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over the seeds; stir to coat. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes before removing again to sprinkle with remaining sugar and stirring. Bake another 15 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Store leftover seeds in an airtight container.

EAT THIS

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love:

1) kettlebells

2) stars

3) pizza

Yes, I eat pizza! In fact, it’s my favorite food.

And here’s one of my favorite versions of it:

Green Pizza

1lb whole wheat pizza dough

2 cups chopped broccoli

1/4 cup water

6 cups spinach or arugula

Pinch of salt

Ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup pesto

1 cup shredded, part skim mozzarella

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place rack in lowest position.

Roll out dough very thin and bake for 10 minutes.

Cook broccoli and water for about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach or arugula and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread pesto evenly over crust and top with broccoli and spinach or arugula and bake for another 10 minutes.

This serves 6. Have a slice with a large portion of My Favorite Salad (see Women’s Page 6).

Buon appetito!