Spice Up Your Life! Spice Up Your Workouts! Updated

What's up kittens? Having a good week? It's always hard to get back in focus after a long holiday weekend, isn't it? It's bad enough I already have issues knowing what day it is and what town I'm in but whoa, after a holiday weekend I'm really in a fog. No Jokes Please.
Anyway, I'm starting to dig the kettlebell feeling more and more. As you know, I recently bought the RKS Kettlebell DVD set and yesterday I did my first workout. I did DVD #1 which is essentially ONLY kettlebell swings. However, don't think this was 1) easy or 2) boring or 3) void of sweat or 4) void of cursing. I am VERY excited to move forward in this series and do the rest. I used- or wait, I started with 25lb kettlebells and had to move down to a 20lb kettlebell because my grip was failing.

Can you tell I'm rather addicted to Tumblr and Pinterest? DANG! Anyway-- keep reminding yourself that we only "compete" with ourselves! It's about EFFORT and pushing it, not trying to be perfect. My friend Krissa can use 30lb dumbbells for overhead presses. I use 20lbs and grunt my way through it- but that is what is TOUGH for me. If it's TOUGH, I'm working my muscles. Enough said. JUST WORK IT.
Check out my sweatfest vlog below for my "review":
Also! Spice Up Your Life is not just for workouts....I've been talking about adding spicy-ness via variety in our "diets" as well (READ: "diets" for me is WAY OF EATING, not a DIET). I'm filling my cabinets and fridge with LOTS of foods that I love and guess what-- I am NOT forbidding foods anymore....that's right. I am slowly but surely getting back to the point where ANYTHING can be in my house and I can reasonably eat and reach my goal.

Yea. You saw it here first. I have a hujazz jar of Nutella in my cupboard. I also have PEANUT BUTTER. I've also filled my fridge with vegetables, fruit, hummus, Almond Milk, Chobani Greek Yogurt, Laughing Cow Cheese wedges, organic brown eggs (for you Danielle) Brownberry 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Jell-O, Trader Joes Brown Rice Pasta (heaven!), Organic Trader Joes Marinara-- you get the idea. I'm not hosting a psycho diet kitchen, but I'm also not hosting a PIG OUT FREE FOR ALL. Balance. Every time I go to eat, I stop and think- why am I eating. Then I calm down- and if I am hungry, I eat what my body "needs" and try to keep a good balance. I am also focusing on eating AT THE TABLE. Geneen Roth talks in her books about eating in a rush, eating in the car, eating at the counter- all things I have done- and you do it because you are usually Rushing and thus you rush through a meal and don't even taste it. SIT DOWN. Eat slowly. Enjoy your food. You're allowed to do that. Go ahead.
In the spirit of "diet" balance, I am posting this gem, shared on Tumblr from The Reality of Skinny:
Here are some of the best Healthy Snacks, via Women's Health Magazine:

- Sliced tomato with a sprinkle of feta and olive oil
- Vitamuffin Vita Top
- Starbucks tall Skinny Latte
- Banana
- Edamame
- Air- popped popcorn
- Quaker Instant Oatmeal
- Greek yogurt
- 8 pieces of shrimp, with 4 tbs cocktail sauce
- Sargento Light String Cheese
- Curves Granola Bar
- 1 cup baby carrots with 2 tbs hummus
- 1 1/4 ounce turkey jerky
- 1/2 cantaloupe
- 1 cup vegetable juice, and 2 oz roasted turkey breast
- 1 tbs peanuts and 2 tbs dried cranberries
- 1 cup strawberries and 3 tbs Cool Whip Free
- Amy’s Cheese Pizza Snacks
- 1 cup raspberries with 2 tbs Greek yogurt and 1 tsp honey
- 2 egg whites with 1 slice of whole wheat toast
- 1/2 cup frozen yogurt
- 5 Hershey’s Special Dark Kisses
- 2/3 cup Barbara’s Baked Cinnamon Puffins Cereal (dry)
- 1 oz Yellowtail and 1 oz Tuna sashimi 1 packet Kikoman Instant Miso Soup
- 18 Fat Free Rold Gold Tiny Twists
- 2 oz Veggie Land Veg- T- Balls with 2 tbs tomato sauce
- Chocolate milk
- 1 Nutter Butter Granola Bar
I'm telling y'all- Shrimp Cocktail if you like it (which I do) is a beautiful thing. Lo-Cal, Lo-Fat and scrumptious. What are your favorite healthy snacks? Do you snack? Or avoid it?
Question of the Day: Have you ventured into Kettlebell Land yet? If so- how did you find out about it? If not, do you want to?
Kettlebell,
Nutella,
RKS Kettlebells





