2 Years ago!

WOW! Time flies! I was looking at the calender and realized it has been 2 years since I was first introduced to David Whitley and the RKC and Kettlebells! I had been tired of having consistent back spasms and wanted stop it at any price! I had played rugby for 10 years prior and had less problems then. One would think that does not make sense. Rugby is a tough sport with no pads and a great deal of hitting! Yes, and I loved it! I miss it still today!

What I learned was, I was moving more then and was stronger all around than what my current style of working out was. I was hitting and being hit! I had to brace at the right moment and be fluid and as fast as I could with my DNA, which is not much! :) I first learned about kettlebells through cross fit workouts . From another friend I was introduced to Dave, The Iron Tamer, Whitley. When I met with Dave I hired him for personal training because my schedule was very difficult to commit to a class and I am not sure if at that time I fully understood the benefits or how important classes are. I hired Dave for 10 sessions and bought 2-16 kg and 2-24 kg. I am not sure if I even made it through all 10 sessions. Life got in the way and a year later I was no closer to my physical goals that before.

After much encouragement from my best friend and wife, I decided to join Dave’s classes and this time I made it a priority! I quickly became addicted to kettlebells and the training! I could not get enough of it. I wanted to learn and perfect my technique. I got really frustrated when I would leave class and my back hurt. Sometimes I could not even leave until it calmed down. I was having to relearn how to use my glutes and hams vs using my back. I learned I had been using the wrong muscles for a long time -not to mention how tight my hip flexors were. I went head first and gave it everything I had and challenged myself to pass the instructors course and join the ranks of others to be called RKC! I cannot tell you how important personal training with an RKC instructor is, especially in group classes! The group classes motivated me and kept me accountable to show up. I could not have achieved the results on my own. I would not have passed the RKC course without the whole group!

The are many things one could compare the RKC with. I will compare it to marriage. You really don’t know what you are getting into until you say I DO! Not until I was married and spent time with my spouse did I really know what I said yes to. Through time and experience I understood what the RKC system is all about! I have been married for 18 years and I am learning every day how to love my wife well. It has not even been a year since passing RKC last Aug. I only planned on passing the RKC. Since then, I have become Indian Club Certified and attended the CK-FMS and am in the process of becoming certified as a CK-FMS also. I will also be attending The Summit of Strength being taught by 4 of the Master RKC instructors, Brett Jones, David Whitley, Jeff O’Conner and Geoff Neupert. I have had the privilege of meeting each one of these men and they are gifted teachers and instructors. I learn something every time I am with them, as well as many of the other RKC instructors I have met this past year. Everyone of them is passionate about RKC and always improving and becoming better no matter what your age or genetics.

There is a great deal written by many about what they have learned from Pavel and the RKC. I could not begin to put into words what I have learned about myself and the RKC! I love every minute of it and look forward to learning and practicing for the rest of my life. I am 41 and in the best shape of my life! I am stronger and have more endurance than ever! I don’t have a gym membership and will never have to look for one again unless I want to. I can get everything I need from a few kettlebells. I don’t have enough time in my day to practice everything I have learned over the past year. I look forward to every time I get to train or teach and train someone else.

What is your take away? It is never too late to to change! Start today with doing 1 thing different. Find a RKC instructor here and begin swinging! If you are in the Nashville area look the Iron Tamer up. If you are in the Franklin or Cool Springs area come see me at Tennessee Kettlebell!

Thank you Pavel, Dragon Door,David Whitley, Nashville Kettlebell Boot Camp, My RKC team mates:Mark and Nikki Snow, Jay Cannon,Matt and Kristen McBryde,Doc Cheng-my team leader,Brett Jones, Jeff O’Conner and the many others that have paved the road for me to follow! I look forward to training with you for a long time!

David

The Rest of the Story!

This is long over due but what is new in my world! Many times I have thought about writing this and just did not stop and make the time to do it. It is a lot like writing out my budget! I still have not sat down to focus on that yet either! One thing at a time!

Here is the rest of my body experiment with eating Vegan for a month. I will let the lab results speak first:

3/24/10

Cholesterol 236 (0-200)

Triglyceride 136 (<150)

HDL 57 (>39)

Total Chol/

HDL Ratio 4.1

VDL Chol 27 (0-40)

LDL Chol 152 (0-99)

4/26/10

Cholesterol 177 (0-200)

Triglyceride 104 (<150)

HDL 42 (>39)

Total Chol/

HDL Ratio 4.2

VDL Chol 21 (0-40)

LDL Chol 114 (0-99)

Total Cholesterol reduction in 1 month is 59 points! Everything except LDL is with in the normal range. After I saw these results I was shocked as was my Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and others in my family. There was no doubt I was going to continue eating this way.

It has not been that hard either. The biggest thing was learning what to eat. I have had very little meat since this. I can count on 1 hand the times I have had meat. When I did have meat, it was very little not because I did not want it, but it has lost much of its taste. I find the vegetables have a much more flavor. I make a great pulled pork recipe and have cooked it 2x in the past month at others request. I normally would have devoured it after I smoked it and puled it apart. Not this time. I had a couple of bites and that is it. I did not want any more. Now I grill some very tasty veggies!

I have found mixed opinions on eating vegan. Many are the same opinions I have had when I met someone who was a vegetarian or vegan. I find it is an emotional connection with eating meat vs and educational connection. The first thing people ask me is how are you getting enough protein. I ask how much do I need? They usually say “I don’t know”. Truth is, I don’t either!

The 2nd week I started eating more beans, rice, and potatoes. It helped me stay full longer than just fruits and vegetables. I have found there are many quick ways to eat this way thanks to Trader Joe’s and Wild Oats. Even Costco has pre-made ready to eat Vegetarian foods. I had a great mushroom burger some friends brought over for dinner the other night.

So there you have the rest of the story. I am continuing to eat whole food, plant based foods. I don’t count any thing and eat until I am full and still have lost weight.

Train and eat and drink to your health!