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Kettlebody Tip #77: Scent your towels

Charlie — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 06:51:39 +0000

At the poshest fitness studios (including the Kettlebody Kove), you will find the most luxurious of luxuries.

Scented Towels!

Whether lavender, rose, mint, eucalyptus, citrus or any other natural fragrance, the scent invigorates your workout. It also elevates the experience from drudgery to indulgence.

Why not make your workout an indulgent experience?

You will work a little harder, enjoy it a little more, and find greater satisfaction just by making this small effort.

In my studio, I alternate between rose water and “Alpine Fresh” linen spray from Lavish in Mission Hills.

Can you think of other ways to make your workout a more luxurious experience?

By Charlie Fields of kettlebody.com. Charlie is a San Diego personal trainer known for his pleasure-enhancing approach to exercise and eating. For more tips like this or to learn about Charlie’s bootcamps, eating workshops and coaching, or personal training, visit kettlebody.com.

Kettlebody Tip #74: Take the elevator

Charlie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:18:28 +0000

Stop climbing stairs if you don’t have to!

And, for God’s sake, please don’t walk on an escalator. Stand. Relax. You’re going to have to walk when you get to the top anyway. What’s the rush?

The more stairs you climb, the more you think you are being “active.”

Here’s what happens, though. You skip the gym, so you take the stairs at work. Or you take the stairs, then when you eventually do go to the gym, you don’t work very hard.

Be lazy during the day. Work out when you are working out.

My cluddies never take the stairs. That’s because they work out so hard that their legs are too sore!

Are you working out that hard? Or are you taking the stairs?

Kettlebody Tip # 73: Don’t ride bikes

Charlie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:50:21 +0000

Riding bikes sucks.

Especially when there are hills.

I don’t believe that anyone really enjoys riding bikes.

If you actually do like it, whoop-dee-doo for you!

If you pretend to like it because you think it impresses others, please stop.

If you pretend to like it because you like wearing spandex, that is legitimate in my book.

If you do it because you think it is good for you, really stop. There are many safer and more pleasant ways to get fit.

If you are with me and think riding bikes sucks, HOORAY!

If you are wondering who am I to say this, I’ll tell you. For over a year before I got my car, I used to bike to work and school here in San Diego, going up hills aplenty. I was in horrible shape the whole time. Those many miles didn’t get me fit at all. All they got me was tired, cold, late, harassed and I fell a few times. It sucked.

Indoor Kettlebody Bootcamp Video

Charlie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:53:08 +0000

Here’s a taste of what goes on at the Indoor Kettlebody Bootcamp in North Park.

Kettlebody Tip #71: Be honest with yourself

Charlie — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:49:51 +0000

How did an already thin and fit personal trainer lose 15 pounds over the course of a year without even trying?

So last week I weighed myself for the first time in almost a year, and I was shocked to learn that i had lost 15 pounds!

I hadn’t been trying to lose weight. In fact, I have been enjoying my favorite foods whenever I want them. Plus, I have been working out a little less lately than I used to.

The only thing that changed in me is my relationship with my body, all thanks to the Am I Hungry?(R) Workshop and Facilitator Training I took last fall.

The workshop helped me get in tune with my body’s signals of hunger and fullness. It helped me learn to break free from overeating. It helped me find more enjoyment out of eating.

Most importantly, the workshop taught me to be honest with myself.

You might think that Am I Hungry?(R) Workshop tells you to only eat when you are hungry. Not so. Instead, it teaches you to figure out whether you are hungry or not, and then make your own choice to eat or not.

At first, I would often notice that I wasn’t hungry, but decide to eat anyway. After a while, I found myself choosing instead to wait until I was hungry.

As I look back on these fifteen pounds, I can see that I was just being honest with myself. Before I would try to convince myself that I needed to eat at a given time even if deep down I knew my body wasn’t asking for food. Now if I eat when I am not hungry, I do so with full knowledge and acceptance. As a result, I don’t do this nearly as often as I used to. And when I do, I eat much less than I used to.

It is very easy to eat without thinking. It is even easier to lie to yourself to justify eating more than your body wants or needs. However, with a little practice, it can be just as easy to be honest with yourself, and take charge of your eating.

Kettlebody Tip #69: Make love to your food

Charlie — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:26:47 +0000

Yesterday I was at a shopping mall food court which is actually one of my favorite places to eat. It brings me back to my childhood when I spent lots of time at the mall.

So I noticed a woman eating alone at a table nearby. She was eating a waffle. (I know, I know…where do you get a waffle in the mall??) But she wasn’t just eating that waffle…she was making love to it!

I mean, she looked at that thing with passion in her eyes. Then she slowly brought it up to her lips, opened wide, and took a mouth-filling bite. Her eyes rolled back as she chewed and chewed, savoring every bit of deliciousness that she could. Once she finished that bite, she paused and got ready for another one.

After a little while, she put it down and moved on to her little bowl of soup (I know, who eats soup and a waffle??). I was trying hard not to let her catch me staring. Again, that come-hither look covered her face as she brought up a spoonful of soup to taste.

I had never seen anyone seem to enjoy their food so much. It was amazing!

This woman was slim, and I bet that the way she savors her food is directly responsible for that.

Think about it, if you are taking the time to really taste and enjoy each and every bite that you eat, you will also be more connected to how it feels in your body. Then you will be able to easily know when your body doesn’t need anymore.

Many of us say we love food, but we scarf it down so quickly that we don’t give ourselves a chance to taste the flavor.

We don’t let ourselves truly enjoy our food.

If you are looking for a great New Year’s Resolution that will really change your life, here it is:

Make love to your food

Kettlebody Tip #67: Channel Barbra

Charlie — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:16:11 +0000

So I am on a Barbra Streisand kick right now.

My boyfriend is going to jump off a cliff if he has to hear me tell one more person about how Barbra not only won a Best Actress Oscar for her very first movie (at 26, mind you), but also was the first woman to win a Best Song Oscar for writing music, not lyrics.

Sue me, I think that is pretty remarkable, and more people should know about it.

Now Babs has said that she hates exercise. I used to hate exercise, too. In fact, it is still not my favorite thing in the world. Fortunately, I really like how it makes me feel so it isn’t hard for me to get into the gym to do it.

My point, and I do have one, is that Barbra is known for being a perfectionist. A lot of people say that perfectionism is not a good trait. And in many instances I would agree…but not when it comes to exercise.

In exercise, perfectionism is good!

In fact, when you work out, you should channel Barbra Streisand.

Four things happen when you focus on doing the exercise perfectly:

Your good form reduces risk of injury.
The exercise is more effective and you get better results.
Time flies by.
It becomes more enjoyable.

The first two reasons listed are already widely believed.

But it is the last two that people don’t usually consider.

The more you focus on doing something well, the more engaged you become. This makes time pass more quickly, and it raises your enjoyment.

Try it out for yourself!

Kettlebody Tip #66: Don’t complain during a workout

Charlie — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:35:23 +0000

Or as my lovely and eloquent sister would say:

Shut your face!

See, when you complain during a workout, you bring your energy down as well as those around you. This is what Nike means when they say “Just do it!”

Instead of saying things like:

This is too hard!
I can’t do this
This sucks!
My legs are too sore!

Think or say things like:

I will feel good when this is over!
This won’t last forever!
My body will thank me!
My legs are going to look and feel great!

Now, if you are really in pain, feel free to say so and take a break. Even better, do something else.

For example, if your ankle is giving you trouble and you can’t jump rope, get on your knees and do push-ups instead.

Don’t complain about a problem…find a solution or an alternative!

Kettlebody Tip #65: Just get in the car and GO

Charlie — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:55:53 +0000

Last night, I got to the gym for my workout class (I was taking, not teaching), and I thought to myself:

How did I get here?

Like, physically, how did my car (with me in it) get to this parking lot?

The best answer I could find is that I just got in the car and went to the gym. That’s it.

I finished training my last client, got in my car, pushed play on my iPod, and the next thing I knew I was walking up the steps on my way to a grueling workout.

And by that time it was too late to turn back…I have the sore hamstrings to prove it!