Hello from the Florida Keys! This is one of our favorite places to visit. It’s were I filmed my Florida kettlebell workout two years ago.

I’m doing well and I have some very exciting news (at least I’m super excited!) that I’m going to share next week. There is a BIG adventure ahead but until then here is a little update on life lately.

The last few weeks have been focused on finding our family’s new “normal”…well as normal as life on the road in an RV can be.  As those of you with kids know, having a new baby is a challenging but wonderful adjustment. Trying to figure out how to do homeschool, travel, exercise, work, errands, and everything else that needs to be done with a new little person that requires constant attention can be overwhelming. I’ve kept my expectations low but have been blown away by my older boys willingness to help. The other day Thing 2 even watched the baby and folded laundry while I took a shower! Thing 1 made dinner the other night and both help with daily chores!  

I did follow my midwives recommendation and rested thoroughly for 3 weeks. When she told me about the “21 day rest rule” I was very worried about going stir crazy. That did happen a few times but for the most part those 21 days very special and I’ll cherish that time always . My days were spent bonding with Thing 3 and spending time with the older boys. I did my best to not even think about the things that “needed” to be done and instead I focused on really being in the moment with my  littles or not so littles. At times it was a bit surreal to be nursing a baby and having heart to heart talks with my teenager.

I was surprised to find myself sad to resume normal activities after 21 days of doing nothing. Don’t get me wrong I was excited to be up and about but I found myself missing those long days cuddling and nursing the baby. I wish I would have done the same thing with my older boys but I’m very grateful for my wise midwife who insisted that I do this with Thing 3. I’m also grateful to Brent and my parents who recognized how important this time was for my healing and Thing 3. I’m fully aware that not all women have this type of support and I don’t take it for granted.

I’ll be six weeks postpartum tomorrow but I won’t likely be resuming strength training for another 4-6 weeks. My labor and delivery were very difficult and my body is going to need more time than average to heal.  If I’m understanding “Dr Google” correctly, there may be some damage that is going to take many months to heal and perhaps a lifetime of conscious lifestyle choices to manage.  My midwife didn’t want to give me a diagnosis before giving my body plenty of time to heal so I’m trying to remain hopeful that my body will continue to repair itself. Fingers crossed Dr Google is wrong!

Since I’m not strength training I started walking and doing some light yoga. Thing 3 likes being in the stroller and he often falls asleep.  So I’m hoping that when I am able to resume strength training I’ll be able to go on walks and do a short kettlebell workout while he chills in his stroller afterwards.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at Newschool Nomads as we travel in our RV through the United States!

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The post Life Lately – Finding a New “Normal” with Baby appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Before we get to the double kettlebell workout let’s play a little game!

I spy with my little eye….a guy (or four) and the color is gray.

Do you see Mount Rushmore in the background!!!

We made it Mount Rushmore and it was not exactly “amazing” but really fun to see this icon of American history in real life. However, the Black Hills area where Mount Rushmore is located in South Dakota is amazing with endless beauty and so many things to do. As impractical as it was I couldn’t resist finding a place to film my kettlebell workout with the faces in the background. It’s not often that I can find a suitable and safe place to do a kettlebell workout in front of a major landmarks.

Short and Strong Double Kettlebell Workout

1. Double Push Press – 11
2. Jump Squats – 11
3. Double Rows – 11
4. Double Swings – 11

AMRAC (as many rounds as challenging) in 11 minutes.

(Why 11? South Dakota has 11 letters and 11 is more fun than 10. )

This double kettlebell workout could easily be adapted for one kettlebell by alternating sides and add or take away a rep to work each side equally.

Have you ever been to Mount Rushmore or the Black Hills? Where is the strangest place you’ve ever did a workout? Do you prefer single or double kettlebell workouts?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post Short and Strong Double Kettlebell Workout -South Dakota appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Sometimes I regret choosing to film these kettlebell workout video series. It’s not often but sometimes I wonder, “What in the world was I thinking?” My head fills with doubts about my body, my ability, and my strength. Or it’s hard to find a perfect workout location or the weather is sweltering or freezing. You know, excuses.

But sometimes….

The location is perfect, right outside my front door. And at the foot of bad lands where wild horses roam free, I remember that I am enough as I am. I remember my strength lies not in how many pullups I can or cannot do but in my Creator who loves and guides me.

You Are Enough Kettlebell Workout

Part I

A. Kettlebell Seesaw Presses 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (each arm)
B. Kettlebell Renegade Row 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (each arm)
C. Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (each leg)

Part II

Kettlebell Swings – 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 (6 sets)

Complete A-B as a descending ladder. Once you finish one rep (each arm and leg) of each then move onto part II, the kettlebell swings. Rest as needed.

Note: It looks like I’m rounding my back during the swings in the video. While I do sometimes I have tendency to unpack my shoulders (I constantly have to remind myself to get them down and back), the vest is puffing out at the back. Don’t mistake that as a cue to round your back. Keep it flat with a natural curve!

Alright guys that’s it! I’m not sure what kettlebell workout number this is but I’m making progress through all 48 states and someday hopefully 50. Slowly but surely!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember you are enough just the way you are! 

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post You Are Enough Kettlebell Workout – North Dakota appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Sometimes I think we make things harder in our head they they are in reality. How many times have you talked yourself out of workout because it just seems like it’s going to be “too hard” or “you don’t have time”.

I know I’ve done that more than I’d like to admit.

Working out isn’t the only thing I put off because it seems “too hard” or “too time consuming”.

Editing my workout videos is another thing that always seems overwhelming in my head but once I start I realize that it’s not that hard. I was reminded of that this morning when I sat down to edit another kettlebell workout for my state series. It took all of two hours instead of the all day job I had envisioned. In hindsight, it would have been easier just to start in the first place instead of keeping it on my to-do list. Kinda of like a workout.

I filmed this kettlebell workout early last fall in Minnesota. It was a beautiful morning on the lake and a perfect way to start the morning before we headed to North Dakota. Before my workout I did a series of mobility drills for warm up.

As usual it’s a simple kettlebell workout that  requires one bell but if you are really advanced it could easily be done with two substituting presses for the reach.

Kettlebell Workout Minnesota

A. Squat Reach 10x
B. Snatch* 10x each arm

AMRAC in 9 minutes. AMRAC = As many reps as challenging.

Most often you see AMRAP (as many reps as possible) used in timed workouts. I have posted AMRAP workouts before but recently I’ve been working on listening to my body more. While I’m not against  AMRAP workouts I no longer think that language is the most beneficial as it encourages people to get in as many reps as possible oftentimes at all cost. Form may be sacrificed (I’ve done this) and when you are racing the clock then it’s easy to forget to listen to your body (I’ve done this too). Of course, it’s absolutely possible to do an AMRAP workout safely but perosnally I prefer the word “challenging” because the goal is to challenge your body not push it to its limits. Every once in a while is fine but to push to your limits all the time is not necessary nor is it smart.

*If you aren’t comfortable with snatches just substitute swings instead.

Do you prefer kettlebell snatches or swings? Do you ever put things off only to find out it wasn’t near as “bad” as you thought? 

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post Snatch It Up- Kettlebell Workout – Minnesota appeared first on Girl Heroes.

This is a kettlebell workout for the outdoors.

Or in the very least a kettlebell workout that shouldn’t be done on your wood or tiled floor because if you are like me you might drop the bell once. Or twice.

Regardless, this is a fun kettlebell workout. Not to mention quick kettlebell workout for those day you…well…don’t want to workout but know you probably should. You know those days.

Yeah, this kettlebell workout is for those days.

Anyway a quick word of caution: don’t fight the bell and pay attention. If you feel it slip let it go and get out of the way. The bell always wins. Always.

Catch Me If You Can – Kettlebell Workout – Michigan

A. Swing-Catch-Squat-Reach
B. Around the Body (Alternate directions)

Set a timer for 30/30 (A/B) intervals and 8 rounds. Feel free to do more or less but I did 8 minutes and it was just what I needed for the time I had. 

Tips: There is point at the top the swing where you feel the kettlebell “float”. This is where you catch it. Also you don’t need to transiotion between moves smoothly. It’s okay to stop the bell after the reach and then start your around the body. It’s also okay to set the bell back on the ground to start your swings after your around the body. You’ll be less likely to bang your knee. Lastly, I noticed near the end I was getting tired and I wasn’t dropping my hips during my squat and instead I was dropping my chest a little. This is easier but it’s also wrong. Be mindful of that.

We filmed this kettlebell workout at Sleeping Dunes National Lakeshore where we climbed the dunes.

It was spectacular.

My moody (now) teenager even enjoyed it. At least for a few minutes.

Well…that’s that. Have you ever dropped a kettlebell during your workout? What do you do when you are having one of those days?  Have you done a kettlebell workout this week?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States.

The post Catch Me If You Can! – Kettlebell Workout – Michigan appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I’ve filmed some kettlebell workouts in some amazing places all the way from California to Maine.

Places like the Florida Keys, near wild horses on Assateague Island and in front of the NYC skyline.

But sometimes it’s the simple unexpected places that stand out.

Places like this park we stumbled upon in Des Moines, Iowa

First of all, I had no idea Des Moines was a cool city!

Second of all, look at these leaves!

Beautiful!

It almost makes me wish for fall.

Almost.

Double Kettlebell Workout – Iowa

Part One

A. Double Kettlebell Clean and Press – 5
B. Double Kettlebell Bent Row – 5
C. Push Ups – 5

Repeat A-C 4x.

Part Two

Tabata Double Kettlebell Swings

Set a timer for 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Repeat 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. (Here is a brief intro to Tabata and its benefits.)

I’m really happy with this double kettlebell workout. My form is better than some of my others (If you ever want to improve your form. Film yourself 4o times and you will get better.) and it is a challenge. Plus it’s over really quick. Gotta love tabata kettlebell drills especially double kettlebell tabata drills! Evil laugh….

Getting Personal

Last week I said I was not motivated. Well I’m still feeling down. Not as down as a few weeks ago but still not myself and I don’t really know what’s going on.

Perhaps it was the long winter? Despite all the snowboarding the four of us were in an RV for four and half months while the temperatures dropped below freezing.

Or perhaps it’s the uncertainty of our life? We aren’t sure where we are going to settle down. Truth be told, I don’t like the idea of settling down at all but my oldest who just turned 13 thinks he may want to go to high school. We want to honor that desire so we are thinking about places to settle. I’ve learned I am a gypsy at heart and this nomadic life feels right almost like finding a soulmate. It will be hard to settle when the time comes.

Or perhaps it’s the stress of being a single income family working freelance. Some of Brent’s biggest clients aren’t giving him the work like they did when we lived in Ventura. It can be stressful as I’m sure many of you understand in this down economy and I realize there are many people in tougher situations. He could look for a normal job but we both agree that being able to live the nomadic life is worth the uncertainty that comes with working freelance.

Or perhaps, it’s the sugar. The sugar. In fact, I’m certain that is a big part of it. I’ve struggled with my sugar addiction for the past year and a half and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that while my mood has gone down my sugar consumption has gone up. Sigh.

Well that’s enough. I’m not going to throw myself a pity party. At least not on my blog. After all life really is beautiful and if you don’t have downs then you can’t have ups.

Do you like where you live? Are there any places we should check out as a possible place to settle? What about double kettlebell workouts? Do you love them as much as me?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States

The post Strength and Endurance Double Kettlebell Workout – Iowa appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I haven’t picked up my kettlebells for weeks. Truth be told, I’m still struggling with motivation in general but watching this kettlebell cardio circuit that we shot in St. Louis Missoris just may change that.

Maybe.

We loved St. Louis and I loved that we unexpectedly found this park the morning we decided to film the kettlebell workout. I had been asking around if there was a good place to get pictures of the arch (it’s hard to get the entire thing in the frame because it’s so tall) and everybody kept saying not really. I considered doing the workout on the busy square  downtown but it was busy. It may not seem like it but I’m really shy and if possible I like to shoot the kettlebell workouts in more low traffic areas if possible. So I looked at the map again and saw Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park right across the river from the arch. It was perfect with a great view of the St. Louis skyline and it was quiet! Why didn’t anyone know about this place!

The is a kettlebell cardio circuit. It’s perfect for non-strength days or on it’s own whenever you need a quick but effective workout. Love kettlebells!!!!

Kettlbell Cardio Circuit – Missouri

1. Down Ups – 8
2. Kettlebell Reach – 8
3. Jump Squats – 8
4. Two Handed Row – 8
5. Swings – 8

As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes.

I was trying the two handed row with an underhand grip and I’m not crazy about it as it can put a lot of pressure on the wrist through hyperextension. So if you do that just be aware of your wrist position and make sure they aren’t bending backwards too much. A lighter kettlebell will help this.

___

We finally left Breckenridge a few days ago. It was a bittersweet goodbye. We had an amazing time snowboarding (you can see all of our best pictures here) and being part of a community for four months. It’s going to take a few days to adjust to moving again and getting back on track with my workouts. I’ll write more about it next week because my grandparents are visiting us right no. They came out for my oldest son’s 13th birthday and we want to spend as much time with them as possible.

Alright well I hope you are having a great week! Do you ever use kettlebells for cardio circuits or do you prefer using them solely for strength?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States

The post Kettlebell Cardio Circuit – Missouri appeared first on Girl Heroes.

This kettlebell workout is only two moves and the sets are based on the 8 letters in the word Illinois. Like most of my workouts, I try to always connect some number in the workout with the number of letters.  Although there have been a few I was running low on creativity and just wanted to get done.

I’m particularly fond of this kettlebell workout for its versatility. Once you have the swing down it’s great for beginners through advanced. It can be easily modified by decreasing reps and/or sets or using a heavier kettlebell.  It works well on its own when you don’t have a lot of time, as conditioning workout for non-strength days, or as a finisher on strength days.

Illinois

A. Swings 
80,70,60,50,40,20,10

B. KB Toss
 80,70,60,50,40,30,10

Start with 80 reps (or whatever you think is a good number for YOU) and the next set reduce reps by 10 until you get to 10 reps of the swing and toss. Red lipstick and dark eyeliner are optional but highly recommended!*

*We were on our way to visit friends and going out that night so I changed in the car in the car to workout. However, I’ve done more ridiculous things like combine leopard heels and kettlebells.

I also want to say thank you to Jen for interviewing me in her Lady Lifter Spotlight last week. I interview a lot of women here on my blog so it was nice to be on the other side. Speaking of interviews would any of you like to be featured or have someone would you like to “nominate” as a Girl Hero? I’m always on the lookout for inspirational women. And inspirational does not mean “super buff” or someone who has lost a lot of weight. (Although that’s fine!) Girl Heroes are women who are doing their best to choose health in our not so healthy culture. Anyway you can email me if you are interested jenn (at) girl-heroes.com

I haven’t been blogging much over here because after Thing One asked me, “Do you think one day I’ll be nostalgic for this trip? For living in the RV?” I started to feel like I really need to catch up on capturing our adventures on my travel/family blog. It’s kinda embarrassing how far behind I am!!!! When we left I imagined being able to keep up on everything (and not be 6 months behind editing workouts!!) but the truth is I only have so much time and energy. My family and life come before the computer. If they didn’t I don’t think I’d have anything to write about or even be on this trip! Anyway, it’s really important to me to catch up on our travels before time starts to scratch away at those memories. Have you ever seen those blog to book things? They look like the yearbooks I got in high school. My desire is to turn our other blog, Newschool Nomads, into a “yearbook” that captures the memories and brief histories of all the places we have gone and give one to each of the boys when they leave our nest. Sniff. So I’m going to do my best to post a few times a week over here but for right now catching up on the memory book for my kids is my top priority.

Alright that’s it….I hope you enjoy this short kettlebell workout and let me know if you know someone (or YOU…don’t be shy!) who would make a good Girl Hero!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post A Windy City Workout – Kettlebell Workout – Illinois appeared first on Girl Heroes.

My jeans are finally fitting better.

I haven’t made an effort to lose weight since I trained for my RKC weekend. I’m generally pretty comfortable in my body (most of the time) but over the last year as we traveled I ate more calories than than I burned. Pretty simple.  I wasn’t fat…not by a long shot…but I got to a point to where my jeans weren’t fitting.

It happens.

I had to make the choice to buy new jeans or lose some weight.

So I decided to eat a little less and move a little more. I also decided I wasn’t going to do anything extreme or follow any kind of “plan”.

No offense to those who follow Paleo. There is some solid science behind Paleo. I just thought it was funny. :-)

No cutting carbs.

No eliminating food groups.

I was just going to eat what I wanted but keep an eye on portions/calories.

And something amazing happened.

By moving more and eating a little less (I can pound a serious amount of food) I’ve been losing about a pound a week.

I haven’t felt deprived once.

The majority of my food has been whole real food because nourishing my body is a priority regardless of my weight but I’ve been reminding myself a serving a almond butter isn’t half the jar.

Although I’ll confess, up until a few days ago, I was even eating cookies, cake, and candy. (We wont’ talk about the hot doughnut shop that’s a short walk from the ski resort parking lot.) Keeping a food journal, an eye on calories, and having an accountability partner has helped me to eat those things in *GASP* moderation. It’s no small miracle because moderation is my strong suit.

Then few days ago, I decided I needed a “reset” because I was eating some sugar every day and decided to pass on sweets for the rest of this month. The sweets didn’t seem to be slowing down my weight loss but considering my past sugar addiction I was fearful things would spiral out of control. I don’t want to go there again.

Of course, the day I decided to pass on sweets (I like the word “pass” because it implies a choice and my choice puts me in the powerful position not the food.) a guy on the bus opened a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints and offered me one. When I said, “No thanks.” He offered me three. Punk. I decided to pass because February is short but the satisfaction of the cookies is even shorter.

There has been no extreme exercising either. Although unlike my tendency to try extreme diets, extreme exercising has never been an issue. I just decided to get up off my butt and move more. I go snowboarding a few afternoons a week, do short full body workouts 2/3x a week, and walk an average of 8,400 every day thanks to the motivation my Fitbit provides. It’s more than manageable. It’s been fun.

All this to say (once again)

It’s consistency that counts not perfection.

And

There isn’t a magic plan.

I’ve skipped workouts. I have had hot doughnuts.

But the difference is I didn’t say, “Forget it. I messed up.” Then blow off the rest of my workouts for the week and eat two dozen cookies a day.

I just made an effort to move more and eat thoughtfully consistently.

And it’s working.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

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Are kettlebells for cardio or strength training?

That’s a question I get asked regularly. The answer is “It depends.” and “Both“. Since I don’t have access to a ” real gym” I’m using mostly kettlebells for cardio and strength.

Kettlebells exercises are divided into two basic groups “grinds” and “ballistics“. Kettlebells for strength are often referred to as grinds. Grinds are performed slowly, rooted in strength, use full body tension, and include exercises like squats and presses. Kettlebells for cardio are called ballistics. Ballistics are generally fast (explosive), rooted in power and force, use a combination of relaxation and tension, and include swings and snatches. Of course, there are some of exercises that feel like both such as thrusters.

There is a lot of crossover between cardio and strength with kettlebells. If you are using kettlebells for cardio there is a lot of strength involved (assuming your bell is heavier than 10 lbs) and if you are using kettlebells for strength, depending on how you structure your workout, there is usually a fair amount (sometimes a lot) of cardiovascular work involved.

My Massachusetts workout was designed with beginners in mind (Kettlebell workouts filmed in the original 13 colonies are beginner based.) and primarily as a cardio circuit. However, as I said before, the beauty of kettlebells (and many of my other favorite tools) is that you get stronger while improving your conditioning and vice versa. They are an effective all around functional fitness tool making them perfect for busy people who don’t live to workout.

Cape Cod was an amazing place to workout. It’s hard to believe I was just there a few months ago.

When I look back at the pictures it feels like I’m looking at pictures of a dream!

Kettlebells for Cardio – Massachusetts

1. Press or Push Press – Left
2. Swings
3. Press or Push Press – Right
4. Swing
5. Rows – Left
6. Swings
7. Rows – Right
8. Swings
9. Squats
10. Swings
11. KB Toss
12. Swings
13. Hot Potatoes

Set your timer to your desired interval (I used a gentle 30/30 work to rest interval.) and do exercises 1-13. Repeat circuit 1-3x. 

Hint – If you are short on time use longer work periods (don’t go over a minute), shorter rest periods, and do the circuit once. If you are a machine keep the rest periods short and repeat 3x. 

Kettlebells won’t fit everybody’s goals. If you want to be able to deadlift 300 pounds then you are going to need to use a bar and weights. But if you are looking for an alternative to the hamsterwheel treadmill while still improving your cardiovascular health then kettlebells are your friend.

Do you use kettlebells for cardio, strength, or both?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Keep up with my kettlebell workouts, real food recipes, and more in one of three ways! 1. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. 2. Subscribe to the RSS Feed or 3. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook. Simple dimple!

Journey with our family on the road at New School Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!

The post Kettlebells for Cardio and Strength – Massachusetts appeared first on Girl Heroes.