Today I am a two-time kettlebell world champion, author and teach kettlebell exercise in Manhattan, achievements earned in my early forties. Surprisingly, I am stronger, leaner, have more endurance and look better than I did 10 years ago, even though I now do less in terms of exercise and specific training.
Yet it was not always this way;
These are the results of a long journey, one that was probably meant to happen, eventually …
As a child growing up in New York, I was far from athletic. Bouts of exercise-induced asthma were practically routine, as much as part of my daily experience as getting out of bed. My lung capacity was so weak that I was unable to keep up with friends and classmates when playing basketball, volleyball or simply running around during tag at recess. After a few minutes into any game, I would be predictably hunched over, struggling to catch my breath as I watched my teammates continue to play without me. Unfortunately, that was simply the norm for me when it came to recreational activities; I just did what I could. Although my participation time was often limited, I actually enjoyed scholastic sports, yet it would take decades before I would develop any kind of physical stamina.
At age fourteen, I began to study dance, on which I thrived, since dance classes were perfect for my condition; I could catch my breath while the teacher demonstrated new steps. It was thrilling to perform in professional musicals, but I knew theater would not be the right long-term career choice for me. In 1990 I enrolled in the Swedish Institute in Manhattan and obtained a license in massage therapy. I immediately began to build a thriving private practice while continuing my education through studying many forms of bodywork including ART (Active Release Technique).
With my dance shoes now in the back of the closet, I joined a local gym where I was frequently fascinated by the sight of the drenched, wonderously exhausted aerobics-class participants exiting the fitness studio each day. Finally, thoroughly bored with the monotony of the weight machines, I gave it a try. The fast and continuous pace of high impact aerobics was a revelation, at once inspiring and humbling, since each day in class, I would have to stop every 3 or 4 minutes to use my asthma inhaler and catch my breath.
I relegated myself to the back of the studio for much of the first year. I was in my twenties at the time, yet I could not keep up with women twice my age, a fact that served to motivate me further. The class’s energy, the pulsating music and the positive motivation of the instructor kept me coming back 3 days each week. Little did I know that this was to be my first step on the road to overcoming life-long debilitating asthma and becoming a competitive athlete.
A full year passed before I was finally able to make it through the hour of aerobics class without stopping. I began to further challenge myself by enrolling in step classes, kickboxing and traditional boxing training. Gradually, over a five-year period, I was able to keep up and perform as well as my gym peers for the first time in my life.
I thought I had formulated the perfect exercise regimen of weight training, cardio and conditioning. I had a very specific weekly routine that I was devoted to, but in reality, my fitness regimen was in control of me. As a result I resented any obligation that took me away from my routine because I was painfully afraid of gaining weight or losing the conditioning I had worked so hard for. Of course in hindsight, I had become the typical fitness-class junkie, working out two hours each weekday and four hours every Saturday. I never could have imagined that there was an effective way to work out that didn’t require hours and days in the gym.
Everything changed the day I picked up a kettlebell. In 2005 I moved to South Florida, immediately in search of the area’s best trainers. There was no doubt I was in good hands when I met Adam Cronin and Michelle Khai. By this time, I had participated in some very demanding workout classes and was very familiar with using weights, but the challenge posed by the kettlebell took me completely by surprise. Now hooked on this new fitness tool, I trained with Adam and Michelle 3 days per week for almost 2 years.
With kettlebell exercise routines, the first thing I noticed was the speed at which my heart rate increased within the firstfew minutes of learning the kettlebell swing, getting my cardio fired up early in the workout. Within a couple of weeks, I experienced something I had never felt before:
as I moved, I could actually feel the deepest layer muscles of my spine and abdominal region. These are muscles I had only known of through schematics in massage therapy manuals, but now they were becoming awakened, as I experienced the differences between muscles of movement and muscles of stabilization. These kettlebell workouts were recruiting the deepest levels of muscle, tendons and ligaments and it felt incredible!
Now, heavier weights were easier to lift and jumping ability had become easier and more explosive. Most importantly, my lung capacity was no longer an issue and overall endurance was increasing. Finally, the act of breathing, a primary hindrance since childhood, was coming naturally to me, and I didn’t have to scramble to use my inhaler every few minutes. I experienced the glory of being ‘winded’ as opposed to struggling to breathe at all.
At this point, in my late-30’s, when most women begin to notice a decline in metabolism and newfound difficulty maintaining their once slender waistline and thighs, I found liberation in my new workout routine- a mere 1 hour per day, 4 - 5 days a week, a welcome change from the rigid 6 days a week, 2 hours a day routine.
This change was due to the fact that within the first month, kettlebells increased my metabolism dramatically, to the extent that I could enjoy bread, pasta or even dessert a few times each week since I was burning those calories before they could turn into pounds.
In 2007 I traveled to San Diego to learn authentic competitive Russian kettlebell lifting as part of a certified course. At the end of the curriculum, participants are required to demonstrate proficiency by completing a predetermined number of lifts. Unbeknownst to me, I surpassed the required reps necessary for the first qualifier toward international competition. As it turns out, the competition was to be held in eight months, so I joined the team to represent the USA in the 15th International Girevoy Sport Championship. At the event I proudly became the first American to earn the title Master of Sport International Level (MSIL). I also won both Gold and Silver medals in my age and weight category respectively. The following year, at the 2008 International Championship, in Chatillon, Italy, I earned two Gold medals.
But my greatest satisfaction comes from teaching others about the amazing qualities of the kettlebell through kettlebell exercise routines. Currently, in addition to competing, I present at seminars and teach semi-private classes in Manhattan with students of all fitness levels and ages, be it children, teens or adults, some of whom are in their 70’s!
My story of physical change can be yours too! Whether you want to lose weight while toning your body, improve your strength and conditioning, achieve your cardiovascular goals without impact to joints, look and feel better, enhance performance in sports and other physical activities or just improve overall structural health- posture, joint stability and flexibility, all of these benefits can be achieved with my one-of-a-kind kettlebell exercise routines,allowing you to spend less time exercising. What more could you ask for from a fitness tool? Now it’s time for you to begin your own journey, and I can show you how! Join our kettlebell fitness classes in NYC today. |
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