Why weights?...why kettlebells?

Why weights?...why kettlebells?

If you take a look around any gym in America today, you will be sure to see one thing in common: the men will be lifting weights and the women will be doing some form of cardio. It’s no wonder that the incidence of cardiovascular disease in men and osteoporosis in women is at an all time high!!!

For most women and some men, weight lifting is ignored. It is important to balance a workout to include both cardio and weight lifting because they both provide unique yet important benefits.

While cardio is important for heart health and weight loss, weight lifting is beneficial because it builds strong and healthy bones and muscles.

By strengthening your bones, the risk of developing osteoporosis decreases significantly.

By building muscle (and I don’t mean big manly muscle like some people are probably thinking…) those who are looking to decrease their body fat percentage are at an advantage.

The more muscle you have on your body, the higher your metabolism (meaning the more calories you burn during the day sitting on your bum watching tv!!)

So what most people don’t know is that by spending about 30 minutes three times a week lifting weights, they could lose more weight than they could spending that time running on the treadmill!

So what's the big deal with Kettlebells?

If you are swamped with all of the everyday jobs you have and feel like you never have time between work, being a parent, spouse, and/or friend (not to mention all of the other responsibilities in your life!), then the first thing that goes out the window when time is tight is your responsibility to your own wellness. Going to the gym is put on the back burner and eventually forgotten altogether. Kettlebells allow you to skip the gym altogether and get a great 15-20 minute workout in the comfort of your own home.

Sure you can still head to the gym to catch that yoga or kick boxing class that you love or do some traditional weight lifting, but I’m talking about those days when you simply cannot get to the gym so you don't do anything at all. Sound familiar? It's kind of like the dieter who has blown his/her diet by having a slice of cake, so he/she decides to eat the whole cake! Our plan is to try to prevent that way of thinking altogether. You’ve got a Kettlebell and a fifteen-minute workout at home so you’re going to have to work hard to find an excuse! One kettlebell not only replaces most of the equipment in the weight room, but also replaces the equipment in the cardio room as well! You will find out the very first time that you swing a kettlebell what a wonderful cardiovascular workout it provides! Below is a list of some of the wonderful benefits of kettlebell training:

1. Kettlebells are a simple yet effective way to get you on your way to improving your health.
2. The empasis of kettlebell training is on technique for safety above all so that an exercise done improperly does not set you back further.
3. Training with kettlebells requires internal focus for body awareness and allows you more success when doing an exercise.
4. Simple exercise drills are used to drive home the more complicated concepts of a lift, therefore success in the simple drills leads to added success in the complicated drills.
5. You will find out (with your first experience) that increasing cardiovascular endurance is an added benefit of kettlebell training. No need to go out and run after you train.
6. You will also find out that increasing flexibility is an added benefit of kettlebell training. Most kettlebell exercises provide a dynamic form of stretching during the lift.
7. It is very easy to continuously add to and improve some aspect of your training, whether it be reps, weight, technique, or a more complicated lift.

Kettlebells require some technique to use in order to ensure that you are doing the exercises in a manner that is safe. KORE Wellness strongly recommends some beginner training before you attempt to use a kettlebell on your own. If you cannot make one of the KORE Wellness Workshops, Classes, or a personal training session, we recommend that you find another RKC Certified Kettlebell instuctor to teach you the basics. You can find a kettlebell instructor in your area by going to Dragondoor.com

KOREWELLNESS.COM - live well.