A Better Bag of Groceries

Two of My Favorite Things: Kettlebell and Pilates Ring

Friday, January 15, 2010 at 07:07 AM

So many people tuned in to read about Two of My Favorite Things last week!  So, I decided to make it a regular feature on A Better Bag of Groceries.  I have so many favorite things to share: workout stuff, cooking and kitchen stuff, kid stuff, you name it.  So for today, here’s 2 more from the fitness category – one that’s brand new and one that I’ve had for a long time.

It’s interesting that I own both of these pieces of workout apparatus – they come from two very different worlds.  Even though with two kids, a job and a household to run, I have limited time to exercise, I love to mix it up.  Every week I aim to get in cardio, muscle work, stretching and balance work.  That means a menu of spinning, running, Pilates, weight-lifting, yoga and most recently, Kettlebell.

My New Kettlebell

My husband just picked this 15-pound Kettlebell at Ocean State Job Lot for me this weekend.  I started taking a Kettlebell class this fall when it was introduced at my gym.  Kettlebell is a great full-body workout.  I really feel it in my trapezius, glutes, adductors, and rectus abdominus after class.  I’ve been wearing my new Polar Heart Rate Monitor during class to see what the cardio effect is and it’s pretty good!  Many of the moves, especially the Kettlebell Swing, really get my heart rate going.  At my gym, the “training” Kettlebells weigh 9 pounds and the next step up is 18 pounds.  Since I’m prone to neck and lower back injuries, I’ve been carefully working my way up to the 18 pounds.  My husband’s gift of an interim 15-pound Kettlebell was just what I needed.

The foundation of Kettlebell training is the Kettlebell Swing.  This picture, which I found on kettlebelltraining.blogspot.com is a great example of what the swing looks like.

My Kettlebell instructor, Gail, is an incredibly well-rounded group exercise leader.  Her yoga class is as amazing as her Kettlebell class.  So, she has really added a lot of core-based moves in addition to the more traditional, powerful Kettlebell exercises.

My Old Pilates Ring

I have owned this GaiamPilates Ring, which I purchased at Target for $30 for 4 1/2 years now.  Six weeks after my daughter was born, I started taking Pilates and it really helped me to get my abs back in shape following my 2nd C-section.  Luckily for me, my sister, Julie, was studying to become equipment-certified in Pilates since she was planning to open up her own studio.  As part of her certification, she needed to fulfill lots of hours of practice teaching and I was her student!  I loved it so much, that I got certified to teach mat classes and have been teaching it ever since.  I like to incorporate equipment into my mat classes, including balls, bands, and of course, Pilates rings.  The gym-supplied rings where I teach have a little too much give for me, so I bought my own.  It’s also great to have it at home for when I practice there.

My friend, Elaina, was kind enough to snap this photo of me demonstrating an Open Leg Rocker with Pilates Ring after we finished up our running interval workout today. 

As I said, I like to mix it up!

So, if I were trapped on a desert island, would I bring my Kettlebell or my Pilates ring?  Oh, what a tough question.  I love that you can get cardio benefits with the Kettlebell, but with my temperamental neck and back, I wonder if my Pilates ring would be better for the long haul.

Question of the Day

If you were stranded on a desert island, what fitness-related item would you bring?

Posted by: Melissa 7 comments

Posted in: Two Favorite Things

Tags: Kettlebell, Pilates Ring