Okay – I’m feeling it now. I made it to 4440 kettlebells, but I definootly need more sleep. Mental note: get more sleep. I have noticed quite a change in my appetite, too. I crave donuts, chocolate bars, and deep-fried things with gravy. NOT! Well, I did eat a couple of chocolate bars yesterday. . .
The cravings I was talking about are for specific kinds of food. I think I generally ate fairly healthy stuff before, but since embarking on this Kettlebell challenge, it feels like my BODY is hungry, rather than my stomach. And my body is calling for protein and vegetables, and more milk. My after-workout routine is to eat a “powerball” (not the lottery ticket – a peanut-butter, oatmeal, nuts and honey ball) and drink a glass of chocolate milk. When I eat, I want to eat beaucoup de broccoli (man, I even had a spinach craving on Monday). And along with that, my body wants chicken or pork. Occasionally, beef.
I’m not a dietitian, but I know just enough science and biology to be dangerous. Rather than try to explain the details, I’ll just say I think the workouts are activating something in my muscles, and I think they are getting hungry for food that contains building block materials.
I forgot what I started out to say, which is that I’m tired. I’ll guess that some of you might also be feeling tired. So let’s all do ourselves a favor and build more sleep into our “new” fitness routine.
you and me both. today i did my swings all single arm. the weight and movement wasnt the challenge – it was the grip and forearm strength… wow! Killer!
Tomorrow is a rest day.
My recommendation for mental resilience is visualization, goal setting and breathing. visualizing both near, mid and far term successes. I try to do a PB every day – and this is achievable when the workout is varied (weight, number of reps, number of sets, style, speed, rotation, inter-set activities).
Breathing – this is a big deal and I dont think gets enough due. Deep, focussed breathing before, during and after the exercise helps with both the mental focus and the body calming.
Richard – you should do some vertical jumps and see if you feel a difference – I did today and it was pretty epic!
Good luck all – 4869 and counting!