About Me

Glad you stopped by.  My name is Kate, and I’ve been using Kettlebells since 2009.

Yes, that’s me… on my latest wine tasting vacation!  My weakness is Cabernet and a good steak on the grill… medium rare.  Yes, I have vices… but I also have kettlebells!

I live in Seattle, I’m a foodie and wine lover… and I have an excellent Kettlebell trainer.  (He’s a local fireman, exercise physiologist, amazing chiropractor and kettlebell trainer extraordinaire!)  I stay in pretty good shape by training for various races (5K’s, 10K’s, triathlons, a half marathon or two, lots of swim races, The Big Climb up the Columbia Tower every year, a super fun Tough Mudder back in 2012 with a torn achilles.)  On a weekly basis I swim outside year round, bike, run and lift a few weights.  Vacations are usually to swim, ski or scuba in some amazing place, and I consider myself an extreme sports enthusiast who will try just about anything once.  (Hey, I’m still here to write about it, so I consider myself pretty lucky!)

But why am I writing this blog?  Well, back in the Spring of 2010 it was time to get serious about my fitness level.  I was in good shape, but not fabulous shape…you know what I mean?  I wanted better than that.  Some would say “what do you expect, you’re over 40 and you’ve had 2 kids!?”

(Ok… update on my profile… I’m now over 50, and I have no intention on letting that get into my head. My mind says I’m 25, so I’m going with that.)

Anyway, back to the blog… one day I got the idea to do a 30-day Kettlebell challenge.  I have been so impressed with the results from doing Kettlebells once or twice a week, that I figured why not try it every day for a month and see what happens?  And so began my 30-day challenge for the entire month of April 2010.

It was at that point I knew I had to go “public” with it, so I started this blog to keep me honest.  I figured even if I had just one or two readers, they would know if I slacked off and that was enough motivation for me to keep going everyday.

Since then, I have become a kettlebell fanatic!  The results are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  My muscles are more solid now than ever.  (and I’ve been weight training since about 1983… and let me tell you, I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been!)

Update:  It is now January 2014 and I’m looking for some new fitness challenges!  This year I’m doing the Escape from Alcatraz swim in San Francisco, so I’ll have to start training for that soon in the chilly waters of Lake Washington.  I recently took a Clubbell Yoga training/workshop, which was new and different, and quite challenging… so I hope to see a few of those classes popping up around town soon.  Finally, I want to renew my commitment to Kettlebells.  My new goal?  Supplement all my other training with at least 5-10 minutes of kettlebells daily.  Let’s see how I do…

Update #2: It is now 2017, I’ve swum Alcatraz 3 times (once in a bikini just to show off to the ghosts of those inmates.)  Currently I’m signed up for my second English Channel swim in July of 2018, and to tell you the truth, I’m not really sure if this is a kettlebell blog or a swimming blog… but we’re going to keep mixing the two together like a fine cocktail and see what happens.  Stay tuned!!

Update #3:  Wow! It is now 2020, and my open water swim adventures have multiplied: I’ve swum Alcatraz 5 times, and the English Channel twice with 2 amazing relay teams (these people I will love forever). I’ve swum a 10K in Sitka, Alaska (which took 4 hours and 3 minutes) and I’ve hiked up the Cascade Mountains to seek out remote alpine lakes just to get a 5-minute dip.  I’ve sprinted past Buckingham Palace in Hyde Park just before dawn to make a frosty sunrise swim in the Serpentine. And I’ve cried my eyes out swimming the D-day beaches in Normandy… but maybe best of all… I’ve laughed myself silly with near-hypothermia most weekends with the Notorious Alki Swimmers in the Puget Sound.  This fitness adventure is all about embracing community wherever we go.  

Update COVID-19: As I write this, it is March 2020 and most of the world is in lockdown. Gyms and pools are closed and we’re all figuring out how to stay fit in our yard or basement or how to make space in our living rooms for fitness.  Currently I’m signed up for two more Channel relays, and an Ironman in June 2020.  The uncertainty is difficult, but I do know that our collective strength will be even more important in the months to come.  

I’ve decided It’s time to resurrect this blog and get swinging in the yard again.  I’ve started a series of Lockdown workouts, and I hope you’ll join me… virtually!

Stay Strong,

xo

Kate