Tai Chi: Mind Body exercise
Are kettlebells good for getting fit and lean? My belief is that weight loss is 80% diet — about what you eat (or don’t eat). Having said that, exercise (the remaining 20%) helps not just in resetting your metabolic rate but ultimately your mental state. Regular, habitual exercise increases your chance of sticking with a healthy diet. Ironically, physical exercise is extremely effective in helping with the “mental” aspects of weight loss – in terms of managing stress-induced cortisol levels, mood, and generating a heightened sense of psychological well-being. Back to the topic of kettlebells… Are kettlebells really effective for strength and conditioning? What most people don’t know is that there are actually two basic types of “approaches” to KB training. The “hardstyle” approach, promulgated by Pavel Tsatsouline at dragondoor.com, is one. This is taught by RKC instructors (certified by Pavel). It’s characterized by relatively low reps (e.g., 5 sets of 5, or 1-5x ladders). The emphasi...