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Episode #25 Show Notes:
This week’s episode features an interview segment with Scott Harvey (no relation) about his work counseling men who struggle with addiction, emotional expression, the power of listening. We talk about success in many forms and how we can all work towards it. We also hear about his unique hobby uncovering historical artifacts. The episode of course also includes upcoming events, the question of the week, workout tip of the week (with sample workout), an (audio) Book of the week, and of course some extra surprises.
I’ve kept ALL the past episodes up on iTunes and on the podcast website if you care to revisit them.
Upcoming Events:
Be sure to sign up for the November 16th and 17th Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification and Strength Calisthenics Certification happening in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Master RKC and good friend of many years Michael Krivka will be teaching the HKC, and I’ll be teaching the SCC the next day. Level up your skills as a fitness professional or exercise enthusiast on one special weekend.
Visit NCSystema.com for local classes in Strength and conditioning with me, or Systema, self defense, and other specialized topics with Systema HQ certified instructors here in Durham, NC. They’re always adding awesome workshops and events to their calendar so check it out now.
Question of the Week! Question of the week is another one from another friend’s direct message on Instagram. I post a lot of photos of food on there, so this one is not a big surprise.
Question: Any advice on letting go of sugar?
Answer: These days I barely eat much sugar at all, but it took time to get into this habit. Sometimes it’s helpful to find the hidden sugars in your daily habits and cut those out – it’s kind of low hanging fruit, but can help cut sugar and unnecessary calories without too much difficulty. So if you can stand to do it, track your food incredibly closely with an app like MyFitnessPal, FatSecret, or even just a notebook. After the week look the summaries of what you’ve eaten, and it should quickly become apparent where you can start making the first changes. Some people find it helpful to track their food for longer periods of time, and that can be an incredibly powerful practice, but others may find it more cumbersome than planning meals and snacks ahead for the week instead.
For example, I recently met up with a friend who is starting to work on losing weight, and he had no idea that the bottle of iced tea he’d chosen contained 150 calories – all of which were sugar. He decided to start checking the labels of beverages after that – and swapping in things like unsweetened tea, seltzer water, etc.
But basically, the first step is to get very honest with what you’re eating and drinking, quantify it a little bit and start making liveble and sustainable adjustments. My tastes are changed so much that a lot of things are too sweet and offputting to me now, which makes it so easy to stay on track. Even with chocolate, anything other than some of the darkest stuff imaginable is too sweet tasting for me! It takes time to build habits, but you will notice that you will begin to feel better somewhat quickly and usually some weight falls right off too. Definitely motivating!
Call our question line: (321) 316-3533 and leave a message with your question about kettlebells, calisthenics, food, workouts, and more. Leave your name (and where you’re from) for fame or feel free to remain anonymous.
Support GiryaGirl.com
HEY! Want to support this and other projects and continue to get free workouts and more? Then visit GiryaGirl.com and the new URL (it all goes to the same place) that points to the same site, KettlebellsOfficial.com to keep up with all the new upcoming events, etc. Support this podcast, the website when you use any of the affiliate links to purchase items like kettlebells, workshop registrations, books, and more. This is how you can support the site and the continued production of more podcasts, workouts, blog posts, videos and more. If you have a relevant product or business and would like to work out a more formal sponsorship call 321-316-3533 and let’s talk! Very limited placements available.
Kettlebell and Grip Training Tip of the Week:
This one might sound obvious once you hear it, but maybe not… anyone I’ve written workouts or programs for will recognize this pattern, as will those who train with me locally either individually or in our group strength and conditioning classes at NC Systema. I love to pair grip intensive moves like heavy kettlebell farmer carries, pullups, and even short sets of very heavy kettlebell swings with “flat hand” exercises like push-ups, sit-outs, 8-count bodybuilders, mountain climbers, crawls, crab walks, etc. It’s important to match the intensity of the two exercises though – while I think of the “flat hand” exercises as kind of a break if you’re doing something that gets the heart rate going very high like those very heavy kettlebell swings, choose an active move like the ones listed above instead of something like a crow stand. Crow stands and other inversions can be useful, but be careful getting the head below the heart when you’re really working at an intense pace. I like to add crow and handstand regressions towards the end of a cool down or sometimes even AFTER a workout since if I’m a bit fatigued it forces me to do things the right way instead of relying on muscling into position.
For example here’s a simple circuit from a local workout (we went for 5 rounds):
- 20 kettlebell swings
- 10 8-Count Bodybuilders
- 10 Goblet squats (reasonably heavy)
- 10 Push-Ups
- 3-5 Pull-ups (MUST be full range, dead hang, good form – less reps = ok)
Interview/Conversation Segment: Fellow Stetson alumni Scott Harvey and I discuss the difference between low hanging fruit and the path of least resistance in a variety of contexts. Scott shares some universal insight about emotional communications and the power of listening. Be sure to find out about Scott’s unique hobby at the end of this short segment.
Book of the Week!
A small heads up – on the new version of the GiryaGirl.com website the “What I’m reading” section has been expanded, upgraded, and will now feature an archive of past entries from this point forward.
Book of the Week (and I must confess I got this one in audio form since I’m doing a fair amount of traveling right now) is Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life by Patrick Van Horne and Jason A. Riley. This fascinating book has a practical application for just about anyone. As an often solo traveler and student of self defense (my superpower is to avoid conflict and problems from the get-go) this book was of immediate interest. While I’m not one to be afraid much, I do know when I’m somewhere I don’t need to be and when to leave ASAP. This book provides even more tools and ideas to interact with our changing world and a variety of environments safely and effectively. I also love anything about body language and visible psychology—it’s also nice to have some more professional sounding words for some of my more specific hunches… and more tools for detecting anomalies which might be problems about to happen.
If you’d like to get this audio book and another one free along with a free trial of Audible go here: https://amzn.to/2EBMgGQ
Audible Free Trial benefits:
- Get two free audiobooks to start — after 30 days, get 1 book each month for $14.95/month
- Get 30% off the price of additional audiobook purchases
- Cancel anytime. Your books are yours to keep, even if you cancel.
Wrapping it up:
Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the GiryaGirl.com official podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss the next episode next week. If you like this podcast please leave a review on iTunes, I know it’s a pain but it will really help the show out! You can also support the show by visiting giryagirl.com or kettlebellsofficial.com . Any purchases you might make through the links on those sites help this show with no additional cost to you.
Be strong, stay safe, and I’ll see you next week!
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