Amazing #KBBody Success Story!
Dear Dasha & KB Community,
My story began in May 5th, 2012. At that time, I was in relatively good shape. I completed 23 miles of the Shorewalker’s 28th Annual Great Saunter, 32-mile walk around Manhattan’s rim. The next day I went to participate in a dragon boat team practice when I should have rest.
After that weekend, every time I got up or walk down the stairs my right knee ache and my ankles had internal bruising. The pain didn’t go away. After September 2012, I stopped exercising including kettlebell kickboxing because it was too painful.
After March 2013, I finished receiving cold laser therapy sessions which lessen the pain and allowed me to start exercising. I was unhappy since I was sluggish and gained a lot of weight from the lack of exercise. Since I can only attend kettlebell kickboxing class once a week, I didn’t have a set exercise plan. I had to constantly ask for modified positions to accommodate my injuries in the classes I attended. During the Summer 2013, between kettlebell kickboxing class (1x a week) and dragon boat practice (1x a week), I was really slow in getting back to my pre-injury weight though I was better than where I was a year ago.
I needed to lose my post-injury weight, get toned and be able to move freely before my Costa Rica trip, which includes zip-lining and mountain climbing, tubing and horse-back riding by December 2013. I had nothing to lose with signing up for the Body Series: 60-day challenge. My last day coincided with the day I travel to Costa Rica.
With the Body Series: 60-day challenge, I had a set of exercises to look forward to each day. The best part of each day besides completing the exercise was the ability to mark it off! There are days, it was a struggle to perform the exercise but it is a relief when it’s finished. Other days, I wasn’t able to cross it off since work or life just got in the way. There are times I looked forward to exercising that I would exercise at 11PM at night.
Dasha showed me modified exercises to get the same results when the exercise bothered my knee in class. During the challenge, I was able to perform the same modified exercises when I couldn’t do the actual exercise. As I continued, I was slowly able to perform some of the exercises without modification though other days I had to use the modification when I was tired or my knee felt unstable. Dasha and Jenel provided any assistance I needed or answered any questions I had.
Though from the pictures it doesn’t look like I changed a lot, I did. I am toned, reached my pre-injury weight and best of all I can move without my knee buckling though I take pre-cautions. The best gift is the ability to participate in all the adventures: zip-lining: the longest one in the world, upside vertical (like spider-man), horse-back riding and tubing. I can do a jump now – and without any pain which is amazing!!!
I am looking forward to starting the 60 day challenge again with the next level during the new year. This time I don’t have a goal but I love that I have something to look forward to.
Thank you Dasha, Jenel and the Kettlebell Support Team!