Meet Meredith Lawson! Kettlebell Kickboxer of the Month

All about our Kettlebell Kickboxer of the month Meredith Lawson (who is now training to take Kettlebell Kickbxoing to Texas!) Yes- she will be doing the next KBIA Instructor Training Workshop… and then leaving us for the BIG State. But, she’ll be taking KB with her and we couldn’t think of a better person to do it!

About Mededith:

I just turned 30 (June 25th)! I’m a Sr. Designer of Print and Pattern at Coach and I am hoping to pursue becoming a certified Kettlebell Kickboxing Instructor- I love it that much and truly believe in it!

 1. How did you find kb?

• I found kb through Groupon and I just got hooked!

2. What was your first class like?

• My first class was intense, but so motivating and invigorating, not to mention exhausting–everything I love in a good work out! Plus, Dasha had/has such a great attitude and is always making funny asides that cause you to laugh and take your mind off of yourself for a moment. She (and the other instructors) also always say something educational about body mechanics and how what you are doing is shaping you and why it’s working. There is also this great female-self-empowerment thing going on, you can’t help but feel like you want to push harder and prove to yourself that you can do it!

3. Why did you fall in love with it?

• Not only for the reasons mentioned above, but because it’s such a great overall workout, truly sculpting and fat-burning! I had been into weight lifting and hitting the gym fairly hard on my own before, but the plyos and consistent change-up of moves is something that I just don’t accomplish on my own.. you get too stuck in your go-to exercises and will rarely push yourself as hard as you do in a class environment. I have definitely seen a change in my body and my mood. I have a much stronger core now! There is also no end, you can keep adding weight, pushing for more reps or modifying moves to further push your training in order not to plateau. It is what you put in, though, if you give your all in class each time, you will never regret it and you will definitely see a change in yourself!

 4. Tell us about a personal struggle that fitness/ training has helped you with

• From about 4th grade until I was about 16, I was the shy, overweight wall flower that let insecurity and a super-red-flushed face keep me from doing anything physical. I dreaded P.E. class and never pushed myself in sports or physical activities, and I was, well, lazy and scared to try, scared of being made fun of or messing up. I know that 16 was nearly half my life ago (now, that’s a crazy statement!) but it all occurred during my formative years and has stuck with me in more ways then I like to admit, but through clean eating and perseverance, I have succeeded in having a body I am proud of, it might not be ‘perfect’ but I am continually proud of what I am able to do with it. Becoming interested in fitness allowed me to finally join a soccer team, join the friends throwing frisbee and the football, to run with people and put myself out there athletically–and I’m all the happier for it! Fitness and Training give confidence–confidence in athletic performance, confidence in clothes and better confidence in general. It’s an on-going goal to improve and push myself a little bit harder all the time that keeps me going, and it’s all about getting out of your own way!

5. Do you have a personal montra (what keeps you going when your exhausted) ?

• well, honestly, it’s as simple as, “you can do this!” “go!”

6. How have you ‘Changed the way you see yourself ‘ through training?

• See above answers but also training/working out changes my mentality and mood. If I’m feeling sluggish, ‘off’, bitchy or depressed, the minute I am done with my workout I feel the opposite–it is such a mood lifter for me! Even when I’m dragging my feet and making up all of these excuses why not to go train, my parents or my own brain say, ”go, you KNOW you will feel better after”! And it works like a charm, every time! So not only does training making you literally see a different physical body in the mirror but it changes your perception of that image and everything around you. It’s a win win relationship.

7. Favorite ‘go to’ training song

• Oh, well, that all depends on the mood and activity! For running I love to have pop music that makes me want to dance, if I want to dance, then I’ll run that much better–songs like Jessie J’s “Domino”, Niki Minaj’s “Turn Me On”, or oldies but goodies like Daft Punk’s “Around The World” or “One More Time” … If it’s weight training I love something a little dirtier like ACDC or Beastie Boys… the Beastie’s newer songs “Make Some Noise” or “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” are good one’s to make you feel like a badass when lifting! haha!

 8. Food you cant stay away from?

•…I’m from Texas so it’s Margaritas! I’ve just recently begun the journey into a more focused Plant Based Diet, so we will see what cravings really begin when I’m farther into that. But I definitely love a frozen yogurt, gelato, or really anything deliciously rich and decadent! (not with artificial sweeteners or anything equally devilish though! ; ) )

9. Can you talk about coming back after injury?

• I broke my 2nd Metatarsal in my right foot in October and that derailed me right when I was really getting into amping up my fitness and thinking that I could take on the world! I was so afraid of my weight ballooning and loosing muscle and generally loosing my fitness. I went and bought a 15lb kettlebell and would do timed 1 min swings and a handful of other exercises that I had mastered in class, mainly floor ab moves (broken foot)… and that really helped me feel like I was doing something and not just sitting on the couch. It was hard, it was a slow process and I am just now getting back into running. I just have to tell myself that this thing called life is a marathon, not a sprint and that I need to pace myself so as not to burn out my body and injure it more before it has time to fully heal.

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Thanks, Dasha, you’ve been amazing since the day I met you and I’m so proud of everything that you are doing!

 Meredith