Kettlebell step 4 - finished product

The last part of making your bell is wrapping the handle. You want to wrap several layers around the handle for 2 reasons

A - to keep your handle stable, this is important for proper position and form

B - to make the handle comfortable for holding!

Now that you have finished your bell I suggest trying out YouTube for a beginner's workout and as you progress you can make heavier weights for soooo little! How much fun is this?

Do you have any inexpensive exercise equipment or ideas?

HERE IS A KETTLEBELL WORKOUT I FOUND...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOyZxI2Zs5w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Kettlebell step 3 - taping it up

The next step is taping up.

You want to go from bottom to top and double tape it for safety (no broken toes from breaking tape and dropping rocks)

Start with around the bottom and then over the handle - fold the edges of the tape around the handle

Then make a cross and go around keep cutting the areas in half until your bell is all covered

Now go around the bell sideways. Until there is no bag showing.

Kettlebell step 2 - picking the weights

I put 1 pound of rocks in each ziploc bag (weighed on my kitchen scale)

And arranged the bags in the bag

It left a little space on the top but I was okay with that.

Zip it shut and be prepared to make magic!

Kettlebell step 1 - assembling the ingredients

To make my kettlebell I went to the local dollar store and bought a cosmetic bag (this was pretty small - about 4.5 x 4.5 x 4.5) with a short handle (this is important because the handle length on kettlebells make it possible to do the different exercises)

I also bought a roll of duct tape at the dollar store

I used 4 ziploc bags (that I had at home)

And rocks from my yard

A post in parts

Today I am babysitting my 4 year old nephew and his 1 year old pupster... I won't get into I saw him born. I fed him his first bottle = and how old this makes me feel old... I mean the kid walks talks has whole conversations! But the point is I decided while he was watching handy Mandy I would be a little handy myself! I am working on making a home gym so I can perhaps give up one of my gym memberships (I have two because one is convenient and cheap but one is 35 minutes away but sooooo luxe).

So I have a trampoline at home ($5.00 score at the salvation army - brand new) that I run on! And I often borrow DVDs from the library most recently I saw they had kettlebell work outs. I stopped at the store to buy a kettlebell and saw a 4 pound bell was $35 and decided I would make one... The following few posts are the steps (as I am blogging from my phone and I want a photo with each step and can only add one photo per post) this project made an approximately 4 pound bell for $2!

Let me know if you make one!

A matter of perspective

Admittedly I am struggling right now. I am weight restored and stable but all the other ED crap is bothering me and body image is quite often keeping me away from the public eye :-/

But like anything you can try to change how you look at it...

Pupster had to get some work done on his hips and is therefore forced to wear a silly cone on his head for two weeks! Now I really wouldn't blame him if he was moody and whiny about this heaven knows I would be (heck I am whiny about it and I'm not the one wearing it). But pupster is acting like it's the greatest thing ever! It's not a cone... It's a scoop for his best toys, it's a way to trap his little "sister" (an 8 pound Japanese Chin!) for a game, it's a megaphone so his favorite squeaky toys are extra loud! He doesn't mind it one bit...

I think I need to take a few lessons from pupster and find the positives in situations, what about you? How are you working on improving yourself?

Ode to the iPhone

Ever since the original iPhone came out and people were waiting 12 hours in line for them I coveted one. I had faith in any product Steve Jobs had his hand in on.

Well money and fear of the dreaded touchscreen kept me from getting one. Then in June my beloved motorola karma died and the warranty replacement out of stock for 3+ weeks... What would I like to do? Well hubster was eligible for an upgrade so they offered to let me upgrade on his # but have the phone on mine. I would still get the replacement karma but I could get myself a new phone and keep the karma as a back up... I decided to bite the bullet and get the iPhone - I got the cheap model (8 gig 3GS) and walked out of the store nervous and about $100 poorer - but confident because if I hated it I could always switch back when the karma came in. Needles worry I tell you!

I love my phone! It is my security blanket. I am never without it! I blog from (say hi to the phone), I use it for pictures (as a matter of fact I use it for an app called project 365 which is a way of documenting a year of your life with a single photo a day, I web surf, I YouTube, I chat with friends (via I M), I play scrabble with the hubster, I use the calendar to remind myself of everything from when to give pupster his heartworm meds (Tuesday) to when I have therapy next (also Tuesday), I use it as a flashlight in the middle of the night, I watch tv on it and admittedly I track calories and exercise on it. I am not kidding when I say this phone is my lifeline!

I am what hubster calls an app whore... I just love that if I can think it I can tap a screen and have it! Amazing!

Do you have an iPhone or other smart phone? What features does it have that you love? Any apps I gotta get?