I feel a little guilty for it, but today I had to give my mother a little ‘tough love this past Saturday. It wasn’t like, “You’re a wimp, now deal with it!” kind of tough-love, it was a little gentler, but tough love nevertheless.
I had brunch with my family on Saturday, and my mother was showing me that some fitness magazine had featured kettlebells as a new way to work out.
I immediately began to pick at the form and the different exercises the woman in the photos was doing: how she was holding the bell, how her hips were positioned, and …what the hell, that’s not how we do a Halo-that doesn’t even make sense!
My mother looked discouraged, especially when I told her she really should get someone to personally train her: it’s not that I don’t think she can do it, I just think that it takes a keen eye that knows what to look for and to correct any improper form that could keep my mother from throwing out her back, knocking out her teeth…you know, the usual stuff.
My mother, stepfather and brother all came to my little humble abode and took a look around, an I took this opportunity to show my mother what I meant. I plopped a 8kg kettlebell in her hands and said “see? This is why I think you should get a personal trainer-so you don’t throw your back out” I also happened to throw into the conversation “I say this because I care.” And I do; this is a woman that does not weight train on a regular basis that has decided she wants to begin a weight training program, and I want to ensure she is taking the right steps to make this a lifelong, fruitful decision. There are tons of studies on how men and women can lengthen and improve their lives through exercise, regardless of age.
It just does work if you are on the floor, moaning in pain because you threw out your back.
Just sayin’.
A Skirt on the Mat 