Chapter 2
If Your Husband Says He Wants You to Lift His Big Bells, It Might Not Be About Sex but ... It Might.
There was a day during the first winter of my health journey when my husband suggested I start lifting weights with him.
Now, let’s take a step back and talk for a moment about Jack. Number one, he was always the nerdy little guy. When we met in college he weighed about as much as my left leg. He didn’t have any muscles that I could see, and he certainly wasn’t working out unless it had something to do with Dungeons & Dragons. I actually think our physical differences had a lot to do with why we didn’t get together when we first met.
Neither of us could deny the close bond we felt the moment we met, but he was younger then, and so slim that I felt there was no way we could be a match. I know now just how stupid that was but, come on people, I was a dumb college kid andMy Giant Lifewasn’t even a thing then.
Anyhoo, Jack didn’t really start on his own physical journey until after I had started my quest for health and strength. Surprisingly, he didn’t really fight me on it too hard, either. I remember during one of my back-to-back pregnancies our local church announced a charity 5K run, and I suggested Jack should try and run it. He actually laughed at me and told me he was, and I quote, “not an athlete.” So we were both surprised when, number one, he actually did sign up to run it and number two, he didn’t come in last. I don’t even think he trained for it, he just went out and ran it, and did okay, surprising both of us, and him most of all, I think.
So when I told him I had decided I didn’t want to live as I had my entire life, that I wanted something more, that I wanted a healthy and active life, he just agreed and told me he would be there with me for the ride.
When I started running I mostly did it by myself. I guess I needed that time to just focus on me and on the road without having to to worry about my husband or kids or work. I just wanted to have that peace, and the time to think without other distractions. Jack and I really weren’t working out together except for when we did our big family runs. I had been doing some light kettlebell exercises that I had found on YouTube when I wasn’t running, because I liked using the weights, and I always felt stronger after my kettlebell workouts—it was a different feeling than my running gave me.
Well ... Jack asked me for his own set of bells for Christmas, because he wanted to start doing this Russian kettlebell training program he had found. He started training fast and hard, with crazy results. He was actually waking up at 5 AM to do these workouts, which shows just how much he loved them (insert eyeroll here). It was actually annoying for me to see how geeked out he was getting about his big, heavy bells.
But you’ll hear more about Jack and his bells later. He’s actually got a whole simple beginner kettlebell plan lined up for you later in this book! I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now, but Jack and I eventually started lifting the heavy bells together. I guess the couple who lifts kettlebells together stays together, right?
So, get ready friends. We want to get you tossing Jack’s bells with us. Don’t make any plans for the next few days—this is going to be good, I promise.
This book is going to incorporate what we talked about in BGDIR while taking your health and your strength to the next level. I want this book to work as aBIG GIRLS DO IT RUNNING 2.0: a way to add to, or revise, your original plan.
When I truly began feeling good I think it was a natural extension of my wellness to want to move. I LOVE (hate) to run, and I’ll never stop unless Jack has to either drag me or wheel me over the finish line. I never plan to stop running, but I think there’s also something to be said for strength training.
Jack and I don’t belong to a gym, but we try to get a total body workout in our own home with just a few items. For less than you would pay for a year’s gym membership, you can easily make a corner of your home just as effective as any gym. Even a very small space will work (just don’t throw your kettlebells through an apartment wall).
If you have a friend, sister, husband, or child who is on this journey with you, this is something you can do with them, too. The plan Jack and I have come up with is something our 10- and 12-year-olds, their grandma, and Aunt Karri can all do, and it is even challenging for my Marine brother-in-law. In the same way anyone can run a 5k with you, anyone and everyone can join in for the fun of strength training exercises.
I also have some exciting new jump-start plans to build in some extra nutrition for strength training and, like the nutrition plans in BGDIR, they will be simple, fast, and nutritious.
Good nutrition provides at least 80% of your overall health, so we need to make sure that when you are doing these intense workouts with weights that you are getting proper nutrition, because your body will need MORE, not less. We need to feed our muscles.
I’m also going to tackle a few other important topics that have come out of the response toBIG GIRLS DO IT RUNNING. In this book I’m going to talk more about sex, food choice, portions, cheat days, skin, plastic surgery, active lifestyle, your kids and sex ... and wine. All the most important things. Did I mention sex? Jack wanted to make sure that was fully covered—he’ll have some input on that later, so stay tuned.
When I first wroteBIG GIRLS DO IT RUNNINGI honestly had no idea how strong or positive the reader response would be. When the book was released in May of 2016 I was expecting to increase my social media presence, what with answering questions and leading the 8-week challenge, but I never thought I would be getting anywhere from five hundred to a thousand questions a day!
What this told me was: a) I had made the correct decision in putting myself out there with this book, and b) there was lots more information to add to further support of The Wilder Way plan. It has been so encouraging for Jack and me to have so many amazing interactions with our readers, to see how their lives have been changed so positively. I am so excited about what God is doing in my life, and one day I hope I can be an advocate for health and wellness on an even larger scale.
You’re all part of my story, each and every one of you. We really hope and pray that this book will give you the additional tools you might need to further improve your life and health. No, we are not health experts or doctors or physical trainers, but we are two people who have researched, tried hard, and both failed and succeeded in this health and fitness maze.
Being busy, normal, stressed-out working parents, just like you, has given us some insight and experience as to what people want when it comes to the “quick and dirty” fitness plan most of us really need. We are excited about this next leg of the journey; let’s get stronger together!
It’s time to find our strong and embrace it and show our sons and daughters how amazing their bodies can be. If our daughters and sons can feel truly physically and emotionally strong, how much better would our world be?
You’ll find that this book will give you a place to begin a new challenge regardless if you are a beginner, or if you’ve already been doing some strengthening and conditioning on your own, or if you’re a pro. Jack and I really want to make sure that we can bring everyone along. We’ve even tested these exercises on our kids. If your children want to do these workouts with you, they absolutely can!
If you can’t jump, no worries! You can modify this to make it work for you. If you’re a walker, no problem! If you are working out with a trainer already, we have something here for you, too. Don’t worry! Together, Jack and I will give you some new and old ways to work that new body.
Before we jump in and start lifting our weights, though, I want to share with you a few other stories, tips, and tricks that might also help you along your #WilderWay. Many of the chapters that follow came from the questions and observations from myBIG GIRLS DO IT RUNNINGFACEBOOK GROUP. If you haven’t joined that group yet, stop what you are doing right now and join. You’ll find support from other members, answers to frequently asked questions, as well as videos from Jack and me that will help you along the way! There’s everything in there from issues with sagging skin, to sprinting, to new recipes; we aren’t leaving anything out.
There’s so much we want to share with you, so grab a glass of Josh Cab Sav, put your feet up, and let’s find our strong. It’s about time!
