Strong Kettlebell Moms is a community dedicated to mother's of all ages that take charge of their health or are just starting their journey. We don't just use kettlebells. Kettlebells are just part of the overall package helping us get away from the conventional gym. We share workouts, recipes, tips, and feature different moms that inspire and keep us motivated. We have giveaways and eventually community get togethers.
I started lifting in 2003 and loved the way my body transformed. Needless to say, I became a huge gym rat and loved every minute of it…until it came to cardio. I started getting really bad shin splints, so I could no longer run and had to resort to the elliptical or bike for any cardio…BORING. In 2006, my husband had told me about kettlebells and one day brought a local RKC to our work for a morning training session. It was then I was introduced to a great woman and friend, Sara Cheatham. After training with Sara for a few months, I realized that running and ellipticals are a waste (for me)! Kettlebells are AWESOME! Sara taught me everything I know about kettlebells and I looked up to her for many reasons, but one of them was the amount of weight she could throw around with her tiny frame. Immediately I set a goal to “be like Sara.” I owe a lot to Sara, but the thing I appreciate her most for is her belief in me. Her belief in me pushed me to get my RKC certification in 2008, which changed me all for the better.
Fast forward to 2009...now divorced and pregnant…I still hated running, gyms were a thing of the past and kettlebells were what I used through my whole pregnancy to stay active. Never once did I hurt and I was staying healthy when I could have been a slug. After giving birth to my son, I chose to breast feed. That kept the weight on, but I still got all the health benefits of throwing my bells around and could do so wherever I went and whenever I had the time since bells are easy to transport. In June 2010, as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician in the USAF, I left my son when he was 6 months old for a deployment to Afghanistan…of course, I shipped my bells (in flat rate boxes!) so I could have them with me in case I got stuck in the middle of nowhere with no gym. Kettlebells were ALL I used while I was deployed and I went from 137 pounds when I got into country to 117 right before I left! Again, the magic of the kettlebell changed my body and my life.
When I got home from that deployment in March 2011, I went into a huge depression. The only thing I know I did right was take care of my son. I would have “responsible” friends come over and watch my son or take him for sleepovers so I could have more than 1 beer on some nights. I ate a lot, drank a lot and exercised very little and it goes without saying, my food choices were HORRIBLE!!! I went from 122 to 148 in just over a month…ick, I’m 5‘1”!
I got tasked for another deployment to Afghanistan in April 2012 and I knew that being fat, trudging around the mountains of Afghanistan wasn’t a good idea if the insurgents decided they want to shoot at me…I wanted to be able to get out of harms way quick! I started training again, with a “living” mentality. As it was, I was coasting through life. I didn’t want to do that anymore, I wanted to live. I wanted to live for me, and more importantly the little boy that calls me “Mom,” after all, I am all he has. I thought, “I have an almost 3 yr old son at home that I am a single full time mom to (on top of my military job and college) when I'm not fighting the fight here in Afghanistan. I need to be strong enough to handle whatever life throws at me.”
I changed my outlook on life, stopped taking my depression medication, started eating as well as one can here with the crap food they serve, and got on those bells! I lost 20 pounds in a month and a half. No cutting corners, no drugs, just straight bells and good food choices. On my last deployment, I had made a goal to press the 24kg bell, and I crushed that goal. Not only did I press it, but I pressed it for sets of three! I was on top of the world. When my 24kg arrived here in the mail, I cleaned it, and it laughed at me. No way was it going up over my head. So, I grabbed the 20kg, cleaned it and it laughed at me too. So, I set my pressing goal again and kicked its butt.
Through everything, kettlebells have always been something that literally change my life. I have tried to get back into the gym and it never works, it bores me to death. I can always stare at a bell and think, “what can I do with you today?” and that’s what I love about them. Not only have they transformed my body a few times, but they have made me stronger than I ever thought I would be. I look back to my gym days and what work related lifts and drags I tried to do then and compare them to the work related things I actually lift and drag now and the difference is immeasurable. Another reason I love KBs… I like to be able to pick up and put down heavy things w/ the best of them, like Sara Cheatham and Neghar Fonooni, who are my inspirations. Also, it's nice to be able to show up some of the guys.
Thank you so much Angela for being such an inspiration! You prove that anything you set your mind to can and will be accomplished!
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To launch the Strong Kettlebell Moms community on Facebook we started off with a photo contest of all the beautiful strong mothers out there. Angela Olguin, single mother of a two year old, was our winner. Here is her inspiring story that she beautifully wrote. She truly represents a SKM.
Featuring our very first mom Angela Olguin
I started lifting in 2003 and loved the way my body transformed. Needless to say, I became a huge gym rat and loved every minute of it…until it came to cardio. I started getting really bad shin splints, so I could no longer run and had to resort to the elliptical or bike for any cardio…BORING. In 2006, my husband had told me about kettlebells and one day brought a local RKC to our work for a morning training session. It was then I was introduced to a great woman and friend, Sara Cheatham. After training with Sara for a few months, I realized that running and ellipticals are a waste (for me)! Kettlebells are AWESOME! Sara taught me everything I know about kettlebells and I looked up to her for many reasons, but one of them was the amount of weight she could throw around with her tiny frame. Immediately I set a goal to “be like Sara.” I owe a lot to Sara, but the thing I appreciate her most for is her belief in me. Her belief in me pushed me to get my RKC certification in 2008, which changed me all for the better.
Fast forward to 2009...now divorced and pregnant…I still hated running, gyms were a thing of the past and kettlebells were what I used through my whole pregnancy to stay active. Never once did I hurt and I was staying healthy when I could have been a slug. After giving birth to my son, I chose to breast feed. That kept the weight on, but I still got all the health benefits of throwing my bells around and could do so wherever I went and whenever I had the time since bells are easy to transport. In June 2010, as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician in the USAF, I left my son when he was 6 months old for a deployment to Afghanistan…of course, I shipped my bells (in flat rate boxes!) so I could have them with me in case I got stuck in the middle of nowhere with no gym. Kettlebells were ALL I used while I was deployed and I went from 137 pounds when I got into country to 117 right before I left! Again, the magic of the kettlebell changed my body and my life.
When I got home from that deployment in March 2011, I went into a huge depression. The only thing I know I did right was take care of my son. I would have “responsible” friends come over and watch my son or take him for sleepovers so I could have more than 1 beer on some nights. I ate a lot, drank a lot and exercised very little and it goes without saying, my food choices were HORRIBLE!!! I went from 122 to 148 in just over a month…ick, I’m 5‘1”!
I got tasked for another deployment to Afghanistan in April 2012 and I knew that being fat, trudging around the mountains of Afghanistan wasn’t a good idea if the insurgents decided they want to shoot at me…I wanted to be able to get out of harms way quick! I started training again, with a “living” mentality. As it was, I was coasting through life. I didn’t want to do that anymore, I wanted to live. I wanted to live for me, and more importantly the little boy that calls me “Mom,” after all, I am all he has. I thought, “I have an almost 3 yr old son at home that I am a single full time mom to (on top of my military job and college) when I'm not fighting the fight here in Afghanistan. I need to be strong enough to handle whatever life throws at me.”
I changed my outlook on life, stopped taking my depression medication, started eating as well as one can here with the crap food they serve, and got on those bells! I lost 20 pounds in a month and a half. No cutting corners, no drugs, just straight bells and good food choices. On my last deployment, I had made a goal to press the 24kg bell, and I crushed that goal. Not only did I press it, but I pressed it for sets of three! I was on top of the world. When my 24kg arrived here in the mail, I cleaned it, and it laughed at me. No way was it going up over my head. So, I grabbed the 20kg, cleaned it and it laughed at me too. So, I set my pressing goal again and kicked its butt.
Through everything, kettlebells have always been something that literally change my life. I have tried to get back into the gym and it never works, it bores me to death. I can always stare at a bell and think, “what can I do with you today?” and that’s what I love about them. Not only have they transformed my body a few times, but they have made me stronger than I ever thought I would be. I look back to my gym days and what work related lifts and drags I tried to do then and compare them to the work related things I actually lift and drag now and the difference is immeasurable. Another reason I love KBs… I like to be able to pick up and put down heavy things w/ the best of them, like Sara Cheatham and Neghar Fonooni, who are my inspirations. Also, it's nice to be able to show up some of the guys.
Thank you so much Angela for being such an inspiration! You prove that anything you set your mind to can and will be accomplished!
Comments
Well done Anj. I'm proud to call you a friend for life :)
Well done, Anj! I'm proud to call you a friend for life :)