Getting stronger, getting better Lest you think that Laurel Blackburn has some kind of extraordinary, internal gift that we regular women are just never going to find within ourselves, check out the story of Gerri, a local woman who has experienced the benefits kettlebells and Boot Camp Fitness and Training at a time in her life when she really needed it.
the help of Laurel Blackburn and Boot Camp Fitness & Training. While clicking on the remote in her living room one day, she saw something about kettlebells, thought it looked interesting, and looked for a certified local person to help her try them out. Since Laurel does indeed have the Level II Russian Kettlebell certification, Gerri signed up and got started.
Gerri, at 64 years old, found herself shocked to discover that she was having physical difficulties she had not imagined would ever come her way. She began to gain weight; she started losing her balance; even during times of extreme joy, her knee surgery and other issues meant, “I couldn’t jump up and down anymore!”
“After the first class, I could literally feel my body respond; within a month, I was no longer feeling like I might fall.” Gerri’s sense of joy and accomplishment is evident as she continues, “Within two months, I could take a flight of stairs without knee pain. I feel confident that things will be okay. Now I have the strength to have the best time ever (as she gets older).”
She didn’t know what to do to help herself, but it turns out she did the best possible thing: She sought
Gerri hopes her own story can inspire others. “Have hope and have no fear.”
The benefits of strength training “But I don’t want to get bulky!” It’s a familiar fear among women, and a notion that Laurel hears nearly every day. But simply working out with weight does not a bodybuilder make. There are plenty of benefits of weight training.
real weights. It makes no sense to carry kids that weigh 30 to 40 pounds and then use 5-pound dumbbells when working out.” As a mother, a grandmother, 2011’s Personal Trainer of
the Year, a woman with more certifications on her wall than many physicians, an author (she’s writing an inspiring book), and – most recently – a tire-flipper and log-carrier extraordinaire – Laurel knows of what she speaks.
• Increasing lean muscle mass makes your body burn calories more efficiently. • Increasing lean muscle mass makes you look thinner – not bulkier. • Having strong muscles improves balance and coordination. • Lifting weights increases bone density and decreases muscle deterioration. • Strength reduces your risk of injury. • Strength improves your ability to complete everyday tasks as well as participate in sports/ athletics. “I’m not talking about (lifting) those tiny pink dumbbells you see at most gyms; I’m talking about
Laurel trains to prepare for her 50th birthday tire-flipping feat. June 2012 YOUR HEALTH
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