Sweatin' in Sweden

I'm working hard to get back in shape after my shoulder surgery last month, and it's a bit of an adventure doing this in a new country. Between the wedding and the surgery and the move, I wasn't able to keep up my exercise routine, and I've lost a lot of fitness. I mentioned a bunch of posts ago that I joined Sweden's major chain of gyms, Friskis & Svettis. I can use any of the gyms around the city, which is cool, and they have a huge list of fitness classes, but most seem to veer in the direction of early nineties aerobics, with much grapevining and jumping around to bad house music. (I wonder if this is at all related to Sweden's early-nineties fashion moment? And did I mention that 90210 is back with a vengeance?) Not exactly my thing. So, I've basically been using the cardio machines and the "quiet room," as I call it, with all the stretching areas and mirrors, where I can do body-weight exercises and strength training. I've also picked the kettlebell back up this week, and I'm pleased to discover that while my shoulder isn't totally stable yet, I can do the exercises without pain. I just have to let up on the tougher exercises as soon as my form starts getting wobbly.

I have a story about kettlebells coming out in this week's issue of the Santa Fe Reporter (I'll link to it when it comes online), in which I quote a study by an expert kettlebell trainer named Kenneth Jay. Well, Kenneth lives in Copenhagen, and I've serendipitiously been invited to a meeting in Copenhagen with Bonnier's Danish magazine publisher in the next few weeks. So, while I'm down there I'm going to get a private lesson with Mr. Jay, aka "The Dane of Pain."

Sounds scary, right? My ass is going to get kicked all around the schoolyard, but I think I'll learn some cool techniques from him. I really do a better job of taking care of my body when I have a specific challenge in mind. In the past, this has usually meant a bike race or a triathlon, but this time I've decided to train to test for my RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) certification this spring. That way when I get back to Santa Fe, I can help my friend Keira Newton teach a few classes at her gym... not to mention get into the best shape of my life.