Warrior Fit Boot Camp Fitness Fun!

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Just as there are extreme couponers, there are extremely bad couponers. These are people (like me) who get excited about coupons, clip them out, carry them around for a while or put them in a pile and promptly … don’t think about them again until way after the expiration date. Bummer!

While this can seem like a waste, it can also be an opportunity to help someone out who might not have access to coupons — specifically, our troops overseas who are shopping at government-run commissaries on our military bases. This opportunity is actually very easy to take advantage of.

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Sorry, Cyber Monday, but it appears your reign was brief. These days, online shopping deals are launching earlier and earlier, and now Cyber Monday has to share billing with an entire cyber week of deals, starting the Monday before Thanksgiving. That includes Amazon, of course, which actually launched early Black Friday deals on November 1. (Christmas isn’t the only thing that comes earlier and earlier these days.) Now that Black Friday week is officially here, they’re rolling out even more deals, every day.

See below for our favorite picks. We’ll keep updating as more are made available.

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There are plenty of legitimate reasons you might want to skip the traditional sweet potato casserole topping of caramelized, gooey marshmallows. Maybe you’re welcoming a vegan or vegetarian to the table, or you want to eat less sugar during the holidays, or maybe you’re one of those folks who just doesn’t like marshmallows!

Luckily, sweet potato casserole doesn’t hinge on a marshmallow topping. You can get creative and have a sweet potato casserole that is still tasty and stunning. Here are several ideas for sweet potato casserole toppings that don’t include a single marshmallow.

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All year round, Target talks about how customers (actually, executives refer to shoppers as guests) can find lots of “affordable joy” in stores and online. Luckily, that seems to be extra true during the holidays. You know, when you have loads of cheer to spread but a limited budget to do so.

Between all of Target’s special in-house brands — like Opalhouse, Threshold, Hearth & Hand, and even the kiddie line Pillowfort — there are hundreds and hundreds of great gifts to choose from. They’re all totally stylish and well-designed, yet somehow also well-priced. That means you don’t have to spend a fortune in order to wrap up a gift that you’re excited to give.

To help you cross off everyone on your shopping list, we spent hours walking through a store and came up with this list of 20 great gifts that look way more expensive than they actually are.

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Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.

Is it just me, or did autumn feel really short this year? It snowed last night, and I was completely unprepared for this sudden shift to winter. My town always has very rainy fall weather, and just last week I bought a much-needed rain coat and congratulated myself for finally remembering to buy one before the rainy season ended. But I never even got a chance to wear it, and now my driveway needs to be shoveled, my kid is asking for hot chocolate and marshmallows, and I’m on Pinterest looking up the best healthy turkey chili recipes.

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Did you know you can compete in Kettlebell Sport aka Girevoy Sport (GS)? Whether you want to lift for fun or to become a top kettlebell athlete, there is a place for you in the growing kettlebell sport community.

Kettlebell lifters develop a tremendous amount of coordination, static muscular strength, muscle endurance, power endurance, anaerobic capacity, cardiorespiratory endurance, and mental fortitude. That’s a lot of benefits for your body and mind!

Competition Kettlebells

The steel kettlebells used in GS competitions are different than the cast-iron or vinyl kettlebells you may see in many gyms. Unlike those of cast-iron or vinyl bells, the dimensions and handle sizes of competition kettlebells don’t change as they get heavier. While cast-iron bells are usually black, competition bells are color-coded according to weight.

Kettlebell Sport Lifts

Kettlebell Sport is a power-endurance sport that requires athletes to work under a submaximal load, lifting their kettlebells for as many repetitions as possible in a given time frame. Originating from Russia, the sport has grown throughout the world and has many variations, depending on the organization’s rules and competition formats. Three of the classical lifts are: jerk, snatch, and long cycle.

Jerk

The jerk is performed by cleaning the bell once to rack position — which means rounding your upper back and extending your hips so your elbow can reach your iliac crest or torso, resting the kettlebell in the triangle between your bicep and forearm — then lifting it overhead as many times as possible. The phases of jerk include: first dip (bend your knees while sending your hips forward), bump or triple extension, second dip (get under the bell, push hips back), lockout, and dropping the bell back to rack position.

Depending on the competition format, you can choose to jerk one or two bells.

Snatch

The snatch is performed by swinging the bell to overhead position in one continuous motion. In many competition formats, men and women use only one bell. The phases of a full snatch include: the swing, acceleration pull at the top of the swing, hand insertion, lockout, dropping the bell from overhead, and re-gripping the bell.

In some competitions, lifters can compete in half snatch events. In full snatch, you drop the bell from overhead in one continuous motion, all the way to the swing. In half snatch, you drop the bell from overhead to your rack position, where you can rest before repeating the movement.

Depending on the competition format, you can choose to snatch one or two bells.

Long Cycle

The long cycle, also known as the clean and jerk, is performed by cleaning the bell to rack position then jerking it overhead. The phases of long cycle include: clean, rack, first dip, bump or triple extension, second dip, lockout, and dropping the bell back to rack position.

Depending on the competition format, you can choose to clean and jerk one or two bells.

An Endurance Sport

The goal of kettlebell sport is to perform as many accurate repetitions possible within a given time frame. Lifters are assigned to a platform; a judge and a counter are assigned to each lifter, to record the number of reps and determine the accuracy of each rep. Depending on the competition format, athletes can choose to lift for:

• 5 minutes, without setting the bell(s) down, only one-hand switch
• 10 minutes, without setting the bell(s) down, only one-hand switch
• 5 minutes, with the option of setting the bell(s) down, multiple switches
• 10 minutes, with the option of setting the bell(s) down, multiple switches
• 30 minutes (half marathon), without setting the bell down, multiple switches
• 30 minutes (pentathlon), six-minute set for each of the five lifts, with five-minute recovery in between sets
• 60 minutes (marathon), without setting the bell down, multiple switches

Kettlebell lifting also emphasizes mobility and technique training that emphasizes efficiency, grip strength, conditioning, and lift-specific breathing cycles.

Events

Competitors can choose to lift in one or more events in a given competition. They can also choose to use one or two bells, and choose their own kettlebell weight. Events can include:

• Jerk
• Snatch
• Long cycle
• Biathlon (jerk and snatch)
• Triathlon (jerk, snatch, long cycle)
• Half-marathon (30 minutes of one chosen lift)
• Marathon (60 minutes of one chosen lift)
• BOLT Ironman (double snatch, double jerk, double long cycle, single snatch, single jerk, and single long cycle).
• Pentathlon (clean, clean and press, jerk, half snatch, and push press)
• Timed team relays (jerk relays)

Ranking & Placing

Organizations have various ranking tables, which are similar to the belt system in martial arts. For example, if you hit a certain number of reps within your weight category, your ranking can be Rank 3, Rank 2, Rank 1, Candidate for Master of Sport (CMS), Master of Sport (MS), and Master of Sport International Class (MSIC). This is a good benchmarking tool for your individual progress in the sport. Ranking tables take into account your age and gender, bodyweight category, the weight of the kettlebell.

Placing is different than your individual ranking. When you place first in your event, this means that you scored the most number of reps compared to everyone else in your category (including gender, age group, bodyweight), lifting in the same event with the same kettlebell weight. In addition, some organizations choose to use a formula to determine the top coefficient lifter in each event.

A Great Cross-Training Opportunity

GS training can be integrated into any training program and is especially beneficial for other iron sports (strongman, CrossFit, powerlifting) and combat sports (MMA, boxing, wrestling, judo). Some athletes may choose to train in kettlebell sport during their off-season.

A Sport for Everyone

One of the best things about kettlebell sport is its accessibility — you don’t have to be an elite athlete to pick up this sport. I have seen five-year-olds and 70-year-olds alike, stepping on the platform for the first time. All you need to get started are a few kettlebells, a good kettlebell sport coach, and the patience and focus to develop your technique.

Whether you decide to enter kettlebell sport competitions or simply train for fun in the comfort of your own home or gym, I hope that this article inspires you to pick up a kettlebell and start swinging. Happy lifting!

Infographics courtesy of Chicago Kettlebell Club.

A message from GGS…

Understanding how to get more results in less time so you actually enjoy exercise and can have a life outside of the gym isn’t hard, you just have to understand the Blueprint and be willing to trust the process.

Tell me how!

The post What Is Kettlebell Sport? appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

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Every year, people talk about the hottest new toy for kids. Whether it’s a Cabbage Patch Kid, a Tickle Me Elmo, or Fingerlings, there’s always one It Toy that parents go to great lengths to acquire for their kids. While those toy trends come and go, there’s one toy for the grown-ups that is as covetable this Christmas as it was 20 years ago. (And you don’t have to elbow your way through a crowd to get one!)

Of course, we’re talking about the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Each holiday season, year after year, loads of lucky home bakers get spoiled with a brand-new KitchenAid Stand Mixer. In case you’re hoping to spoil someone (that someone can be yourself!), we decided to round up all the best sales we could find on the small appliance.

Here’s where to go to get the best deals.

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Life in the 21st century is busy. Between work deadlines, traffic, taking the kids to their various activities, keeping the house from falling apart, and, of course, our constant accessibility to the immediate needs of other people (thank you, smartphone for that 8 pm work email), it can feel like life has gotten out of your control.

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Dear Marge,

I’m planning my annual Friendsgiving, and I don’t want to repeat my hosting crisis from last year — but I’m not sure what I can do to prevent it.

I love to entertain, even in my small place. I plan my menu really carefully and try to make the table look beautiful. Last year, I invited as many friends as I could fit (12!), and scrounged to make the seating work around my regular table plus a borrowed folding table.

When one of my friends showed up at the door with her brand-new “boyfriend,” (I acknowledge the condescension implicit in the quotation marks but read on!) I sort of stammered hello as I scrambled to figure out how to squeeze another seat at the already-crowded table. Not only that, I didn’t have another whole place setting. So much for my carefully planned tablescape — I used an old chipped dinner plate and gave him a regular water glass for his wine. Also, I had made exactly 12 individual chocolate budinos, and spent half the meal trying to figure out how I would serve them to 13 people.

I think it was rude of my friend to just show up with her new guy. She has long since broken up with him (it turned out to be a three-week fling), but how do I prevent this from happening again? And if it does happen, what do I do? It seriously ruined a night that I was really looking forward to.

— Unexpected Anxiety

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The turkey’s ready to go in the oven, the potatoes are mashed, the stuffing is going well, but … shoot! Where’s the cranberry sauce? Even the best list-makers and party-planners sometimes forget that one ingredient that was going to make or break a dish and have to run out at the last minute. Thankfully, some grocery stores stay open on the big day, ready to save Thanksgiving and let you pretend nothing ever went wrong.

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