Long story short, I’ve been somewhat depressed and very stressed for the better part of several months now. As a result, I’ve gained a significant amount of weight back. At my lowest, I believe I hit 163 lbs. earlier this year. Most recently, when I weighed myself this morning the scale read 213 lbs. While some of this gained weight is surely new muscle, I suspect most of it is fat.

From the name itself, you can understand that supplements are a type of product that “help” or “aid” and maybe even “hasten” certain processes, particularly in the body. There are many types of supplements, from appetite boosting to appetite inhibiting ones. However, I guess one of the most popular types is the diet supplement that most body-conscious individuals take.

Wouldn’t weight loss be so much easier if we could just lock ourselves inside and shut out any external influences? It’s a nice thought but not very practical. I’m fortunate enough to work at home but life still requires me to venture outside. It’s at these times when I feel most vulnerable.

We recently ended a scholarship contest where participants were tasked to provide their insight into the benefits of kettlebells as compared to regular weights. There were a lot of late entries, but unfortunately, only one winner could be chosen. Many of the essays submitted contained unique and in-depth information regarding various studies performed proving the effectiveness of kettlebells. There were quite a few participants who even use kettlebells themselves!

Using a kettlebell instead of a dumbbell or any other piece of equipment can have more positive effects than one might think. As it seems like an extension of your hand, the very shape of the bell with a handle provides more flexibility in your motion, which therefore makes it more natural and healthy. In addition, better flexibility enables you to include your entire body in the workout.

In a bit of irony, if you search for kettlebell lower back pain, the results are not that favorable for using the kettlebell. There is a lot of discussion on back pain caused by kettlebell exercises due to improper technique. It’s unfair really, as such pain comes from mistakes made and not from the nature of the exercises. However, when doing these exercises correctly, it can actually help alleviate lower back pain and strengthen the back in general.