It might sound strange putting kettlebells and art in the same sentence, but, please, hear me out on this.

A couple months ago I was given doctor’s orders to lose weight.  Given that losing even one pound around my menopausal middle has been next to impossible, I decided to take drastic action.

When my husband said it was time to get a personal trainer, I didn’t disagree with him.  I’d heard that kettlebells, kb for short, were an effective way to lose weight without spending a ton of time working out.  I decided to give it a try.

The first step I did was hire Lauren Brooks, a phenomenal kb teacher.  (I’ll share her info below, just in case you’re interested in working with her.)  I began my kb journey, and I was excited and nervous.

As I learned the proper way to handle kettlebells, I began to practice at home as well.  Slowly I began developing biceps (yay!) and my arms were firming up.

Here’s the part that’s more exciting than becoming physically fit: I was becoming mentally stronger, too.  I felt empowered in ways I never expected, giving me the strength that I needed to face the challenge of raising a kid and getting through health challenges, too.  As my body began to transform, I felt more comfortable and confident in my body, but the confidence didn’t stop there. 

I became more confident as an artist, too.

I took chances like reworking older paintings I wasn’t happy with, paintings that I’d been looking at for years unhappy with how they looked.  I knew they could be so much better, and yet…I never took action to improve them.  That is…until kettlebells came into the picture. 

 Before: dark and dreary shadows

After: shadows are filled with color and light.

Even though I felt fear around removing varnish on a painting because I had never done it before, I moved fear aside and removed the varnish.  Turns out it wasn’t hard at all.  I simply had fear of the unknown, and I didn’t even faint during the process! Lol!

I’m finally taking quick action on my art mentors advice and making the changes she suggests to improve a painting.  Before, I’d let this advice sit on the back burner for a long, long time.  This week I worked on not one, not two, but three paintings!  Now that’s taking action!!!

Introducing kettlebells into my life has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  If this sounds like something you might be interested in, too, and live in SoCal, I encourage you to check out Lauren’s services.  Here’s her website: https://ontheedgefitness.com/

(No, she has no idea I’m sharing this.  I love her work so much I refer everyone to her!)

Exercise has so many wonderful physical benefits.  Who knew they could make someone a better artist, too? 

In next week’s newsletter, I’ll be talking about how having a fearless mindset can add growth to your art journey.  You won’t want to miss it!

Have a wonderful day!!