Strong Bodies = Strong Minds
Robert Dobó
Some people measure their training success, their Personal
Records, in how many reps they can do, some people measure their
training success in how much weight they can lift, and my measure
of success is how often I can get out of the house. I guess
a little explanation is in order. I have suffered from a severe
and chronic social-anxiety disorder all my life, called Agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia in its most basic terms means I have a fear of leaving
the house, going outside, and going to the local store, anything
where I could be forced to interact with people. I am 28 years
old and for much of my life I was able to overcome much of it,
though I have always been uncomfortable in social situations
I would manage to force my way through, but for the last four
years I have been completely overcome by it. So much so that
I have been on disability for the last four years, unable to
basically leave the house at all, I wouldn’t even go into
the backyard. Depressed and on medications that took me from
being a scrawny 135 pounds to an overweight 235 pounds in under
a year I was really in tough shape.
Enter Spring 2005, I had tried several ways to wear off the
extra pounds I had put on, I spent hundreds of dollars on barbells
and a bench and started bench pressing like crazy, I didn’t
lose a pound, and didn’t get much stronger, and most importantly
my mood did not improve, so then I started doing bodyweight
only exercises, again with limited success. I was weak, fat,
and depressed, a terrible combination. Then I stumbled across
some Kettlebell articles, they were thought provoking and caught
my interest right away, functional fitness with a simple tool
that could be placed in my closet at the end of the day. So
I purchased two 16 kilogram Kettlebells and started teaching
myself how to use them, as time went by I started collecting
instructional material to learn the vast variety of exercises
that can be done with Kettlebells and I continued to progress.
The more I progressed the better I felt. In the past year I
have dropped from 235 pounds to 215 pounds and have probably
converted about 30 pounds of fat into muscle I am almost half
way to my weight loss goal of 190 pounds. I’m not a strong
man compared to many Kettlebellers, but I am stronger than I
was. But these were secondary accomplishments, compared to the
vast improvement in my mood.
I continued through the winter training everyday with my Kettlebells,
with every day I had a little more improvement in my mood. So
much so that I have been able to get out of the house more,
go to the mall and do a lot of things that were unthinkable
just a year ago. Then I reached my own Personal Record just
last week (April 18th to the 22nd) when I managed to take a
trip to Ottawa, while there I went shopping a few times, went
on a tour of the Parliament Building, explored the city and
even to my surprise had no anxiety at all, it was the perfect
trip. I had such a great time I didn’t want to leave,
I felt free. In the coming months I plan to get off disability
and start earning a living again. I take walks now, go shopping,
and am taking back control of my life. And I owe it all to Kettlebells.
The title of this story is Strong Bodies = Strong Minds, this
is something I can attest to; the physical fitness I have gained
from Kettlebells has helped me regain my life, by strengthening
my mind as well as my body.
When we train we don’t just strengthen our bodies, we
train out minds, bodies and souls, as one unit. Kettlebells
have helped me go from shut in, to average Joe. I couldn’t
be more pleased, I am now planning on taking some Kettlebell
workshops to help hone my technique, yet another thing I never
would have been able to do a year ago. Everyday is a new Personal
Record for me, I hope others can overcome their disabilities
with Kettlebells the same way I have. The world would be a better
place… it is for me.
Sincerely,
Robert Dobó
Here's a picture of me in front of the Parliament Library,
Ottawa Ontario. April 21, 2006
