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curiosity, an open sense of wonder, sometimes leads us to flip perceptions on their head in order to know things in different ways.
yesterday dawned as the last day of summer and ended as the first day of autumn. it was forecast to be a warm, clear day and so i went to the beach to meet the dawning.
while the movement of planets, moons, stars and other celestial bits and pieces is a complex ethereal dance, the notion of the earth rotating on its lovely axial tilt as it travels in an ecliptic plane around the sun is not at all captured in the notions of ‘sunrise’ and ‘sunset’.
i have been sitting with this a bit lately.
yesterday, i stood still and quiet on beach sand damp with ebb tide while the horizon revealed the sun. in the vastness of that moment where the five elements met — earth, water, fire, air, ether — there was a dizziness. a giddiness. a lived experience of rolling toward the sun.
as individuals that exist as part of a potentially infinite expanse, getting to know this expanse is part of getting to know of oneself. ~ nicole katz on patanjali’s yoga sutra 2.44: svadhyayat ishta devata samprayogah
eight years ago today group kettlebell training launched in prince edward island. well, in atlantic canada.
this morning my day started at 6am with a private client’s hardstyle kettlebell training.
in between, there have been more than 3300 group kettlebell classes and workshops in my life and a juicy heart-thumping growth in the number of kettlebell coaches and kettlebell practitioners in eastern canada.
when i reflect on how much good and strong and laughter and friendship and sweat kettlebell has brought into my life, which is pretty much daily, i am grateful.
grateful for everyone who has coached me. in person and on line. your gifts have been treasured, repeatedly distilled, and respectfully honoured.
grateful for everyone who has endured my coaching and truly graced my life by touching iron with me. your gifts have been selfless and are held near and dear.
grateful for kettlebell, who is a steadfast and humbling comrade. your gifts are enduring and finely nuanced and warmly worn.
cheers to you all for you are the kettlebell universe.
only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found. ~ pema chödrön
as it goes with any aspect of the fitness industry — personal trainers, group fitness instructors, older adult specialists, pilates instructors, and the like — there are plenty of fit folks in prince edward island who love to exercise and who quickly figure out that offering classes, leading facebook challenge groups, or instructing others is an easy way for them to get their own workout and make some money.
qualifications, other than their own personal journey to better health, seem not so important.
when they have no specific hands-on education, what they pick up from a youtube video or a dvd release can be detrimental to your health.
this post is, as the title indicates, about kettlebell training. i have heard quite a number of stories — more than the fingers on both hands — about unqualified instructors providing poor instruction. i have been asked to take over a kettlebell class from an unqualified (and therefore uninsured) personal trainer and i have had at least a half dozen studio participants tell me about correcting the technique of other ‘instructors’ in other fitness businesses.
i am sure other kettlebell coaches have heard similar stories.
and, just recently, i was told by someone who has a connection to fitness/recreational education on the island that some people don’t think anyone on the island is duly certified (and i hope this is not based on the perception that our certifying bodies are questionable, as they most certainly are not).
these two sides of the same coin disturb me. to that end, i am compiling a list of who, in our island kettlebell world, has what certification and where you can contact them if you are interested in solid, safe, knowledgeable instruction.
- Kelly Arsenault. certified as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 through KBell Training Academy. subs as an occasional instructor at the whole way health & fitness studio in Charlottetown.
- J-Mac Beauchesne. certified as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 through KBell Training Academy. competes in GS (kettlebell sport). instructs at The Fit Stop in The Credit Union Place in Summerside and subs at Isand Impact Mixed Martial Arts.
- Zelda Bernard. certified as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 through KBell Training Academy. not currently teaching/coaching. lives in Eastern PEI.
- wendy chappell. a Certified Personal Trainer, originally kettlebell certified through Agatsu as a Kettlebell Instructor Level 1 in 2007 and more recently with KBell Training Academy as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 and a KBell Jam Instructor and as an Instructor of Kettlebell Sport through Orange Kettlebell Club. a Master Trainer Candidate for KBell Training Academy; has attended Agatsu Kettlebell Instructor Level 2 (received a day of instruction from Steve Cotter) and StrongFirst Girya 1 courses. participated in in-person professional development with KBell Training Academy at the national CanFitPro conference and on-line in High Intensity Kettlebell Fitness with KBNY and Kettlebell Rehab: Hardstyle Methods in Corrective Exercise with IDEA Health & Fitness Association. to date, has instructed more than 3000 kettlebell classes, workshops and courses. coaches classes and works with personal training clients at the whole way health & fitness studio in Charlottetown.
- April Gregory. a Certified Personal Trainer certified as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 through KBell Training Academy and working toward a cert as a KBell Jam Instructor with same; Instructor of Kettlebell Sport with Orange Kettlebell Club. find current offerings at April Gregory: Kettlebell Training mainly in Souris and Up East areas of the island.
- Alan Howatt. certified as a Kettlebell Instructor Level 1 with Agatsu and an Instructor of Kettlebell Sport with Orange Kettlebell Club. teaches at Abegweit Kettlebells Sport Club in Mount Stewart.
- Lola MacLeod. certified as a Kettlebell Instructor Level 1 with Agatsu. teaches at Atlantic Fitness East in Montague.
- Stefanie MacQuarrie. a Certified Group Fitness Instructor, certified originally as a Kettlebell Instructor Level 1 with Agatsu and more recently as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 with KBell Training Academy and working toward a cert as a KBell Jam Instructor with same. classes are offered through “Alota Tabatas” Kettlebell Class in Crapaud and subs at the whole way health & fitness studio in Charlottetown.
- Lindsay Moore. certified as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 with KBell Training Academy. subs at “Alota Tabatas” Kettlebell Class in Crapaud.
- Courtney Steele. a Certified Personal Trainer, certified as a Kettlebell Trainer 1 with KBell Training Academy. teaches and trains at Full Throttle Fitness in Morell.
- Danny Walker. certified as a Kettlebell Instructor Level 1 with Agatsu. teaches at Atlantic Fitness East in Montague.
- Susan Walsh. an Instructor of Kettlebell Sport with Orange Kettlebell Club since Sept. 2014. currently training under John Wild Buckly, owner of OKC. certified Kettlebell Instructor Level 1 through Agatsu and re-certified in Feb. 2014. teaching classes in kettlebell fitness since 2009 and practicing with kettlebells since 2008. owner of Studio K in Georgetown, PE.
kettlebell training is a very effective way of achieving goals. it is, however, very technique specific and as such requires specialized education of the provider.
let’s stay safe as we toss around the iron!
* to certified instructors: i compiled this list after alerting all on the list to my intention of writing this post. if i have made a mistake or omission, if you would like to be removed from the list, or if you would like to be added to the list, please get in touch.
*to training clients and class participants: this may or may not be an exhaustive list of certified kettlebell instructors on prince edward island. you can always ask your instructor about her/his qualifications and, if they are certified, send them along to be edited into this post.
Each and every time I walk along the streets of Charlottetown, I take my life in my hands. This is a small city which only recently began a public transit system (Yay for folks in need and our environment!) and, if I give the benefit of the doubt, struggles to be bike friendly. There were some “share the road” signs posted in a few discrete locations this summer. Kudos for that; it is a step in the right direction.
As I walk, constantly startled by bicyclists approaching me from behind on the sidewalk, I am reminded of my frustrations around the many challenges we face in this province to make bicycling a safe, enjoyable, respected, and respectable means of transportation.
Specifically, three issues leap to my mind.
1. Use of helmets. Helmets are, thankfully, mandatory by law for all bicyclists in this province. Even if they weren’t, any degree of common sense would tell you to protect the brains of yourself and/or your children.
I have no ‘hard’ statistics to cite here, but I know from observation this law is little observed and little enforced. Not only do most adults ride bikes without helmets, many children do as well.
I shudder and cringe each time I see a rider without a helmet, knowing how abruptly life can needlessly change.
National and various provincial statistics show most accidental bicyclist deaths to be a result of traumatic brain injury. Most brain injuries occur as the result of lack of a helmet.
You need only have one conversation with emergency room staff at a hospital to get an attitude-shaking picture of the bicycle accidents which come through their doors. Even mild brain injuries can have far-reaching and devastating effects on your life and those who love you.
Not only should you always wear your helmet, it should be an approved helmet and be fitted properly.
2. Bicyclists who either do not know or choose to ignore, the proper use of bicycles. It should not be a surprise that bicycles are vehicles and, as such, subject to the same rules of the road as motorized vehicles. Sidewalks, boardwalks and crosswalks are for pedestrians. If you are walking your bike then by all means avail yourself of sidewalks, boardwalks and crosswalks. If you are in the saddle and riding you do not belong in these places and are, in fact, placing pedestrians and yourself at risk.
As a bike rider, you are entitled to your space on the road. In the lane. Use of proper hand signals and observation of all traffic signs makes your actions, as a moving vehicle, predictable to other drivers and pedestrians alike. This makes for a very good situation.
3. Motorized vehicle operators who are less observant of bicyclists than they should be. Car and motorcycle drivers must exercise alertness when sharing the road with bicyclists. Bicyclists in your lane, turning, or making lane changes should be treated like any other vehicle on the road.
When motorists provide bicyclists with sufficient space, proper right of way, and respect on the roads, safety risks for everyone are minimized.
Bicycles are definitely green in terms of environmental costs and out-of-pocket operating costs to the rider. They are an efficient active means of transportation and provide all kinds of benefits for the rider’s health and fitness. Merchants could install bike racks or appropriate places for parking and locking bikes. Communities could hold public education events. Truck drivers on roads with no shoulders could exercise extra vigilance during ‘biking’ season.
With some effort on the part of riders and motorized drivers and city and municipal governments, sharing the roads of Prince Edward Island could be a winning proposition for all!

the mayor of Montague, at this time, was uninterested 😦
I would be very pleased to ride my bike around my rural home community and in the small city which is my work community with fewer concerns. I would be thrilled to regularly walk on sidewalks without the startle of bicyclists swerving around me or braking hard behind me. I would be joyed by a community concerned about decreasing bicyclist accident statistics and increasing its dedication to a greener lifestyle.
Share your experiences. Write to your local paper and MLA.
Pedal On!

Along the Bras d'Or Lakes of Cape Breton
Having grown up on the Atlantic coast of Canada, in an incredibly beautiful place called Cape Breton Island, a distinct heritage courses through my veins. I happen to love bagpipe music and fog and salty air and Gaelic accents. I have had the good fortune to live in a number of coastal areas, including the phenomenal shores of the Bay of Fundy and the place known as ‘the fair isle’, Prince Edward Island.
East coast living means fresh seafood is not only a dietary staple, it is a gastronomic love affair. At this time of year, the lobster fishery is active. Lobster is a very healthy food to add to your clean eating menu.
Not only is lobster meat lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than beef, pork and even the leanest chicken, it is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are helpful in the prevention of heart disease and hardening of the arteries. It is a great source of protein and is high in a number of vitamins, including A, B2, B3, B6 and B12. It is also a good source of minerals such as potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorous, iron, and magnesium.
This information-packed chart, and everything you’ll ever need to know about Canadian Atlantic Lobster can be found at this site which features New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia lobster.