Kettlebells may have an odd name and look kind of funny - sort of like a cannonball with a handle - but used correctly they can actually be very useful (and fun).

Here are three great reasons to try them, what to do, and some photos to help.

So, I wrote a book! It is called Finding Your Fit. Needless to say, I am pretty excited! The book hits stores October 1st, 2016. I feel like a kid getting ready for Christmas; I am counting down the days until I can walk into Indigo and say "Where would I find Kathleen Trotter's new book?" I am assuming the answer will be "In the health and wellness section," but maybe I will get lucky and it will be on one of the "staff recommendation" tables. Fingers crossed!

This is part three - and final - of my "do anywhere" workout series! The main take-away from all three installments is - "don't use the pull of relaxing on a dock, traveling, or drinking on a patio as an excuse to become a sloth! It is possible enjoy summer AND maintain your fitness! The key is to have a few workouts in your back pocket that you can literally do anywhere — in a hotel room, in your living room, or even on the dock at the cottage".

In part one I shared the "joy" of tabata intervals. In part two I outlined my "10 by 1 minute" workout and how to do "11's".

For this final installment I have developed two cottage specific workouts; one cardio workout for the lake, and one interval / strength workout to do on the dock. Don't have a cottage? No problem, try the cardio workout in a pool, or do the interval / strength workout in your backyard or hotel gym.

More Kathleen approved "do anywhere" workouts!

This is part two of my "do anywhere" workout series! The main take-away from part one is - "don't use the pull of relaxing on a dock, traveling, or drinking on a patio as an excuse to become a sloth! It is possible enjoy summer AND maintain your fitness! The key is to have a few workouts in your back pocket that you can literally do anywhere — in a hotel room, in your living room, or even on the dock at the cottage".

This time I am outlining how to do my "10 by 1 minute" workout and "11's". Both are convenient yet effective workouts that you can do anywhere. Basically, with these workouts you have no excuse to be inactive!

Summer is here in full force — yay! Don't use the pull of relaxing on a dock, traveling, or drinking on a patio as an excuse to become a sloth!

Trust me — it is possible enjoy summer AND maintain your fitness! The key is to have a few workouts in your back pocket that you can literally do anywhere — in a hotel room, in your living room, or even on the dock at the cottage.

Over the next few blogs I will share a few of my go-to "do anywhere" workouts! With these convenient yet effective workouts you will have NO excuse to be inactive :-)

Go-to workout # 1: Tabata intervals

There are always millions of excuses to be inactive — don't let the sun be one of them! Yes, the sun can be an energy suck — not to mention dangerous — but that just means you have to find ingenious ways to be sun smart as well as active! As I always tell my clients, your health is an active process; we all have to actively look for solutions and opportunities to move more!

Here are some tips to survive the heat

Too often when people tell me they are on a "low fat" diet it means they are eating tons of nutritionally vapid and processed foods such as muffins, puddings, cereals, and yogurts. Basically, they are eating foods labeled "low fat."

I know — the "low fat" label can be tempting! It is easy to believe that eating something labeled "low fat" will result in a svelte body. The problem is that so many foods labeled "low fat" are actually high in sugar and nutritionally empty. (Not to mention that most foods that are labeled are not that nutritious. I always encourage my clients to mainly fill their cart with fresh produce and lean proteins — to shop "the outside of the grocery store" — which for the most part will mean buying unlabeled foods. But I digress.)

Now, what doesn't make the trainer in me happy is hearing the stories of people amping up their training routine too quickly, only to get injured and quit their new active lifestyle before it really takes off.

Don't let the pull of the sunshine lure you into a false sense of security; you are not invincible. Don't get caught in the common, yet vicious, cycle of not exercising and feeling guilty, then exercising too intensely too quickly and getting injured, getting discouraged, and quitting.

Break the cycle by following these three simple steps.

Start owning your health choices; adopt what I call the "Captain Obvious" approach to health!

Adopting a healthier lifestyle shouldn't be expensive or complicated. I am not arguing it won't be challenging. Adopting a healthier lifestyle will be an intense process - an ultimately rewarding process, but nonetheless a lifelong and intense process. Modifying a habit takes perseverance, dedication and mindfulness.

What I am saying is, you don't have to spend oodles of money on cleansing programs, protein powders or the latest miracle food to achieve your health and wellness goals. The health and wellness industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry because it feeds on selling the belief that everyone has to participate in the new "it" workout, buy certain supplements and/or live by the current restrictive nutrition regimen to achieve their health goals.

Work out wherever you go

No fancy equipment needed — all you need is something that slides!

Really, "not having equipment" is never a good excuse not to train; you can ALWAYS get an awesome workout using only your own body weight. For example, the circuit below can be done even in the smallest hotel room or on a cottage dock.