Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Kickboxing kicks my *ss

And I love it!

For anyone who is wanting to get a bit of motivation to exercise, I highly recommend that you take a class of some sort. Here's why.

In a class you have a lot of different people you can draw from. I take the community classes offered by our city and those tend to be very non-competitive, which is what I prefer. I'm competitive enough by myself, I don't need others egging me on! But in a class, you'll see people with all sorts of different strengths and weaknesses that you can compare yourself to. See someone who does X really well and you can watch and learn from them. See someone who just doesn't get how to do Y. Well, see what they are doing wrong and focus on not recreating it. Plus, you'll also have the instructor there to show you new things, continue to challenge you, and answer your questions.

A class will also help give you a schedule to stick to. I don't like going to the gym, because I like to follow my own schedule. But, a once a week class I can handle. I'll fill in the times in between with my own training so that next weeks class doesn't make me hurt quite so much. Having that little bit of a commitment that you've paid for can really light a fire under your butt. Plus, you know that nest week you'll be back and you want to see some improvement, so it'll help you practice in between classes (hopefully).

There is energy in groups. I think this is why some people prefer going to the gym rather than their own house for a workout. You get a big group of people being active and it's much easier to join in that activity than to sit idle. When you get a group of people who are trying hard and learning new things, it's hard not to get caught up in their positive energy too.

I'm really loving my kickboxing class because I find it just the right level of challenge. I've taken boxing before, but this is my first kickboxing class. Part of the reason why I'm taking it is because I'm an exceptionally bad kicker. I'm also deceptivly inflexible when it comes to my legs. Rather, I'm really good at flexing one way and not the other. I can stretch my quad with no problem. Arching my lower back is pretty decent. But, try to get me to go the other way to stretch my hamstrings, hips, etc. and it's very challenging. But, I've already started improving.

As a side note, did you know that you can develop a muscle ache in your feet? Yup, you can! I have. In addition to kickboxing, which requires balance, I've also been doing a movement prep workout in a workout book we have at home. It's a great little workout that focuses on flexibility, balance, and the development of core stabilizer muscles. I love it! But, I do it in barefeet and my ankles and feet have really been getting a workout with all the stabilizing they've been having to do lately. As a result, my feet are sore. But, it's the muscle sore and not the soreness you get from standing on them for too long. I actually welcome the ache because I know that it means my body is doing something and changing to get stronger and better.

3 comments:

Kim said...

Okay, I figured out how to update my template. Am I still allowed to be your sister?

Jenn said...

Yes, I guess you can still be my sister ;)

Kim said...

Thank you! I feel like I just passed through a successful interview or audition ;-)