Fit Club - Where airforcewife Wonders What on Earth She's Done

Last week I made a big decision in my fitness journey - I changed my fit-focus.  I'd always like active things - Nikki Fitness was perfect for me.  I didn't have a lot of time, and I seem to have workout ADD - things have to change quickly for me to keep focused. But lately I've hit a plateau and I've found that I truly dread working out.  I make every excuse in the book not to have to work out.  Obviously something needed to change.

Last week I started something new:  boxing. 

It seems to make sense - with Air Force Guy gone I've got a lot of rage I need to let out.  Frustrations, both daily, and... well, you know.  Married People six thousand miles apart for a long time frustrations.  Hitting things sounded like a perfect outlet.  I could hit things AND I could get a workout?  Yay me! 

Almost as soon as I signed up and handed over the check for the gym I started getting scared.

It's one thing to be the toughest thing in a class of women doing aerobics with a few "kickboxing" moves thrown in for good measure.  It's quite another to start an actual boxing class routine!  I was certainly not going to head into one of those classes with no preparation.

Luckily the first person I talked to at the gym - LA Boxing in the DC Metro area - told me that there would be a coupon for vastly discounted personal training included with a new membership.  And luckily for me the person I talked to was also female and understood why I was nervous.

This is the person I talked to, Jennifer:

I don't look like Jennifer.  I would like to look like Jennifer.  Jennifer is a boxer as well as a personal trainer.  She has a website, and this is what Jennifer looks like when she is fighting:

If you are not scared by Jennifer, you have something missing in your head.  She's tiny, and I think she might be made entirely of tightly coiled determination.  She's also very no-nonsense.  This was very helpful to me, since after signing up for class my first inclination was to flake out.  That looks HARD!  And an hour?  I don't want to work out for an hour!  I hate working out!  I'm short on time! 

I personally think that it is a great cosmic injustice that just signing up for or reading about fitness doesn't help us get fit. 

I also don't think that Jennifer was up for any of my excuses.  I said I'd be there for a personal training session, and I was there.  Even though when I made the appointment she told me, "Don't worry.  I'll work you hard."

That sounded like a threat.  At that point I was seriously wondering what I had gotten myself into.  Why on earth did this ever sound like a good idea to me?  I spent the entire walk to LA Boxing arguing in my head.

I don't need to stick around, I could run away.  Run away to Mexico - no one would ever find me!  I wouldn't have to go to boxing!  No one would know who I was!  Forget this fitness thing!  Being fit is highly overrated!  They have clothes to cover that! 

This was the my first experience with personal training, and right off the bat I have to say that I'm in love.  I'm not looking forward to the end of my coupon!  Personal training is like combining the spa and working out.  Jennifer wrapped my hands for me (I have pink wraps - they didn't have purple) and even opened the water bottles for me!  I was completely spoiled. 

We started out learning the basic boxing punches.  This was done facing a mirror, which meant I had to get over yet another phobia of mine.  I'm working out because I don't like looking at myself in the mirror.  I certainly don't like looking at myself doing something completely new and looking as graceful as a bear on a bicycle.  I think I've already established, though, that you don't tell Jennifer no.  When she told me to face the mirror, I faced the mirror. 

I'm going to state right off the bat that boxing is not as easy as it looks.  You need to deliver punches correctly, with the right form (or, theoretically, someone would knock your block off), you need to keep your feet where they're supposed to be, you need to remember where your non-punching hand is, and you have to aim at what you want to hit.  You're also moving around constantly.  It's a lot to think about at once, and it's frustrating when you start off and have a hard time getting the rhythm.  And forget how cool Rocky looked dancing around - I looked more like an rhinoceros trying to dance the cha cha than the effortless dance of Apollo Creed.

We soon moved from shadow boxing to working with target mitts.  Target mitts are these padded gloves (they look like flat catcher's mitts) that the trainer wears and the person being trained hits. 

That felt good.  They make a very satisfying SMACK sound when you hit them.  And I hit them a lot.  Well, I hit them a lot for me.  I'm pretty sure that I came off as completely wimpy and weak compared to the workouts Jennifer herself usually does.  Jennifer called out punch combinations for me to to do and I attempted to carry them out.  It was not always successful, but I found out that I like to use uppercuts! 

By this time I was exhausted and our hour wasn't even half over.  I was ready to drop when Jennifer called out "Left/Right for 50!" (my terminology may be completely wrong - I have very hazy memories of the second half).  When Jennifer started counting each set of punches rather than each punch, I wanted to run out the door and be done with it.  That's not fifty!  That's 100!  Bait and switch!  BAIT AND SWITCH!!! 

But I finished.  In fact, I finished TWO sets of fifty!  Separated by a break, but still. 

I'll be seeing Jennifer again next week.  I'm actually looking forward to it.

Something else I noticed while Jennifer was working with me - the actual make up of the class going on at the same time.  I had been worried that I was coming into a place where everyone was hard core, everyone knew what they were doing, and everyone would be irritated at being held up by the chubby new girl who has to pretend to jump rope because her hands are too busy holding her chest in place while jumping up and down to manage the jump rope as well (I'm still waiting on the invention of a sports bra that actually keeps things where they're supposed to be).  Nothing could have been further from the truth.

There were several guys there who obviously knew what they were doing.  There was also a guy there who was in great physical shape, but was having a hard time getting the rhythm of the punches.  There was also a woman larger than I am, women older than I, skinny women who were still trying to figure out how to punch the bag, and even an older tween.  Everyone was still learning, people were working at their best pace rather than a pro-pace, and the person teaching the class was giving personal attention to everyone at various times.

What a relief! 

And did I mention that we get to hit things?  

We'll see if boxing is really a good match for my personality, or how much I learn.  But at this beginning honeymoon phase I think it's going pretty well.  I have my first group class today, in fact.  I'll let you know how it goes.

And for those of you in the DC Metro area - several of the LA Boxing locations offer military discounts - and spouses are welcome to use that discount as well.  They even offer classes for children (my son is taking a class three times a week and he thinks it is the best thing ever.  He's also exhausted at the end of it, which I think is the best thing ever)!   You can even take a free introductory class to see if boxing might be something that would work for you. 

Sound off - SpouseBUZZ!  Have any of you tried boxing?  Do you want to?  How did it go for you?

Comments

[Apryl]

Nope can't say as I've tried boxing..there were some boxing combo's that I tried on some TV program I watched during Fit Week (or whatever it was called).

Not a boxing type person..rather do Tai Chi if I could find the time. HA

[dizzylizzie]

um...just so you know, wii sports has boxing on it and its probably alot less painful.
the me and the kids do wii sports or wii fit almost everyday for about an hour. its super fun, i dont have to leave the house to go to the gym, and we all can work out together whenever we want. we got the wii in july for my sons birthday (so technically its his) but i tell ya its great. no gym fees, babysitter fees, gas/parking what-have-you's for the gym.

nope, i box/baseball/yoga in my jammies. in the comfort of my own home (and with my own towels..)

[loquita]

Sounds awesome!! Way to go for trying something new. I'm glad you realized that there are all types of people who like some of the stereotypically "hardcore" forms of exercise. I was intimidated by Crossfit at first, but once I tried it, I was hooked.

Personally I am so much more motivated by exercise programs that focus on athletic achievements than just "getting thin". I hope you stay motivated to get better at boxing!

[Smiles]

I learned long ago that if there isn't someone waiting for me at the gym I don't go. So my big splurge is personal training sessions. This year we introduced boxing moves into my workouts. It is so much harder than it looks but a lot of fun. My trainer often names the target mitts after stresses in my life and encourages me to knock them out. "Deployment" is the most used name.

I was surprised to find it a giant emotional release as well. Just putting on the gloves brought me to tears one day before I even hit anything. My trainer says every day at least one client tears up before, during or after a boxing session. It is an odd reaction but it feels so great afterward! Nothing else at the gym has ever created that reaction. There is just something about boxing that causes you to take a break from holding it all in.

[M]

Good for you! I did taekwondo during one of our assignments - and I loved it! I did P90X for a while and that was a great challenge. When we arrived at our latest assignment DH started Crossfit and I joined in too. I've been doing that for about 2 months and just love it. Olympic lifting is NOT on my list of favorite things to do but it's all part of trying something new.

Keep us posted!

[tankerswife]

Not done the boxing thing, although I do work with a personal trainer at the local gym. Its great, even though I always walk out tired and way to sweaty for a girl.

As for the bra...I'm a DD. I found workout bras at Wal-Mart for $11-13. Go for the high impact ones. They have pull-over-the-head ones, and zip-up-the-front ones. I go for the zip-up ones. I hate pulling them over my head, my shoulders just DO NOT bend enough to get the darn thing unrolled at the back. I can jump rope, run, do frog leaps, etc all day with those suckers holding the girls in very well.

[Lemon Standl]

I could totally get into the getting to hit things gig but I'm about 5'2 and I once hit a boxing bag at the base gym and had it fall on me. No, no, no, don't picture this. It was not pretty. Apparently it wasn't hooked up right. Or at least that's what they told me when I woke up.

This post though reminded me of the post your husband did once on hand to hand combat. PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE dig it out and post again sometime soon.

With all the tragedy surrounding us, sometimes laughter is the best medicine.