The American Council On Exercise recently did a study on hula hooping, but the information which caught my eye concerned kickboxing. When compared to power yoga, aerobics, Nia, pilates, and even these very popular “boot camp” programs, kickboxing stands out as the best exercise for getting your heart rate up and burning calories.

Although I practice yoga for the stretching, muscle tone, and other more spiritual benefits, my desire to hit and kick the bags has [...]]]>

The American Council On Exercise recently did a study on hula hooping, but the information which caught my eye concerned kickboxing. When compared to power yoga, aerobics, Nia, pilates, and even these very popular “boot camp” programs, kickboxing stands out as the best exercise for getting your heart rate up and burning calories.

Although I practice yoga for the stretching, muscle tone, and other more spiritual benefits, my desire to hit and kick the bags has consumed me for more than two years. I thought I’d been imagining the intensity of the full body workout from kickboxing. Apparently I’m not.

When someone says, “I feel like kicking something.” I say, “Come to the gym and do just that.” As a side benefit, you might be able to fend for yourself if attacked. We don’t practice knocking out someone’s knee then kicking them in the head for nothing. Double tap!

The one most important piece of advice is to find something you like doing, something you look forward to doing. If it’s the hula hoop then go for it! All exercise is good.

Over the weekend I banged my forehead on the kitchen counter and finally lost it about reducing my coffee intake.

I don’t want to be healthy. I want to kill myself with food and drink. I want more COFFEE.

The outburst was due to my strenuous kickboxing workout rather than my yoga excursion. For some reason I crave coffee after intense physical activities. Since I’d had one mug before heading out the door [...]]]>

Fighting the strong winds.

Over the weekend I banged my forehead on the kitchen counter and finally lost it about reducing my coffee intake.

I don’t want to be healthy. I want to kill myself with food and drink. I want more COFFEE.

The outburst was due to my strenuous kickboxing workout rather than my yoga excursion. For some reason I crave coffee after intense physical activities. Since I’d had one mug before heading out the door and another with my blueberry/apple pancake breakfast upon return, I was done for the day. I couldn’t take it.

The first week of my 40 Day Personal Revolution through yoga (the Barron Baptiste way) shook up my world. Every change in my life during the last week was of my choosing. Some were easy and others more difficult. The week one emphasis is “Presence” so I analyzed myself.

Diet

One of the first unhealthy habits to go was my 8-cup per day coffee addiction which I have promised to cut by half. Eating vegetarian was actually easier than giving up the coffee. Since I was a small child I never enjoyed the thought of eating animals. I know I couldn’t slaughter one and have struggled with the massive meat production machine which does the dirty work for me. My family has joined me in this vegetarian excursion so a few new meals have landed on our table. One dinner of Israeli couscous, garbanzo beans, and carrots was not well received at first glance but everyone had seconds and asked for the dish to become a regular. Thrive Yoga has provided a weekly chart to log all of our activities. Journaling food is a time-tested way to watch your diet and reminds me of my early days of Weight Watchers when I lost 50 pounds, so I am writing down everything which goes in my mouth. My goal is to continue to eliminate the “hot” foods such as coffee and meat, along with the alcohol I already eliminated, and increase the “cold” foods such as salads and yogurt, to bring my body into better balance. Honestly, I’m too “hot” of a person and will give the diet a chance to see if it works.

Yoga and Workouts

Although the program states the six days of yoga practice will be enough physically, I will not give up my kickboxing/MMA. The combination has proven to provide a careful balance in my life. A new favorite trainer at LA Boxing has rocked my body, leaving me nauseas and unable to move. To show up for an intensive all level yoga class 12 hours later when every move was painful challenged my resolve, but if I can continue, I will take myself to a new physical level.

My goal is to practice yoga in the studio at Thrive Yoga at least four times per week with the other two days at home from the sequences in the book plus my usual three kickboxing/MMA sessions. On the final day of this first week, my increased abilities during practice surprised me. Knowing this improvement will continue to new heights uplifts me.

Meditation

Everywhere you looked during the time of New Year’s resolutions mentioned meditating so this is definitely the current trend. What is it? Thrive Yoga assigns an email buddy to support you through the program. My buddy and I aren’t really sure about the meditation or what we are supposed to be doing. This past week the 5 minutes twice-a-day has been easy. By the time I think through all the parts of my body and concentrate on my breathing, the time is over. Keeping my mind blank can be an extreme challenge and one morning I couldn’t do it. These thoughts were from situations I need to change in my life so the exercise at least had the benefit of making me face these needed changes. If you have time for a shower, you have time to mediate. Moving up to 10 minutes twice a day will certainly be a challenge. Breathe in, breathe out …

Resolve

Although during the weekly “check in” at the studio, some people admitted they were only focusing on one part of the program for improvement, my goal is to completely flip my life and see where it leads. The biggest change is that I am tired early in the evening and have been sleeping. Baptiste writes about our lifestyles causing insomnia and when I read it, I didn’t quite believe it. All these years I’ve struggled to sleep.

Will it last? I’ll continue down the path and see what happens.

This post is part of a series on my 40 Days to Personal Revolution journey.

This morning I went to a breakfast to talk about politics, development projects and our kids. Since it was a light summer day I threw on a sleeveless sundress and sandals. On the way home I decided to pick up a few things in my usual grocery store.

A few aisles into the store, a man stood, stared and said “You are sexy” in a perverted way. I ignored him. As I walked along I [...]]]>

This morning I went to a breakfast to talk about politics, development projects and our kids. Since it was a light summer day I threw on a sleeveless sundress and sandals. On the way home I decided to pick up a few things in my usual grocery store.

A few aisles into the store, a man stood, stared and said “You are sexy” in a perverted way. I ignored him. As I walked along I started to feel weak in my dress and sandals. Since I started kickboxing there have been a couple of occasions where I felt threatened and a solid, powerful confidence gave me determination. When I work out, sometimes it’s just exercise and sometimes I’m really beating on the bag. There is a difference. If something bad happened, I always believed in the strong version of myself.

As I walked down the next aisle, I felt vulnerable. I felt girlish and silly in a dress and sandals and completely unable to defend myself. The only strong thought I had was of Byron, my favorite instructor, showing us three ways to elbow strike during the previous night’s training. Then he was in my face again “Will you make me breakfast.” The pervert.

I’ve always found ignoring works best. Although he didn’t say anything, he kept going back and forth past me in every aisle with one thing in his hands.

When I checked out, I did the only smart thing in this entire episode. I told the cashier a man had been bothering me and making comments so that I felt uncomfortable. She asked me if I saw him and I didn’t’. While she was checking me out, I did see him leave the store but didn’t say anything. If something happened to me, hopefully they would recognize me and check the store video cameras for the guy who was bothering me.

I was glad he was outside because I could be in control. Since he should have been long gone and I didn’t see him, I went to load my car. Sure enough, he drove past me toward the store, away from the exits. I quickly finished putting my bags in the car then started to drive.

Here’s where I made another big mistake. I did not pay enough attention to his vehicle and did not get his license plate. All I could thing about was escape. When I started to drive and had to wait for a light, I looked around making sure he wasn’t following me.

This could be serious. You can find someone by looking up their plates. He could find me but I couldn’t find him.

Now I was really upset with myself. Not only had I failed dismally to have the confidence to physically defend myself, I had also failed to get good evidence to identify him.

In a few short minutes this absolute pervert had torn me down. I spent my whole time driving home making sure no car even slightly resembling his car was anywhere near me.

I was sick and disgusted. And finally angry. By the time I changed into casual clothes, I could have beat him badly. I don’t care what you think of me for wanting to defend myself. This was not the usual staring and gawking. He was a predator.

I’m so sick of men doing this to women, degrading them. I’m sick of the defenseless feeling. This man is exhibiting behavior which could become worse and worse until he does rape a woman.

I would gladly kick his ass even if I am crying and degraded.

The newest science suggests that exercise alone will not make you thin, but staying thin requires exercise. Real exercise. You must work out.

In Weighing the Evidence on Exercise, Barry Braun, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts states:

“When you look at the results in the National Weight Control Registry, you see over and over that exercise is one constant among people who’ve maintained their weight loss.” About 90 percent of the people [...]]]>  

The newest science suggests that exercise alone will not make you thin, but staying thin requires exercise. Real exercise. You must work out.

In Weighing the Evidence on Exercise, Barry Braun, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts states:

“When you look at the results in the National Weight Control Registry, you see over and over that exercise is one constant among people who’ve maintained their weight loss.” About 90 percent of the people in the registry who have shed pounds and kept them at bay worked out, a result also seen in recent studies.

During the last few years I have slowly developed a well-rounded workout routine. I’ve never liked gyms because they seem so artificial. I don’t like to sweat though I’ve grown used to it lately. I do love to learn new pursuits. Going from a lazy slug to a fit individual has been a long journey. I’m still learning. But I think I’ve hit upon a good combination worth sharing. You might say I’m going down this path kicking and screaming, but here’s how:

1.) Running. When I realized walking wasn’t really helping to control my weight I started to run around the neighborhood. At first it was a half mile. Now I run 3 miles alternating between running as fast as I can then walking up hills to catch my breath. I was running five or six days per week exclusively, but now it’s usually one time to get the heart pumping in conjunction with my other activities. For two years my un-ending mantra with every footstep was “I hate running”. Lately I only think I hate it once or twice during a run. Recently I tried my first 5K but it wasn’t your ordinary race. The Run-A-Muck went through a lake and mud pit which left me completely dirty but extraordinarily pumped.

2.) Martial Arts and Kickboxing With A Trainer. I started kickboxing to lose the fat on my legs and sculpted my entire body. Originally I had a trainer in a martial arts studio while working to achieve belts, but she has moved away. Now at the absolute minimum I go to LA Boxing three times per week for an hour workout each time. LA Boxing claims their intense workout burns 1,000 calories. Kickboxing also requires a full body program beyond the martial arts, such as the 50 pushups I completed for my green belt. The trainers help you to tone your abs, arms, legs, back, and core. The best part is I’ve learned how to defend myself with both kicking and boxing as well as getting my body into good shape. You need to be quick on your toes and never stop moving when kickboxing, which also helps my running form. Jump kicks, leap frogs, lunges, squats, ab work, pushups, etc., the routine works on every part of your body until you feel like collapsing but you’re not allowed to stop moving. Once I found myself thinking I hated one of my instructors but then he yelled out “I know you hate me.” I keep going because I love the results.

3.) Yoga. For ten years yoga has been the mainstay of my weekly workout plan. Besides the mental health and high from each session, I now desperately need to stretch every part of my body after my other strenuous workouts. Yoga keeps my body in balance and helps me concentrate on what’s important in my life as well as keeping me physically well. Vinyasa improves my breathing while in motion, which is also important for my other physical endeavors. Also, my breathing is deeper, more cleansing. Right now I go to the Thrive Yoga once a week for an hour and a half, then practice solo once per week. After an injury which prevented me from doing my yoga, I realized I couldn’t live without it. Yoga is essential to every workout plan, brings great health, and prevents diseases.

Keeping the weight off has meant pushing my body beyond any notion I’ve ever had about working out and living with constant pain. I know I can’t stop. The recent research only encourages me to keep up my daily workout schedule.

The key is making it fun and social. In order to keep the weight off, find something you look forward to doing each day. For me it needs to be a variety. I need to balance the aggressiveness of kickboxing with the spiritual aspect of yoga and the cardio benefits of running. I’ve even combined the martial arts with yoga in a Budokon class. The important part is staying active.

Obviously I’ve built my workout over the course of six years. Listening to my body has led me to a complete routine. I pay attention to what I need and discovered a successful combination for my health and well-being.

But who knows, this summer I may start a completely different activity in conjunction with a more intense yoga practice. The trick is to keep it fresh and try new things, crazy things. Activities you watch and think you would never be able to do. That’s what will keep you happy and healthy.

What do you think you can’t do?

——————-

Part I of Weight and Exercising inspired by Gretchen Reynolds recent article, Weighing the Evidence on Exercise.

A few months ago I started to feel sick at work with a headache. Convinced I was catching my son’s cold, I decided to go out for a run anyway. Miraculously, I felt better.

On a few other occasions this winter I’ve felt terrible. Convinced I’d be sick in bed within hours, I dragged myself out for my late-night kickboxing class then recovered. I’ve been telling everyone how my [...]]]>

Watch out when the stress blows in

A few months ago I started to feel sick at work with a headache. Convinced I was catching my son’s cold, I decided to go out for a run anyway. Miraculously, I felt better.

On a few other occasions this winter I’ve felt terrible. Convinced I’d be sick in bed within hours, I dragged myself out for my late-night kickboxing class then recovered. I’ve been telling everyone how my exercise must be boosting my immune system because I never wind up getting sick.

With the blizzards, I couldn’t travel to the gym. For six days my stomach was upset. I enjoyed my time with my family while trying to keep the ball rolling for a major fundraiser. With Washington DC snowed in for a full week, the hours were dwindling before the big event. Even though I had been ill for several days, I forced myself to an early-morning kickboxing class as soon as the roads were clear. When I came home I started to research my symptoms in fear of cancer. A short time later I was completely better.

When I was reading the medical book, the first cause of my symptoms was typed in bold letters: stress.

I had spent a week feeling sick because of stress. I still can’t believe I didn’t recognize it. My suffering had me worrying about a major disease. With my conscious effort to stay healthy, I can’t believe I didn’t know what was happening to me.

The realization that I was suffering from stress every time I thought I was sick floored me.

When I interviewed for my nonprofit job, I was asked how I handle stress. Fundraising under tight schedules with part-time hours and a strong desire to succeed is recognized for the stress it creates. Yoga and running on a daily basis had been a strong foundation to staying healthy but with work taking up additional hours, late-night kickboxing had to be added. Apparently, I can’t live without all these stress reducers.

But not all stress is bad. The American Institute of Stress describes it this way:

Increased stress increases productivity – up to a point, after which things rapidly deteriorate, and that level also differs for each of us. It’s much like the stress or tension on a violin string. Not enough produces a dull raspy sound and too much an irritating screech or snaps the string – but just the correct degree of stress creates a beautiful tone.

There are many signs of stress.  HelpGuide.org lists the physical ones as aches and pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, and loss of sex drive. Keep a look out for these in your daily life.

Without intervention, my situation is making me physically ill. With this awareness, I need to make sure I find the ways to keep a good balance and stay healthy. Hopefully the weather or injuries won’t prevent me again.

I’m feeling a need to run right now.

For a year, I’ve been taking private kickboxing lessons with a group of middle-aged people who all admit to being out-of-shape. Recently our private lessons ended and we had to try the regularly scheduled classes at LA Boxing. I was apprehensive.

While wrapping up my hands before my first class, I heard one young woman say she was going to be 21 and her friend exclaimed she would be 23. I glanced behind me to see [...]]]>

For a year, I’ve been taking private kickboxing lessons with a group of middle-aged people who all admit to being out-of-shape. Recently our private lessons ended and we had to try the regularly scheduled classes at LA Boxing. I was apprehensive.

While wrapping up my hands before my first class, I heard one young woman say she was going to be 21 and her friend exclaimed she would be 23. I glanced behind me to see who they were. I realized my apprehension had a lot to do with my age.

Sometimes when I walk into this boxing gym I notice the other women look at me. In other gyms they might simply be noticing a fellow hamster in the wheel. But in the boxing setting, I have the distinct impression they’re sizing up the competition.

In the latest LA Boxing promotional video, friends won’t fight the guy in the LA Boxing t-shirt for the remote. He has a reputation. These instances always make me wonder if it’s right for me.

So what am I doing kickboxing anyway?

Marlow and Barbara fighting

Recently The Washington Post ran an article, Blood Sisters: Through boxing, two suburban women build a special bond in the ring. People asked me about the article. They wanted to know what I thought about fighting.

I’ve actually seen these women fight. They stood there and beat each other. They didn’t move. They didn’t block. They hit each other relentlessly. Word was, they were friends.

The article emphasizes their friendship but also the violence:

What’s a best friend if she can’t break your nose or bloody your face?

And in the 2 ½ years that Barbara Bartolomeo and Marlow Prado-Blankenship have been boxing together, they have blackened each other’s eyes, split lips and cracked nose. Later they giggle, displaying their wounds to friends who stare in disbelief, unsure how to respond. After all, what woman in their mid-40’s with husbands and children and sprawling, suburban homes in the Montgomery County community of Boyds beat each other for fun?

I started down the kickboxing path to get into shape and I’m certainly much more fit. In that first class I couldn’t help but notice I had more stamina than the two younger women. 

Being able to protect myself is certainly another benefit. This week a few guys were on the bags around me. I decided to pound out a few kicks to warm up. After my first “thump” they all whipped around to see who had delivered the blow. The confidence to know you can defend yourself is reassuring.

In the Post article, the women said they box to escape. The hard-hitting energy is a release. On more than one occasion, beating the bag has helped vent my frustrations. A friend mentioned having a bad day and feeling like kicking something. I know where you have perfectly legitimate excuse to do so.

One time we were sparring without gear which means you aren’t supposed to hit each other. My friend and I both accidently socked each other in the face at the same exact moment. The competition and aggression can easily get the best of you. I glanced at the clock to see how long my face would sting then experienced a solid ten minutes of pain. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to hurt someone or be hurt.

Every week I ache. I’m bruised. Most of the time I can’t lift my arms or legs. But I keep going back. I’m not fighting someone. It’s between me and the 150-lb. bag. I still worry about the perception of being a fighter.

When I was interviewing clients about their journey from homelessness to housing, one woman kept saying “I’m a fighter.” She had suffered from terrible depression and wound up on the streets hopeless, but she found strength and fought back. She was a fighter.

That’s the only kind of fighter I want to be.

Another student and I had been training with her for about eight months. Her class grew by word of mouth. We were all out-of-shape folks who weren’t used [...]]]> “I didn’t expect for you all to become my friends … and give me a dinner like this.” My kickboxing instructor was leaving for a year. We came together with our spouses to say goodbye. After hearing so much about our families, we wanted to meet each other.

Another student and I had been training with her for about eight months. Her class grew by word of mouth. We were all out-of-shape folks who weren’t used to being fit. A community grew as we struggled along, barely able to complete each night’s training.

When I look around and see communities sprout, often there’s a negative element. People find complaints to rally around. They join together to stop an affordable apartment building or petition to close their street to their neighbors. They are fighting for themselves and blocking a better life for others.

In local politics, it’s a rare occasion to rally around something positive. Most of the time, people turn out when they want to stop something. If everything’s okay, you just keep going about your business with work, kids, and activities. Most people aren’t thinking about dedicating themselves to change the world for someone else.

In kickboxing we are learning how to physically fight, but we were also learning how to fight for each other. Our lifetimes of sloth left us unhealthy and overweight. None of us would workout as hard as we do without the others. When we sign up each month, it means everyone can continue and we don’t want to let the group down.

We’re all fighting our busy schedules, illnesses, and laziness to keep coming back. We’ve already proven we can’t do it on our own. If we lose even one person, we wouldn’t be able to continue.

We have a new trainer at a different gym, but we’re all still in it together. It’s wonderfully rare to fight for something good.

For the first time in my life, I’m physically pushing myself beyond anything I have ever imagined. Muscles I didn’t even know existed all over my back, sides, shoulders, arms, and legs hurt constantly. Since I never [...]]]> While grunting with each move, I push myself to complete the rotations from my kickboxing instructor. As I finish the last one I invariably think “Wow, I can’t believe I just did that!” and she almost always yells “Again!”

For the first time in my life, I’m physically pushing myself beyond anything I have ever imagined. Muscles I didn’t even know existed all over my back, sides, shoulders, arms, and legs hurt constantly. Since I never seriously trained, and only half-heartedly exercised for most of my life, I had no idea about the pain involved with reshaping your body.

In class I have the reputation of repeating the instructions. She’ll say “jump rope – 5 minutes” and I’ll incredulously repeat “5 minutes?” Granted I can jump for 5 minutes but after 20 minutes of nonstop physical activity, I’m not happy about it. In fact, I hate working out and my body groans in agreement.

I thought people simply went through repetitious moves and their bodies looked better. Now I know why people say “No pain, No gain.” How could I have been so clueless?

Lots of people have been noticing the changes in my body. They ask questions about how I’m doing it. With my slug background, I’m asking myself the same questions and the answer is always “my trainer”. She’s a natural. Having left everything behind in Chile to move to the United States, Lyu Pollard is strong and driven, which rubs off on her students. As I’ve learned and struggled, I’ve realized her methods for improving my body apply to many situations in life.

How much better can I be doing this? My trainer’s heading to California to obtain a 5th degree black belt. All the martial arts are based on improvement. There’s always a next goal. Since she participates in our instruction, we are always training right along with her. The important lesson is thinking about a next level. Never accept the present situation. To be successful we need to constantly seek the next best thing in whatever we are doing then work toward it.

Haven’t I done enough? Since my trainer grew up with a military dad who made her wake up each morning at 5:30 AM and exercise, her demeanor resembles the sergeant’s program. We sometimes hear “Let’s go soldiers.” When we don’t want to do something or start to loose energy, we need motivation. I lack discipline, but my trainer insists on it. She’s tough and points out when we are slacking or taking the easy way out. “Not like that!” “Lift your leg higher, you’re trying to kick them in the face!” Constantly test yourself to see if you can do more and go further. You might be surprised by your own stamina and dedication.

Can’t I do this alone? My kickboxing instructor used to be a trainer in one of those fancy gyms. She knows all about the muscle sets and complete fitness. Sometimes we need specific help from knowledgeable people. If you can’t make yourself do what’s necessary to improve, then find someone who is qualified to push you in the right direction. Surround yourself with good people who know what they’re doing. This might mean joining Weight Watchers, Alcoholics Anonymous or Toastmasters. Perhaps you need a special course, a partner, or work mentor. My whole life I’ve viewed getting help as a weakness but I’ve finally learned to reach out to others. I lost 50 pounds with weekly Weight Watcher meetings because of the program and the people. Everyone in my kickboxing class is supportive. We cheer each other’s accomplishments because we are all struggling together.

After my first night of kickboxing I decided that if I could actually do her class, I would be in excellent physical shape. Underneath I didn’t think it was possible, but I keep showing up.

I’m learning more than I expected.

Kickboxing Classes are at the second floor studio at Rockville Martial Arts and Learning Center (just south of Woodmont Country Club entrance). Everyone is welcome to stop by and try a class for free, no pressure. There are monthly rates or less expensive long-term commitments. Believe it or not, I still pay by the month and could revert to being a slug at any moment!