Kicking My Butt Into Shape - Literally!

There is nothing like taking a couple of days off from the exercise program to relax and rejuvenate.  Paintball took a lot out of me Sunday, and it's taken a couple of days for me to get back into the swing of things.  Fortunately, the 10 Pound Slimdown calendar was hung on the fridge with a friendly reminder that today it was time to get going again.

Another amazing step in the exercise journey... we're on day 15 of the 30 day program!  Rice cakes for everyone!!

Now that the celebrating is over, let's get back to the workout.  Today's focus was 20 minutes of Lower Body and in light of our improved endurance and energy levels, we decided to mix things up a bit.  Rather than doing a kajillion squats, we did Amy Dixon's Kickbox workout.  Kickbox is a little longer than what we're used to, coming in at almost 22 minutes.  We felt up to the task though and dove right in.

M has never tried kickboxing before, and was a little hesitant about punching and kicking with force.  I explained to her that kickboxing is a real fighting form and that if she learns to have the confidence to punch the air in front of her, she may be able to punch an attacker if she's ever in a tough spot.  That got her smiling and we punched and kicked through the first 17 minutes of the workout with no problem.

For some reason at 17 minutes when Amy was giving us the, "You're almost there! Only 5 minutes left! You're doing great!" pep talk... and specifically when she says, "You're on the road... don't get off it!"... the video froze.  I refreshed the page, re-started the video and fast forwarded to the 17 minute mark... and... nothing.  We took it as a sign that the workout was over, and did a 3 minute cool-down on our own.

I had forgotten how much I love kickboxing.  I used to practice kickboxing a couple times a week and as great a workout as it is, I especially love the adrenaline rush and boost of confidence it gives.  I am putting a gold star next to the Kickbox workout on the calendar and come back to it again... and convince M that it's ok to pretend to hurt other people as long as it's in the name of fitness!