Kickboxing

About 10 years ago when my parents were still together we used to go to the gym every night, because they were trying to get back into shape/lose weight.

We went to a place called All American which is now called 10 gym. It was probably one of the best gyms I've ever been to. They had racquetball, a pool, hot tub, sauna, tanning beds, group fitness classes, a track and all the fitness equipment. It was awesome!

At the time I was about 12 years old and working out with equipment could get boring sometimes. So I started taking some fitness classes while my parents were on the equipment.

Kickboxing was the first class I took, and I fell in love with it!

Kickboxing is one of the best work outs that you can get (and it's fun)!

It is a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching. It was historically developed from Karate, Muay Thai, Kun Khmer, and Boxing. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or as a contact sport. In 45 minutes of kickboxing, a 135-lb woman burns about 482 calories. The American Council on Exercise notes that the calorie burn for a 135-lb person may vary between 350-450 calories for a 50-minute kickboxing class featuring a warm-up, cardio portion and a cool down. Again, it usually just depends on your weight and how hard you actually work during the time.

There are also many plus sides to it such as:

• Fat burning
• Increased muscle tone
• Builds strong bones and ligaments
• Increased cardiovascular fitness
• Improved muscular indurance
• Improved core stability
• Improved strength and power
• Stress relief
• Improved coordination and body awareness
• Improves confidence and self-esteem

Most local gyms have fitness classes with kickboxing and UCO is currently trying to get a class for the coming up year (says my spin class teacher).

If you haven't tried it- then
you definitely should!