Friday, October 24, 2008

Kickboxing and Fat Pants*

The mister and I joined the local big box gym a couple months ago. I’ve done my duty, going at least 12 times each month to make sure we get our health insurance to cover some of the cost.

Last night, though, I could not bring myself to go. I’ve blown through all the TV series I have downloaded onto my ipod, read all my trashy magazines, and there was nothing on TV worth watching. The idea of spending 45 minutes on the treadmill with nothing to distract me from the sheer boredom that is jogging in one place, I thought sitting at home and playing with my dog sounded like the much better option. But then. Then!

I remembered that the new schedule of classes had come out at the gym. Free classes (well, free with my membership). So I checked out what options were available that night. Deep water aerobics. No. Basketball. Not a chance. Kickboxing. Hmm.

I put on my sneakers and headed over the gym and chatted with the instructor, whose name I will always remember because it’s the same as my friend B.

I’ve never done anything like this before, will I be okay?

The instructor was awesome. The class wasn’t kickboxing-fighting, it was more kickboxing-aerobics. She was really excited to have a newbie in class, so she brought me up towards the front so I could see and made sure one of the regulars stood next to me in case I needed some extra guidance.

We wore weighted gloves, 16 ounces on each hand, and sometimes used a 9 pound bar as a staff.

An hour later, I was sweaty and exhausted and incredibly pleased with myself and the class and the whole world. It was a lot of fun, a really good work out, and such a welcome change of pace from my steady trot on the treadmill and 20 minutes with the weights.

I am a little stiff and sore today, but it’s totally worth it. I will make it a point to go to that class every week.

In other work-out related news, I’ve lost 15 pounds. I haven’t mentioned my weight-loss goals because I was afraid I’d jinx it or that I’d create actual expectations and that I would then disappoint. But the last few months I’ve been trying to eat less crap and to get some more exercise.

Part of it is that I’ve been dealing with a little bit of stress and was hoping that regular exercise and a better diet would help counteract that. Part of it is that I’m broke and junk food is just too expensive. A really big part of it is that even my fat pants were getting a little snug around the waist.

So, I’ve been pretty successful. I still eat crap, I just eat way less of it, and I still sit around too much, but I get a lot more exercise than I used to. My fat pants now hang off my hips (not in that sexy, midriff baring way, more in that slovenly, unkempt way). I’ve got a goal in mind and if I ever reach it, I’ll tell you all what it is and what I started out as. For now, though, let’s just be glad that I no longer have to lay down to zip up my favorite jeans.


Picture snapped with camera phone in office bathroom. These are my former fat pants. There's some extra room in them. Not that it's stopping me from wearing them (obviously).


*I write the lamest post headlines. It's a good thing I never went into the journalism business.

1 comment:

MOLLY said...

Congrats you sexy mo fo! (Cute jacket, by the way!)