Everyone’s favorite New Years Resolution: Work Out and Eat Better. Well it’s perfect timing and I found a great place to work-off those holiday goodies.
After a particularly hard week, I just felt like kicking the crap out of something as legally as possible. Everyone knows working out (or a bottle of wine) is a great way to release some stress, but nothing quite beats kickboxing. I decided to give it a try and I found a great place over in Central Square in Cambridge, C.W. Taekwondo Studio.
Due to sheer laziness and a new work schedule/commute finding time for a class was next to impossible. But this place is located a block away from the Central Square Red Line stop, or there are 7 free parking lots (after 6pm). It meets 3x a week Monday & Wednesday, at 6:30pm and Friday at 6pm, $50 a month. I shot them an email and they told me to just come on in for a free class to see if I like it. I had run out of excuses.
This class isn’t for pansies. I was Sweat’n to the Oldies in no time and I swore Richard Simmons was about to jump out at any minute (I’m a pony, I’m a pony). The class is taken barefoot and I was so glad I got a pedicure a couple days ago. The music is loud upbeat dance and house music. I often had a hard time staying focused because I was transformed back to my ‘Alley’ days and spent 3 minutes practicing my fist pump in the mirror. But the black belt instructors will make sure you’re on your toes, literally.
The class is only an hour long, but it is constant moving, lots of jumping up and down. Let me give you a breakdown of the class:
First: Stretches & Warm up
10minutes: Bouncing on your feet with some kicking
10Minutes: Punching and bouncing on your feet
10minutes: Sideway sprints, more bouncing, more kicking
10minutes: Jump rope
10minutes: More combos or kicking, turning, twisting punching drills
10minutes: Abs
In between each 10 minutes, we did pushups/mountain climbers, knee ups, suitcases, diamond pushups, leg lifts, mat jumps, light sparring, you name it. I was constantly challenged and the instructors are very knowledgeable about conditioning your body. They say changing up your routine and increasing intensity will get you stronger and toned faster! They did not tell you how sore you were going to be after every class. It was worth it, because now I’m cut like Ah-nald. That’s not true. But I can carry two weeks’ worth of groceries in one hand up 2 flights of stairs! Ok, fine, in two trips.
So if you still haven’t opened your Jillian Michaels DVD’s you got last January because you SWORE you’d make it to the beach in a bikini come summer, turn off the marathon of Real Housewives of Whatever City I Don’t Care About and get your butt into motion and have some fun! Just show up and bring your butt-kicking pants.
