Week #10: Lady With a Mean Punch

One of the things I like to do in my free time is work out. I don’t do it so much to “lose weight” but more as a stress release. Just as Allison Gittings mentioned in her Chameleon blog, I will feel completely unproductive if I don’t get a work out in and will be in a funky mood all day. As many people would experience, the gym can become boring after a while especially after going on the same machines over and over. Working out was especially easy when I lived on campus at Mason because the fitness/acquatic center was literally across from my dorm. I would take pilates classes, run around the circle and then do some cardio at the gym.


Now, my workout routine is a little different. Last January, I signed up for LA Boxing. Boxing was definitely outside of my comfort zone but I wanted to challenge myself and do something completely unexpected. Growing up, I wasn’t involved in sports. Instead, I danced and competed in pageants. So you can imagine how surprised people were when I told them I joined this new gym.

If you’re local to DC, then you’ve heard the commercial with Sarah from Hot 99.5 about “handling your bizz-nass” LOL. It sounded like fun and games at first but not even midway into my first class, I felt like I wanted to die. There were about 30 people, ages 10-40 with a surprising large number of females. Strong, fierce females! The workout lasts an hour and consist of a rigorous warm up, ab and leg exercises, high-energy combination punches and kicks (if you’re in the kickboxing class) and then a cool down session. The next day, I literally (literally!) couldn’t walk. But, even though this workout had caused me so much pain (but a good pain), I became hooked. No pain, no gain, right? It’s an awesome workout for anyone but especially women who like to burn calories and also learn to defend themselves. 

Pro Boxer/Instructor Jennifer Salinas Training Session 

I admit that I’ve been a slacker and haven’t been going as much as I should, especially during the winter months. But, with the sun peaking in, I know it’s time to step it up. Aside from being a great stress relief, one of the things that keep me going when working out, especially in class, is the music. Here are a couple songs from my “Get Ready for Summer” playlist:

**Some songs NSFW**