Fitness and Fighting

02/13/15 - Today was a new adventure in my exercise world.  I decided to try a class called BodyCombat.  This is a class that was developed by Les Mills, an international fitness company that distributes fitness programs to hundreds of gyms all over the world.  Most if not all of the classes have choreographed moves to music.  BodyCombat is described by my gym as being a "cardio workout inspired by martial arts."  I have never taken a martial arts class and so this was certainly new territory for me.

I noticed that the class was primarily composed of "under fifty" participants, meaning younger than me.  There were about 25 men and women in the class, and most appeared to be in reasonably good shape.  I placed myself at the back of the classroom, behind the tallest guy, so that I could be well hidden from the instructor.   The instructor was an extremely enthusiastic, well toned woman who displayed a perfect "six pack".  The music came on and she immediately started the routine of punches, jabs, kicks, side kicks, and other moves of which I was not familiar. We would break up the punching with jumping jacks, running, and knee lifts.  There were very few resting moments.  I was keeping up fine with the pace, and felt good about that.  However, when I happened to glance at myself in the mirror, I realized what terrible form I displayed compared to most of the class members.  I looked like a comic book character who was trying to learn to fight!

I wondered if I could ever be a true lover of BodyCombat.  As the class progressed, the instructor, who was excellent, kept talking about fighting.  She compared our moves to actual situations where we would be trying to defend ourselves.  She would say things like "if you get attacked on the street", this is a move you would use.  This is serious, she would say - "fight hard".  Hearing these words, I began to become motivated.  This was actually a fitness class that I could apply to real life!  I had never thought about fighting, but this class certainly made me think about it. I was inspired!

There is no equipment involved in BodyCombat, other than a mat at the end of class for some light core work and stretching.  The routines are not difficult.  There is a lot of jumping, which might be a concern for those who have knee issues .According to my Fit Bit, the class measured about 2 1/2 miles, which is about the same as a Zumba class. By the way, I only use Fit Bit as a tool for measuring different fitness activities against one another.  I am not obsessed by the number of steps I do each day.  If  I can fit comfortably into my jeans, then I am doing enough exercise!

I would probably do Body Combat again, maybe several times a month.  I respect the instructor and what she is trying to teach us.  And I want to have her six-pack abs!!