The Kickboxing Class

I did a kick boxing class. Whoopdeedoo right? The thing is that I wasn't expecting to do it. I happen to know someone who works at L.A. Boxing. A week ago (more like a month at this point) I went to say "Hi" and check the place out. You know, just be an innocent bystander. Watch and not actually DO. I went in my gym clothes with the intention of leaving there and going to my gym to do the usual work out. I was not expecting my friend to hand me a pair of boxing gloves and show me to a 150 pound punching bag.

Me: I'm not doing this.

Him:  Yes you are.

Me: No, seriously. (Trying to muster up a brilliant excuse) My friend is meeting me at my gym soon! (now I've got him! muahaha)

Him: Oh......well call your friend and tell her you can't make it! You're doing this.

Me: (desperate now) But I'm not in shape enough for this! Do I look in shape enough for this?? (No. no no no no no....I'm not ready!)

Him: Yup you do. (pointing at a girl who was very over weight and there for her first time) Do you think SHE'S in shape enough for this, it's her first time and she's doing it.

I had no rebuttal...he'd beat me at my procrastination game. I'd given in. Practically pushed into getting my butt voluntarily whooped. He then let me in on the fact that the instructor that was going to be teaching my class was notorious for being the toughest. That's just SUPER. In my head I was freaking out. I was sure to meet my doom. He wrapped my hands, introduced me to the devil spawn instructor, told me if I started to feel light headed or anything to stop, get some water and jump back in. Light headed??????  Should I be signing a waiver or something?

Right off the bat we were jogging/sprinting, doing push ups, lunges, jump squats....you know, the devil spawn stuff...That was the warm up. I was more like tore up. Turns out they have shirts that read "Your work out is our warm up". I can vouch for that!  To my dismay the class did get harder and more intense. I rather clumsily "two left feeted" my way through and slowly learned the proper way to right hook, knee, upper cut, kick and jab my punching bag into submission, all while music blasted me through the work out. 

At some points I honest to god thought that I was going to die...or puke. I had to stop a couple times for a minute or two to catch my breath...which didn't even seem like it was mine anymore. Every once in a while I'd hear "Craig" the devil spawn instructor yell "Do you hate me yet?! Too slow. Start over! Sprint! Jog! Jump squat!" He finished the trip to hell with a wall squat, that made my legs shake, but I'll be damned I finished it and I wasn't dead, nor did I puke. I DID IT. Not with flying colors, but I finished it down to the last second.

Now the REAL significance of this is that I conquered my fears....Of being laughed at, looking stupid, looking fat/awkward/falling on my face....the list could go on....it was so much more than a question of being "not in shape enough". I came out feeling more confident, more in shape than I thought I was but also learned what I need to work on as well as feeling stronger for pushing through the pain and getting through the class semi unscathed.* I actually THANKED the instructor.

This experience made me think about how many times I've let the fear of failing, being rejected, looking stupid Etc. etc. deter  me from doing what I really wanted. From tackling life's 150 pound punching bags. It's natural to have fear...as a matter or fact you should have some amount of fear in some situations...but in others it's all about how you handle it. How you overcome it, and rock the socks off of what ever situation it may be. Sometimes you have to just keeping pushing and pushing yourself through until you get to your goal...or as Michael Jackson was say "Don't stop til you get enough"!









*The semi unscathed part does not include the almost week after the class that I literally was crippled with soreness....even the bottoms of my feet. Yup. Apparently you have muscles in the bottom of your feet, that need some toning.

** And you know I look like a bad mutha trucka with my Lightening Mc Queen and Mater tatoos in that picture....oh yeah, I'm tough!