You'll basically be in my head... so if you don't really care to know just hit the x button or the red dot in the corner and move on. I won't be offended... this may make sense or not because my thoughts are always all over the place ...
Several months ago, probably in August or September of 2018, my husband and I went to dinner at Chin's with a few friends. We parked and walked across the lot and I noticed the large pictures in the windows next door at ilovekickboxing. The lights were dim and the music was loud. I mentioned, "Hey, that looks fun. I'd exercise if I did that." I couldn't really get the place out of my head and coincidentally, I ran across an ad for some trial classes at a really good price. My mother-in-law then got the trial classes for me for my birthday in September after I had talked about it a few times. When I finally decided to start my classes, I used about one per week to spread them out to make them last longer. But, I instantly knew that I needed this. I needed to be here, in this place, for me. I wanted to be here all the time. I wanted to be a member to come whenever I wanted. But, I just couldn't at the time. It was bad financially for us and I was just scared of the commitment to feel obligated to be there so many times per week to make the monthly cost seem worth it. I just continued my trial classes for a while longer. But I was mad. I'm not good with rejection or being told No and my husband told me he couldn't pay for the classes at the time. I want what I want and when I don't get it, I hold a grudge and I'm not nice. I mean, I was really upset he wouldn't do this for me. I don't think I talked him for at least 3 days.
So, I was researching non-stop trying to find some way to make everything work out in my favor. Finally, I just decided that I had to do it on my own. I found my own way and its been the best decision. This was important enough to me to use money that I had stashed away. This was my rainy day. To invest in my sanity and have a reason to be healthier by exercising more and having time for myself. It was fun and different and hard but I always wanted to come back. There's a poster in the studio that I like. It says "I don't have time, So I make time" with a picture of a mom with kids hanging all over her. I relate to that picture now.
So, here are some pictures of my time since January after becoming a member at ilovekickboxing.
Crazy post-kickbox hair
80's themed DJ night
So what is ILKB?
High-intensity interval training. An hour-long class split into a gnarly warm-up that I want to quit around 4.5 minutes, cool down stretching, typically 6 rounds of different combinations with punches and kicks on the bag, partner drills and another cool down stretch.
Shred Your Excuses DJ night
Happy post-workout selfie
Photos compliments of one of the instructors
My time here at ILKB so far has been amazing. I've been going 4 or 5 times per week... sometimes 3 if I don't have enough childcare. The instructors are great and helpful and everyone taking classes are fun to be around.
Lately, I've noticed that I go to ILKB to work out aggression from being a stay-at-home mom. It's hard. Some days my kids are just wild maniacs and mean and they make me cry and it's tiring being around them all day. Emotionally, I'm a wreck most days. I have no adult interaction and barely any friends. Depression has been taking over quite a bit lately, for several reasons which is a whole different post. Day to day tasks are daunting and hard to complete. I can't concentrate on any one thing for very long. I've just been miserable and I struggle with a lot of things.
BUT, ILKB has helped. I can punch and kick all I want to physically get my mood back in a better place... even if it is only for that hour. I go almost every day to have time for myself. To reset and it's normally easier for me physically in the evening. My body is ready for the work and my mind can escape the stresses of the day. I can release all the bad from the day into the bag. (FYI some days aren't all bad though. Some days are ok for me and that's when I go to ILKB just for fun.)
The only struggle that I have had recently with going to ILKB though, is my food intake. I have never been one to exercise routinely. I have always hated, or thought I hated having sore muscles and haven't really done any type of hard physical activity since sophomore year in high school; which was roughly 20 years ago. Working out has always seemed like a chore that didn't sound fun in the recent years because I automatically think of going to a gym; with all that equipment that I don't know how to use, going by myself and being bored, doing the same thing every time. And because I went from never working out to going to these high-intensity classes 4 times per week, I noticed my body hated me. My body hated me because I obviously have trouble eating the proper things for what I've been doing. Actually, I've always eaten terribly. I don't really eat anything healthy until dinner time. I'm lazy and tired after making breakfast for the kids and their lunches and their snacks. I don't want to eat what I make for them so I just grab junk. I need quick and easy. Nothing quick and easy is usually healthy.
Below is a picture of what I ate the other day before 11am plus several handfuls of gummy bears. Because this is what I typically eat throughout the day, I have been getting really exhausted during class and quickly. My body isn't recovering like it should. I have talked with instructors as to what would help. Of course they said, "Eat more protein." Honestly, I tried. Junk like this is what I always revert too. "It's fast, I'm hungry and I need something now" is usually what I'm thinking when I'm looking in fridge. I'm seriously lazy in the food department when it comes to myself. My kids are fed just fine... I think. But me, my stomach hurts all the time. I crave the sugary stuff. It's just not fun. Eating what I want, when I want just isn't working anymore.
The last few weeks at the ILKB studio, the instructors have been talking about this service called Fresh Meal Plan. Its pre-made, pre-packaged meals delivered to your door. There are different meal plans for the picky eaters or different diets; Paleo, Keto, Vegetarian and several more to choose from. The meals are specially made to provide the correct nutrients for working bodies. Lower calories, decent fats and have good proteins. Again, I knew that I wanted to try it and that it would be good for me, but I didn't want to commit or pay for another thing. The instructors always say after class, "Go get some good proteins in your body." All I think is, "I have no idea what that means" because all that comes to mind is steak. Eat a bunch of steak? No thanks. Lol.
A few more weeks have gone by where I'm exhausted easily and my stomach hurts from bad eating habits... things just aren't what they should be. I am not feeling like I think I should from going to ILKB so often. So, I finally decided to bite the bullet and try Fresh Meal Plan for a few weeks to see how that helps my diet and body after workouts. My first shipment of meals comes in a week. I got 5 breakfast meals and 5 lunch/dinner meals from the Traditional meal category. I'm excited to actually eat something in the morning and at lunch time. I'm nervous that I won't like them, although everyone has said that they're good.
We'll see how it goes.
Stay tuned for when my FMP meals actually get here.
PS... the husband doesn't know yet... since I didn't want to hear No. Ask forgiveness not permission. Right!? Ha.
