Day: September 20, 2018

Memories

OK – maybe I missed it.  Maybe I’m just incredibly non-observant.  If you have an iPhone, an iPad or a Macbook did you know that Apple serves up albums of pictures called Memories?  I didn’t – and I’m having big fun looking at how they grouped and labeled some of my pictures.  I’m not sure how they determine how to group/label everything but flipping through the albums is very entertaining.   They even play a slide show for you when you click on the albums!   Here’s a picture from the grouping they labeled “Furry Friends through the Years.”  Enjoy!

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Want to know more about Apple’s Memories feature in Photos?  Check out this link: Apple Photo Memories.

 

Kickboxing

womens-kickboxing-pentagon-mmaI started kickboxing almost 4 years ago – and I LOVE it!  When I started, I was nearly 30 pounds overweight and felt horrible watching my pants size go up (not to mention being winded going up the stairs at my own house).

I got into kickboxing because of my doctor really.  I had gone for a regular physical and complained of knee pain from an old high school fall.  She asked me if I had a gym membership and when I said I did but didn’t use it much, she kinda shamed me.  Her advice was to go see a personal trainer to get some advice on exercises to strengthen my leg muscles and take some strain off my knee joint.  That led to personal training sessions at the same time as a boxing class was being held.  I asked my trainer if he thought I could box – and after about 8 sessions of one on one boxing training with him so I learned the basic skills, I joined the class.

Kickboxing is a real two-for-one exercise in that you get a great cardio workout while you build strength.   And according to the American Council on Exercise, it provides the bonus of increasing skills like balance, coordination, reactivity and agility.  Not to mention you get to wallop the heavy bag and get out any frustrations you might have!

My class mixes work on the heavy bag with one-on-one’s using focus mitts with the trainer (he wears the mitts and you hit them – this took some getting used to for me).  And my trainer also mixes in different cardio and strength intervals like the ski machine, rower, treadmill, squats, burpees, lunges and grappling.  It’s never boring and gives a real total body workout.  When I started the class, it used to wipe me out for the rest of the day, but as I’ve progressed I find it less tiring and more invigorating.  I can’t recommend it enough!

Bonus?  I’ve lost about 20 pounds and kept it off.  I’m still a little overweight – but that’s mostly because I have a sweet tooth and I really don’t curb it too much.    I just got my 3rd pair of boxing gloves and I hope to keep taking the class for years to come.  If you ever come visit – I’d be happy to take you to a class with me!

Want to know more about starting kickboxing?  Check out these articles: