Getting motivated to workout can be quite the challenge, but getting motivated to workout as a mom can be darn near impossible. So when I was offered the opportunity to head to Fairfield County Moms Blog sponsor, iLoveKickboxing, I jumped at the opportunity. They have a location in Shelton, and just opened a new studio in Fairfield on Kings Highway. Not only was I looking forward to going, but I knew that I couldn’t back out. I’d accepted the assignment and been in touch with the staff–I had to attend a class.
Thankfully, martial arts and kickboxing are not foreign to me. In middle school, I spent most nights after school at the karate dojo around the corner from my house. When I set my sights on auditioning for the New England Patriots cheerleading squad in college, I found my way to kickboxing in order to get into stellar shape. (Spoiler alert: I never was a Patriots cheerleader).
But let’s be honest–that was almost ten years ago, and well before I had my daughter. My post-baby exercise has consisted mostly of yoga and of course, running after a two-year-old in the backyard and on the playground. That’s about it.
When I walked into the iLoveKickboxing studio early one Sunday morning, I immediately felt more excited than anxious. My rock star instructor was welcoming, charismatic, and motivating. We sat down for a bit before class began and talked about my fitness goals. No one had asked me the questions she had since I’d joined a fancy gym during my Santa Monica days over four years ago. It was so comforting to see that someone else truly cared about how I was taking care of my body, both physically and mentally.
As individuals started trickling in, I noticed that many of them greeted each other with a hug. It’s no surprise that they call themselves a “family,” since they actually act like one. The smiles, the laughs, and the genuine hello’s were something special to witness. I also noticed that everyone was on a different path in their workout journey. As a mother, this is something that I definitely appreciated. It would be terribly intimidating to only see cut, slim clients in the class, because that is not a reflection of many of us in real life. The diversity in the room really resonated.
The class was an hour, and even though it flew by, I am not going to say it was easy–it was quite the opposite. The warm-up was no joke, complete with squats, push-ups, burpees, and crunches. Yet, it was a great way to get the blood flowing. The instructor did an excellent job of explaining the drills we were doing at the bags and gave one-on-one assistance as needed. Encouraging words came not only from her but from the others in the room. And let me tell you, when you feel like giving up, those words make all the difference!
The last part of the class was the partner work. This was my favorite part of the class. Maybe it’s the cheerleader in me, but I always find great joy in cheering on someone else during a workout.
I was met with compliments and high fives as I walked my sweaty self into the locker room after class. It felt good knowing that I not only completed the workout, but that others noticed the effort I had put in.
Mom life is a challenge in many ways, but finding time for ourselves can be one of the things that is most likely to fall by the wayside in order to meet everyone else’s need. Do yourself a huge favor and head on over to iLoveKickboxing and try a class. Your baby, kids(s), husband, partner, dog(s) will survive. It’s 60 minutes. Sixty. With all you do for everyone else throughout the day, you deserve to spend those minutes on yourself. And we’d love to welcome you to the iLoveKickboxing family!