I’ve always struggled with self-confidence. I’ve never been the type of person to flaunt my body or go out in that cute Forever 21 crop top. When this past January rolled around, I truly felt like I was in a rut. I had an extreme lack of energy, was the most self-conscious I’ve ever been, and not eating very healthy. I saw an ad on Facebook for something called “Fit-Boxing BootCamp”. I’ve always been pretty interested in kickboxing, just never really got into it. I sent the ad to my mom (she lives in Bloomington, so I thought maybe she’d check it out with me). Instantly, my mom signed us up for an informational meeting.
I was pretty hesitant going into the meeting, but open to it. When I drove up, I was pretty confused. I thought it was going to be at an up-and-coming gym. Turns out, it ended up being at a martial arts place called “Kuk Sool Won”. After meeting our instructor, Greg, and him telling us all about the transformational journey we were about to embark on, my mom and I ended up signing up that day.
We got our packets full of grocery lists, recipes, a food diary, and a weight/measurement tracker. Sounds intense, right? That’s exactly what I was thinking. But, I was determined to follow through. We also got our boxing gloves and wraps! The night before we started, I meal-prepped everything I would need for the next few days: fruits, veggies, a couple keto diet meals (however, I was not doing the keto diet).
The first week of classes was difficult. It’s always hard to get into a new routine. However, I quickly started feeling better. I noticed just after one week of classes, I had more energy and even felt like I was focusing more in my classes.
I think the scariest part of the whole journey is getting measured/weighed. At the beginning, I was so self-conscious and didn’t even want to look at the numbers. They measured our thighs, hips, and arms and then we had to jump on the scale to top things off. After figuring out our weights, our instructor would figure out our BMI, body fat percentage, and a bunch of other numbers.
We are now 12 weeks into this journey, and I have to admit it hasn’t been an easy one. There have been times where I want to eat an entire pizza and maybe a cake or two. But through this bootcamp, I’ve gained a whole new support system full of people who want me and everyone else to succeed.
I’m officially 10 pounds down as of two weeks ago! I was so shocked when I saw the results because I honestly didn’t believe that I had. Who would have known clean eating and a little exercise would have helped me not only physically, but emotionally as well! Here’s a progress update picture.
Not only have I lost weight, but my confidence level has definitely increased! I feel more comfortable with myself. I’ve learned a ton of bad-ass moves (roundhouse kicks, jab-cross, upper cuts; ya know, the usual).
I’m so glad I decided to go through with this journey and I’m excited to see what’s to come as I continue! If any of you are thinking of doing a kickboxing class, I 110% recommend it! It’s a fun way to learn not only how to defend yourself, but to be more confident!
HCXO,
Alyssa