Or how I learnt to punch using my elbow!

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with exercise. Running has always been my favourite, but getting started really sucks. Once you’re past the initial stages and you’re pretty good at it, it’s really ace. I like it because it’s free, it’s just you and the pavement, you just pop your trainers (and your sports bra) on and go. No muss, no fuss. Unfortunately I’m carrying a knee injury, which means I need to be lighter to go running without damaging my knee further. I’ve dabbled in the 30 Day Shred, which has its place, but I’m bored of it now. I’m also doing Davina’s Fit in 15, which is pretty good, but I tend to do the cardio section plus one of the others Monday – Wednesday and want something else to make me stronger and help strengthen my core. This is where Body Combat comes in.

Body Combat

 

I love Body Combat because:

  1. The teachers are always excellent, even though I can never understand them over the music. I like working out at home, but I never push myself as hard as I do in Combat. My current teacher comes round during a track where we have to sprint and lift our knees high. She makes me lift them higher than I think I can.
  2. I’ve never been particularly strong or coordinated. I’m always the one at the back of the class, struggling with doing all the moves at once, poking my tongue out in concentration. It might take me a while to get the move down, but once I’ve got it, I can pretty much do it.
  3. You don’t stop moving for an hour. Track after track, you just keep going. There’s no pausing the DVD to get your breath back. There’s only enough time for me to clean my glasses!
  4. You can unleash your rage. I’ve imagined punching colleagues, friends, family, the works. Most of all, I’m just fighting myself, trying to make myself work harder and not think about how tough it is, how unfit I am, how red I am, how much I want to lie down!
  5. While I resemble nothing like the woman in the video below (and probably never will!) I like to think that I do and that I could hold my own in a fight.

I detest going to the gym. The music sucks, it smells and there’s always someone grunting and dripping sweat everywhere. But in Combat, you’re too exhausted for any of that. So once a week, I get in my car, drive over to the leisure centre for combat and I love it!

What’s your favourite form of exercise? The one thing that gets you moving off the sofa?