Week Four of my Training Diary

Week Four

I am proud to say that I have arrived. My workout today consisted of a million crunches, a mile and a half running on the treadmill, and countless latpulls, squats, and lunges. And I left there barely breathing hard! I feel stronger. As usual, dear reader, it would probably be best if Christina doesn’t get wind of this, or she’ll surely step up the intensity next time. So mum’s the word, ok?

The kickboxing continues to be fun. It is a new experience for me, and so does not feel so much like work. I am not very good at it, though – I think I look like a dork most of the time. My biggest problem is not holding my hands up, a lesson which Christina helps me learn by batting me repeatedly in the side of the head. She’s nice.

A word about Christina. She is a 5th degree black belt in karate, is a member of the USA WAKO Kickboxing team and has traveled all over the world participating in Kickboxing tournaments, not only as a Professional Kickboxer but as a coach for several other women fighters. Endorsed by Puma, she has appeared in over 200 newspaper articles and has been seen on NESN Sports, YM Magazine, The Maury Povich show and local news channels. She is a Cosmopolitan Magazine "Fun, Fearless Female" Award Winner, and she is in the Martial Arts Black Belt Hall of Fame. Pretty impressive, especially (to get back to talking about me) when you think that I have survived being trained by her.

I like the way I am feeling these days. It has affected my posture, and I think I have more energy. I plan to get some good exercise in this week, now that I am starting to get fit. Woo hoo!

Week Three of my Training Diary

For those of you who have just joined us, I had this crazy idea that I would try personal training for the purposes of writing an article about it. I figured I was the perfect person, as I am mildly averse to exercise in any form, completely out of shape, and terrified at the thought of personal training. And, in a moment of insanity, I chose as my trainer none other than Christina Rondeau of Rondeau’s Kickboxing, the woman who bills herself as New England’s Toughest Personal Trainer. She is a tireless worker, a champion kick boxer, and one tough broad.
I have had two sessions so far. The first can only be described as a nightmare. Seriously, I could not move the next day, and it was even worse the day after that. Lifting my coffee cup caused audible moans to emanate from me. It did elicit sympathy from friends and co-workers, but still it was not worth it. The second session was, by comparison, not so bad. I did not have the shakes upon leaving, and I got out of bed the next day without assistance. I was achy all over, but actually felt as though I might be able to do this thing.
Now I am headed in for my third session. I am hoping there will be some more kickboxing this week. This is new to me as a form of exercise, and so it is more fun than crunches and push-ups. Also, it is interesting to learn the various kicks and punches – I don’t think I’m ready to take on a mugger in a dark alley, but I think that a consistent kickboxing workout would make me feel a little more confident in my ability to defend myself.

5:00 pm

I have, I am proud to say, run 1 ½ miles today! Well, I did walk some of it, but I am still proud of this accomplishment. It was done in ½ mile increments, with crunches and other floor exercises, as well as kickboxing, thrown in between. Again, I am amazed that I was able to do this. Is my trainer’s encouragement really that meaningful? It must be. There is no other explanation.
You will be proud of me for this: I saw some items sitting on a shelf at one point and summoned up my courage to ask about them. “Say, Christina, what are the handcuffs for?” From the way she looked at me, I was figuring on an answer along the lines of “You talk too much. Drop and give me twenty.” It turns out they have a purpose (other than chaining people who talk too much to the treadmill): she told me she uses them during self-defense classes, helping her students to be able to defend themselves even if they don’t have the use of their hands. Interesting, huh? It allayed my curiosity without horrifying me!
Another word about the kickboxing: This is some cool stuff. I am obviously very much a novice in this arena, but I think I love it. It is clearly good exercise; all that footwork, punching and especially the kicking – she had me alternating between dancing around a bag and kicking it for one round – it is a good workout, strength-wise and cardiovascularly. But the surprise, at which I am only guessing so far, is the attitude. No wonder Christina walks around with a confident, don’t-mess-with-me swagger in her step. She could kick your butt! And I suspect that is a very good feeling. I think, when this is all over, I may go back and enroll in a kickboxing class.

The next day

Wonder of wonders. I am not stiff and sore today. That was fast! As I mentioned early on, I have enjoyed a certain level of fitness in the past, so perhaps that muscle memory is working for me after all. Whatever the reason, I am grateful. I was aware of it today when I was talking to a co-worker. “Yeah, so I worked out with Christina last night,” I said, kicking my leg out from my desk over to hers in my boxing stance, “and I’m really feeling it today.” And as I said this, I realized that I meant I was feeling increased strength, not pain. I realized the feeling was a good one. I felt a little bit powerful even. Those of you who have been following me through this should be standing up and cheering for me! What a transformation, in only three weeks. As usual, I would appreciate it if you did not share this with Christina, as I suspect she will use this information against me, upping the intensity at next week’s session. So this is just between us. But I am here to tell you that I am feeling pretty darn good.