Day -11

I bet many of you are wondering why boxing? Great question really. I've always enjoyed watching Olympic boxing, but never thought much of professional boxing. Sure I jumped on the Laila Ail bandwagon and yes I remember some of those classic old fights like "Thriller in Manila" and the Duran vs. Leonard fights, but a fan of the sport? Not really. As a sport boxing has been around since ancient times and it's interesting to be engaging in something the ancient Romans and Greeks did, but probably not the women....

So on that first winter afternoon, my first time in the gym, hands wrapped up and stuffed inside some nasty stinky old boxing gloves, up in the ring, striking the pads as Terri told me what to do, I was transformed. I'd arrived at the club, full of anger over some personal life drama, simply wanting to knock the crap out of the bags. I quickly realized boxing is not about getting your anger out. To be done correctly, boxing requires extreme mental focus.

So, on that first day I hear Terri say jab and right and I tried my best to throw those punches. Let's just say getting me to the point where I could throw a straight right and a good jab- well it took some time. This isn't just about hitting something but instead a sport filled with technique and learning how your body needs to move when throwing those punches. I am a natural athlete and this is the first sport that didn't just come to me. Oh and when I heard Terri exclaim "you punch like a girl" well that is truly one of the biggest insults one can hear!

After that first class I was hooked. Fitness boxing was something I would incorporate into my fitness regimen 3 days a week while still doing some of the other things I enjoyed like spin class and lifting. Some days I would arrive early and watch Terri's amateurs and her pro Jackie Breitenstein workout in the class before the fitness class. Back in those early days I was still only looking at this from a fitness perspective, but that all changed in late March.