fitness | BulgingButtons

The other night I finally got my first boxing lesson. It’s been in the works since July, when I bought my fabulous pink boxing gloves. I was informed that we needed a few other items before we could begin. No problem. Contact pads and kick pad purchased, jump rope unearthed. Check, check, and check. I was ready and willing. At last, we found a time to begin.

The lesson was held on the back patio. It’s a very small patio, so a lounge chair had to be temporarily relocated. Furniture moved. Check. Ok, at last! Now I get to hit!

Uh, no. Not yet.

First I had to jump rope. Yes, really. Do you have any idea how much I weigh? A lot! It takes a tremendous amount of effort to get this bulk free from gravity’s pull, even for a moment. Then there’s the whole coordination thing. I’m not so great at that. I have jumped rope before, but I don’t remember it being so difficult. I would get 4 or 5 jumps in a row, then miss. My longest streak was 14. That’s pitiful.

Not only do I suck at jumping rope, jumping rope causes me to suck. Suck wind, that is. Wowie zowie. It’s way harder than I remember, and I was huffing and puffing like crazy. It was way harder than swimming or walking the treadmill. My trainer actually began to feel sorry for my uncoordinated butt and just had me jump, sans rope.

Eventually, mercifully, the jumping portion of the workout ended. I could have thrown in the towel right there, but I was told to get the gloves on, so how could I quit?

Once they were on, I was given a lesson on posture. Then I was taught how to jab and hit. You know what? I really like it. I like the motion and the sound and the contact. I like feeling the energy move through my body, then exit through my fist.

My lesson didn’t last long, but after the jumping torture it was incredibly fun. Take a note, I actually liked this form of exercise.

The big surprise, however, was yet to be revealed. It was two days later that I discovered muscles in parts of my torso that I thought were so deeply covered in fat that they would never function again. That discomfort reminded me (with every move) that I really did do something good. It wasn’t all a dream.

Did you happen to catch Extreme Weight Loss on ABC last night? It featured a young man from Appleton, WI who not only started losing weight at 410 lbs, but did so with one arm. This young man, Ryan, gave it all he had and lost over two hundred pounds over the course of a year. Ok, he had help. Lots of help. But so what? Could I do it, even with help? Could you?

Here’s the thing, I have help. Maybe you do too. We all (well, you and I anyway) have the internet, so we have TONS of resources, right? And if you’re anything like me, you already know plenty about health, fitness, and nutrition. I’ve often said I could write the book… but would I read it?

Maybe you’re stubborn, like me. Or a slow learner. Or a procrastinator. Or in denial. Maybe you are so incredibly stunningly gorgeous that the very thought of altering your appearance in any way, including by losing even an ounce, is unacceptable to you. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re ready to try. Again.

That’s what this is all about for me. Allowing myself the space to try again and again and again. That’s what it’s going to take for me. I’m fat. Really really fat. I could stand to lose at least 100 lbs. Seriously. You’re welcome to come along, or stand on the sidelines and watch. Laugh when you want to, sob if you feel like it, but do something. This business of doing nothing is crap.