An Unlikely CKO Success Story (this one's for your Reebs)

I love kickboxing. Yup. Love it. And no one is more surprised than me. You wouldn't know it to look at me. I'm 41, obviously overweight, although, from what I'm told, much less so than I was when I started taking classes at CKO Chatham in December. The instructors there all say the change is really obvious. I don't see it as much, but I feel GREAT. Full of energy, and strong. Better than I've felt in years. I can't tell you how many pounds I've lost, because the scale doesn't know the difference between muscle and fat, but I can tell you that all my workout clothes got too big, and that I no longer need a seatbelt extender on an airplane, and a year ago I did.

To tell the truth I was terrified. My daughter wanted to try CKO, so I took her. Turned out the girl who owned the CKO franchise was a friend of a good friend, and together they somehow coerced me into taking a class. I was so embarrassed of how I looked, how uncoordinated I felt, and what I thought I couldn't do that the other people in the class could. Well ,let me tell you right now- the only person standing in my way was ME.
All of the instructors at CKO Chatham got right behind me and helped. They modified exercises, the gave me alternatives, when I said "I can't". they said "just try", when I said, "no, really, I can't" they said, "ok, maybe not yet, but you will". Maybe they believed it, but I didn't. Now I do. If you told me 4 months ago that I would do even one mountain climber, hold a plank for more than a second, or run a lap around the room, I'd have probably laughed, embarrassed, and made some self deprecating comment about my age and my weight. Thanks to CKO CHATHAM, and all the wonderful and supportive instructors there, who have been my cheerleaders and my teachers, I can do all those things and more.
My journey is not over. I have goals that I want to reach, but I know I'm on my way. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of class and I hear my glove hit the bag, the combination is coming easy and the sweat is pouring off me, I think, "This is the best thing I have ever done for myself". I'm so grateful that I've pushed (and been pushed) through it when it was hard. I hope if you're reading this you're considering coming to CKO to give it a try. No matter how out of shape you think you are, you can do it. I'm doing it, a little better every class, and I know it's a cliche, but if I can, anyone can.