Mixed Martial Arts • Sounds intimidating, doesn't it?

About a week or so ago, I was asked to review a fitness class... an MMA fitness class. What's MMA, you ask? It's Mixed Martial Arts. At first, I felt intimated by the letters MMA. I haven't done a class like this before, but I pushed my fears aside and bit the bullet and agreed to test it out. Getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing from time to time.

So, last Tuesday I went out to Level 10 MMA in Flemington, NJ, still unsure of what I was about to get myself into. Upon arrival, my GPS directed me to Walmart... gah... yes, the GPS got me lost. Thanks trusty GPS for getting me to my destination in a timely manner! haha. A quick phone call to Level 10 and they told me that I was right around the corner. Whew!

Once inside the doors, I was greeted by one of the owners, Lisa who was nicer than nice. Such a sweet woman who was very informative and gave me the whole story of how Level 10 MMA came about. The place is small and minimal with a "caged in" workout area and five standing punching bags. There is a set of lockers and benches to the right where you are able to store your belongings. You are required to remove your shoes (socks, too) prior to stepping on the mats. (Ladies, make sure your tootsies are looking pretty & painted... had I known I totally would have painted mine a pretty color, but I was there to workout not get compliments on my pretty manicured toes. I'm such a girly girl, I know!)

Anyway, the gentleman running the class was Master Michael. He has been in the martial arts business for over 20 years. He has a very likable personality and was very easy to talk to. (I'm telling you, these two who run this place are far from intimidating... so far so good!!!) We started the class with a few warm ups... jumping jacks, laps, ab work, etc. Then the fun began when they gave me boxing gloves! Oh boy!! We got to punch and kick the punching bags -- of course, I needed a little assistance as it was my first time and Master Michael demonstrated how I was to punch and kick effectively. I didn't feel embarrassed at all. He truly is there to help and teach you. There was no judgement at all. Never once did I feel like I was out of place.

Now, let me remind you, I'm a pretty fit girl. I exercise 6 out of 7 days with a mixture of cardio and weights. This class that I took was pretty intense, even for me. (FYI, this fitness class is for any fitness level.) I loved that it was different from my normal workout and it made me SWEAT! The punching, the crunches, the kicks, the rope things (I cannot think of what those are called.. sorry) where you stand on a bosu, holding ropes and move your arms up and down... yeah, those things are awesome! We teamed up with a buddy and did workouts together (punches, crunches (where you interlock your ankles and exchange a medicine ball back and forth), etc) The exercises were challenging and fun.

Level 10 MMA is all about empowerment. At the end of class, they teach you a self defense move. We were taught how to break free from a choke hold and got to practice it with our partner a few times. Learning something like this was a nice 'bonus' to the class. I truly enjoyed learning a new technique.

There are a couple requirements...

• They ask that you wear their shirt (kind of like a uniform where everyone matches and the shirts are kind of cool (I wish I would have gotten one!)
• They also ask that you purchase their boxing gloves. It's a safety thing.

All in all, a great place to get your fitness on! I was definitely feeling sore in my arms, shoulders and abs the next day. I LOVE that feeling!

For more information and their class schedule, please check out their website: www.level10mma.com
You can also find them on Facebook at www.fb.com/Level10MMA

Level 10 is a place for the entire family, as they offer classes for children, teens & adults.

Don't be intimated by something new. You may enjoy it -- I know I did!!

Thank you to Lisa & Michael for allowing me to come to your class! 

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Let's get this started!

<<< Aww yeah!

Yesterday, I started my hybrid workout of Chalean Extreme and Turbo Fire. I found a calendar to follow, printed it and placed it where I would see it every day. Since I had already completed my first month of CLX (that's Chalean Extreme) I decided to start on the 2nd month of hybrid calendar which just happens to be the push phase. (CLX is a 90 day program broken up into 3 phases: Burn Phase, Push Phase and Lean Phase) 

My day one started with Push Circuit 1. Push is certainly a key word in this phase as it certainly pushed me to new limits. I had my husband dig out my heavier weights because I wanted that extra challenge. By the end, my arms were shaking just to type. I love that feeling of a good workout.  If you're sore, it means you were doing something right! 

Today, was Day 2. My alarm went off at 5:25a.m. and I was up and at 'em! Fire 55 EZ was placed in the DVD player and I was ready to get this started!  I cannot tell you how fired up I am. I truly hope that this continues. I like the idea of being on a schedule and getting my workouts done and over with so that there is no ifs, ands or buts about trying to squeeze in a workout throughout the day. 

My day is already starting off the way I envisioned it would! My workout is complete. My work (since I work at home) is done for the morning. (I split my work between morning and evening) Now it's off to the enjoy this beautiful day with my son (since my daughter is in school!)

Have a wonderful, wonderful day! I know I plan to!

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T25

This bad boy, this bad boy right here! HOLY WOW! Shaun T (the creator of Insanity) has a new program launching this summer called T25.

What is it? It's a 25 minute workout that will MAKE YOU SWEAT! I'm not lying. I was dripping after doing Core Speed. And what's a workout without sweat?! Loved it!

So, I'm sure you're wondering how I was able to get ahold of T25 and test it out before the actual launch date. Well, the Elite Coaches at Beachbody were given the Core Speed DVD as a sneak peek and since I attend Fit Club, the coaches who run it decided to give it a go and our very own Elite Coach, Seay was there, as well. Seay is doing very well with Beachbody and was very informative and motivating with her speech before we started the program.

Anyway, more about T25. Shaun T used every trick in his trainer's book to develop super efficient workouts that deliver an hour's worth of results from just 25 minutes of training. It's very similiar to Insanity, but much shorter (in my opinion). I am very much into cardio and I can honestly say that when this workout was done, I looked at the girl standing next to me and said, "I'd definitely buy this!"

After every workout at No Limits Fit Club, we take an "after" picture! This was ours after T25 Core Speed.

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In the beginning...

In the beginning, I was not sure of what I wanted to do. In my 30's and still uncertain. Had a wonderful family but still felt like I was missing a part of me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what I was missing. Designing was always a passion and I stuck with it - fading here and there and then bouncing back. My fitness was the same way. I'd run.... do a race here and there, but still... what was missing?

Fast forward to the move back to the Sunshine State with the rest of my crew! Ahhh! Sunshine and green grass everywhere! Whoops, sorry, got caught in a day dream for a moment (the sunshine and all does kind of make you want to close your eyes, inhale deeply and then slowly exhale) Now, back to my post... I saw a friend of mine post random posts on facebook regarding fitness. It peaked my interest enough for me to finally ask what all of it was about. Fast forward again, and I attend my first Fit Club (which was free! (another thing that caught my attention!)) and pretty much fell in love. Fitness! I love it! I have always loved it! It was one thing that was always a part of me, always with me, in a sense, I felt that without fitness in my life... well then, who the hell am I?! I was learning more about Fit Club and Beachbody and all it had to offer. Sure, it took me about 5ish months of going to Fit Club to finally take another step in the right direction. I signed up to become a coach! (it's as if the gates of heaven opened up and the angels starting singing)




My journey is just beginning! I'm learning how to take better care of myself, not only by exercising on a daily basis, but also feeding my body the right foods. I'm drinking a lots of H2O, too! (well, more than I used to, anyway (since water has always been my beverage of choice)).

So, let's raise our water jugs (because that's all I have to raise that's nearby) and wish me luck on this new venture!

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