Summer Fitness

If there is one thing I love more than summer, it’s all the sweet treats that the season brings. Take one look at my Instagram and you would know that I have been indulging in gooey chocolate chip cookies, sinful pudding, and homemade ice cream sandwiches. And while I’ve enjoyed eating all the sweet stuff, I also feel like I should be working out extra hard to burn it off.

I recently took up kickboxing and love the workout. The class is the hardest thing I have ever done and tests my endurance (which is seriously lacking). But during my last class I noticed that I’ve gotten much stronger and less winded. Don’t get me wrong, the class is still intense, but now I don’t feel like I’m going to have a heart attack after 15 minutes of rigorous exercise. After taking a two-week hiatus to enjoy the summer I need to up my fitness game — in the form of an additional evening kickboxing class this week (yikes!).

The only problem with this idea is that I’m still sore from the last kickboxing class. So, here are a few of my tips if you find yourself facing a similar workout quandary.

Try to work different muscles: Like, the ones that aren’t sore! Thankfully, my instructor is good at varying the class. My arms are still feeling all the bag work we did the other day, but they are noticeably less sore than my shoulders and abs. My plan for the next class is to work more on my kicks, if possible.

Rest up during the day: I like to take a two-mile walk on my lunch break, but since I will be doing this class after work, and probably will be tired to start with, I’m going to limit my daily activities before the class to working and eating. With any luck, this will help my body be ready come evening.

Stay hydrated: I tend to get headaches after vigorous exercise — and this happens frequently after kickboxing if I get dehydrated. To combat this, I’ve started drinking lots of water in the morning before my class and I make sure to drink throughout the day. Bringing along a frozen water bottle has helped and allows me to get a few sips in during an intense class (it melts nicely in the hot dojo, giving me a cold drink).

Stretch…stretch…stretch: I find stretching before and after a class very helpful, especially when I’m sore. I will be doing some extra stretching before the next class to help loosen up my muscles and avoid injuries.

Give your body some down-time: My second kickboxing class will be less than 48 hours after the first, and I’ve noticed that I am more sore on day two. After this class, I’m planning on taking the rest of the week off from any strenuous activity so my body can recuperate.

How do you stay in shape over the summer? I’d love to hear your tips for exercising when sore.