How Body Combat Changed My Life

I usually write about programming; how to solve this, how to implement that, my opinion on X, etc. But today, I am breaking this pattern. Some things in life are worth writing about, and the story of how Body Combat changed my life is most definitely one of them…

So what is your story?

My story begins with my significant other telling me about this newly opened gym. “It’s astonishing! lots of open space! tons of engaging classes! brand new machines! We MUST hit it up!”

But like the rest of you, when it came to hitting the gym, motivation never really hit me.

I’ve never been much of an athlete; I played varsity basketball in high school.. I liked it.. I was good at it.. but as soon as I started college, this whole thing just evaporated into thin air.

I thought about it; I did have a few extra kilos.. but I never really felt the urge to get rid of them, or to work on building that “Instagramy” physique. I was satisfied with what I had, and felt happy with the status quo.

But the lady kept insisting: “I get it, you’re not into hitting gyms, but that gym is a hit!” So, I agreed to (was forced into) giving that gym a hit.

So I went there, took a look at those brand new machines, and immediately foresaw my muscles burning, my arms sweating, and my mind drowning in a sea of boredom. I wanted to leave, but didn’t want to upset the lady, so I decided to stay for a bit, and try a couple of machines.

But then at 7:55, something interesting happened, almost half the people left their machines and started heading to a door at the end of the gym. My curiosity (and boredom) led me to follow them, “anything is better than this!”

I went into that door, and found a big, crowded hall. At the end of that hall stood a man on a stadium. He looked strong, not just a bulk of muscles, but actually strong. He wasn’t young, he was at least 50, but he somehow looked younger than I was..

I stood there for a moment, waiting.. and at 8:00, music started blasting. The master started doing the moves, and everyone followed along; punches, kicks, elbows, knees. It looked like a martial arts training, that followed the rhythm of music! I was not sure whether people were dancing or fighting! It was like a festival of music, energy, power, and excitement. It was, simply, beautiful..

and I… well, other than the few punches and kicks that I managed to deliver, I mostly just stood there; it was too much for a piece of mushy meat like me.. but the sight of it was incredible! I knew I wanted to fly with them, I wanted to do this jump kick, that descending elbow, those uppercuts. I wanted to follow that music and sing along as I delivered those blows. I haven’t felt anything like that since my old basketball days! I.. WANT.. IN!

I woke up the next day with a different feeling; I was full of energy! I was able to leave bed in less than 5 minutes (a personal record)! and blood was flowing in new, undiscovered territories of my body! I felt refreshed!

I started going to that class once a week, then twice, then three times! each time making progress, feeling better, jumping higher!

I was happy; I felt healthier, I looked better, and I was having tons of fun!

But most importantly, I learned something new…

I have always been a proponent of the traditional view on motivation: motivation comes from the inside.. from willpower.. from passion. I never needed any kind of “packaging” to learn programming, I was just motivated. It was incredibly easy for me to spend hours immersed in a book, or solving some complex problem. I never felt tired for a moment. But this was not the case for everything, I needed a lot of packaging, a lot of music, a lot of group motivation to get into exercise. I learned that:

You won’t always find internal motivation to learn or do new things, and it’s OK to package things.. to wrap them in a “package of fun”, to make them more accessible

I got more and more into Body Combat, into the details of the movements; how to do a right roundhouse, how to keep my guard, how to deliver a jaw-crushing punch..

But it wasn’t just the music and moves that motivated me. It was also that strong man, who stood on the stage that day.. The man who filled the hall with his presence.. and breathed energy into every person in the room.. Master Bilal Baz, the martial arts veteran and former champion, was what every teacher ought to be; always there to guide, to inspire, to motivate.. I learned that:

You should always look for an inspiring, charismatic leader.. such a leader can make a huge difference, and push everyone to deliver their best

And indeed, I was delivering more than I could ever imagine! I suddenly found myself holding planks, doing push ups, lifting weights.. I found myself enjoying things that I used to see as punishment. I learned that:

Starting with external motivation, with “the fun package” does not mean you’ll always be dependent on it. It’s quite the opposite, it will help you break the ice and become more receptive of the raw version.

But things did not even stop there! All of a sudden, I found myself watching what I ate, and caring what kind of things I put into my body. I used to be the textbook omnivorous, I would eat anything! But I learned that:

One change could lead to another, just start somewhere and things will cascade

I started cutting down on sugar, on fast food, on white bread. I did not deny myself anything, but just started balancing and looking for healthier substitutes. It was a bit tough at first, but what’s interesting is that, now, I enjoy sugarless coffee, I find white bread too sweet, and I get full much sooner than I used to. I even developed a better taste, I can now distinguish between what’s actually delicious because of its rich components, and what’s just filled with sugar and fat. I learned that:

After a while, what used to be new becomes the normal, and you don’t have to make much effort anymore to make it happen

It becomes, a lifestyle..

And that is my story, or perhaps the beginning of my story, of how Body Combat helped me find motivation for a healthier life.. I now exercise regularly, eat better food, and always take my health into account. The lady has also been an inspiration herself, she has lost a lot of weight, has improved her lifestyle, and is now working to become a certified Body Combat instructor.

Whatever change you want to make in your life, don’t wait for willpower to descend upon you.. if you don’t feel motivated enough to do it, then try to wrap it with a “fun package”, and things will move on from there..

My “fun package” for a healthier lifestyle was Body Combat, but I’m sure there is a one for every change we want to make in our lives… What do you think? Have you had similar experiences?


Appendix: So what is this Body Combat you talk about?

Body Combat is a 60-minute cardio workout developed by Les Mills. The workout is inspired by martial arts, but you don’t actually fight an opponent. Instead, you follow an instructor, performing the moves at the beats of music tracks. The moves come from a variety of arts: Kickboxing, Kung Fu, Capoeira, Muai Thai, and many others.

The class is an incredible burner, you could burn up to 1000 calories doing it. It also substantially improves your heart rate and your breathing, and helps you with body toning. It lacks a bit on the strength aspect, so you could supplement it with some lifting.

In general, two to three session of Body Combat per-week should be more than enough for your cardio needs, and you could add to it some Body Pump to get the full package.

Here are some of my favorite tracks:

They might seem a bit intense, but just learn to show up, and with time you’ll be flying too!

AbdulRahman AlHamali

Written by

Software Engineer, Life-time Student

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