CKO Kickboxing has a variety of people who attend classes. From college students to retirees and everything in between. Included in that are parents. CKO classes are no stranger to members who are parents that are killing it in the gym, at home, AND at work. It is truly inspiring to see how they manage to balance it all. We reached out to five working parents who amaze us on the regular. In this three-part blog series, they share their personal experiences and what has been effective for keeping their priorities in check.   How do you balance kids, work, health, relationships without beco ..read more

Are you hesitant to attend a CKO class? Is your hesitation preventing you from trying a class altogether? It can be difficult to step out of our comfort zone and try new things, especially when we are uncertain about an experience. I am going to lay it all out on the table on what you can expect at your first class at CKO Kickboxing. My hope is to alleviate any fear, uncertainty, or hesitation you may feel about attending a class. Once you go, however, you will be hooked and wonder why you had any fear or hesitation in the first place. What to Expect Parking CKO Grand Rapids’ location is very ..read more

Sweet, sweet summertime! Who else is enjoying all the fun and the sun? I sure am! I’ve also been crushing some of my fit goals. As I gear up for vacation, I can’t help but fear getting off track from everything I have been working toward. Thankfully, I know some ways I can still work toward my goals on vacay. I am still able to relax and soak up the sun while I am gone but also not have it be so hard when I return and get back into a normal routine. Here are my three tips to stay the course while on vacation: Tip #1: Plan workouts If you’re going away on vacation, chances are you will not have ..read more

It’s that time of year again! We are SO close to summertime! Our minds are beginning to think about all fun activities we have planned for the warmer months. But, have you thought about your health and fitness routine? Did you know that CKO offers an exclusive summer special? You can sign up for unlimited kickboxing classes between Memorial Day and Labor Day for just $275! I personally signed up for the Sun’s Out Guns Out Summer special two years ago and here’s why YOU should too! Invest In Your Summer Body The Sun’s Out Guns Out special helped me stay active all summer long! Even though summe ..read more

This month we would like to turn the spotlight onto Alex Reister, a new dad and participant in the CKO 10-week Transformation Challenge winter session. Alex crushed his goals during the Challenge, and his determination served as motivation and inspiration for many! Read more about Alex and his health and fitness journey. How would you describe your lifelong health and fitness journey? I was always active. I played football and wrestling in high school. Through college and working office jobs, it became harder and harder to stick with a workout routine as life often would take priority. This b ..read more

Spring is in the air and it is time to come out of your winter “hibernation”! This “hibernation” looks a lot like this: Go to work or school, go home right after work or school, stay inside at all costs (preferably under a blanket on the couch), and repeat. If you fell into this routine, now is the time to break it. Spring forward into healthier habits and mindset! Form Healthy Habits Between the increased sunshine and warmer weather, Spring ignites motivation. Use this energy to motivate you to form and stay committed to a solid routine. If you begin now, you have several months of establishe ..read more

You’ve signed up for your first class at CKO and are getting excited to hit the heavy bags. Then, uncertainty hits you. “What do I even pack for a kickboxing class? What do people wear? Am I really prepared to attend this class?” To put your mind at ease, I’ve listed out everything you should bring to your first class, and really every class from there on out, at CKO Kickboxing. Workout Threads Bring comfortable clothes to sweat in. Believe me, you WILL break a sweat. This can be anything from Lululemon leggings and a matching top to a basic pair of shorts and t-shirt you’ve had in a drawer fo ..read more

CKO Kickboxing “Swolemates” What is a swolemate you may ask? Although there are a couple ways to define this term, overall Swolemates are just partners (soul mates) who are on a lifelong health and fitness journey with one another. They workout together and are each other’s motivation to live a healthy lifestyle. At CKO Kickboxing, there are several couples who come and sweat it out on the bags together on a regular basis. They keep each other accountable, push the other to do their absolute best, and ultimately have a lot of fun! We asked three of our regular CKO swolemates to share about the ..read more

How to Combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) this Winter Here we are, amidst winter, with no end in sight. Anyone else already over having temps in the negatives and the sky be consistently gloomy? I know I sure am. SAD One thing about winter I find particularly challenging, in addition to driving on slick and icy roads, is dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is “a type of depression related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the ..read more

This month’s member spotlight is Maureen McCormick! Maureen has been a CKO member since August and in that time has lost 35 pounds! Pretty amazing, right? I wish we could all give her a round of applause for taking charge of her health. This did not involve any weird pills or quick fix, crash and burn diets. Maureen is putting in the work and she’s reaping the benefits! How is she doing it? She has cut out fast food entirely and attends kickboxing classes at the new CKO South location. Maureen shared that in the past she has tried everything from beach body’s 21 day fix program, t-25, buying ..read more