The countdown to 2,000 visits! Meet our top performer Vanessa!

* update Vanessa has now reached over 2000 classes!

Vanessa holds the record for the most visits by any JAI student.

Since joining in October 2014, she has accumulated 1885 visits!

(Although she'd like to add that the number is higher because of the times that our scanner was out of order and didn't record visits 😂😂)

With 200 Kicks, 300 Punches and 540 (conservative) calories per session that's a grand total of:

37,700 kicks 🦵

Over half a million punches 🤩

And over a million calories 🤪

(that's equivalent to 38,910 Big Macs 🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔)

Although it hasn't always been fun and games. There's been blood and tears too.

Back in 2007, she tore a muscle after kicking a bag and had to be half carried home by Su-Lin 😅

And the following year she broke her toe at the start of class and being the trooper, carried on with the rest of the class "kicking softly" instead.

In fact, she didn't even realise that it was broken until the following day when her toe turned black and she decided to visit the Dr. It was also "rather painful", she adds.

She's also battled other small injuries, moving further away from JAI and the Wellington elements but still shows up because "Even though my office is next to the train station and it's easy to go straight home, it's never an option to skip class because I enjoy it."

Lockdown she says was a torture for her. "It felt like I was being punished because I couldn't go to training!"

She hasn't always been a fitness junkie however. She was never into sports that pre-Muay Thai and although she had a few gym memberships only went when it felt convenient. After finding Muay Thai however, she asked herself: "Where has this been my entire life!!"

There is one regret however. Breaking the nose of one fellow JAI student who accidentally dropped the pads while she was delivering a high kick. "It felt like just a graze to the noise", she recalls. "But then when she dropped to the floor and I saw the blood, I realised it was more serious."

If you're still out there, please come back and we promise to avoid any breakages!

So now the count-down is on to 2,000 visits, after which we'll reward Vanessa with some new training gear!

Bar any dramatic circumstances, (no lock downs please!!!) we are aiming for her to hit her goal by Saturday, 13 November - which happens to be World Kindness Day.

Because looking after your own health means that you can help others!

If you’d like to join Vanessa in her challenge, hit us up for your number of visits next time you’re in (or drop us a message to find out) and set your own goal. It doesn’t have to be every day, but try to stick to at least twice a week and then commit to it.

If you need any tips on how you can stick to your commitment, let us know!