Hello, I (27 female) am struggling to return to kickboxing after several years away.

I've done martial arts since I was 13 starting with karate and moved onto kickboxing as I grew older/ my old dojo shut down. I really liked it and it's how I met my current long term partner.

Lately both of us have been trying to live a healthier lifestyle by running and today he invited me to kickbox with him in the backyard. I'm 80 pounds heavier, lost or honestly never had good cardio, but I can still strike like I used to. It's like the memory is still there, I have the technique and I can still kick over my head but my body feels off. To be expected right?

It feels like ever bit of mental barrier I put up to get through the day is systematically being torn down by each drill. I had to stop so I wouldn't be crying in the middle of the yard.

Has anyone else experienced this? I used to only feel this way when I first started sparring as a kid but now I don't even need to be fighting anyone to be overwhelmed.…