Never mind the Zen and inner reflection of classic martial arts, I wanted to see if kickboxing (a lively mixture of Tae-Bo, boxing and traditional aerobics) would be enough to release my inner Uma Thurman…

The class began with lots of stretching, followed by various punches and kicks performed in rapid succession. Following the initial warm-up, we each worked with a partner for the remainder of the class. One person does the kickboxing while the other holds up the pads that the kicks and punches are aimed at. This can be two small hand pads, or a larger pad to protect one side of the body.

There were two main workouts: the first only involved punches, and the second contained different punches and kicks, performed in a certain order, with each routine repeated many times before swapping roles. Challenging stuff.

Just holding the pads uses a lot of muscle tension, as you provide sufficient resistance for your partner to punch/kick against. At first I found the whole experience quite alien. As someone who generally avoids boisterous contact sports, to have someone repeatedly smacking their (gloved) fists noisily into pads an inch or two away from my face, or aiming numerous body-kicks at me was initially slightly unnerving, but ultimately emboldening. I was enjoying the adrenaline rush! However, I had trouble finding a way to hold the larger pad against my body without getting my own knuckles repeatedly kicked into my ribs, and consequently had a neat line of small bruises down my side the following day. Duh!

During my turns to kickbox, the instructor showed me how to perform each move correctly to improve effectiveness and prevent injury. By the time I'd finished working through the second sequence, I was red-faced and panting, and my limbs were feeling pretty rubbery. But it wasn't over yet – we then had a punishing set of full and half push-ups, plus static and jump-squats (by which time I had a mild desire to vomit) before – finally – the cool-down. We all threw ourselves thankfully to the floor…

You don't need much equipment to kickbox at beginners' level. Your club or class should provide the boxing pads, gloves and mats. You just need sweat pants and a t-shirt, as the class is likely to be done in bare feet (but check). Be sure to bring a water bottle. Handwraps are recommended to protect the wrists, which cost approximately £4 per pair from most sports shops.

Kickboxing exercises all the major muscle groups in the body and provides an excellent fat-burning cardio workout. Apparently it burns 350–450 calories per hour, although it feels like a lot more! It's also an exciting sport that sharpens your reflexes and helps improve balance and co-ordination. And whether you feel stressed or not, an hour spent punching and kicking things is amazingly therapeutic!

It's ideal if you're already aerobically fit and taking regular exercise, but if not, you can still participate, but be sure to pace yourself. Kickboxing may not be suitable if you have any medical problems connected with balance or weak joints. And it's definitely not for the faint-hearted. But it IS fun - I loved it.

Siobhan tried kickboxing at the Third Space. For more information, see www.thirdspace.com