Kick butt

Women are powerful, especially when it comes to exercise. We created the need for an aerobic-shoe industry. We entered the terms "stair stepper" and "sports bra" into everyday language. But it wasn't until recently that women really began showing their power. Over the past couple of years, we've brought the martial arts into the American mainstream, filling up kickboxing classes in our gyms and buying thousands upon thousands of Tae Bo exercise videos.

Why the adoration? Kickboxing is a workout that engages the mind, the body, and the spirit all at once. Your brain works overtime to remember kick and punch combinations, while your body sweats and strains for strength and energy. Meanwhile, your spirit reaches deep and finally soars as it finds the will to protect your body from a potential attack.

"The martial arts give you something else to focus on instead of being body conscious," says Lisa Gaylord, a fifth-degree black belt in karate and founder of Kardio Kombat, a martial arts certification and teaching program. "In these classes, we don't ask, 'How do you look?' We ask, 'What are you made of?'"