Memorial Day is creeping closer, which means the summer body rush is on. The good news is there is a workout that is a fun way to melt fat and reduce stress: kickboxing. Here are three of the top benefits, courtesy of Fitness Republic:

• Oh, the calories. On average, you burn 750 calories an hour.
• Tone the whole body. Because you wind up using every muscle in your body, everything gets toned pretty evenly.
• Break the gym hamster wheel. Having difficulty staying motivated on the machines day after day? Kickboxing is a heck of a lot more fun, so you'll look forward to your workouts.

My fiance and I just tried it for the first time last weekend, and had a lot of fun. I did Taekwondo for years, and it was a completely different type of workout. It's about as much fun as you can have doing an indoor workout.

- Dan Mulcahey