Here's Why You Should Spice Up Your Workout Routine With Boxing
According to the State Information Service, boxing is one of the oldest sports that has ever been practiced, dating back to Ancient Greece. When speaking of boxing, the first image that typically comes to our mind is two belligerent people shooting uppercuts and ducking punches inside a boxing ring until the bout ends in a knockout. However, boxing is more than just a combat sport where participants swing punches until one cannot get up by the count of 10.
Thanks to its plethora of benefits for both physical and mental wellbeing, boxing has been gaining popularity as a form of exercise and is widely used in the workout routines of beauty icons such as the Kardashians, Gigi Hadid, and Adriana Lima, per Woman's Health.
While boxing takes lots of sweat and grit, you don't have to train like a professional boxer to benefit from this healthy sport. You can practice boxing with your personal trainer, a heavy bag, or a shadow box in front of a mirror. Here are some reasons why you should start to spice up your workout routine with boxing today.
Boxing improves your whole-body strength and coordination
Boxing movements center around hitting and avoiding getting hit. In order to do this, different parts of your body must move simultaneously with quickness and precision. Knowing when to shift forward and backward as well as which foot to lean your weight toward are just as important as learning when to strike and when to duck, per Men's Journal.
When you throw a punch or block a hook to your head, you engage your entire body, including your core muscles and your lower limbs, to strike with full force and agility. You can't deliver maximum power in your punch without involving your lower body, as noted in a study in the European Journal of Sport Science. Aside from agility and coordination, mastering balance is also an important technique, without which you won't have good footwork and effective defense. Imagine stumbling and falling to the ground as you're circling your opponent to avoid punches.
Using both the cardiovascular and anaerobic systems, boxing makes excellent cardio and weight-loss exercise. Research from supplement brand Forza (via Coach Mag) has found that boxing helps you burn 800 calories per hour, which is more than any other sport. Swift reflexes and quick reaction time are also some valuable skills you develop from boxing.
Aside from making you fitter and faster, boxing also makes you happier.
Boxing has massive benefits for your mental health
A moderately intense form of activity, 15 minutes of boxing can trigger a release of feel-good hormones in your brain and leave you energized. Once you step inside the ring and your only task at hand is hitting and trying not to get hit, you allow yourself to wholly live in the present moment. During that short amount of time, you can switch off from the outside world and everyday life worries to completely immerse yourself in working up a sweat. For this reason, physical activity like boxing can be seen as a major stress reliever and positive influence on your mental health, as noted by a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Another benefit that boxing offers your mental health is a boost of self-esteem, per a study in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. This is especially true when you have another boxer to practice with. Nothing gives you a sense of achievement like delivering skillful punches while dodging powerful strikes with adrenaline running through your veins. No matter how tough life is for you out of the ring, it feels awesome to know that, for a moment in time, you are the best at something you enjoy doing.
Entailing intense concentration and coordination, boxing can help you achieve a sculpted body, enhanced physical stamina, and sharper mental clarity. Besides, this combat-based activity also gives you a channel to let off some steam in a wholesome way. If you have pre-existing sports injuries or medical conditions, make sure to consult your doctor and personal trainer for professional advice before commencing any drills.