Kickboxing: Much More Than Just a Workout
Cardiovascular exercise is essential for good health. Fortunately for me, I have access to a gym, I live in an area that I could safely run outside, and my living room is big enough that if I wanted to pop in an exercise DVD I could. My only problem…I dread doing cardio. So much that I would often neglect it. When I did garner the willpower to get moving, my mind would convince me that my body was tired well before my limit was near – only to get me to stop. And I knew this, but it was easier to stop than to muster up the strength to keep going. How defeating. Especially when you want to exercise. I struggled with this for a while but was determined because I know the importance of cardiovascular activity. I sought different ways to get this type of exercise into my routine. Then I gave kickboxing a shot.
I don’t need to preach that kickboxing is an incredible calorie-burning workout (but I sure can). If you’re looking to lose weight and tone up, this activity can absolutely help you reach your goals when combined with proper nutrition. And it’s fun, which is what drew me in. But I unexpectedly gained much more than that. Outside of fitness, my mind is always cluttered, and I find it difficult to focus on the “here and now” without making a conscious effort to do so. Other than working on my physical health, kickboxing puts me in the present moment. My mind eliminates other thoughts through the duration of the workout and I’m solely focused on my movement. This sense of “clarity” has a lasting effect as I always feel less stressed and anxious following my kickboxing workout. Oh yeah, and when you’re stressed, throwing punches and kicks definitely helps too. Curious to see if others had this effect from kickboxing, I consulted the internet to see what I could find. Turns out that there are other cognitive benefits that people experienced, perhaps myself included, that I didn’t even recognize. Kickboxing requires motor coordination and spatial awareness, which activates important areas of the brain.
So to wrap this up, I’ll be sticking with kickboxing for a while. Kickboxing has many more benefits that I excluded like increased flexibility, learning self-defense, discipline, and more. I cannot promise that you’ll experience all these effects. But I can assure you that it can be an excellent workout that extends past your physical well-being by aiding your mental health. Thanks for reading!
PS – Kickboxing without the opponent!!
Collage Video Team Member
