Going to the gym is great for our health, but it can become boring pretty fast. If you find your current exercise routine boring, it might be a good idea to try kickboxing. It’s a fast-paced, high-impact workout that, in addition to making us look and feel cool, also brings many excellent health benefits. Read on to see in which ways can kickboxing influence your life.
It improves balance and coordination
Kickboxing is a wonderful thing to watch because it all seems so easy when professionals do it. With the 2017 World Games taking place in Poland, kickboxing is on the list and people are becoming more interested. Watching the fighters in action shows you just how much finesse it takes, rather than just brute strength. Delivering a precise kick requires both balance and coordination, and what you learn in kickboxing will make you a lot more graceful overall.
It aids weight loss and keeps your heart healthy
Kickboxing is one of the most intense forms of cardio. You can burn anywhere from 350-450 calories in just half an hour. If you aren’t afraid of hard work and enjoy high-intensity, fast-paced exercise, kickboxing could help melt the unwanted pounds from your body. Since it makes your heart beat faster, it helps keep the heart muscle strong and it improves circulation. Belly fat, which is notoriously difficult to lose, is very susceptible to cardio workouts and it could be your solution to get rid of that unwanted flab you’ve been struggling with.
It improves muscle tone
This intense contact sport is slowly gaining popularity all over the world because it provides amazing results. In just a few months you could gain strength and tighten the muscles all over your body. It’s one of the most popular sports in the Netherlands and Australia. Dutch kickboxers have already become famous for their skill, while Aussies are taking it a step further – if you’re thinking about trying kickboxing in Adelaide for example, you can hire a mobile trainer to come to your home and help you train. With these specific kicks and punches, you engage your whole body to help you move and this improves your overall fitness level.
It helps with stress relief
Any form of exercise will help you get rid of stress, but kickboxing is particularly good at it. Imagine someone you dislike or someone who made you angry, and punch your way to a better mood. Kickboxing also helps boost your confidence, because you’re learning a valuable skill, one that could potentially be used for self-defence. If you’re depressed, there’s nothing like becoming good at something to make sadness easier to deal with. You’ll be focused on something fun, you’ll build a good skill, and you’ll be too tired after your workout to worry about anything else.
It improves flexibility
Along with the post-workout stretching, you’ll need to do a specific set of exercises to be able to deliver proper kicks. How can you be effective if you can’t raise your leg high enough? Being light of foot and flexible is essential. You absolutely don’t need to be a huge bodybuilder to be an effective kickboxer. You do, however, need to pay attention to proper warm ups before you begin, and stretching after you’re done with your training. Even the most skilled of people risk serious injury and soreness if they don’t follow the right course of action.
It boosts energy levels
After your workout, you’ll be pleasantly exhausted, but your overall energy levels will rise. Even the exhaustion that comes from exercising feels good because it’s not the burnt out feeling we get from being stressed, but a natural weariness that goes away after a period of rest, or simply after our bodies become used to being pushed further than they’re used to. After a period of adjustment, your sleep cycle will normalize and you’ll find yourself more alert and focused.
It’s especially good for women
Kickboxing offers a lot of mental health benefits in addition to the physical ones. Knowing how to fight and defend yourself will make anyone feel safer, but giving women the power to protect themselves can be immensely empowering. This is the main reason why kickboxing has been increasingly popular in US among women. It’s a good way to learn how to control your body and your mind, to learn to be calm in a stressful situation. Women in their forties can have significant benefits from kickboxing because exercising helps our bodies regulate hormones better, so we can control those estrogen fluctuations that lead to early menopause and diseases such as osteoporosis.
Remember, while tears may bring you sympathy, sweat will bring you results. Kickboxing is an excellent workout, but you shouldn’t go into it unprepared. Start slowly, and build up to something more intense, or maybe just incorporate certain moves from this sport into your regular exercise routine, if you want to spice things up.