Why Women are Turning to Kickboxing

Fitness is something that heals you, frees you and sets you apart. It is a gateway to personal growth and soul searching. Kickboxing is a versatile martial art that teaches the basics of striking with the hands and feet. It involves short bouts of intense, repetitive movements like, hitting a punching bag. It is recommended for reducing health issues, building confidence and mastering the art of self-defense, which as women, we must know and ace. It provides balance, power and agility and focuses on movements which, in the long run, can help older adults improve speed and mobility. Kickboxing helps tone the body through a series of punches, kicks and other movements that help improve cardiovascular strength. The benefits of kickboxing are endless and go a long way in helping one become faster, and regain strength, health and power. This workout offers more than just a few benefits. While any type of rigorous workout routines or physical exercise will help release the feel-good chemicals in the brain, kickboxing has been shown to have benefits that set it apart from the other physical activities on the list.

Benefits of Kickboxing for Women

• Quick Fat Loss

Kickboxing is a high-energy workout that combines martial art techniques with high-intensity cardio, resulting in quick and intense calorie and fat burn. With an approximate 750 calorie burn per session, this incredibly efficient workout is highly effective to enhance the fat burning process. When combined with the jump rope and conditioning drills, this cardio-conditioning workout helps the body torch an impressive 750-900 calories per session. Kickboxing helps rid the body of fat, especially around the tummy area. Stubborn belly fat is associated with an increased risk of obesity and illnesses such as, heart diseases, diabetes and certain types of cancer. Aerobic exercises like kickboxing have been found to help reduce belly fat better than any resistant training workout.

• Overall Body Toning

A kickboxing class for women usually involves boxing, kicks and MMA drills accompanied by jump rope and conditioning drills, circuit training and core strengthening exercises. The workout engages all the muscle groups in the body. Incorporating the kickboxing pads further increases calorie burn. It also helps tone the back and trim the waist as it requires an intense amount of core power. Engaging a kickboxing workout improves coordination, flexibility and improves the reflexes of the body.

• Self-defense

While kickboxing is an effective physical workout that facilitates overall body toning and strengthening, it is also a highly effective self-defense strategy which is essential for every woman to be aware of, especially in the world we live in today. During a kickboxing session, the instructor focuses on movements such as, kicks, punches, knee-strikes, spinning elbows and weaving. Women are taught how to gauge the distance, land punches and kicks. Since the workout requires engaging certain parts of the body, it facilitates the ability to protect oneself if faced with dangerous situations. It is a powerful workout that helps build confidence and empower every woman.

• Relieves Stress and Anxiety

Intense physical exercise is a go-to for stress and anxiety relief. Physical exercises are a healthy way to channel the frustration and anger that one has been dealing with. As women, we tend to balance our lives with work, children, managing the house, maintaining a social life because, let’s face it, it’s an important aspect of life. We deal with a zillion other things everyday and we do it like a pro. We’re basically multi-taskers and we’re proud of it. But, we do need a healthy way to channel our frustrations that might surface every now and then too. Physical activities like boxing, punching and kicking help the body release endorphins, thus reducing stress levels. It is a healthy way to relieve stress and gain mental clarity.
Imagine thrashing a punching bag with all the anger and frustration that’s been growing within you- Yes, please! Bring it on. Women, too, need that from time to time.

• Confidence

Kickboxing helps boost confidence levels by training a woman to channel her anger and frustration by practicing cardiovascular exercises like, punching and kicking. The workout gives her the confidence to defend herself by making her feel equipped and armed for safety. It tones the muscles and body, and enables one to run miles at ease. The intensity of kickboxing helps achieve the desired results quickly. It boosts confidence and gives a feeling of accomplishment.

• Body Image

A kickboxing group session can help women work together as a team by encouraging each other to push harder, irrespective of weight, shape and size. The workout shapes not just the body but also the mind and soul to heal a woman and train her to become the strongest and most powerful weapon. It boosts confidence and encourages women to let go of inhibitions and bring out the hidden warrior within them.

• Aerobic exercise

Kickboxing helps increase the oxygen flow throughout the body. It facilitates the use of all the muscles that work quickly and efficiently to help attain a muscular body. Putting all the muscle groups in the body to work increases the intake of oxygen in the body, improves heart rate and cardiovascular conditions. Kickboxing also increases bone density, muscle strength and coordination.

• Mental Strength

Kickboxing helps women not only reach their fitness goals but also boost their confidence and reduce mental stress and anxiety.

• Social Activity

Kickboxing classes are a social activity that encourage one to break the barriers of weight, shape and size, improve confidence levels, rid the body and mind of weakness and shyness, and interact with new groups of people. Being surrounded by a strong and determined group of people teaches us the value of self worth and gives us the motivation to interact with one another. It is essential to have a support group of friends who can be confided in and relied on. Social interaction adds to the growth of a social network which is so important in today’s world.

• Reduces Depression

Kickboxing is a good way to wade off anger and stress, and reduce depression too.

Kickboxing requires punching and kicking using all the energy which would otherwise have be focused on overthinking and that, let’s accept it, is something all women do from time to time.

Life can pretty stressful as it is, and we owe it to ourselves to channel all the excess the energy into a good, hard workout. Research has shown that bottling up your feelings and anger can lead to extreme levels of stress and anxiety which can then lead to severe depression. Depression is caused by chemical imbalance in the brain. Physical exercise is a natural way to release the feel-good chemicals, like Dopamine and Serotonin, in the brain. These chemicals have the ability to relieve and reduce the effects of stress, anxiety and depression.

• Improves flexibility

Flexibility automatically provides a wider range of motion. It helps move the body to counter shifts in weight from one side to the other, thus helping in avoiding falls. Since kickboxing involves a number of standing moves, it helps improve leg balance.

• Improves Focus

Kickboxing is a great workout for women who are aiming at improving their focus and also concentrating on a particular aspect of their life, be it wellness and mindfulness, or juggling their career and domestic life. As women, we deal with numerous tasks in one day and though we handle each task like a pro, we need to rejuvenate and recharge our mind, body and soul from time to time to help us focus better. Kickboxing is a martial art that requires tremendous focus and concentration so one can master the various kicks and punches which, without dedication would not be possible. The workout improves focus, concentration and dedication which are very important elements in everyday life.

• Weight Loss

Kickboxing helps torch calories thus facilitating weight loss and body toning. Sparring, fighting, punching, weight training and a variety of cardiovascular exercises help stay in shape or lose weight, depending on the goal. Kickboxing also helps rev up the metabolism which means that the body keeps burning calories even after the workout. Bet that one’s got your attention!

There are a variety of benefits that can be reaped by practising kickboxing regularly. It is a fascinating martial art that teaches self confidence, improves strength, and makes a woman feel empowered and confident. After all, who doesn’t crave the feeling of a “whole new me”?

At Wellintra Fitness, we have the best kickboxing trainers in India empanelled with us. Our kickboxing instructors train clients at Studios, Schools, Colleges and also privately. Call us to hire a kickboxing instructor or even a boxing coach.