The BEST form of pampering for me – Get FIT for a queen!

The last few years of being a stay at home mom seemed to all bundle together and I felt like I was hitting (no pun intended) my first and hopefully my last mid-life crisis. I was feeling sluggish and ugly and generally just yuk. I would run and eat healthy food and absolutely nothing made me feel better.  Every day I would drive past a pink women’s gym on the way to dropping off the kids at school.  There and back, there and back and finally one day when trying on clothes in a local department store I looked in the mirror and just couldn’t do it anymore.  I called that gym.  I called Missfit Boxing Studios –Exclusive Women’s fitness.

They say you should get your hair done, or go on a spa day or go out on the town with the girls.  Who thought all I would need was Missfit Parkhurst.  It has been game changing.  I am happier, healthier, fitter than I have ever been.  My brain is clear, my heart is happy and I can truly say I have found the side of me that was missing.

In the last few years, we’ve seen boutique fitness studios dedicated to boxing classes open up, while bigger gyms jumped on the trend and added boxing classes to their schedules. So, what’s all the fuss about? Boxing is not only a good workout but it is empowering. It burns fat, builds muscle, and helps you keep fit, plus it’s also a total mood-booster and will leave you feeling strong and powerful.  If you’re new to boxing, it might seem a little daunting and fast-paced at first. But once you nail the basics, the benefits are endless.

Boxing is an ancient sport that was first introduced to the Olympic Games in the 7th century BC. Since then, boxing has evolved, and long gone are the days of Ancient Greece where boxers fought their opponent until the bitter end.

The sport sees two people use a combination of different techniques to ‘fight’ their opponent. But, don’t worry – you won’t be in the firing line when you pick up this sport. Missfit have taken the basics of boxing and combined them with aerobic workouts to create 60 minute fun strength-building classes for women.

Modern boxing classes often involve cardio, stretching and weight training combined with punch bag work or brushing up on your technique with a partner wearing boxing pads.

If you’re bored of your usual workouts, switching things up and trying boxing is a sure-fire way to burn calories and keep fit.  But overall, boxing is one of the highest calorie-burning activities you can do.

While it’s one of the best exercises to burn belly fat  this sport does more than just burn calories. It’s great for burning fat and toning up, but it will also improve strength, and improve muscular and cardiovascular fitness. Boxing will definitely impact your life positively. Many people think boxing is an upper-body workout but in fact, it works your whole body. To power a punch you don’t just rely on your upper body. If doing it correctly you will use the strength in your legs and core to drive your punches.

While boxing can help you understand how to lose belly fat  and build muscle, it’s also an empowering sport that has lots of mental health and wellbeing benefits for women. The beauty of boxing is that there are so many mental benefits, From helping with confidence and low mood to improved coordination and reduction in stress. My Discovery vitality health and fitness scores have never been better and for the first time in years my vitality age is younger than my actual age.

Boxing can help women feel strong, confident and powerful in and out of the ring. It’s also a great exercise for helping relieve stress, allowing you to take your frustrations from the day out on the punch bag in front of you. Can you just imagine. That mom who said the worst thing to you… can you imagine just hitting it out.  Or the kids had you up all night with coughs… no problem, punch it out. Your husband gave you the budget speech again… no sweat, squat it out! The reasons are endless.

The techniques you learn in boxing provide you with self-defence skills you may never have had before. While we hope you never have to use them, it’s always good to be prepared, and knowing the basics of boxing will have you feeling confident should you ever be in a situation you need to physically defend yourself.

If you go to a boxing class at a gym or fitness studio, they will have all the gear you need to get started. Make sure you wear comfortable workout clothes and invest in the best leggings and best sports bra for support, so you can focus solely on the instructor or punch bag in front of you. For me I just use good old running gear but as I get fitter I’m slowly braving the brighter and tighter outfits.

You will also want to invest in boxing gloves. You can get these anywhere but at Missfit they have their own genuine leather range… they’re absolutely gorgeous.  You’ll want to smash them out fast so you can choose a different design fast!

If you’re feeling a little nervous about attending your first boxing class or trying a boxing workout don’t.  Give them a call at Missfit, come and join us for a trial and I promise you, you won’t go back to the boring life you knew before.  I’m now only on my 6^th month and I feel like I have been doing it forever.  There is no better time than now to be the best version of yourself!