Are you over 40 and considering what exercise will get you through this next stage of your life? 40 is the new 30 ( & 50 is the new 40) and your body will love and perform better for you for this next era with just the right balance of exercise and intensity. Here's why all women regardless of fitness level should be taking up boxing as part of a weekly fitness regime.
Part Punch Love, part excerpt from ‘The Huffington Post’
Girlfriends — Boxing is for us! Yes, us, women over 40!
Consider this… We were raised never to hit, punch, or hurt anyone, especially with our fists.
We were raised to think of boxing as the brutish, aggressive domain of men. But fitness boxing isn’t about combat or competition. Fitness boxing — sometimes called non-contact boxing because you never hit another person — is simply the best cardio & strength gift we can give ourselves.
If you’ve never thought about how much fun it would be to hit that punching bag at your gym — if words such as jab, cross, hook, and uppercut aren’t in your vocabulary yet — buy or borrow a pair of boxing gloves and start boxing ASAP!
"Boxing started for me, when I noticed a friend of mine 'Checking In' at at her favourite boxing studio Punch Love. She was posting pictures of her laughing, sweaty and having fun. To be honest she looked happy and confident in herself - something I hadn't seen in her in years. I wanted some of that too. " Julie- Punch Love member.
So, here I am, age 46, with my own red boxing gloves and some newly found muscles, having almost too much fun at the gym! Who would have thought working out could actually be fun. I even caught myself actually laughing! At first, I kept thinking — this isn’t something I should be doing — really, is it okay to hit? — but with each jab, I overcame my reluctance as I punched my way around the room. This deeply-ingrained cultural training — girls don’t hit —prevents most women over 40 from considering boxing. But nobody is hitting me, and I’m not fighting anyone. No sweaty boxing ring is needed. I’ve got my own boxing bag and gloves and as I’m learning the techniques of boxing from my coach, I’m appreciating the beauty in the sport, especially the athleticism it requires.
In boxing, power starts in the hips, requiring muscles I never knew I had to serve a purpose, linking hands and hips in a rhythm. Here are three big reasons you should start boxing today if you haven’t already:
1. Physical: From the first moment you throw a punch, you are breathing heavily, heart pumping, arms, chest, shoulders, core, and legs working in unison. Boxing can burn over 500 calories/hour, builds lean muscle, develops stamina and endurance, and triggers the metabolism. As we age, we lose muscle mass, strength, flexibility, and balance. Boxing reverses all this, giving us back what we lose, developing hand-eye coordination and entire body strength. For women over forty, boxing is one of the most complete cardiovascular and resistance workouts you can do ... and it is fun!
2. Mental: Boxing forces women out of our comfort zone, overcoming fears, and requiring 100 percent mental concentration. It is demanding and strategic, stimulating new parts of our brain, challenging our minds and bodies. The research on successful aging urges us to learn something new, strategic, and to keep testing ourselves with new sequences and moves. Sure we can push our minds doing Sudoku and crossword puzzles, learning new foreign languages, even attempting to learn new card games, but boxing is both physical and mental. To box is to be steeped in rhythm and movement, coordinating the swing of hips, the swivel of feet, and the power of the arms. It is exhausting, exhilarating, fun, and immensely rewarding. I swear when I walk out the door I'm 10ft tall and bulletproof. Any problems in my world have melted away and I feel like I could take on the world.
3. Spiritual: Boxing, like meditation, focuses attention and calms the mind. When boxing, my mind unplugs from day to day schedules and family responsibilities, from the noise and chatter of the outside world, the ping of the phone and the distraction of social media. I have never been more present in my life than at boxing.
“My new friends at Punch Love say their daily boxing classes are like therapy. Some days its anger management, other days its counselling or meditation… sometimes a day spa - 1 hour of me time.
Punch Love is for women of all ages, no mirrors, no men and all fitness levels can join and join in. If you'd like to find out how you too can make the most of the best stage in your life simply connect with us here . We run over 90 womens boxing fitness classes a week across three studios - Annangrove in the Hills, Castle Hill and Windsor in the Hawkesbury region of NSW.