Fitness is about much more than losing belly fat or building bulging arm muscles. While the outer body changes are important, working out with cardio kickboxing pushes whole body fitness for health as well as mental fitness. If you’re having a hard time deciding which kind of cardio and strength training is best for you, the fitness powerhouse combination of martial arts and high impact cardiovascular exercise found in cardio kickboxing is an amazing option.
It doesn’t matter if you’re practicing cardio kickboxing in an in person class or with online lessons – the boost to the body and mind is still powerful. One of the best facets of this workout program is that it is so flexible.
Mental health benefits of cardio kickboxing
Let’s start with the mental health benefits of cardio kickboxing. We know more now than ever before how important it is to care for our mental wellbeing as well as our physical well-being. Participating in activities that improve our thoughts and feelings is critical to having a fulfilled life. Cardio kickboxing offers an accessible way to keep our minds and emotions in a healthy balance.
Stress release.
There is so much stress in modern life, even more in the last couple of years than there has been before. All of the pressures of life have to go somewhere, otherwise they build up inside of our mind and body until we become unhealthy. Finding effective ways to relieve stress leads to better mental health. There’s no better feeling than throwing a punch for stress relief! Whatever anger or frustration you might be carrying, you can let it release through your kicks and punches, in a way that improves your mental health rather than tearing it down.
Mental agility.
Cardio kickboxing encourages quick thinking thanks to its martial arts foundation. Learning combinations and then varying them during a workout means constantly staying rethinking and moving to compensate. There is always something to challenge the brain in this kind of workout, and that translates to quick thinking outside of class.
Sleep.
Rest is equally important to activity in order to preserve mental health, and high energy workouts like cardio kickboxing help to balance that cycle. Our brains are wired to balance between rest and exercise. Without adequate exercise, our bodies fall out of rhythm. Better quality sleep has been shown to improve with regular moderate to vigorous exercise like cardio kickboxing. When you sleep better, your cognitive and emotional health both improve.
Self Esteem.
With the hard work that you practice during cardio kickboxing, you learn that you are capable of making it through difficult things and thriving. The trial and error facet of training with a cardio kickboxing coach teaches you that you can fail and still grow, which is invaluable when building self-esteem. Feeling good about ourselves and our abilities is a cornerstone of mental health, and this kind of program is an amazing way to build that feeling.
Physical fitness benefits of cardio kickboxing
When we think of the benefits of cardio kickboxing, the physical benefits are usually front and center. There are so many ways that this workout style makes your body stronger and healthier, but here are just a few of the top physical benefits.
Whole body
Every session of cardio kickboxing hits almost all of the possible muscles you could want. Glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, arms, back, chest – everything. That burns a ton of calories and tones a ton of the muscles you want to grow. The high level of intensity leads to quick results. There’s constant variation in the workout sessions in cardio kickboxing too, with room to keep learning and keep the fitness interesting even after you’ve been training for a long time.
Injury prevention
A major concern with any kind of workout routine is the risk of injury. The dynamic motion of some other form of exercise like running or lifting weights can lead new practitioners to unexpected injuries. One of the great benefits of cardio kickboxing is that it’s high intensity, but it’s also low impact. That combination is fantastic for physical fitness because you can get all of those great bodybuilding benefits with less risk. Qualified fitness instructors like those at Academy of Self Defense can guide you through a routine that doesn’t push too hard but that still gives you the results you’re after.
Endurance
Because it’s a high intensity workout, cardio kickboxing pushes your heart to get stronger. That cardio component is essential for endurance and for long term heart health. Regular cardio training is linked to a longer life and fewer health problems down the line, no matter what age you start. The increased physical endurance makes everyday tasks easier, from walking up stairs to moving furniture.
Balance
There are two types of balance: reactive and anticipatory. Reactive balance happens when you react to something that happens outside yourself. Think of it has how you catch yourself when you trip on a rock on the sidewalk or the way you duck when someone throws something at you. Anticipatory balance is when you are choosing to do something that will require balance and start to compensate before it happens. Think about climbing a ladder or reaching up into a high cabinet. Cardio kickboxing helps to develop both kinds of balance. You learn anticipatory balance through prescribed combinations that your instructor works through with you. You learn reactive balance through non-scripted exercises and freeform kickboxing work. Both are invaluable for physical fitness.
Workouts like the mixed Muay Thai and Kickboxing training offered in Muay Thai HIIT Classes are a powerhouse for the body and mind. Cardio kickboxing gives you the tools you need to improve your mental and physical health, all while having a great time. It doesn’t have to be so hard, and your life can develop in the direction you want it to go.
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