Posted on: July 26, 2007
Get a Kick Out of It
Like a lot of fitness trends, we jumped right on in with cardio kickboxing and had a lot of fun trying something new. That was then and this is now: Are you doing it right? Make sure you avoid injury and get all the benefits you’re working for
By John Ellis IV
CTW Features
A cardio kickboxing workout can do more than whip you into shape, it can also provide an avenue for stress relief and support healthy living.
Shannon Monroe, 43, has poured lots of sweat into her cardio kickboxing class for two years, and it has paid off not only in weight loss and better fitness, but in better spiritual health. Shannon, a bingo hostess, attends cardio kickboxing classes at Pitts Martial Arts Academy in Oakland, Calif., religiously three times weekly, walks daily and has a physically active job.
“I started cardio kickboxing classes after my mom died from a massive heart attack. I didn’t want to go down the same road,” Monroe says. “Before, I didn’t make exercise a priority. But now the health of my mind, body and soul are really important to me.”
A mixture of aerobics and martial arts workouts, cardio kickboxing thumped its way into homes across America in the ’90s through Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo home workout videos. Several experts followed and filled video and online stores with dozens of cardio kickboxing videos for home workout enthusiasts, and martial arts schools across the nation added cardio kickboxing to their class offerings.
In addition to boosting bone density and burning 500 to 800 calories an hour, depending on your weight, martial arts-based cardio work, such as kickboxing, judo and karate, offers benefits that go beyond fitness:
Stress relief
Worry, fright, sadness and other negative emotional states can leave your body tied up in knots. Releasing the physical tension in your body can have the analogous affect of relieving psychological and emotional stress.
“I do a little meditation before class to get myself in the right mindset for class,” Monroe says. “It helps me leave the rest of my day behind.”
Focus
Martial arts workouts give you the opportunity to focus your attention on one activity and to see deeply into a process. The ability to pay attention and see details is a skill that can benefit your relationships and career.
Confidence
Setting goals and watching your fitness level and health increase gives you a sense of physical confidence that will contribute to your overall happiness.
“I’m not a very limber person, so the basic kicks are challenging for me,” Monroe says. “I could barely lift my leg when I started but I feel great about the progress I’ve made.”
Community
Martial arts schools usually foster strong communities where members support one another, both inside and outside the training hall. Monroe liked her experience so much she convinced her best friend to join the class and enrolled her children in martial arts classes.
If you like to punch and kick your way to fitness with a cardio kickboxing workout, fine-tune your techniques with these tips to make sure that you prevent common injures and get the most from your workout.
John W. Ellis IV, an Oakland, Calif.-based martial arts instructor, has taught cardio kickboxing classes for more than a decade.
