WHAT WE HAVE TO KNOW: 5 MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF KICKBOXING
Kickboxing, a unique sport, a unique experience, a real magic. If you have never got to know this different and dynamic world, it is good to do so. There you will find a new feeling, a different light. Kickboxing is becoming more and more popular and for a reason, it is one of the most developed sports filled with many different exercises.
It will improve both your strength training and cardiovascular training. With its magic to unleash the potential of people in our world, it is becoming an increasingly popular sport. It will help you learn and improve your punches and kicks on sacks as well as fight with paws and fight gloves. Many people find kickboxing an effective way to relieve stress and improve focus.
To learn more about the mental health benefits of kickboxing, let’s dive into the secret of this sport and find out more about it from the athletes.
Kickboxing is a combat sport involving two competitors each delivering powerful blows with hands, elbows, knees, shins and feet to the other. Kickboxing is composed of Muay Thai, American or European kickboxing, Chinese san shou and French savate. All this is one!
Just amazing!
What we need to know: 5 mental health benefits of kickboxing
1: Regulates mood
Stress and its high levels. Without wanting it, stress is in our everyday life and at high levels! When the weight of our stress becomes overwhelming, our mind must release the mental pressure through physical action. This will provide relief and increase the production of endorphins. That’s why punching and kicking a specially designed sack is enjoyable and beneficial. This gives you the ability to channel your vent through hits, plus reshaping chemical imbalances. Regular kickboxing training will help relieve symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression and ADHD.
Improvements in mood in general can be seen when participating in physical activity due to the release of endorphins – chemicals in your brain that play a role in mood regulation and feelings of happiness, euphoria and excitement.
2: Resistance to stress
As already mentioned above, this is your natural anti-stress method. Research and regular gym practice show that kickboxing training can play an important role in stress resistance. Similar to how exercise can regulate your mood, it can help reduce stress by producing endorphins.
The intense level of cardiovascular demand that kickboxing requires has been shown to release those feel-good chemicals, effectively reducing feelings of stress.
3: Confidence boost
One of the main problems of modern society is the lack of confidence and self-esteem. But did you know there are ways to boost your confidence levels? Are you ready to take a new course? Kickboxing is a rewarding journey! In addition to fitness, you contribute to your own personal growth and technical skills. The unique combinations of exercises will teach you to listen to your body and mind. It is also responsible for improving self-confidence, motivation, mental toughness and resilience, and adaptive perfectionism. A regular visit to the halls will make you experience that indescribable feeling of discovering and conquering new horizons.
Learning kickboxing techniques can also provide confidence in your ability to defend yourself. You may feel more relaxed in certain spaces, knowing you have the skills to defend yourself if needed. Of course, always follow safety and precautions under all circumstances.
Think of these moments as a deck of cards. Each time you add to your deck, you create more experiences from which to extract the most useful, then use them later as a catalyst to complete a new task.
Following the routines involved in centering much of your activity around your kickboxing practice can have lasting effects in your motivation to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.
4: Improves memory, focus and acuity
Are you ready for something that will push us out of our comfort zone? Complex kickboxing combinations require mental effort. To perform them, you need to remember the order, then you need to eliminate your surroundings and focus. With focus, you can continue moves for a full round. Challenge yourself to last a full round and it will improve your overall memory, focus and acuity, the coaches explain.
Kickboxing techniques require balance and coordination. These types of movements have been shown to improve brain function and cognitive state. Balance exercises, such as those that require standing on one leg and kicking, kneeling or spinning, lead to improved memory and spatial awareness.
5: Eliminating excess fat
Kickboxing is a sport that falls under the category of high-intensity training. Thanks to its different and functional structure during a workout, we use all our muscle groups in almost every movement, this in turn improves the hormonal balance, causes the body to get rid of excess fat by processing it into energy and discarding it. This sport is one of the best friends of both men and women to keep in perfect shape!
#BONUS INFO: Cardio Kickboxing vs Traditional Kickboxing
There are two main types of kickboxing classes, the ones you find in big gyms, which are usually called “cardio kickboxing”, which are found in niche training centers that teach the basics and advanced skills of traditional kickboxing.
If you want a good aerobic workout and aren’t interested in technical skills, the large group training might suit you. If you want to gain skills and learn specific techniques, test yourself in a more traditional style. Visit profiled Kickboxing centers and their classes.
#A word from BODYFIT
Kickboxing is well known for its mental health benefits, especially as a stress reliever and safe way to relieve tension. Centering your physical activity around a regular kickboxing practice has many benefits for your personal well-being, including confidence building and improved brain health.
Whether you prefer cardio-based kickboxing-inspired group exercises, training kickboxing techniques as a sport, or working out in your living room over kickboxing-inspired sessions, you can experience the benefits this sport has to offer for you.