There’s No Better Exercise for Stress Relief Than Boxing
By:Boxing-Based Fitness Knocks Stress Out
Sometimes, it seems like nothing can go right, everything is piling up, and you’re drowning in stress. Other times, it’s just the compilation of work, relationships, finances, moving, you name it. Life gets difficult. During these hard times, having tools and resources that work for you as an individual is crucial. Stress hurts your body and your mind, and left unchecked, can become a large factor in problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc.
According to Mayo Clinic, the common effects of stress on your body include:
- headache
- muscle tension
- chest pain
- fatigue
- sex drive changes
- stomach irritation
- sleep problems
While your mood can feel the impacts through:
- anxiety
- restlessness
- motivation problems
- focus issues
- feeling overwhelmed
- irritability
- sadness
- depression
All these effects then impact your behavior, leading to things like:
- Over- or undereating
- Sudden outbursts
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Tobacco usage
- Social isolation
- Exercising less
Any of these symptoms indicate that you might strongly benefit from finding ways to manage your stress. And one of the best ways to do this is through…you guessed it… regular exercise.
Especially boxing.
We’re not biased, either! There are cold, hard facts pointing to boxing-based fitness being one of the best stress relievers out there.
Physical & Symbolic Relief from Punching Bags
Stress is a response meant to trigger in emergencies or necessary circumstances, not something to endure every day. In general, exercise has good effects on the body in stress relief. Boxing can provide a cathartic experience in the motions – physically punching the bag increases the release of rest and digest hormones such as:
- Serotonin
- Dopamine
- Endocannabinoids
- Endorphins
These increase your happiness levels naturally to fight that stress or anxiety. Plus, stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) decrease, which boosts your relaxation and promotes better sleep.
At the same time, you can pretend you’re in the movies picturing the bag as a representation of your source of stress – knocking it out of your life hit by hit.
Blocks Out Stress While You Focus
As you’re boxing, you’re concentrating on your next step, next hit, form, etc. You want to become as accurate as you can, and while you hit in tune with the music, you forget about the thoughts that were consuming you. And if they come back once you’re finished with your workout, you can handle those negative thoughts with a fresh perspective.
Offers a Motivational Community
One of the best ways to stick to your habits is to have an accountability partner – and that can come in the form of a supportive group. At RockBox Fitness, our community focuses on building connections, lifting each other up, and helping everyone get through tough times. Of course, the workout is crucial, and we tackle it together, but our support extends beyond physical fitness. This way, everyone is working together to become the best that we can be, physically and mentally.
(HIIT) is the Ultimate Solution for Lowering Blood Pressure
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been shown to help keep your blood pressure at a healthy level consistently, especially in comparison to other forms of exercise. Plus, while you build up a habit of boxing, you’re continually gaining strength and building your body to a more stable level. That means when stressful situations happen and your blood pressure levels rise naturally, you’re already better equipped to handle it than you were in the past.
Blending kickboxing and boxing with traditional workouts and the support of talented personal trainers, we challenge you every day to tackle your stress in the healthiest ways.