I feel like a potato. I am crawling out the of the holidays with a serious potato-esque feel. Don’t get me wrong. I love potatoes and although I love to eat them I’d rather not feel like one on a daily basis, but lucky for me I can drop-kick that potato suit pretty quick with a cardio kickboxing workout. Cardio kickboxing literally kicks my a$$ into shape on a weekly basis and there is real science to back up all of the health benefits you reap from a cardio kickboxing workout.
1. Torch Calories: A study from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) found that punching and kicking combinations done in cardio kickboxing classes can burn up to 8 calories per minute. That is 480 calories in a one-hour class! By adding High Intensity Interval Training drills into the class like Urbankick does, that caloric burn is going to increase.
2. Improvements in Balance and Stability: Due to the nature of cardio kickboxing, you constantly move your body and shift your weight and in different directions and from one foot to the next. This constant shifting of weight requires the body to stabilize through the core which will improve our core strength and ability to balance. Balance becomes so important as we age to help us maintain proper posture and reduce our risk for falls and muscle weakness.
3. Combat Boredom and the Dreaded Plateau: Cardio kickboxing is so dynamic, multi-directional, and powerful that you never get bored! The different combinations of punches, kicks, and athletic drills will keep the body and brain interested and allows us to experience a different workout from one class to the next. It is always changing which is great for the mind and body and will help defeat the fitness plateau.
If you want to get out of the fitness rut and try something new in 2018, try a cardio kickboxing class to kick start your fitness goals!
Resources: American Council on Exercise