MINDFUL BOXING for self-esteem

I’d previously believed that so long as your work gets done, family obligations are met and texts are replied to, you can live off packaged food and adrenaline and feel like you’ve got away with it. I’d been letting all the other stuff – healthy eating, exercise and getting enough sleep – slip through the cracks and I was close to burnout. Desperately in need of an attitude makeover, I signed up to The Boxx Method’s new subscription video service, Champion Me.

Throwing punches and mindfulness, much like bacon and maple syrup, are things that shouldn’t work together, but do – according to this programme. The four-week schedule is comprised of workouts interspersed with more traditionally ‘mindful’ activities – think headphone-free walking and meditation. ‘The idea was born out of my own experience of not dedicating any time to myself and the knock-on impact that had on my confidence,’ says co-founder Anna Samuels. The more she spoke to other women, the more she realised she wasn’t alone in being ‘on the brink of burnout’.

The spectre of the b-word is incentive enough to get me going. I sign up and log in to find one shadow boxing session a week, plus HIIT and yoga. These are punctuated with other self-esteem-boosting activities, from going on a walk sans phone to a Sunday night debrief with myself on the past week. The boxing instructor, PT Esmée Gummer, shouts things like,

‘Oi oi!’ and addresses her invisible audience as ‘babes’, which keeps the whole thing upbeat. When she tells me to exhale loudly while throwing a punch, I do – and I feel something. I dutifully build a wall of all the negative things I think about myself, then mentally tear it down. It’s ridiculous, yes, but it feels bloody great.

‘Boxing requires visualisation, focus and concentration,’ explains Samuels. ‘When you can’t think of anything else, you have no choice but to be in the moment, giving your mind a break from anything else going on.’ And it isn’t just about distraction. With each jab-crosshook-hook-uppercut, I feel a swell of pride. So far, so textbook, according to Dr Peter Olusoga, a sports psychology lecturer from Sheffield Hallam University. ‘One of the main ways you develop self-esteem is via achievements, so getting through a challenging training session can be a fantastic confidence boost,’ he explains. ‘The other advantage of boxing is that you’re learning a skill, and developing feelings of competence in something new can help you maintain healthy self-esteem.’

Sticking to every self-talk activity was hard, but having that structure in place helped. For me, the biggest surprise was how effective I found the affirmations to be. I stuck with the one I came across on the first day, ‘I make loving choices for my mind and body.’ I’d usually balk at this, and I didn’t believe it at the start, but I had the will – and the tools – to try.

Champion Me provided a timely reminder of just how much the different aspects of my wellbeing are connected. ‘Be the person in this workout that you want to be outside this room,’ says Gummer, as I breathlessly swing hooks at my furious, ruddy-faced reflection. A month ago, I would have pressed mute, but it turns out that something special happens when you mix endorphins with empowering talk. Or maybe, along with jabs and uppercuts, I’m just getting better at championing me.

For more information, visit theboxxmethod.com

‘WITH BOXING, YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO BE IN THE MOMENT’