Exercise Motivation & YogaBox

I started a new class that combines yoga and boxing. You might think this is a weird combination but they are more alike that you’d think:

Both yoga and boxing focus on the breath. When you are in the ring, it’s essential to be cognizant of your breath. Some boxers even breath out with a weird sound to remind themselves to breath because no breath = no energy.

Both boxing and yoga build a strong core. Side plank, chair pose, plank, vinyasa are all poses that I regularly do in boxing. Weird, isn’t it? But these poses also are essential to strengthening your core and you need strong abs to absorb punches. I got hit in the core once and it knocked the wind out of me, but because of endless planks and sit-ups, I was able to continue.

Both boxing and yoga use body weight to build strength. On very rare occasions, I will warm up with 2 pound hand weights if I can find the lone pink pair in the bin; otherwise I struggle with 3 pound weights, but most of the time I train in boxing just with my body weight. This results in long, lean muscles. And yoga with boxing means supple strength and less injury.

I’ve been marketing YogaBox™ to an email group weekly and I typically send out two memes as part of my email campaign just to make it more interesting. I find the memes on Instagram and pull two that speak to me each week. Some weeks the message is motivational. Some weeks when I am tired, I just want something funny.

Here’s my collection from the past year. I hope they amuse you!

This collection was inspired after I went to my first Fight Night to try sparring against younger, bigger and more experienced female fighters from all over Massachusetts that my boxing gym hosts every Wednesday night. I got hit in the head a lot and left feeling motivated to train in defense a lot harder.

This collection is all about girl empowerment.

Boxing is the first exercise my group of mom friends have ever stuck with. We are now going on year 3. It’s true that if you find something you love, it never feels like work!

Two ways to think of Monday.

I channel Dawn Davis of Dawn Davis Yoga here. She’s more zen that I am.

How to get started when you haven’t been active? Just begin!

My boxing trainer is an artist so these memes are for him (though he did not draw these).

I posted this the week of Read Across America which featured Dr. Seuss. I thought it was really funny!

Having a yoga moment. I missed yoga the year first two years I boxed and did nothing else. Hence YogaBox was my way of bringing yoga back into my life with my favorite yoga teacher in the world.

It’s not easy trying to get better but well worth the challenge. But it’s also not an upward slope but rather dips and valleys.

If you are not in the mood to start something new or show up, just do it. You won’t regret it.

Snowmaggedon in Boston inspired this one!

Purging for spring cleaning reminded me to consume less.

Can you dare to dream? My friend and I are thinking of entering our first fight … it’s a scary thought and we will never feel ready but you gotta go for it. It’s a charity fight on behalf of breast cancer survivorship and nicknamed Belles of the Brawl.