Boxing is the sport for me.
When I was pregnant with my second child, I put on a whopping 20kg. I was a whale on two feet.
Friends would laugh when they saw my fingers and toes, which were all the same length and width by the time I was five months into the pregnancy.
Cocktail sausages were what they were called. So you can imagine — I was swollen with water retention, my clothes didn’t fit, my shoes didn’t fit, my neck and ankles were lost somewhere in the bulge.
I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror, my husband would sometimes look at me and shake his head saying, “you ARE quite big babe, I must say”.
Then I thought to myself; whoever said pregnancy was the best time of your life and that you’d feel all beautiful with radiant, glowing skin was full of crap!
I was bloated and miserable. My first pregnancy was what my doctor called a non-event. Yes, I felt beautiful, my skin was glowing and all that Jazz. But hey, we don’t live in the past. It was because my first pregnancy was such a non-event, that I was open to having a second child.
Needless to say, right after my second, I told myself; “THIS IS IT – no more kids, get your body back.” I gave myself six months to recover after going through a Caesarean before hitting the gym.
Through a chance encounter, I found a boxing club near home and decided to give it a try.
I walked in, out of shape and self-conscious — it was daunting but I told myself that I had to start somewhere.
It turned out to be a great class, the coaches were really friendly and supportive. The admin staff were encouraging, they told me not to worry and not to look at the others in the gym — “you’ll get there soon”, they’d say.
Being a stay-at-home mum, can be claustrophobic. I have two kids, running around sending the older one to school and extra activities while playing with the younger one, changing nappies — you know the drill — drains and frustrates to breaking point some days.
Boxing allows me the luxury of punching out my irks and venting my frustration while giving me a full cardio workout so that when I’m home, my endorphin and energy levels are up, stress is reduced and I tackle mummy and wife issues from a more rejuvenated, positive angle.
Unlike big name gyms where I’d feel inadequate and self-conscious, Spartans Boxing is starting to feel like family.
