At the stroke of midnight on December 31^st, everybody, regardless what they might actually admit to, made some sort of New Year’s resolution for the coming year. Mine was to lose those impossible few kilos I’ve gained ever since moving to Dubai. I know, ever so cliché. I have a serious problem with food: I love it. Especially chocolate. And chocolate chip cookies. And chocolate ice cream. And hot chocolate. Basically anything with chocolate. I don’t know how people just fight away their cravings; I’ll do anything to make mine go away. Anything. Unfortunately, for now, the only solution I’ve found is to work out like a mad woman.

One of the workouts that I’ve recently discovered is boxing. I always wanted to try out boxing, especially since watching all those Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes, but never bothered hiring a trainer and getting boxing gloves until recently. Not only is it an awesome workout, I feel totally badass at the gym, punching and kicking away my one hour session. Even Victoria Secret models box. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

• It’s a total body workout. I know it looks mainly like a lot of arm movement, but it’s not. You have to move your whole body around, and it takes coordination, and balance. Without realizing it, you’ve used every muscle in your body. You’ll feel it the next day.
• It’s the best thing ever to get rid of stress. You’re pissed off about work? A friend got on your nerves? Box it away, my friend. The stronger, the better. I box best after a stressful day at work, and I feel magnificent after I’m done.
• You’ll burn major calories. You can burn up to 13 calories per minute, no kidding. It’s a form of high-intensity interval training where you alternate between maximum effort and active recovery. So this is the type of exercise that not only builds strength and power, it boosts your metabolism.

“When archaeologists discover the missing arms of Venus de Milo, they will find she was wearing boxing gloves.”
John Barrymore