Fitness

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For my first boxing class I was told to bring myself and some courage.

After taking the two-hour class, I realized you also need bring your stamina and your frustrations because they come in handy when you are pummeling the punching bags.

To start, beginners listen to a talk by owner and instructor Savoy Howe, who has been an amateur boxer for 15 years and a teacher for 12. After having classes in a men's boxing club for more than a decade, Howe opened Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club, Toronto's first all-women boxing club, last year.

The single-gender atmosphere makes women comfortable to fight hard without the intimidation or distraction of males.

The first 30 minutes is individual warmup, which could be anything from skipping to punching bags, followed by another 20 minutes of warming up doing Pilates-type moves and crunches that strengthen the core.

Next, we wrapped up our hands, threw on some gloves and were taught how to punch properly. For the next hour we were to punch the 25 things available to hit such as the heavy, speed and uppercut bags. Punching was an awesome stress reliever.

What's fantastic about the class is that people of all skill levels can train at the same time. The more advanced people lend beginners a helping hand while Howe works with you individually to teach and offer advice and encouragement.

Depending on your goals, you can work up to getting into the ring. There are one-on-one exercises to practice your defence, offence and overall skill set. To finish the class, there's an intense footwork exercise that teaches you how to be light and fast on your feet.

This is an intense two hours that in time will not only transform you physically, but also mentally. You will not only get fit, but also feel confident about your body and abilities as boxing is an empowering sport.

Going twice a week is enough to accomplish physical fitness, Howe said, as boxing is a full body workout. Some women may think boxing isn't for them, but I can tell you, it's great to get your aggression out in a safe environment. You even get your own boxing name. Mine is the "Tusk."

Toronto Newsgirls Boxing club offers drop-in sessions where you can pay per class and come at your convenience. Or, you can buy different packages. Visit www.torontonewsgirls.com/tng_main/index.php for details.