Winter Wellness: Going 9 rounds

Cityscape wants you to avoid the blues, and our Winter Wellness series is just the cure. We’re featuring a range of diverse ways to embrace exercise and wellness around Ōtautahi Christchurch, in a way that is so brand new to you. First up: 9Round Papanui.

I have lived my life by a few tenets, and one of those is that exercise is essential. The problem is that I get bored quickly and need change to refocus my fitness regime. 9Round’s 30-minute full-body workout, incorporating boxing and kickboxing, is brand new to me and was just the awakening I needed after a bit of sports stagnation. Stagnant sport not to be named.

Easy parking is the first real win, without even throwing a punch. Good start. I know from my brief that my certified personal trainer will be the award-winning Manager of the Year JJ Naude, which is obviously quite intimidating. But there is absolutely no need for trepidation. JJ coaches me, showing me the exercises, checking and changing my technique while I move through the sequences of my nine intense pre-set rounds. As with any new endeavour, and especially in high-impact sport, you want to do it right, and I appreciate the top-notch guidance and sports education coming my way.

My favourite part is the sound of the bells – I’m just like a real boxer! They ring with each station change, and again at the halfway countdown. They’re energizing, and keep me keen to get on with the next round.

Before I know it, my time at 9Round is done, and I know I’m going to be back. According to my Fitbit, I burned almost 500 calories in half an hour. Ding, ding, ding. Knockout!