There often comes a moment in life when you decide a lifestyle change needs to be made. For some it is weight loss or to learn a new skill, for others it may be to build confidence or to feel empowered.
For Maritza Campbell, a 43-year old from North Andover, Mass., it was TITLE Boxing Club that gave her the strength to make those changes.
“I wanted to be a more powerful individual, both inside and out,” Maritza said. “The people at TITLE are amazing and I know that they are helping me learn and grow in a totally cool way. Every day I feel that sense of community and I know I am going to surpass my limitations.”
On a typical Tuesday morning, you can walk into TITLE Boxing Club North Andover and find Maritza warming-up for 5:30 a.m. class with Tina. She strives to make it to the club three-to-five times a week and while hitting that number or having the best workout each time isn’t always obtainable, she makes sure those trips to the club count.
“Sometimes I find myself stopping at Round 6 but then my pride gets in the way,” Maritza said. “If everyone in the class is surviving, I can too. It’s really just three minutes, I know I can do it. That’s the competitor in me and it’s that feeling that I know I can finish.”
Finishing each round isn’t the only goal that Maritza has.
Near the First Shot Free gloves in TITLE Boxing Club North Andover, sits a 100lb heavy bag covered in signatures. Those signatures belong to members that have hit the bag hard at 100 classes. Each time that Maritza straps up her gloves she has her eyes on that bag.
“I see that 100-class bag and I know that I’m not as close as I want to be and it is a driving force to get me back in the club. I need to sign that bag,” Maritza said.
Maritza joined the TITLE family because she wanted to improve her health, lose weight, feel better about her strengths and acknowledge her weaknesses. After almost a year as a member her inner strength has helped her achieve those initial goals and so much more.
It’s a regular sight now-a-days to witness Maritza knocking the absolute stuffing out of the bag with each jab-cross-power hook combination (her favorite combo).
“I had tried running, yoga and other types of exercise. But after one TITLE Boxing class I was hooked,” Maritza said. “Boxing allows me feel like I’m actually learning new skill but I also love it because it changes my life.”
The biggest change that Maritza has noticed is her changed perception of herself and realizing that every person has their own personal battle that they are taking out on the bag.
“I look around and it’s so empowering to know that everyone is so concentrated on their own life and there is no looking at me or judging me,” Maritza said. “It’s truly a sense of community to know the person next to you is struggling, sweating and working just as hard as you.”
One of Maritza’s favorite parts about working out at TITLE Boxing Club is that no matter is on her chest, what she is feeling or what is on her mind, she can leave it on the bag.
“I just have such a huge feeling of gratitude for the bag. It keeps surging toward me every time I give it everything I have and it keeps swinging back like ‘Let’s do this’,” Maritza said. “After each combination, I see the bag is still coming and I know have to summon that inner strength. And TITLE Boxing Club help me discover how to tap into that.”
Maritza defined her strong by proving to herself that not only is she capable of completing a class, but also that her happiness is worth fighting for.
So the next time you wrap your hands and throw a jab-cross-power hook, remember that there are other people just like you and Maritza, defining their strength with each day, class and punch.