Mother of two Cheryl Wee heads to 9Round, a kickboxing gym to destress and cleanse before going home to her children. 9Round is a women-friendly kickboxing gym that she brought in to Singapore with her husband Roy Fong last year.
“When I’ve had a tough day, and I head over to 9Round where it’s just me and the punching bag, it’s like a cleansing before I go home to the kids, and I don’t bring my daily weariness home to them.”
The 33-year-old thanks kicking, punching and sweating up a storm as the key to her good looks. Cheryl is also the founder of Cheryl W Wellness & Weight Management and the daughter of Jean Yip. She shared with 8days.sg that she does not get to work out at 9Round as often as she’d like due to work and her children (Marc is two-and-a-half and Emma is one) but she loves it for its customised workouts and how friendly it is for women.
Those were the reasons why she and her husband brought in the fitness franchise 9Round last year. “Many years ago, I would go to those mega gyms but mainly for their fitness or dance exercise classes,” she told 8days.sg. “Then I moved on to more boutique fitness studios like spin classes, barre and yoga, and once I went with Roy to a boxing gym. It was a very masculine environment, and it wasn’t as “pretty” [as those more female-centric studios]. But I enjoyed boxing and kickboxing and started searching for an option that could offer a good workout in a clean and enjoyable environment that’s friendly for women.”
According to 8days.sg who dropped by the East Coast outlet, 9Rounds was ‘clean, non-intimidating and stress-free’. The concept is nine rounds in half an hour of kickboxing-inspired exercises, with each round at just a few minutes. Your only competition is yourself, as no one else is doing the same exercise as you at any one point, since everyone is moving through the circuit.
An instructor keeps an eye on you and explains the workouts if you need help, but you’re meant to exercise pretty independently, and there’s no scary trainer barking orders — you go at your own pace. 8days.sg reported that out of five or so people in their session, half were women and it is pretty much just you against the punching bag or kicking post. A heart rate monitor helps you keep track of your performance and calories burned.
Cheryl shared with 8days.sg, “To me, exercise isn’t just about weight loss. Yes, the physical part is great, but it’s more about de-stressing and sharpening my mental focus. And one of the stations at 9Round is the boxing speed bag which requires concentration and dexterity. What also really appealed to me was that there’s no class time schedule, so I don’t have to worry about being five minutes late and missing it all, because you know how it is with two toddlers and work!”