GET BOXING

Exercise makes you happy, says celebrity personal trainer Paul Connolly. And boxing connects to our primeval survival instincts, releasing anxiety and improving fitness.

"My clients come in from the City stressed and angry and down in the dumps but then you get them on the pads and bashing the bags and they are transformed.

Step out of the ring and there's a sense of achievement   Paul Connolly

"Whatever makes you happy releases serotonin in the brain. Eating chocolate is a short-lived high whereas boxing is long-lasting.

"It goes back to when we lived in caves. We are too civilised now, sitting in chairs in offices, but boxing is how we survived. The adrenalin is pumping. There's a massive high and it takes longer to come down than eating a bar of chocolate.

"Step out of the ring and there's a sense of achievement. You know your fitness levels have improved. That hormone is released through sex, laughter or the love of your children or your partner, but also through exercise."

Those who don't fancy punching another person - or being punched themselves - can use a punch-bag.

You can buy focus pads, boxing gloves and straps for between £50 and £60, says Mr Connolly. Then get yourself to a boxing club for some coaching. It takes minutes to teach someone how to hit something, what part of the hand to connect with and how to position the body. So a simple "one-two" combination can be taught quite quickly.

"Boxers are the fittest fighters in the world. It works everything from the core and functioning muscles and shoulders and back, to a complete body workout and cardiovascular too."