ACSM’s annual survey of worldwide fitness trends for 2016 showed a decline in the interests of exercise programs to combat childhood obesity.
This is alarming when one considers that overweight children are largely doomed to a lifetime of struggling with low self-esteem, depression and serious health risks.
If you or your children are overweight and unfit, it is never too late to start a program of healthy living – both physical and mental.
Enter Muay Thai, and its many life-changing benefits for participants of all ages.
Let’s see how this mixed martial arts form has been turning lives around and sculpting good citizens for thousands of years.
Muay Thai Training Is a Great Cardio Workout
Cardiovascular training is great for mind and body. Getting your heart pumping decreases the risk of heart disease, creates greater lung capacity and better bone density. It also melts those pounds away and releases a whole lot of feel-good endorphins.
A Muay Thai workout involves both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, providing a full body workout to assist with weight-loss, and improve your fitness, wellbeing, and longevity.
Coordination Is King
There’s nothing like facing a heavy, swinging boxing bag or a lightning quick opponent to fine tune your coordination –fast. Apart from being a great way to hone your technique, sparring during Muay Thai training is perfect for improving your timing and depth perception.
You can kiss clumsiness goodbye with Muay Thai. Even practicing the fancy footwork improves coordination, timing, and dexterity many times over.
Beneficial Body Conditioning
Weight loss is only one of the benefits for your look when you take up Muay Thai training. This sport is an excellent body conditioner.
The footwork and techniques that you learn during your classes are great for the thigh and calf muscles, improve your balance, and strengthen your entire lower body. You will find that your hips become more flexible.
Limber hips are good for more than busting a move on the dance floor. They are also less likely to succumb to painful age-associated degeneration, meaning you are unlikely to break one during a slip in the shower.
It’s no surprise that many of the world’s fittest, most toned celebrities choose martial arts for body conditioning.
Improved Lifestyle
The principles of Muay Thai training teach you to view your body as a weapon and encourage healthy living. As your only means of defense, it makes sense to keep your body in the best shape it can be in.
You will find out how to listen to your body and ensure you get enough sleep, proper nutrition and exercise to keep yourself fighting fit. If you don’t, you are going down the next time you step into the ring.
Heightened Mind–Body Connection
During your training, you will learn how to focus on and control your breathing. This heightens your senses and puts you in tune with your inner thoughts and emotions.
You will learn how to cope constructively with fear and anxiety. Being able to control these emotions go a long way towards preventing depression and underachievement.
Increased focus is just the trick for children who battle with ADD or hyperactivity.
After you have been beaten up a few times and lived to tell the tale, you will realize that losing is not so bad and not something to be feared. Also, any problem smaller than fighting for your life tends to pale by comparison. You will learn not to sweat the small stuff.
Respectfulness
There is no doubt that Muay Thai training will teach you respect for your body and its needs. However, you will also learn other valuable lessons in respect while taking part.
Muay Thai has its origins in ancient Thai practices and has many customs and superstitions associated with it. As you progress through your training you will come across more of these and learn to understand and have regard for other cultures.
With a highly-trained martial arts professional as your instructor, chances are you will go all out to keep on their good side. For those of us who battle with authority (especially children), this is a good thing.
You will respect the other fighters in your class and treat all equipment with respect – or else!
Conflict Resolution
When you have Muay Thai training under your belt you know that you can kick butt – you don’t need to prove it. Ironically, the ancient art of fighting tends to make people more peace-loving. By discovering respect for the techniques and skills of battle, you will be far less likely to indulge in petty scraps.
You will also find that people don’t seem to look for trouble with you when they know you are a lean mean Muay Thai machine. Funny that…
In this way, Muay Thai training is invaluable to children who are experiencing bullying at school.
Dedication, Determination and Perseverance
Muay Thai will give you direction. Advancing up the levels in your Muay Thai training is hard work. To stay in the game you need to practice long and hard, maintain your fitness and mental alertness and stick to it no matter what.
One of the benefits of all this slog is doing it alongside like-minded folk. It is great to experience a sense of belonging and camaraderie with your fellow trainees.
The feeling of accomplishment when you finally get that move right or advance to the next sash is an amazing high.
Practicing Muay Thai will literally teach you to roll with the punches, leading to a more relaxed, peaceful outlook on life in general. Fall down, stand up again, and keep fighting, that kind of thing.
Heightened Self-Confidence
By far the number one benefit of Muay Thai training is the amount of self-confidence that you will discover.
What’s not to love about your lithe, toned body and calm, focused mind after all?
Are you keen to become a better person? Sign up for Muay Thai training in Orange County today and reach your full potential both inside and outside the ring.
EffectiveMuayThai says
I like your article and I can relate to most of the points that you’ve made. I have been training Muay Thai for 7 years now and it has changed my life for better.
OC Muay Thai says
Thats Awesome!
Its amazing on how it changes lives and makes you a better person all around.
Thanks for sharing.