5 Reasons Why Muay Thai Training Is a Better Workout Than Running

I trained competitively for cross country skiing for 7 years of my life. In those years I did over 500 hours of training every year, many of which were spent running. I have always enjoyed running, but these are some of the things I discovered when I started training muay thai (MT) over 6 years ago.

1) It's more practical. Running can't help you in a self defense situation, unless you run away. MT can most definitely help you in a self defense situation, but not in the way you would expect. The self confidence you develop from training MT will allow you to stay calm in difficult situations. This self confidence will carry over to all areas of your life, making you a happier, more balanced person.

2) It's more fun. Putting long miles on the road can hypnotize you, and is also hard on your joint. Learning MT challenges you mentally as much as physically. It keeps your mind present, teaches your discipline and is a great stress release. Training with a partner and learning new techniques keeps you constantly engaged, there's no time to get bored.

3) It's a more effective fat burner. When I switched over to training MT, I got my body fat as low as 6%. I had never been able to get it below 10% before then. Here's why: although running does burn more calories per workout, training MT gives a metabolic boost that lasts up to 8hrs afterwards, burning calories even while you're sitting! This boost is created by using your whole body and recruiting a greater number of muscle fibers than long steady running.

4) It increases your strength, agility and coordination. Running is good for building cardio, but MT offers a dynamic set of techniques and challenges that you'll never see on a long run. MT pad training combines strength training with cardio, while you have to constantly be aware of your timing, distance and technique. The first time I tried it I was all over the place, and was way weaker than I thought. It left me thinking about the training even after I was finished, and I couldn't wait to train some more, which is something I hadn't felt in a while.

5) It's a better cardio workout. I know, I just said running is good for cardio, and I didn't believe it either. But the first time I tried muay thai I couldn't even get through one round! This is because you only use your legs when running, so your heart only has to pump to your legs. Whereas training MT, you're using your entire body, and this constant shock keeps your heart pumping blood to your whole body. Since the body wants to minimize this shock the next time it happens, it increases the volume of oxygen in your blood, giving you even better cardio in less time!

3 Ways to Eliminate Stress Easily

Stress is the primary effect of handling too much pressure. Most of the people are experiencing stress everyday in doing their daily activities. You must be aware that stress is not good for you; therefore you must give remedy to it.

It is hard to deal with stress when you get used to it. You sometime ignore it, knowing that you can handle it. Nevertheless, you did not notice that the effect of stress is cannot be only felt emotionally but also, it can be shown physically. A stressed person is dull. You will see the age of a stressed person since handling too much stress will make you look old. Stressed person is comparable to a withered flower. Even if it still smells good but it appears to be ugly on our sight.

Dealing with stress is the best thing to do for you able to avoid those unwanted effects. In fact, there are different kinds of treatments and it's on you how to fit your schedules or capabilities on such treatments.

Here are the 3 ways in eliminating stress easily.

1. You can deal with stress by simply managing your time. Time management is the best way to overcome stress because the time has a lot of things to do in giving loads on your duties. Doing a plan will give you a path on what to do on that specific time. In that case, you will avoid stress since your mind is at peace knowing that you have set your tasks and activities accordingly for today.

2. You can avoid stress by taking a rest. Having a break is one of the most important things to do in avoiding stress because you will have a time to relax and clear your mind. Stress is all about the mentality of a person, therefore we must find a way how to rest our mind and have a break for thinking. There are different ways how to acquire the rest for your mind, you can watch movies, listen to music, and to nap or sleep.

3. You can avoid stress by taking medicine or supplements. There are different kinds of medicine that can solve your stressfulness. However, before taking any medicine for stress, you must ask help or advices from experts so that it wouldn't harm you.

Dealing with stress is just easy to do, you just have a focus and control to yourself. Healthy lifestyle must be acquired to that you won't become easily stress and can handle much things without being stress.