5 Reasons To Start Muay Thai In Your 30s

Turning 30 means different things to different people, but there is a common feeling that plagues many soon-to-be 30-year-olds: Dread. They spend the days leading to their thirtieth birthday in a state of something close to mourning. But in all reality, your 30’s is a great decade of your life. And if there’s one thing that can inject an extra level on enthusiasm and zest into your life during this decade it’s Muay Thai.

As the big day comes and goes, the newly minted thirty-year-olds begin to adjust their world views. They tell themselves that it is time to put away the childish things of twenty-nine and put their savings and retirement plans into high gear.

The truth is, being in your thirties does not make you a grave dodger. Sure, you are not twenty anymore, however, you are in the prime of your life. You have the energy and focus to try something new, which makes this the perfect time to take up Muay Thai.

What Muay Thai Can Do For You

A 20-year savings plan helps you invest in your financial future. Muay Thai helps you invest in your long-term physical fitness. The benefits you reap from Muay Thai will translate to physical, mental and emotional health. You will enjoy these benefits well into the late years of your life.

As proof, look up recent photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger. At 71, he seems as energetic as he ever was. Also, he is in incredible shape. Thanks to a consistent, effective fitness regimen, which Muay Thai offers.

There are a lot more reasons that you should take up Muay Thai.

1) Learning A New Skill Will Grow Your Brain

Fun fact: Your brain needs exercise too. The more you challenge your mind, the more brain cells you grow. As it turns out, Muay Thai is the perfect exercise for your mind. It stimulates the brain in several ways:

• Learning Muay Thai techniques force the brain to process and retain new information

• It also forces the brain to create muscle memory by building new neural pathways to the muscles

• Muay Thai requires limb-eye coordination, which forces the brain to improve its spatial capability

• Muay Thai teaches you to strike, feint, duck, parry or block at lightning speed, which enhances your reflexes

• As you spar with your opponent, you will have to anticipate their moves and form winning strategies on the fly. Muay Thai forces you to think on your feet, which is an excellent workout for the brain

When you engage your mind, it grows more cells and creates new electrical wiring. This will serve you well, not only as you train, but at work and in other areas of your life. Putting your brain to work is also a great way to retain a sharp mind in old age. Simply put, a Muay Thai lifestyle keeps the mind youthful.

2) Muay Thai Is Good For A Major Confidence Boost

It is true that prodigies often start to train as children. It is also true that we can pick up new skills as adults. Imagine how good it would feel to perfect a Muay Thai technique and use it against your sparring partner. Take up Muay Thai, and you will find out for yourself. You will feel a rush of pride as you parry your opponent’s strike, open up their defence and score points with your attacks.

That feeling of accomplishment will put a spring in your step. The quiet confidence you gain could almost be enough to get you through a bad day. Speaking of bad days:

3) Muay Thai Is An Excellent Stress Buster

At the end of a long, hard day, Muay Thai will help you decompress. Martial arts training lets you kick and punch the negativity right out of your body. Like most martial arts, Muay Thai has elements of meditation. During training, you will learn techniques that help you meditate and concentrate. These techniques will help you clear your mind as you train. With time and practice, you will become more centred.

An added bonus of Muay Thai is the rush of endorphins that your body releases after a grueling session. Endorphins are your body’s in-house stash of feel-good chemicals. They will give you a sense of well-being that will banish any residual stress.

4) Muay Thai Training Is An Effective Full-Body Workout

Looking for some brisk cardio? Muay Thai has that. How about some strength training that will work every muscle in your core and legs? Muay Thai has you covered.

Between perfecting your moves and sparring with your teammates, Muay Thai will have you combine a grueling cardio workout with strength training. You will be gasping for breath after your first training session. As your skill level goes up, your workouts will get even more intense. So, no matter how good you get, you will be left gasping for sweet air after every single training session, and you will love every minute of it.

5) You Will Keep Coming Back For More

Boredom is the number one reason why people quit their fitness routines. Well, Muay Thai is anything but boring. Once you start training, you will go back to keep learning. You will go back to perfect your technique. You will go back to try and win a match. Most of all, you will keep going back for the sense of duty and community that is present in all Muay Thai teams.

Your team will keep you engaged and motivated, almost as much as the martial art itself.

The great thing about Muay Thai is that it shifts your fitness goals to ones that are more important. You will be too concerned with perfecting your technique to bother about weight loss goals or defined abs. Then one day, you’ll glance in the mirror and notice that your muscles are beautifully toned. It will be the cherry on top of the fitness Sundae that is Muay Thai.

Since you will never want to quit Muay Thai, you will remain in great shape, like, forever. Did you notice that you forgot about your thirties as you got deeper into this article? Muay Thai did that.

Come give Muay Thai a go!

This article, "5 Reasons To Start Muay Thai In Your 30s", originally appeared on Evolve MMA, Asia’s No. 1 martial arts organisation.