by James Bee
For the fighter, there are many aspects to consider when it comes to maximizing your training efforts such as diet and supplements. But if I had to talk about 1 subject most Muay Thai athletes overlook it would be the effects stress can be having on their performance and general well being.
When you first get into Muay Thai training it can relieve stress. But when you begin to fight it can become stressful. Dealing with training 5-6 days per week while working a full time job, running a household and whatever else life throws at you adds a lot of pressure to your game. Add cutting weight or injuries on top of all this and it’s pretty damn intense. So that’s why stress levels are something that needs to be minimised.
In this post I’ve listed 3 important things I feel Muay Thai athletes should be practicing each day in order to combat stress…
Which of these things will you start doing?
What type of athletes are you? Do you leave no stone unturned? In my experience, the athletes who are more proactive about their health and wellbeing are headed for great things. Take some interest in these 3 areas and it will pay dividends to your stress levels, essentially resulting in better performance.
Meditation - Diaphragmatic breathing
One thing fighters should be doing each day is meditation or diaphragmatic breathing to reduce stress and increase wellbeing. Dysfunctional breathing patterns can really affect your performance. It can mess with your sleeping patterns, increase stress and affect important systems in the body like hormone production and immune function. This can also impact negatively on fat loss. There is evidence showing diaphragmatic breathing reduces stress, depression and anxiety. Diaphragmatic breathing helps the athlete by decreasing cortisol and increasing melatonin which helps your sleep and wake cycles. Watch this video and give it a try, you will instantly feel the difference.
Preparing food ahead of time
What has preparing food got to do with stress? Well for people trying to lose weight, diet alone can be stressful if you’re not organised. We all know how it feels to come home from training and you then need to cook a meal, the hunger its self can be stressful. Studies tell us that consuming a meal without the burden of choosing has potential to reduce that stress. Food prepping won’t only reduce stress; it will save you money and improve your health. If you’re not sure how to start prepping food, this post is a good start. And if you’re still not sure exactly which meats, vegetables, fruits, fats and carbohydrate sources are best to optimize your martial arts training, Download your FREE Muay Thai athletes grocery list HERE.
Get a good night sleep
There is plenty of evidence that tells us that sleep deprivation and performance don’t mix well. Whether it’s a busy lifestyle, kids, or competition on the brain keeping you awake at night, science tells us that sleep deprivation can affect your stress levels and impact on performance. There is also evidence that suggests sleep deprivation can slow or stall fat loss, affect hormone production, and promote immune system dysfunction. So it’s in athlete’s best interest to ensure adequate sleep. How much sleep is enough? This recent research review suggests between 7-8 hours each night is a must. To get a better sleep, I picked up a helpful tip from author Tim Ferriss. It’s called the half military crawl position. Tim says this is a technique which the Inuits and other cultures have used is to prevent infants from moving, which calms them – resulting in a better sleep.
Stress reduction summary:
1. Practice diaphragmatic breathing
2. Get organised by prepping food
3. Get a good night’s sleep
James Bee is an Aussie fitness and nutrition coach who specializes in weight cut management for pro Muay Thai fighters. If you would like to learn tips, tricks, and awesome information for fighters and like-minded athletes, check out his website JB Fitness Systems and follow his Facebook page. You can also download his brand new 8 week cutting guide Here.
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