After yet another weekend of decadent brunching, Netflix binging, and indulgent happy hours, you crawl out of bed on a Monday morning feeling tired, sluggish, and unmotivated. As you get ready for work, you struggle into that pair of pants that you had tailored months ago and notice how tight it is becoming around your hips. You look in the mirror and do not like what you see. With an unmonitored diet, slowing metabolic rate, and sedentary lifestyle, it is undeniable that your health and physique have reached unfit levels. An intervention is necessary.
How to get started, though? You think about digging up your old running shoes and going on evening jogs - but alas, you absolutely dislike running. On the first evening after work, you set out on a slow jog and end up with cramps about 300 metres in. You try to push through but feel winded and bored. You keep up the jogs for one more evening, and you do feel a little better. But on night 3, you decided to ’take a break’, and by night 4, you have lost the motivation to head back out again.
No pain, no gain, they say. But is it really necessary to put yourself through a monotonous workout in order to achieve your fitness goals? You conclude that if you are going to get healthy and active, you will need something more interesting to motivate you.
After some research, you discover Muay Thai classes available at a gym near your workplace. Muay Thai Kickboxing seems like a rather fun way to lose weight. You decide that you will give it a try at the gym’s free trial sessions.
1. Muay Thai has variety that will keep you on your toes.
What an eye-opener Muay Thai is! You start off with basic warmup drills, followed by a few minutes of skipping. Naturally, you gas out quickly, having not worked out so intensively since highschool. Fortunately, the warmup rounds are over and you proceed to basic Muay Thai drills such as jabs, crosses, knees and kicks, as the instructor (also known as a Kru - Thai for teacher) commands in a firm voice. You feel lost, but the Kru is patient and guides you through the movements by encouraging you to jab forward more, lean back a little more, and widen your stance. Hey! This is confusing at first, but at least it is interesting and gives you something to focus on improving, little by little!
The intensity builds up through the hour, as your class moves on to practicing knees and boxing drills on the bags. The Kru calls you out for some one-to-one work with him. He shouts commands as he holds up the pads, egging you on to give your best jabs and crosses. He teaches you the push kick, wanting you to go “Harder! Harder!” as you drive your foot into the centre of the belly pad that he wears across his torso. You push kick with all you have within you, and he cries out “Oi!!”, staggering back and falling to the ground. Did you really kick that hard? Is he okay? But he grins, jumps up, and continues with the drills. He’s fine, but your morale skyrockets and you know you’re returning for the second class despite feeling completely wiped out by the end of the night. You head home after your shower, and crash into bed for the best sleep you’d ever had in a long time.
2. Muay Thai is a group sport allows you to make friends with like-minded folk.
You return for more classes, and begin to see familiar faces that you smile and say hello to. Though many of the drills are individual-focused, there are times when the Kru asks you to pair up with someone for partner pad work. You partner with a lady who is a familiar face from your previous classes. She has been learning Muay Thai for a month or so now, and attends the classes almost every weeknight. You feel at ease finally knowing someone in the class.
It was once daunting to attend class on your own, and you had planned to commit to two classes a week. However, now that you know someone who is coming every day, you decide to make it a daily habit yourself, too.
3. Muay Thai’s fun and fast-paced nature will help you feel and see the difference quickly.
A few weeks have gone by. Muay Thai is lots of fun and you have been consistently attending classes almost every weeknight. Even though it can be exhausting, it doesn’t always feel like you are working out. Yet, you begin to notice the changes in your stamina and physique.
You’re no longer gassing out after skipping. You learn to breathe better, and you stop getting stitches or cramps after intensive rounds of movement and drills. Furthermore, you notice that you are also moving differently. In the first class, skipping took a lot out of you because of your heavy-footed landings, but now, you are beginning to understand how to stay on the balls of your feet, keeping you light and agile.
The number on the scale is not decreasing as quickly as you had initially hoped; however, you do notice that your physique has changed. Where it was once flabby has now toned up. You notice more well-defined arms, firm lats, and less belly fat. Your senior classmates tell you that you have indeed lost some fat, but also built a bit of muscle, which explains why you are not seeing an extreme number drop on the scale. Building muscle! Never in your life would you have imagined this to become a reality for yourself.
You also finally fit into those tailored pants once more.
4. Muay Thai motivates you to develop good habits.
Because you feel good, you are now deciding to adopt more healthy habits. You no longer binge on oily food or sugary drinks, as you notice that consuming them affects your training. Instead, you are opting for unprocessed grains and proteins, lean meats, and consume more water in order to stay hydrated. Of course, you still enjoy the occasional dessert and deep-fried snack, but the comfort food which you once consumed regularly are now simply occasional Friday night treats that you have in moderation to reward yourself for such a great workout.
You’re also taking to sleeping slightly earlier so you can rise early for those morning Muay Thai sessions at the gym. Wow! Your friends begin to wonder, who is this person???
People think that losing weight and starting a fit and active lifestyle requires them to do dreadful activities and sacrifice their favourite food and habits. However, it need not be a chore. It is all about finding the workout that lets you have fun, challenges you, while helping you reach your fitness goals at the same time. We at FaMA - Fitness and Martial Arts believe that Muay Thai possesses this perfect combination. So what are you waiting for? Let this story be your very own. Reach out to us for a free week trial and watch how Muay Thai can open the door to an all-new lifestyle.
FaMA - Fitness and Martial Arts Established in 2016, FaMA is a world-class martial arts academy located in the heart of the Central Business District in Singapore. Walking distance from Clarke Quay and Fort Canning MRT stations, FaMA’s main goal is to help people improve their lives through martial arts regardless of age or athletic capability. Our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai Kickboxing, Kids Martial Arts and Fitness programs are led by experts in their respective fields. So, whether it is weight loss, a fun workout, camaraderie, competition training, or just to break a sweat, FaMA has something for the whole family.