It’s hard to deny that by the time we get through January it already feels like we’ve faced a full year’s worth of woe. The Brits call it “February fatigue” and while we don’t have their grey weather or their Brexit woes to weary us in the post-holiday months, it’s hard to deny that even here in sunny South Africa, just getting January has already used up almost a year’s worth of energy.
The fact is that in the wake of the festive season excesses and your return to the routine of responsibility that comprises most of our years, the holiday hangover really starts to kick in around February, leaving us feeling fatigued and burned out before the year has even really gotten going.
Of course, here at the SMA Centre, our answer to the problem is martial arts.
Fighting fatigue with fight training? Really?
It might seem counterintuitive to think that adding another activity, especially a physical one, to your schedule would combat exhaustion. Or maybe you assume that we’re talking only about low-impact arts like Tai Chi.
However, while there’s little doubt that the focused and aligned body and mind that Tai Chi develops would be a helpful foil to bone-deep weariness, we’d actually also suggest some of our higher-octane or more energy-intensive arts, like Sanda, San Thai, or even Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
While a particularly intensive training session might leave you on your back and staring at the ceiling out of sheer exhaustion, taken as a whole, training does not wear you down, it builds you up.
Build resistance to fatigue
With the cardiovascular workout that you’ll get from a good martial arts training session, you will be conditioning your body and building up your fitness. The endorphins that pump through your body will elevate your day-to-day mood, and your increasing fitness levels will leave you feeling healthier, happier, and more able to tackle the challenges of the year stretched out ahead of you.
A honed mind is an energised mind
Unlike a standard workout regimen, a martial arts programme will train your mind as well as your body, honing your understanding of the techniques you perform and developing your alertness and situational awareness. You could almost consider a martial arts class to be a study session and workout rolled into one effective and stimulating activity.
An active mind has been found to have many benefits, including combating fatigue and slowing cognitive decline that comes with very advanced age.
Contact the SMA Centre and book your class today
For a healthy body and focused mind, consider giving the SMA Centre a call and asking about the martial arts we teach. Alternatively, come through to the studio and ask about trying out a free introductory class.