Managing a large amount of stress has become the norm in our society. You often hear people talking about how many responsibilities they are balancing, and how many different balls they’re trying to juggle at the same time.

But stress is very harmful to your health. It affects the way your body stores fat, your sleep patterns, and predisposes you to high blood pressure and so many other things.

You already know that martial arts classes offer you a way to burn calories fast and keep your metabolism high. But did you know that you get a large dose of stress relief too?

Here’s how:

1. You’ll release endorphins

When you go through an intense Martial arts class, your body releases a type of hormone known as endorphins. This is basically a feel-good hormone that leaves you feeling great, improves your mood and gives you a feeling of achievement and euphoria. Stress blocks out the production of endorphins, leaving you craving fatty foods, which the body will not store properly.

2. You’ll build a coping mechanism

Martial arts classes help you develop certain characteristics such as improving your decision making, calming your fears and projecting confidence. These are the very same skills you need to build a coping mechanism for stress.

3. Your sense of fear will become desensitized

You will need to confront your fear of getting hurt in a martial arts class. This continued exposure is good because it allows you to deal with not just the fear that you see in the class but all your internalized fears which may be causing you stress. Stress is often produced when you are afraid that something bad will happen to you, even if the harm is imagined, mostly because you don’t feel able to defend yourself.

4. You’ll learn proper breathing technique

Sometimes, when we are in high stress moments, we forget how to breathe. This might lead to irregular breathing patterns that are not good for the body and contribute to your stress level as well as your health problems. One of the things you will learn at a Senshi Shizoku class is how to regulate your breathing and breathe properly.

5. You’ll have more energy

After your first class you may feel tired, but once you have become a regular you will begin to notice that at the end of the class you feel energized and on top of the world. This is because your Martial Arts training is increasing your energy and serotonin levels. This is probably one of the best stress relief available in the world today and it’s all-natural!

An intense class is a very effective way of losing weight and keeping fit. You burn up to 800 calories in each class and keep your metabolism high afterwards. But that’s not all, you also reduce your stress level and you take that everywhere you go. It truly is a win-win situation.

So beat your stress into shape and train hard to get and stay healthy.