Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Injury and Recovery, Mental Health, Training Tips

Guest Writer: Simple Head-to-Toe Health Habits to Boost Martial Arts Training and Wellness

Article by Dana Brown, Guest Writer

Martial arts practitioners who train hard while juggling work, family, and recovery often hit the same wall: more sessions don’t automatically bring better results. When soreness lingers, focus slips, and motivation dips, the issue is rarely a lack of grit, it’s usually head-to-toe health falling behind training demands. Small, consistent daily wellness routines create the foundation for training performance enhancement by supporting joints, energy, immunity, and mood. The goal is simple: practical holistic health strategies that protect physical and mental well-being every day.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

Guest Writer: Another Case of Black Belt Burnout

Article by Will Newhall, Master Instructor and owner of Taekwondo Tutors
MOOTO Korea Taekwondo DO Black Belt Width 5cm Double Wrap Martial Arts TKD Judo Karate (Length 280cm(9.18ft))

If you aren’t aware, the blog owner recently made a post talking about how she is stepping away from doing taekwondo. As a fellow taekwondo martial artist I will say…

I commend her courage, integrity, and self-respect in making this significant decision!

I read her post on the topic and wanted to write about my own experience with black belt burn out as well. While I am currently practicing, teaching, and writing, I too felt burn out. A couple of times actually! I thought I might throw my hat in the ring and talk about my own experience with black belt burn out.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Injury and Recovery, Mental Health

Guest Writer: How Martial Artists Can Boost Well-Being and Train Without Burning Out

When regular contributor Emma Grace Brown sent me her article about avoiding burnout, I thought, “What perfect timing!” I’m currently on a hiatus from taekwondo because I am, in fact, burned out. There were many other life-related factors that led to my decision at the end of last year to take a few months off, which I may explore in a future blog post. For now, it’s the right thing for me, and I will return to what I love eventually. I’m going to take Emma’s words to heart and think about how I can approach my training differently when I return.

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Melanie Gibson Injury and Recovery, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership, Work and Martial Arts

Lingering Injury versus an Acute Injury: Life Lessons from (Sometimes Self-Inflicted) Pain

The Achilles Heel of Advice | Blackbird
Me trying to hack life and failing miserably.

Thanks to conversations with my boss and a counselor about my severe burnout, several days off here and there for rest and rejuvenation, hormones starting to regulate so my suspected peri-menopausal symptoms aren’t as bad, and more days of actual honest to God decent sleep…I’m feeling better than I was when I wrote my last post. 

But I’m not out of the woods yet.

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Melanie Gibson Injury and Recovery, Mental Health, Uncategorized, Work and Martial Arts

If You’re Happy but You’re Burned Out, Clap Your Hands

Burnout isn't budging in the U.S. workforce | CIO

I’ve been wanting to write an article for a while about burnout. The irony isn’t lost on me that it’s taken me over a month to get thoughts to screen because I’ve been “too busy.” 

The first time the thought for the article crossed my mind I was at home, having taken Good Friday, April 18, off after a very busy week of work and two full days of being in a training program. I’d also been dealing with severe insomnia, which I attributed to peri-menopausal weirdness but realize in hindsight was exacerbated by stress and burnout. I’d hoped to spend that Friday doing something fun or spending time on one or more of my hobbies, but because I was so exhausted, I spent the day napping on the couch while I waited for the HVAC guy to show up to install a part and do the biannual check-up since that was the only free time I’d had all month. 

I was too burned out to write an article about burnout.

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Melanie Gibson Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips, Work and Martial Arts

Finding Balance and Looking Forward

balancing rocks

First of all…hi. It’s been a month since I published anything here so welcome back and thank you for reading. For the past two months I’ve mostly been focused on getting through each day, just like everyone else has in the COVID-19 crisis. I’ve had ups, downs, and am finally starting to feel more leveled out and balanced.

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Melanie Gibson Work and Martial Arts

The Fine Line Between Being Useful and Being Used (Or, Why I’m Skittish About Teaching Taekwondo Again)

Vectored illustration. Silouette of men pulling in different direction.

Years ago I heard the expression, “If you give an inch, [insert name] will take a mile.” I wonder if that is something inherent in the world of work or in American culture in general. It’s great to be recognized, rewarded for, and given the opportunity to make your talents shine, and there’s also a very fine line between being useful and being used.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Mental Health, The Poomsae Series

Taekwondo Is Always There

love martial arts

Due to feeling ill, work deadlines, the inevitable siren song of TV and wine, and most recently heavy downpours, I’ve been out of taekwondo for about two weeks. Perhaps it’s for the best as I’ve needed some time off to sort out my feelings. After my last post I received a wonderful, heartfelt comment on my last post from a reader with the recommendation to take a little break (Thanks, Toby!). I always feel refreshed after a break from intense activities in my life whether it’s my job, exercise, taekwondo, or lately my efforts to secure a literary agent for my memoir. Soon I’ll return to class to see if it’s done me some good.
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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Work and Martial Arts

The Motto That Keeps Me Motivated (and Annoyed)

blackbeltuniform.png

I have a poster in my work office that reads, “A black belt is a white belt who refused to give up.” This is a popular phrase in the martial arts world, and it’s popped up a few times on my blog.

I’m kind of annoyed at myself for buying it. Every day it hangs over my head, reminding me of my power, potential, and the expectations set upon me, even on the days when I just don’t wanna.
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Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Work and Martial Arts

Taekwondo Has Become an Afterthought and an Albatross

broken-heart

I used to be a taekwondo person with a growing career. Now I’m a successful career person who just happens to have a (2nd degree) black belt in taekwondo.

I don’t like that feeling.
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