By
Farhad Dordar
Fitness is serious business. Not only is fitness one of the fastest growing industries in the world (owing to our collective focus on better health), but the industry includes many different sub-groups and specialties from traditional gyms to yoga and everything in between. Similarly, martial arts is an increasingly popular activity world-wide, thanks in part to the meteoric rise of MMA. It's no surprise then that more and more health nuts are turning to it for their fitness program. Indeed, there are many benefits to it as a fitness program as participants are given the opportunity to develop strength, power, and skill.
Fitness is serious business. Not only is fitness one of the fastest growing industries in the world (owing to our collective focus on better health), but the industry includes many different sub-groups and specialties from traditional gyms to yoga and everything in between. Similarly, martial arts is an increasingly popular activity world-wide, thanks in part to the meteoric rise of MMA. It's no surprise then that more and more health nuts are turning to it for their fitness program. Indeed, there are many benefits to it as a fitness program as participants are given the opportunity to develop strength, power, and skill.
Strength Building
Through the practice of martial arts, you will find your strength and endurance are constantly challenged.
After countless hours of repetitive movements you will condition your mind and body while you develop improved muscle tone, muscle mass, and overall strength and flexibility. After all, successful martial artists must be strong and agile.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Perhaps the key benefit of martial arts as a fitness program is improved cardiovascular fitness. Your cardiovascular system includes your heart and blood vessels and is the main system responsible for transporting blood and delivering oxygen to your body's cells. To improve cardiovascular fitness you must engage in activities that stress the heart, and since training requires high energy output and constant, breathless movements it makes a great program for improving your heart health. Plus, this kind of training is highly flexible allowing participants to discover new ways to workout. One great example is cardio kickboxing which combines martial arts with high level cardiovascular exercise.
Weight Loss
At the end of the day, losing weight comes down to using more energy than you consume. Consistent daily activity is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight. Martial arts not only helps you to burn calories and lose weight, but the variability of these programs ensures that you never grow bored of your workout. In fact, regular practice also helps to improve muscle mass and subsequently your metabolic rate which further prevents weight gain.
Reflexes
Another benefit of martial arts as a fitness program is improved reflexes. As you probably know, the best martial artists have incredibly fast reflexes. There is a wealth of research that shows that martial arts not only helps to improve your reflexes while practicing techniques, but also in other aspects of your daily life.
Mood
Finally, research has shown time and time again that regular daily exercise helps to improve mood. Martial arts is certainly no exception to this rule, but because of the nature of the sport there are other mood benefits as well. It is focused on developing overall health of your body and mind. Participating helps you to relieve stress while also providing you with useful skills to avoid stress in your daily life.
Through the practice of martial arts, you will find your strength and endurance are constantly challenged.
After countless hours of repetitive movements you will condition your mind and body while you develop improved muscle tone, muscle mass, and overall strength and flexibility. After all, successful martial artists must be strong and agile.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Perhaps the key benefit of martial arts as a fitness program is improved cardiovascular fitness. Your cardiovascular system includes your heart and blood vessels and is the main system responsible for transporting blood and delivering oxygen to your body's cells. To improve cardiovascular fitness you must engage in activities that stress the heart, and since training requires high energy output and constant, breathless movements it makes a great program for improving your heart health. Plus, this kind of training is highly flexible allowing participants to discover new ways to workout. One great example is cardio kickboxing which combines martial arts with high level cardiovascular exercise.
Weight Loss
At the end of the day, losing weight comes down to using more energy than you consume. Consistent daily activity is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight. Martial arts not only helps you to burn calories and lose weight, but the variability of these programs ensures that you never grow bored of your workout. In fact, regular practice also helps to improve muscle mass and subsequently your metabolic rate which further prevents weight gain.
Reflexes
Another benefit of martial arts as a fitness program is improved reflexes. As you probably know, the best martial artists have incredibly fast reflexes. There is a wealth of research that shows that martial arts not only helps to improve your reflexes while practicing techniques, but also in other aspects of your daily life.
Mood
Finally, research has shown time and time again that regular daily exercise helps to improve mood. Martial arts is certainly no exception to this rule, but because of the nature of the sport there are other mood benefits as well. It is focused on developing overall health of your body and mind. Participating helps you to relieve stress while also providing you with useful skills to avoid stress in your daily life.
For more information about martial arts fitness please visit Kickboxing.net
Farhad Dordar is the President of Sport Kickboxing Federation, the governing body for Sport Kickboxing all over the World.
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http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Farhad_DordarFarhad Dordar is the President of Sport Kickboxing Federation, the governing body for Sport Kickboxing all over the World.
