| If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose | | | | arts training, but it also comes from a sense of |
| weight but you need to do something more | | | | achievement once we begin to master the |
| exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you | | | | techniques taught to us and the new confidence |
| motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a | | | | that results from feeling fitter and stronger and |
| martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or | | | | looking fitter and stronger.Given that one of the |
| judo.In this article we list the top 10 reasons to | | | | first things to suffer, and one of the hardest |
| consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight | | | | things to reestablish afterwards, when we |
| loss to help you decide if doing one is right for | | | | become overweight is our self-confidence this |
| you.1. Doing martial arts for weight lossIt's no | | | | benefit is of particular value to those of us who |
| coincidence that gyms, personal trainers and | | | | have a weight problem.5. Doing martial arts to |
| producers of exercise videos and DVD's are now | | | | improve body balance and coordinationAs well as |
| heavily incorporating training techniques and | | | | helping us to become fitter and stronger, martial |
| exercises from a wide variety of martial arts in | | | | art training typically involves the mastery of a |
| their workouts.Boxercise, Tae Bo, | | | | range of techniques that requires us to be |
| Cardio-Kickboxing, Kung Fu Aerobics, and personal | | | | well-balanced and have superior body |
| trainers using punching bags, focus mitts and | | | | coordination.In learning to master these techniques |
| kicking pads in their sessions are just a couple of | | | | we naturally improve our balance and our |
| examples of how martial arts training is being | | | | coordination which helps us with other aspects of |
| used in cardio workouts for fitness and weight | | | | our daily life.6. Doing martial arts for variety Martial |
| loss.Because martial art training is typically high | | | | art training provides great variety in two |
| intensity and usually lasts for at least an hour in | | | | ways.Firstly, martial arts training sessions |
| most cases, it burns a maximum number of | | | | themselves have great variety built into them by |
| kilojoules or calories per workout and is therefore | | | | including warm-ups and cool-downs, stretching |
| great for anyone who wants to lose weight and | | | | exercises, strength building exercises, cardio |
| lose it fast.2. Doing martial arts for fitnessMost | | | | exercises and exercises designed to improve and |
| martial arts incorporate exercises and drills that | | | | teach us a wide variety of techniques.This variety |
| improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance, help | | | | is great for our mind as well as our |
| build muscle strength and improve muscle flexibility | | | | body.Secondly, there are such a wide variety of |
| so they are perfect for anyone wanting to | | | | martial arts to study that we should be able to |
| improve their overall fitness.Cardiovascular fitness | | | | easily find one that suits our particular goals and |
| improvements require us to regularly elevate our | | | | interests.Whether we prefer to do a martial art |
| heart rate for extended periods and most martial | | | | that primarily revolves around striking or grappling |
| arts training can help us do that.Improving the | | | | techniques or a perfect mix of both, or we want |
| strength, size and shape of our muscles requires | | | | to study a highly technical or very simple style, |
| us to regularly subject them to some form of | | | | the choice is great.7. Doing martial arts teaches |
| resistance training. Martial arts training helps | | | | discipline and provides motivationEverybody |
| provide this training by requiring us to perform | | | | knows that studying a martial art requires and |
| exercises like push-ups and squats using our own | | | | teaches discipline.Because it is also goal orientated, |
| body weight for resistance.Improved flexibility is a | | | | training in one of the many martial arts also |
| natural byproduct of martial arts training because | | | | provides a great deal of motivation.Lack of |
| most, if not all styles of martial art incorporate | | | | discipline and motivation are the most often |
| stretching exercises in their workouts.As a result | | | | quoted reasons for weight loss failures and for |
| of providing all of these fitness benefits, martial | | | | this reason, doing a martial art for weight loss and |
| artists like boxers and kickboxers are widely | | | | fitness may help many of us who lack the |
| regarded as being among the fittest athletes in | | | | required discipline and motivation to achieve our |
| the world and practitioners of karate, judo, etc | | | | weight loss goals to overcome these common |
| are considered among the strongest | | | | barriers to success.8. Doing martial arts for |
| pound-for-pound and most flexible athletes in the | | | | spiritualityOne definition of spirituality is "Activities |
| world.3. Doing martial arts and self-defenseOne of | | | | which renew, lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both |
| the most obvious benefits of doing a martial art is | | | | ourselves and those with whom we |
| that it provides us with the fitness, strength, skill | | | | interact."Martial art training has been practiced by |
| and techniques necessary to protect ourselves | | | | millions of people over many centuries because |
| from being attacked by others who are out to | | | | among other things, it has a great ability to |
| harm us if the need should ever arise.Like an | | | | spiritually uplift us.As well as forging a better |
| insurance policy, we hope you're never in a | | | | connection between our mind and body, it also |
| position to have to use your martial arts training | | | | has the ability to forge a better connection |
| to defend yourself, but it's great to know this | | | | between us and our world and us and others.9. |
| ability is there just in case.Because they are | | | | Doing martial arts training is relatively |
| primarily concerned with elevating our heart rates | | | | inexpensiveCompared to joining some gyms and |
| to burn energy and improve our fitness, many of | | | | hiring some personal trainers, training at a martial |
| the workouts listed above like Tae Bo, Boxercise, | | | | arts school or dojo is relatively inexpensive.Many |
| etc don't really provide this benefit to the same | | | | martial arts schools charge a very modest |
| extent as doing martial arts training with a | | | | monthly fee for training and the beauty of this is |
| dedicated teacher in a martial arts school that | | | | you can train when and as often as it suits you.In |
| only provides one service - to teach you a | | | | addition to low ongoing training costs, buying a |
| specific martial art.Many people mistakenly believe | | | | uniform and any equipment you may need to |
| that because they punch a focus mitt 50 times | | | | train in most cases will be relatively inexpensive as |
| during a session with their personal trainer that | | | | well.10. Doing martial arts has a social aspectMany |
| they know how to punch properly and can | | | | people who start doing martial arts training for |
| therefore defend themselves if they need to. This | | | | weight loss, improved fitness or self-defense end |
| is a big mistake and we hope these people never | | | | up enjoying it most for its social aspects.As well |
| find themselves in a situation where this belief is | | | | as training and learning with others with similar |
| tested.Unless they've had many years of martial | | | | goals, many martial arts trainees help encourage |
| arts training themselves, most personal trainers | | | | and motivate each other and end up becoming |
| and gym instructors will not be able to offer | | | | very good friends.Many martial arts instructors |
| advice about your punching and kicking technique, | | | | too have very friendly dispositions and foster a |
| they are only really qualified to hold the focus | | | | fun and friendly environment in which to train |
| mitts or kick-pad for you while you punch or kick | | | | which endears them to their students who |
| them.Remember, while probably great at what | | | | typically also become close friends.ConclusionIf |
| they do, these trainers are more like aerobics | | | | your goal is to improve your fitness or lose |
| instructors than specifically qualified martial arts | | | | weight but you need to do something more |
| instructors.4. Doing martial arts and | | | | exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you |
| self-confidenceIn addition to providing us with the | | | | motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a |
| ability to defend ourselves, one of the greatest | | | | martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or |
| personal benefits that martial art training provides | | | | judo.In this article we listed the top 10 reasons to |
| is a high degree of self-confidence.This | | | | consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight |
| self-confidence partly results from the knowledge | | | | loss to help you decide if doing one is right for |
| that we are much better equipped to defend | | | | you. |
| ourselves given that we have done some martial | | | | |