Health Benefits of Martial Arts

My daughter once asked me if I could enrol her in martial arts classes, and I looked at her with bemusement. Do you want to learn how to fight your own mother? I joked. Well, not really she said; I not only want to protect myself from any physical harm but to remain strong and healthy. This is one girl who drives me crazy when she is on holiday from school regarding sports and exercise- she is always pushing me to the limit to be my best. So I promised her that come April holidays, I would have found out all about martial arts and where she can take her classes from. Honestly for me martial arts has always been about watching the likes of Bruce Lee and in movies fighting enemies, but what I dint know is that it also helps one to be disciplined and healthy. According to my friend Caroline who is also a lover of Martial arts and some sources on the internet; the different forms of martial arts do not just contribute towards a fit body, but facilitate a proper coordination between the mind, body and soul. Owing to their holistic approach, martial arts can prove to be very helpful as a personal fitness program. Some popular forms of martial arts such as kick boxing, karate and taekwondo are practiced all over the world. Even though the most important benefit of martial arts that is known is all about self defence, health benefits of martial arts are also worth taking a note of. Martial arts training has various health benefits, ranging from muscle strengthening to stress release. Forms of martial arts, such as karate and kung fu, help in improving the cardiovascular health of the individuals and simultaneously tones the body muscles. Other forms, such as Thai kick boxing; contribute in improving the body flexibility. The practice of callisthenic exercises, light exercises which promote general fitness, is an important aspect of martial arts. These exercises play an important role in improving the stamina. The basic concept of martial arts is proper utilization of strength and energy effectively; therefore practicing any form of martial arts is bound to bolster your energy levels. Martial arts are known to improve spirituality, and have positive effects on the mind as its training involves great concentration and self control. Practicing martial arts can help you to control your aggression and defeat your fear, thus making you experience internal peace and at the same time, boost your levels of confidence. It also helps you to keep your stress levels under control and hence, makes you feel energized throughout. I also read that after about three weeks of true martial arts training, a wide range of physiological changes take place. Practitioners will exhibit improvements in blood sugar, blood pressures, blood lipids, brain neurotransmitter balance, blood supply to muscles, and capacity of somatic muscles and the liver to store carbohydrate in the form of glycogen, calcium metabolism and other basic parameters. The changes are not mutually exclusive; interactions among systems and their functions are the rule. These changes translate into better functioning of the body and brain, and overall risk reduction for such diseases as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, and osteoporosis, obesity, and anxiety states, mild to moderate mental depression, chronic fatigue, and breast and colon cancers. My daughter is asthmatic, so I am very excited to have found out that martial arts classes can also help people with asthma condition to overcome their breathing problem which is usually brought about by constriction of the bronchioles, the smallest tubular passages before the air sacs, and expiratory wheezing. Anybody out there, who knows where martial arts classes are taught, please let me know. I want to believe that any form of martial arts or physical discipline will produce similar results in order for one to stay strong and healthy. kayitesius@yahoo.com

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Health Benefits of Martial Arts