Fighting Fit - Martial Arts and Weight loss

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weightof achievement once we begin to master the
but you need to do something more exciting thantechniques taught to us and the new confidence that
jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated,results from feeling fitter and stronger and looking
perhaps you should consider doing a martial art likefitter and stronger.
boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.Given that one of the first things to suffer, and one
In this article we list the top 10 reasons to considerof the hardest things to reestablish afterwards, when
doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to helpwe become overweight is our self-confidence this
you decide if doing one is right for you.benefit is of particular value to those of us who have
1. Doing martial arts for weight lossa weight problem.
It's no coincidence that gyms, personal trainers and5. Doing martial arts to improve body balance and
producers of exercise videos and DVD's are nowcoordination
heavily incorporating training techniques and exercisesAs well as helping us to become fitter and stronger,
from a wide variety of martial arts in their workouts.martial art training typically involves the mastery of a
Boxercise, Tae Bo, Cardio-Kickboxing, Kung Furange of techniques that requires us to be
Aerobics, and personal trainers using punching bags,well-balanced and have superior body coordination.
focus mitts and kicking pads in their sessions are justIn learning to master these techniques we naturally
a couple of examples of how martial arts training isimprove our balance and our coordination which helps
being used in cardio workouts for fitness and weightus with other aspects of our daily life.
loss.6. Doing martial arts for variety
Because martial art training is typically high intensityMartial art training provides great variety in two
and usually lasts for at least an hour in most cases, itways.
burns a maximum number of kilojoules or calories perFirstly, martial arts training sessions themselves have
workout and is therefore great for anyone whogreat variety built into them by including warm-ups
wants to lose weight and lose it fast.and cool-downs, stretching exercises, strength
2. Doing martial arts for fitnessbuilding exercises, cardio exercises and exercises
Most martial arts incorporate exercises and drills thatdesigned to improve and teach us a wide variety of
improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance, helptechniques.
build muscle strength and improve muscle flexibility soThis variety is great for our mind as well as our body.
they are perfect for anyone wanting to improveSecondly, there are such a wide variety of martial
their overall fitness.arts to study that we should be able to easily find
Cardiovascular fitness improvements require us toone that suits our particular goals and interests.
regularly elevate our heart rate for extended periodsWhether we prefer to do a martial art that primarily
and most martial arts training can help us do that.revolves around striking or grappling techniques or a
Improving the strength, size and shape of ourperfect mix of both, or we want to study a highly
muscles requires us to regularly subject them totechnical or very simple style, the choice is great.
some form of resistance training. Martial arts training7. Doing martial arts teaches discipline and provides
helps provide this training by requiring us to performmotivation
exercises like push-ups and squats using our ownEverybody knows that studying a martial art requires
body weight for resistance.and teaches discipline.
Improved flexibility is a natural byproduct of martialBecause it is also goal orientated, training in one of
arts training because most, if not all styles of martialthe many martial arts also provides a great deal of
art incorporate stretching exercises in their workouts.motivation.
As a result of providing all of these fitness benefits,Lack of discipline and motivation are the most often
martial artists like boxers and kickboxers are widelyquoted reasons for weight loss failures and for this
regarded as being among the fittest athletes in thereason, doing a martial art for weight loss and fitness
world and practitioners of karate, judo, etc aremay help many of us who lack the required discipline
considered among the strongest pound-for-poundand motivation to achieve our weight loss goals to
and most flexible athletes in the world.overcome these common barriers to success.
3. Doing martial arts and self-defense8. Doing martial arts for spirituality
One of the most obvious benefits of doing a martialOne definition of spirituality is "Activities which renew,
art is that it provides us with the fitness, strength,lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both ourselves and
skill and techniques necessary to protect ourselvesthose with whom we interact."
from being attacked by others who are out to harmMartial art training has been practiced by millions of
us if the need should ever arise.people over many centuries because among other
Like an insurance policy, we hope you're never in athings, it has a great ability to spiritually uplift us.
position to have to use your martial arts training toAs well as forging a better connection between our
defend yourself, but it's great to know this ability ismind and body, it also has the ability to forge a
there just in case.better connection between us and our world and us
Because they are primarily concerned with elevatingand others.
our heart rates to burn energy and improve our9. Doing martial arts training is relatively inexpensive
fitness, many of the workouts listed above like TaeCompared to joining some gyms and hiring some
Bo, Boxercise, etc don't really provide this benefit topersonal trainers, training at a martial arts school or
the same extent as doing martial arts training with adojo is relatively inexpensive.
dedicated teacher in a martial arts school that onlyMany martial arts schools charge a very modest
provides one service - to teach you a specific martialmonthly fee for training and the beauty of this is you
art.can train when and as often as it suits you.
Many people mistakenly believe that because theyIn addition to low ongoing training costs, buying a
punch a focus mitt 50 times during a session withuniform and any equipment you may need to train in
their personal trainer that they know how to punchmost cases will be relatively inexpensive as well.
properly and can therefore defend themselves if10. Doing martial arts has a social aspect
they need to. This is a big mistake and we hopeMany people who start doing martial arts training for
these people never find themselves in a situationweight loss, improved fitness or self-defense end up
where this belief is tested.enjoying it most for its social aspects.
Unless they've had many years of martial arts trainingAs well as training and learning with others with similar
themselves, most personal trainers and gymgoals, many martial arts trainees help encourage and
instructors will not be able to offer advice about yourmotivate each other and end up becoming very good
punching and kicking technique, they are only reallyfriends.
qualified to hold the focus mitts or kick-pad for youMany martial arts instructors too have very friendly
while you punch or kick them.dispositions and foster a fun and friendly environment
Remember, while probably great at what they do,in which to train which endears them to their
these trainers are more like aerobics instructors thanstudents who typically also become close friends.
specifically qualified martial arts instructors.Conclusion
4. Doing martial arts and self-confidenceIf your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight
In addition to providing us with the ability to defendbut you need to do something more exciting than
ourselves, one of the greatest personal benefits thatjogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated,
martial art training provides is a high degree ofperhaps you should consider doing a martial art like
self-confidence.boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.
This self-confidence partly results from theIn this article we listed the top 10 reasons to
knowledge that we are much better equipped toconsider doing a martial art for fitness and weight
defend ourselves given that we have done someloss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.
martial arts training, but it also comes from a sense