Practicing martial arts is terrific for your physical and mental health. It comes with a whole host of benefits that can help you feel better. In fact, martial arts training can help everyone from kids to senior citizens look and feel their best.
Here are 8 ways studying the martial arts can improve your health, whether you’re 10, 50, or 100 years old.
#1: Weight Loss and Maintenance
Physical exercise is necessary for most people to either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can lead to a host of serious health problems including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Martial arts training provides a full-body workout that, when combined with a healthy diet, can help people lose unwanted pounds and stay at a healthy weight throughout their lives.
#2: Flexibility
Flexibility is important at all ages but tends to decline as we get older. A lack of flexibility can make older people prone to injuries and increase the likelihood that they’ll hurt themselves doing everyday activities.
Because martial arts classes provide a workout that uses all the major joints in the body and keeps them lubricated, it can help to build and maintain flexibility at any age.
#3: Mobility
A lack of mobility can be a real issue for people as they age. It can have an impact on both physical and mental health and prevent people from doing the things they like and need to do, including working out and even walking around their homes.
Practicing martial arts improves mobility because it builds strength and improves flexibility. Martial art students learn how to move quickly and efficiently.
#4: Strength
Building strength is essential for people of any age but it’s particularly important for people who are aging. A lack of strength and muscle tone can increase the risk of injuries.
People with strong muscles are able to catch themselves before they fall and able to defend themselves should the need arise. Studying any martial art can help you to build strength.
#5: Cardiovascular Health
Heart disease is still the number one cause of death in the world. Your heart is a muscle, and it needs to work to stay healthy. Improved cardio fitness is one of the most important physical benefits of martial arts practice.
Martial arts training improves cardiovascular fitness by working the heart on a regular basis. High-intensity workouts provide aerobic exercise and even low-impact exercise can improve cardiac health by burning fat and helping people lose weight.
#6: Focus
Focus is important for children and adults. In the classroom, focus is essential because it helps kids learn new concepts and put what they learn to work to complete homework and group projects.
For older adults, focus is just as important. It can be easy to get distracted by an array of things including personal responsibilities and the daily news. Martial arts training teaches the brain to be mindful, which helps to improve focus and concentration.
#7: Stress Relief
One of the biggest health benefits of martial arts is stress relief. In any martial arts class, students have the opportunity to release physical and mental stress. They build a mind-body connection that can help to eliminate anxiety.
In many martial arts disciplines, students get a full-body workout that triggers the release of endorphins, feel-good hormones that can elevate your mood and minimize stress.
#8: Memory
Memory plays an essential role at every stage of life. For kids, memory helps them retain new information in school. For older adults, having a good memory may help to ward off dementia and improve their quality of life.
Learning martial arts requires memorization as students must heed their instructors’ training and remember movements. Testing for any new belt requires a good memory as the test incorporates both written and physical recall.
As you can see, martial arts training can improve your health in a variety of ways, including both your physical health and your mental well-being.