The average working adult lives a very sedentary life, often through no fault of their own. The eight hours spent sitting at work alone each day can have major negative health impacts and unfortunately it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Throw in the time you spend sitting for meals, watching television and sleeping and it quickly becomes apparent that most of us spend the majority of our time off our feet.
A sedentary lifestyle can lead to blood clots, muscle deterioration, and an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Martial arts is a great way to manage weight and improve your health while participating in an activity that you love.
It’s Regular Exercise
Martial arts classes immediately introduce regular exercise into your life. Most health experts recommend one hour of vigorous physical activity on all or most days of the week. Regular martial arts classes are a fun way to reach that goal.
It’s a Well Rounded Workout
Martial arts improve your mind, tones your muscles and give you a serious cardio workout all at the same time. There are few physical activities that test the entire body in quite the same way as martial arts making them a great way to achieve overall fitness.
You Burn Lots of calories While Having Fun
If your goal is to lose weight, burning calories is key. To lose one pound you need to burn roughly 3500 calories–a number that can be very difficult to achieve in a typically sedentary lifestyle. During an average martial arts class participants may burn up to several hundred calories at a time. If you go to several classes throughout the week you are likely to lose weight quickly in no time at all.
In addition to keeping you active, martial arts can also introduce you to a culture of physical fitness. In other words, as you meet likeminded people that are working out regularly and also eating right it’s likely that you will begin to adopt similar behaviors.