kickboxingThere are so many exercise programs that it’s hard to choose the right type to achieve your fitness goals. Whether you want to lose weight, tone up or gain confidence, kickboxing offers it all. It’s a great workout for anyone because of its numerous health and lifestyle benefits, such as the following.

Get Fit

The most obvious reason to take up kickboxing is to get fit. Kickboxing is an intense workout that:

  • Burns fat quickly
  • Tones the whole body
  • Improves coordination
  • Boosts energy levels

It’s also fun and challenging, and when you enjoy a certain exercise, you’re more likely to stick to it.

Learn How to Defend Yourself

Not only do you get healthier, but you also learn useful moves for defending yourself. The strength, speed and agility you gain only increase your defense skills. Being able to protect yourself also gives you confidence and makes you less of a target.

Relieve Stress

The intensity of kickboxing may seem overwhelming. However, the high cardio and aggressive movements allow you to release anger, stress, frustration and other negative feelings. You’ll leave the gym feeling less emotionally burdened.

The benefits of kickboxing affect other aspects of your lifestyle as well, such as improving your discipline at work. To learn more about why kickboxing is right for you, call Richmond Traditional Martial Arts.

Fitness is important not only for looking great, but for feeling great, too. However, it’s important to remember that not every workout routine is right for everyone. This is particularly true between the divide of the sexes. Exercises designed for men don’t necessarily work for women, and vice versa. Therefore, if you’re a woman who’s looking to get the most out of her workout routine in the coming months, following these tips may help:

  1. Pay attention to your glutes and legs. While doing cardio and other workouts, it’s sometimes easy to overlook workouts that strengthen these areas and increase your metabolism. Try doing 100 kettlebell swings, squats and other exercises designed to boost this area.
  2. Stay positive, and stay consistent with your workout schedule.
  3. A woman’s metabolism works much differently than a man’s. Eating regular meals is a must, regardless of whether you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your size.
  4. Don’t get stuck in a rut. To see real results, you’re going to need to change up your workout every now and again to tune different muscles.
  5. Don’t tune out during your workout. It’s always easy to turn on your favorite TV program or movie and simply zone out while your body moves forward, but this means ignoring key signs and signals that your body is ready to stop or ready for more.

These tips can help any woman make her workout more effective. To learn about more exercise tips that could help you, call Richmond Traditional Martial Arts.

The obvious benefit of a self-defense course is to learn how to fend off an assailant. However, you may be surprised to learn that martial arts practice can benefit you in other ways, including sharpening your senses and developing personal skills.

  1. Increase Your Awareness
    First, martial arts discipline trains you to be aware of your surroundings. Attackers can conceal themselves and strike without warning. Repeatedly practicing martial arts moves will sharpen your instincts and teach you to watch your immediate surroundings more effectively.
  2. Personal Discipline
    If you’re troubled that you can’t focus on achieving personal goals, a self-defense class is a great way to teach you perseverance. The practice of self-defense skills will enhance your personal discipline, and you can apply that sense of discipline to other areas in your life.
  3. Self Worth
    Finally, martial arts training can improve your self worth. It gives you a feeling of accomplishment and added faith in your abilities, including in the following three areas:
  • Building your confidence
  • Teaching you self respect
  • Increasing your self knowledge

Martial arts practice doesn’t just teach you how to fend off attackers. It sharpens your mental and physical abilities and shows you how to be a more fulfilled human being. Call Richmond Traditional Martial Arts for more information on taking a self-defense class.

Traditional exercise and gym memberships are not for everyone. If you are interested in trying a different kind of workout that is good for you, body and mind, you should try a martial arts class. Martial arts can include any discipline or style of training in combat or self-defense, such as jujitsu, karate, and Krav Maga. Here are five health benefits you may discover if you try martial arts.

  1. Comprehensive
    Fitness Take care of your cardio, strength training and flexibility, all with one kind of exercise. Martial arts are excellent exercise for any level of fitness, beginner to advanced.
  2. Better Focus
    Martial arts are known for incorporating discipline and concentration in order to learn skills and advance to higher levels. This benefits your ability to focus and can improve many aspects of your daily life.
  3. Self-Defense
    Hopefully, you will never need to demonstrate your ability to defend yourself, but martial arts can help you be prepared for anything.
  4. Stress Relief
    Regular exercise is one of the healthiest ways to reduce the effects of stress on your body, and some martial arts programs may incorporate meditation techniques into routines for an added bonus.
  5. Self-Confidence
    Martials arts combine physical maneuvers with core beliefs, such as respect, inspiration and positivity. Students set and achieve personal goals, which can lead to higher self-esteem.
    Get more out of your exercise when you explore the different styles of martial arts. Contact Richmond Traditional Martial Arts in Mechanicsville to sign up for martial arts or self-defense classes today.

Today’s martial arts dojos are about more than giving students self-defense skills. Martial arts concentrates on centering both body and mind with essential techniques that are as useful in the boardroom as they are in the classroom.

  • Movement – Martial arts is about artistry as much as it is about combat. Like its counterpart yoga, martial arts teaches students about stance and position, many of which rely on having proper form that starts at the body’s core.
  • Mindfulness – The mind is always at the center of martial arts. Whether it involves being aware of when a strike is approaching or being aware of one’s own heartrate and breathing, studying martial arts is a practice in presence.
  • Meditation – Meditation is the act of bringing body and mind into harmony with one another. It also removes outside distractions, allowing one to objectively focus.
  • Motivation – When learning any skill, a process of error is involved. Many artists, athletes and inventors have said that they have failed as many times as they’ve succeeded. The difference between them and others is not only did they turn failure into feedback, but they also kept trying.
  • Martial arts has been known more recently for the discipline it brings to those who practice it. For more on martial arts, call Richmond Traditional Martial Arts.