Staying healthy is not solely a matter of eating the right foods—living a healthy life means incorporating both healthy eating and regular fitness into your lifestyle. Most of us already know this but what we struggle with is finding the best way to add more physical fitness into our busy lives. The standard route that people most often choose is signing up for a gym membership and trying to create their own work out routine that they adhere to for a few days each week. There’s certainly nothing wrong with gym workouts but without a carefully planned exercise routine and the discipline to push yourself to full capacity in each workout, the result we’re truly seeking simply won’t materialize. Worse yet, gym workouts are boring; repeating the same exercises over and over again is monotonous and a large part of the reason why people ultimately give up on the gym. Luckily there are much better ways to increase your fitness levels without the downsides of regular gym works outs.
One method of upping your fitness that is gaining popularity for both its success in helping people stay fit and the sheer fun of it is kickboxing. Classes and studios for kickboxing can now be found in every major city as word gets out about this sport. As people discover the benefits of kickboxing, this sport will only continue to grow in popularity.
The top reason that kickboxing is steadily taking over comes down to how effective it is for major weight loss. Kickboxing might seem like an athletic sport and in many ways it certainly is, but learning techniques and choreography tricks people into feeling like they haven’t just done the equivalent of one hour of intense cardio. Make no mistake, kickboxing is a cardio-heavy workout—it’s this aspect of the sport that makes it such an incredible work out for losing weight or staying trim. The American Council on Exercise has stated that cardio-focused kickboxing sessions can burn between 350 and 450 calories during an hour. What makes cardio so vital to losing weight is the increase of your heart rate—when your heart is pumping faster, you burn calories more quickly than when your heart is at a resting rate or only slightly elevated. The intensive cardio required during kickboxing is the perfect way to bring your heart into the target range to burn the most calories. It’s this quality in kickboxing that makes for better muscle tone for those that are already at their optimum weight—as you lose more fat on your body from the cardio in kickboxing, your muscles appear more toned.
Weight loss is not the only benefit that can be gained from taking up kickboxing. There are many health benefits that come with a regular kickboxing practice as well. Another benefit from getting in a cardio work out with kickboxing it the positive influence it has on the health of your heart. As the name suggests, a cardiovascular work out strengthens your cardiovascular system by making it more robust when under pressure. Keeping your cardiovascular system strong is an important step towards lowering your risk of major health concerns like heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.
One of the health benefits that people are often pleasantly surprised by is an improvement in sleep quality. If you’re a person that sometimes struggles with getting quality sleep, particularly if you have issues falling asleep, kickboxing is an excellent exercise yo help minimize those issues. Regular exercise that increases your heart rate is shown to have a positive influence on the quality of sleep people have, especially those who suffer from sleep disorders. Considering that sleep is one of the most vital aspects of what helps restore our body and keep us healthy, it’s a major health benefit to ensure you’re getting good quality sleep.
While kickboxing is certainly an excellent way to increase your physical fitness levels and live a more active lifestyle, this isn’t the only way that taking up this sport can positively affect you. Another pleasant surprise upon beginning a regular kickboxing practice that many people experience is the improvement not solely in their physical health, but in their mental health as well. Our physical bodies and our minds are often intertwined in ways we don’t realize, but a regular kickboxing practice will highlight the way our mental health also improves along with our physical health. Kickboxing is one kind of exercise that is guaranteed to provide you with those sought after endorphins—those vital hormones produced in the brain that regulate our moods and can improve levels of depression, stress, and anxiety.
Kickboxing has a great impact on mental health but it certainly doesn’t neglect emotional health. This sport requires one to push themselves and learn new techniques with practice. As such, kickboxing is an excellent way to build feelings of confidence in oneself. The challenge that comes with learning to kickboxer and the way the sport engages you to push yourself further and further is a recipe for developing a more healthy sense of self-confidence. Kickboxing is a great option for anyone looking to improve their feelings of self-worth and infuse their life with more positive emotions about themselves. As pushing yourself in a kickboxing class and making that breakthrough to finally perfect your technique, the sense of victory and accomplishment that follows culminates in a lasting sense of self-confidence.
As more people seek out ways to infuse their lifestyles with fitness and health, kickboxing has grown more popular and continues to stand out as a great option for those looking for an exercise that beats the monotony of the gym. After a few kickboxing classes, most people won’t turn back to the same old workouts they had previously relied on—kickboxing offers the full package of high impact on both physical health and non-physical health. This sport provides all the important aspects of what makes a healthy life—physical, mental, and emotional well being. Whether you’re looking for weight loss or confidence gains, kickboxing is an excellent option.
Premier Martial Arts studios all around the United States, England, and Canada have kickboxing training for adults. These classes are a great way to get fit, learn to defend yourself and to meet some new friends! Check out our many convenient locations at www.premiermartialarts.com.
