Martial Arts for Overall Health

Everyone wants to enjoy an awesome life, and martial arts provides children and adults alike a unique avenue for refining their overall well-being. Martial arts challenges a person over time in such a way that they are sure to cultivate patience, humility, determination, focus and self-confidence. It's also a great way to get in excellent physical shape and practitioners find that they're able to lose weight, gain muscle, increase flexibility and improve stamina. When you add all of these factors together, it isn't hard to imagine why martial arts students generally report that they feel great!

My grandmother used to tell me when I was four years old, "Patience is a virtue." At that time I didn't have any clue what she was talking about, but over time I've begun to piece things together. In life, it's critical to be able to wait for things instead of expecting instant gratification. Our culture sometimes encourages us to take the lazy route, but ultimately it's on us to make sure we know how to do things over time. You've got to exercise your 'patience muscle' in martial arts because the bottom line is that you won't be able to pick it all up at once.

A lot of people bring their ego everywhere with them and it causes a lot of friction. If friction were the only issue it caused, however, that might be all right-but everyone knows that being haughty and aggressive is a recipe for trouble. Although the ego purports to be on our side, the truth is that it often serves no real purpose other than holding us back. When we let go of our pride and holier-than-thou attitude, the world embraces us more readily and it enables us to move forward. When you start getting into martial arts, you'll find that puffing up gets you nowhere and you'll learn how to check your ego at the door.

Just like anything worthwhile in life, you've got to put sustained effort into the mix if you hope to end up with great results. There aren't too many areas in life where this is more pronounced than in the context of martial arts, and you'll find that determination will keep you moving when things seem tough. You've got to have an overarching vision for what you are hoping to gain from your experience if you seriously expect to make it through, and getting involved in martial arts is the perfect way to develop this form of strength.

Everyone knows that focus is important. Our culture is going through a lack-of-focus epidemic, and parents are wise to figure out ways to help their children learn the skill of focused attention sooner than later. When you know how to focus all your attention on a certain task, the possibilities for making things happen are endless. Because the martial arts first and foremost require focus, an individual who's engulfed in the training will inevitably hone their skills in this area. When your efforts are detail-oriented, you can't help but produce quality work-and that pays back huge dividends.

One of the most critical psycho-emotional aspects of life is self-confidence. If you walk around with your head down, you aren't going to be able to get very far. On the other hand, if you lack self-confidence and you try to make up for it by domineering and patronizing others, you'll find that you're going down a dead-end road. The only real solution is to believe in yourself-your talents, your potential, and ultimately your inherent self-worth. More and more people are discovering every day that they are able to discover their own inner strength through practicing martial arts.

We talked a moment ago about the lack-of-focus epidemic. Another major issue that's facing Americans is rampant obesity. Most people suffer from excessive body fat in varying capacities, and tens of millions of people die every year from cardiovascular disease. Having a healthy heart is central to a joyful life, and the way to get your heart up to speed is to exercise. As you might imagine, martial arts is a superior channel for chiseling out a fit, healthy and functional body. Suffice it to say that if you're training several times weekly, there isn't any chance that you'll be catching your breath on the way up the stairwell.

A lot of people like the bodybuilder physique, and that's fine and it looks great aesthetically, but ultimately what's most important is functional strength. If your muscles are huge but you're unable to unscrew a pickle jar's lid, you've obviously got a problem. Bodybuilders often face the reality that they can bench-press an astounding amount of weight, but when it comes to practical situations their strength doesn't help so much. On the other hand, the muscle you'll gain through martial arts will easily transfer to important activities (like carrying things around).

A lot of people find that as they get older, they get a little stiff. One easy solution to that problem is to stretch, stretch and stretch some more. Beyond stretching, the body needs to move around a fair amount in order to stay loose. Although stretching has its clear perks, some folks see it as boring and they aren't able to find the time to do it regularly. Yoga is one awesome way to get more limber, and alternatively, martial arts can help you move in the same direction. Depending on what form of martial arts you pursue, stretching might end up being a central part of the practice.

All athletes know that the most important factor to physical exertion is stamina. A burst of energy that lasts 45 seconds typically doesn't win the race, and the surest way to reach the finish line is to be able to pace oneself. Aesop's Tortoise and the Hare comes to mind, and we're reminded that steadily moving forward is the key. This is as true in martial arts as it is in life at large, and through your training you will get better and better at controlling your energy output. Most people usually "gas out" easily when they first get started, but over time they learn how to control their breathing, and to avoid muscle tenseness.

Getting into martial arts is a beautiful way to start radically improving your quality of life. This article barely scratches the surface of all the various benefits, but my hope is that it has served as a little window into the mental and physical transformation that people undergo as a result of their involvement. If you're looking for a straightforward way to step up your whole outlook on life, you can't go wrong with training in martial arts. The benefits are practically endless, so check out a school around your area today!