Each year, the American Heart Association dedicates a month to shine a spotlight on heart disease and overall heart health. What you might not be aware of is the remarkable impact martial arts can have on your heart. The cardiovascular benefits of engaging in martial arts redefine the concept of cardiovascular fitness.
Here are several ways that enrolling in martial arts classes can safeguard and fortify your heart.
Elevating Heart Rate One of the primary ways martial arts benefit the heart is by raising your heart rate during workouts. The heart, being a muscle, thrives on exercise. When you participate in a martial arts class, your heart rate receives a healthy boost. This elevation not only oxygenates the blood but also continues to promote calorie burning even after your workout concludes. Regardless of age, keeping the heart active is crucial, and martial arts provides an enjoyable avenue to achieve this.
Lowering Blood Pressure Surprisingly, engaging in a high-intensity martial arts workout can contribute to lowering your blood pressure. Hypertension, a significant contributor to heart disease, can be positively impacted through regular workouts. As your heart gains strength through exercise, it becomes more efficient at pumping blood, resulting in decreased blood pressure. The less strain on your heart during blood circulation, the lower your blood pressure tends to be.
Reducing Cholesterol Martial arts participation aids in weight loss, subsequently decreasing the levels of LDL cholesterol, often dubbed the “bad” cholesterol. Regular exercise also appears to shrink the proteins responsible for transporting cholesterol in the bloodstream, making them less detrimental to heart health. Furthermore, vigorous exercise, such as that experienced in martial arts workouts, contributes to the elevation of HDL or “good” cholesterol.
Stress Reduction What sets martial arts apart from many other forms of exercise is the fusion of mental stillness with physical exertion. This mental stillness fosters mindfulness, a practice proven to significantly reduce stress and anxiety in both children and adults. Considering the direct link between stress and heart health, with stress contributing to issues like high blood pressure, the stress-reducing aspect of martial arts emerges as a significant advantage for heart well-being.
In Conclusion Beyond the cardiovascular benefits, martial arts training enhances discipline, improves muscle coordination, and boosts self-confidence. This month, why not give your heart an extra dose of care by incorporating martial arts into your workout routine? It’s a holistic approach to fitness that not only strengthens your body but also provides numerous positive outcomes for your heart health.