According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) cause the deaths of a shocking 17.9 million people globally every year. The diseases include rheumatic heart disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular heart disease.
Statistics further indicate that eighty percent of the deaths are usually due to strokes and heart attacks. And approximately 33 percent of the deaths affect individuals below the age of 70. Evidently, people need to care about their heart health. Inactivity is one of the factors that increase the risk of CVDs. An effective way to stay active and keep your heart healthy and strong is to learn martial arts. But why are martial arts good for your heart? We explain below.
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Martial arts raises your heart rate
If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you need to work out regularly. The various martial arts styles like karate, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu boost your heart rate.
When engaging in martial arts, the heart beats faster, and this strengthens its muscles. This way, your heart becomes more efficient in performing its functions. Martial arts are typically more effective in ramping up your heart rate than other forms of exercise. Therefore, strive to do martial arts a few days every week to ensure your heart stays healthy.
When doing martial arts, you could injure yourself or your sparring partner. So, you need martial arts gear to ensure your safety while executing the numerous techniques. Check out Bushido Martial Arts Apparel for high-quality gear and equipment.
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Martial arts reduces stress
Many people across the globe are exposed to stress triggers daily. Things like job loss, divorce, or an argument with a workmate can stress a person. Stress normally leads to other serious mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Also, it increases the victim’s chances of suffering from diseases like heart attack and digestive disorders. Stress typically causes inflammation, leading to heart conditions such as hypertension and abnormal heart rhythm. In addition, stress may make one lead an unhealthy lifestyle (for instance, not working out and having poor sleeping habits). Doing martial arts is a surefire way of reducing stress and improving your overall health.
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Martial arts lower cholesterol
“Bad” cholesterol or LDL cholesterol is one of the main causes of heart conditions. When you do martial arts frequently, you trim extra fat, which helps you reduce LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream. What’s more, studies indicate that exercising decreases the proteins that carry cholesterol in the blood hence reducing heart disorders. Note that the demanding martial arts workouts increase HDL or “good” cholesterol in the body.
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Martial arts reduce blood pressure
Hypertension or high blood pressure occurs when your heart uses a significant amount of energy to pump blood. You can make this process easier for your heart by engaging in martial arts workouts. These drills strengthen your heart and enable it to perform its functions effectively. This ensures blood pressure levels are low.
Aside from improving heart health, here are more benefits of martial arts:
- Boosts practitioners’ power and strength. Executing techniques in disciplines such as Muay Thai and Taekwondo requires a lot of strength. So, by regularly training in martial arts, you become stronger.
- Increases muscle mass. Kicking, grappling, and punching helps grow your muscles. If you want to achieve a toned body, martial arts is perfect for you.
- Helps with weight loss. It’s especially ideal for people who hate going to the gym. All you need is to do martial arts for around three days each week, and you’ll start seeing results.
- Improves coordination. When you’re in a sparring session, for example, you need to stay focused to avoid getting hit by your opponent. Also, good coordination helps you master certain techniques.
Martial arts strengthen your heart and improve your overall body health. And it doesn’t take long to master any of the disciplines. So if you haven’t started, it’s not too late!
