Before you can understand how martial arts and combat training can help improve your fitness and health, it is important to understand what “fitness” really is. There are two essential aspects to your personal fitness.
The first relates to your physiological well-being. In order for this aspect to be actualized, it is important for individuals to adhere to the right kind of diet, do some form of physical activity regularly, get the right amount of sleep on a consistent basis, and as much as possible, refrain from harmful habits like excessive drinking and smoking. This will ensure that most or all of the systems and parts of your body are functioning at maximum capacity, which helps you avoid painful, costly, and prohibitive medical conditions in the future.
Physical and mental fitness
The second aspect of fitness actually relates to the physical capabilities of your body. This aspect of fitness is also intimately linked with sharpness of mind as well. Apart from being able to use your body to perform difficult and exhausting physical feats, your mind must also be able to assess and evaluate a threat or a life-endangering situation quickly enough for you to take measures to protect yourself. You must be able to endure monotony, even pain sometimes, to push your limits and reach your goals – which requires both physical and mental stamina. Martial arts training is particularly well-suited for self-improvement training for this reason.
An important thing to remember about martial arts training is that it is ultimately geared toward self-defense. Do not begin training with the intention to cause someone else harm; you will instead learn respect. This kind of training is designed so that you are able to properly handle yourself during a confrontation that could potentially threaten your life or those of your loved ones. As such, martial arts training is designed to help you maneuver yourself out of a violent situation in the most practical and quickest way possible.
Martial arts can be beneficial if the practitioner can use them properly in a street fight, but the real key to self-defense is keeping your body and mind healthy. Studies have shown that athletic training in martial arts can do wonders to stave off conditions like osteoporosis, obesity, joint problems, and neuro-muscular problems. The idea behind this alternating high and low impact training is not to grow to the size of a body-builder, but to allow you to control your own body weight in the best possible manner. In doing so, you will be able to build strength, speed, flexibility, and agility to extremely high levels without compromising the physiological balance of hormones and chemicals in your body.