Fitness conditioning is essential for maintaining a healthy mind and body, and there’s no substitute for regular exercise. According to the staff at 914 Krav Maga in Scarsdale, NY, a strong cardiovascular system provides lifelong benefits to every aspect of your health, and martial arts can be a great addition to your fitness routine. It offers many of the benefits you’ll find in traditional exercises and can ensure your body receives the attention it deserves.

3 Benefits of Fitness Conditioning

1. Weight Loss

Eliminating excess fat is not only a cosmetic benefit—it also increases your health. Aside from a healthy diet, cardiovascular fitness conditioning can help you maintain a healthy calorie level. To kick your metabolism into high gear and lose some weight, try martial arts. Rapid movements and agility exercises in styles like krav maga target every muscle, including the heart. Studies estimate that you can burn between 300 and 900 calories in an hour of martial arts, making it the perfect way to trim down fat.

2. Increased Cardiovascular Health

The greatest benefit to keeping yourself healthy is through cardiovascular wellness. Every workout should focus on addressing the heart, as it improves circulation, body function, and helps fight diseases. Focusing on this aspect through martial arts will build endurance, as well as strengthen your heart. The demands martial arts puts on your body differ from traditional exercises, such as biking or swimming, and affect your heart differently. By switching up your routine, your heart will learn to adapt to new forms of stress, and you’ll develop an even stronger cardiovascular system.

3. Muscle Building

Building muscle isn’t just about looking good—having a solid core and foundation promotes joint health, posture, and movement. A healthy amount of lean muscle is necessary to endure the everyday strains the body absorbs, and martial arts can help you achieve a trim form. Body weight–based strength training is an essential component of martial arts and addresses muscle stimulation and caloric burn simultaneously. This balance builds healthy muscles, and the unique compound motions hit areas of the body traditional weights can’t.

Whether you’re looking to increase your health or add some flair to your workout routine, martial arts is a great way to enhance your fitness conditioning. 914 Krav Maga offers training in a variety of styles and tailors them to a number of age ranges. Call (914) 437-5353 to ask about their schedules, and visit their website and Facebook to learn more about their programs.