Fitness for Older Adults & The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Kids

Fitness for Older Adults : By Mary O Brien Dip. ITEC

Keeping active and remaining fit can help prolong your life and can even help prevent or delay illnesses or disabilities as you grow older. The benefits of physical activity extend throughout life and can improve many health conditions. Being active helps lower your risk of falls and developing heart disease and diabetes and can help you live on your own longer. Fitness and physical activity are safe for most older adults—even for those with stable chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. Your doctor can advise you about the safety of certain activities and increasing your fitness level.

HOW TO KEEP FIT

• Choose activities you enjoy.
• Make being fit part of your everyday life. Playing with children, gardening, walking, dancing, and housecleaning are just a few activities that can improve your fitness.
• Combine a range of activities that include aerobic activity, strengthening, flexibility, and balance.
• Start slow and gradually build up to a total of at least 30 minutes of activity a day on most days of the week. Activities can be broken up throughout the day.
• Keep safety in mind. Always wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes and use appropriate safety gear. Avoid outdoor activities in extreme cold or heat. Drink plenty of fluids while engaging in physical activity.

HOW TO KEEP FIT

• Aerobic activities (exercises that increase oxygen use to improve heart and lung function) such as walking, gardening, and swimming can help strengthen your heart and lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. They can also improve your mood and sleep.
• Strengthening activities, such as repetitive lifting of light weights or even household items such as canned foods, can improve your muscle and bone health. Strengthening leg and hip muscles with leg weight exercises can help reduce your risk of falls.
• Flexibility and balancing exercises, such as tai chi, stretching, and yoga, can help prevent injuries and stiff joints.

BE AWARE OF DANGER SIGNS

Stop the activity and call your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Pain or pressure in your chest, arms, neck, or jaw
• Feeling lightheaded, nauseated, or weak
• Becoming short of breath
• Developing pain in your legs, calves, or back
• Having an uncomfortable sensation of your heart beating too fast

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The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Kids

As any martial artist will tell you, there are multiple benefits in martial arts training. Of course, the most obvious benefit is a knowledge of self defence which is one of the major reasons why systems were developed in the first place. Knowing how to defend oneself and loved ones in a potentially dangerous situation is an asset in today’s world just as it was hundreds of years ago. Unlike often portrayed in the movies, training is not just about fighting. Many people take up martial arts for the fitness benefits as well. Training in karate, tae kwon do, kung fu and other styles will improve one’s cardiovascular fitness as well as tone the muscular system. Strength will increase from the calisthenics usually employed within training but perhaps not to the same extent as working out with weights. But overall power of one’s body will definitely increase since the techniques teach how to use strength effectively.

Most people will also improve their flexibility significantly while training since entire ranges of motion from the body are exercised. This is especially true with styles such as tae kwon do, Thai kickboxing as well as some schools of karate and kung fu where high kicks are used. All martial art styles will result in an improvement of one’s coordination as well.

Unlike many other forms of physical activity, martial arts also have a mental and sometimes spiritual element which not only improves the mind’s focus but also helps in self control. Emotions such as anger and fear are better controlled through training. Many martial artists can find an inner peace through their training. In today’s hectic world, these particular benefits translate into one of the most effective stress management tools available. When training in a session or in a group class, all the day to day troubles of the world seem to be forgotten. People come out refreshed, energized and ready to tackle the big world out there.

Training in martial arts usually involves many little steps and progressions. As one advances, the feeling of accomplishment comes with added confidence. This is especially beneficial for children who were not very confident in the first place. An increase in self confidence for kids (as well as adults) will have a cross over effect in other areas of life such as in other sports and general self esteem. Other challenges in life, both physical and mental, will be met with much less fear.

An important benefit of martial arts training for parents to note is that children will generally become more disciplined from the unique formalities of martial arts classes. This is one benefit that is often lacking in other sports. Former ‘problem’ kids with bad attitudes could become well behaved and respectful as a result of taking classes a few times per week. Respect is something that all instructors place great importance in during their classes. Martial arts kids are often very well behaved children no matter what social economic backgrounds they come from.

Martial arts training has so many great benefits covering physical, mental and emotional aspects that it’s no wonder why it has become one of the most popular activities for both adults and children. There are many classes on in Cobh and now an Academy has opened in Carrigtwohill so if you are thinking of martial arts for yourself or for your children it is an option without doubt that will benefit them for many years to come.