Daily physical exercise is vital for achieving and maintaining a healthy body. Scientific studies have proven that regular workouts help reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis. Regular exercise also decreases depression and improves the physical and mental consequences of aging.

For adults, the guidelines recommend any where from two and one half hours a week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity, or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity. It also recommended that adults should incorporate some type of strength training into their workouts.

Training in the martial arts offers adults who would like to meet these federal guidelines a complete package. A typical martial arts class includes plenty of aerobic activity. Martial art warm-up routines may include a variety of calisthenics, light jogging around the classroom and jumping jacks. The class then turns to learning and practicing kicks, blocks and punches in repetition, which is a great way to get the heart pumping.

A martial arts class is also full of opportunities to build up your strength. Classes often include push-ups, sit-ups and light weight lifting. Bag work, sparring and self-defense practice with a partner helps develop both strength and cardiovascular health and can also be a lot of fun.

Another health benefit to martial arts training is stress relief. Taking your aggressions out on a kicking pad or punching bag helps you release those emotions. Over time, stress can affect one's health and cause gastrointestinal problems, acne, weight loss/gain, headaches, insomnia, and addictions. Many martial art instructors incorporate some type of meditation into their classes to help students center the mind and relax. This means fewer trips to the doctor's office!

As a martial artist, you will not only meet the federal guidelines for physical activity, but you also learn how to defend yourself. All it takes is a few martial arts classes a week. What you get at the end of the day is everything that the federal government has recommended to keep adults healthy as well as learning techniques that could one day save your life. Do you get these results from working out at the local fitness center?