Women who are looking for a form of exercise or a lifestyle hobby that has many benefits to offer, need look no further than Karate.
People usually associate hard core training and hitting or punching bags with a male dominated environment. Gone are those days.
Karate is unisex in that the best ways to kick or punch have no bearing on if the student is male or female. A push up is a push up, and students are taught the skills and drills equally. They are only encouraged to challenge themselves and move to their next personal best level.
Women today, in this rapid evolving world, need be involved in the workspace and keep up with the times. Because they are now empowered in the workplace, they should equally balance their lives through martial arts, giving one not only physical endurance but mental toughness as well.
In the patriarchal world of work, they need inner strength and a strong self confidence to stand their ground when needed in the boardroom.
Building strength physically in the body in the way Karate offers, is a powerful way for women to embody this strength, and bring that experience into others aspects of their lives, like the office.
Not only will this help in their self-image, but it will give women a sense of pride, confidence, and upliftment in their health. The number one killer is not the deranged person in the alleyway, but stress and heart disease.
Stats from the World Health Organisation says:
“Of the 56.9 million deaths worldwide in 2016, more than half (54%) were due to the top 10 causes. Ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the world’s biggest killers, accounting for a combined 15.2 million deaths in 2016. These diseases have remained the leading causes of death globally in the last 15 years.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claimed 3.0 million lives in 2016, while lung cancer (along with trachea and bronchus cancers) caused 1.7 million deaths. Diabetes killed 1.6 million people in 2016, up from less than 1 million in 2000. Deaths due to dementias more than doubled between 2000 and 2016, making it the 5th leading cause of global deaths in 2016 compared to 14th in 2000.”
Weight loss is another area that martial arts is good for. Movement is important and cardio exercises will not only improve heart function but will get rid of excess grams- even kilos – of weight and water retention. It will help the body to function optimally.
Aside from the health aspect that fitness from karate offers, many women live behind the screens of their computers or the wheel of the car lifting their children. Getting oneself to a dojo helps with socializing and meeting life-long friends – some of my students who have met in my dojo more than 25 years ago, are still friends in and out of the training area.
How does karate calm the mind? Kicking and punching will reduce the stress and rid the mind of anger. Using the minds visualisation tool is also a powerful technique to activate other parts of the brain and thereby balance the brain function.
In terms of a weekly routine, Karate classes offer women a wide array of benefits, from health and stress management, to inner and physical strength, and a warm, supportive circle of friends.
Join a class in Parkview to try out Kobujutsu Karate and learn more about the benefits of martial arts, by contacting Sensei Leo Ming.