Self-Defense and Physical Fitness
Self-defense and exercise have many corroborative benefits, but there are differences in purpose. Self-defense offers a wide variety of benefits for healthy living, such as vigorous exercises and social activities. Self-defense techniques can also be applied to different methods of exercise and conditioning, which enhance body awareness and coordination. But exercise routines using fighting techniques are different from the realities of fighting. When exercising, our body naturally seeks to establish physiological homeostasis in order to conserve energy and prevent injury.
Many self-defense and martial arts based exercise regiments do not carry over to real street fighting that require follow through of full force and power for effectiveness and personal protection. In contrast, exercising using martial techniques applies repetitively pulled motions that also do not take into account the need for effective counter responses that an attacker will use. He is trying to hurt you.
When under the stress of a real assault, fitness will improve stamina, but fitness practiced skills may not be effective. During real battle the circumstances of physical distance, timing, opportunities and vulnerabilities are continuously changing rapidly, quickly exhausting the combatants. If choosing martial arts based exercise activities for self-defense and exercise, understand the realistic limitations regarding self-defense, and then enjoy your workouts!
Integrated fitness programs have become populate because it simulates many of the many asymmetrical dynamics involved in battle. Integrated fitness programs are designed to increase cardiovascular endurance, resistance, flexibility, balance, core stabilization, and eventually plyometrics, speed, agility and quickness you will be devoted to making improvements in your overall abilities. Applying integrated exercise routines can simulate many of the psycho-physiological demands of fighting in real battle that can further enhanced realistic martial or fighting preparation.
An integrated approach to physical fitness training should begin focused on stabilization and progress towards strength and power as the body adapts and skills are mastered while also developing endurance capacities. Programming should be designed around safe and progressive workouts that prevent injuries that simultaneously enable increasing demands on the body.
Recovery from workouts is also important to prevent muscle over-training, fatigue, and injuries. Consult a nutritionist for achieving optimal nutrition intake to support vigorous healthy activity levels. Proper hydration and rest allows the body to rebuild tissues and reduce inflammation. The older we get, the more recovery time we need in between vigorous workouts. If you have not exercised in a while, start off slow and build up to your prior fitness routine(s).
A critical element of self-defense is to protection against unhealthy diets and inactivity. By taking good care of your mind and body you can prevent or overcome many diseases. If for example you’re consuming an excessive amount of “empty” calories, your body may not be receiving all the nourishment it needs and the calories it is getting will be converted to fat and stored away. By eating and drinking the calories that are healthy choices for your body, you will eliminate the craving for junk food and assist your body in maintaining an ideal weight while reducing your chances of developing metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Staying active also deceases your chances of developing chronic illnesses and joint maladies. These are many of the less frequently addressed aspects of self-defense.
Self-defense training involves becoming as prepared as possible to defend against assaults of any type. If you have a physical fight, you want to be able to outlast one or more opponents. But this doesn’t happen overnight, be patient and consistent in your training and make long term strides towards better fitness and health. Finally, incorporating an integrated fitness program into a healthy lifestyle, you will enjoy a better quality of life, sleep better, eat better and feel better. And if you do ever have to fight, whether it’s a single attacker, multiple assailants, or any other threatening situation to your well-being, you will be better prepared to give it your all.
Exercise routines will enhance your self-confidence and can easily be integrated with Model Mugging Self Defense courses that offers practical application for self-defense purposes, especially courses for women.
Return to Choices in Self-Defense for more suggestions.