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The key to living a happy and healthy life lies in putting your body through its paces through physical activity. People who stay idle and don’t incorporate healthy exercise into their daily life are increasing chances of getting afflicted with different types of diseases. Exercise does not only mean that you have to start lifting weights or do yoga. There are countless different ways through which you can exercise and one of those ways is mixed martial arts. Mixed martial arts is a full contact body sport in which two people compete with each other to achieve dominance over each other. MMA is really popular in people of all ages. Due to the various benefits of MMA and how fun it is as a form of exercise, mixed martial arts has amassed a large following.
If you too want to know what all the hype is about, here are five ways through which mixed martial arts makes a positive impact on your health.
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Helps you burn calories
One amazing benefit of mixed martial arts is that it helps you burn all the extra calories residing in your body. It is the perfect type of exercise for people who want to get rid of extra weight and the great thing is that it burns more calories than other traditional forms of weight loss exercises. Studies have shown that while exercising on a treadmill would only help you burn 400 calories in an hour, spending the same hour doing MMA would help you get rid of almost 620 calories. In MMA techniques such as grappling and striking put all the muscles in your body at work helping you to lose your weight faster. If you combine mixed martial arts with a healthy diet that gives you all the necessary nutrients then you are looking at a fit and healthy body.
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Reduces your stress levels
MMA does not only help you physically but it heals you mentally too. Studies have shown that practicing MMA has a significant impact on reducing the level of stress in your body. Furthermore, MMA has also been known to have a profound impact on people who suffer from bipolar disorder as this form of exercise not only helps them release physical stress but also gives them a healthy outlet to focus all their energy on. Other mental afflictions that MMA has been known to cure include depression and post-traumatic disorder. When veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder were recommended this form of exercise, they immediately noticed a difference in their bodies and their mental state.
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Improves physical fitness
The main goal of any type of exercise is to make your body fit and MMA does exactly that. While different types of exercises focus on different areas of the body or different goals like improving flexibility or improving blood pressure, MMA incorporates all of these goals into one form of exercise. It helps you with everything from building your stamina so you don’t get breathless more often to increasing your strength so you feel stronger and better. Not only that but it also helps you build up your endurance and improve your agility. It also increases your tolerance for pain so you actually become tougher. If you want an example just look at any MMA fighter and you will see how their body is in incredible shape.
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Toughens you up
MMA pushes your body to its limits and makes you stronger while doing so. Since the exercise puts your whole body to test, this toughens up all of your muscles even those which have grown frail due to not being used while you sit idle for long periods of time. MMA is a full body workout unlike other forms of similar exercises like swimming which strengthens up only shoulder muscles or running which toughens up quad muscles. Toughening up of these muscles does not only mean that you will see their visual effect through bulging muscles, but you will also start to feel its effect on your body as tasks that seemed hard before look easier now.
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Improvement in cardiac function
One great thing about mixed martial arts is that it helps you improve your cardiac function because this form of exercise is the same as high-end cardio. When you are training for MMA, you are required to ace swimming, running, boxing and skip rope beside other things. All of these exercises are a great way to improve your cardiac function. MMA has a positive impact on your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. It will not only help you build your strength but it will also improve your muscle mass. Once you start practicing mixed martial arts, then you will notice a great difference in everything from your breathing patterns to your ability to climb stairs without getting breathless.
Just like with all other forms of exercise, it is important to remember that you must only put your body through what it can handle. While MMA is all about pushing the limits of your body, you should stop at a point where you think your body can’t take it anymore. Contrary to what people believe, mixed martial arts is a valuable form of exercise for all people and not just people of a certain age. If your end goal is fitness then MMA should be your go-to form of exercise.
