By now, you know that karate is an awesome activity for kids. It helps keep them fit, builds social bonds, improves school performance, and just plain makes everything better. If you didn’t practice karate as a kid, you probably feel like you missed the boat. On the contrary, adults can start karate at any age and enjoy the many great benefits. Here are some compelling reasons to start practicing karate as an adult:
Fitness
You do your best, but sometimes it’s hard to stay physically active. You can invest in a pricey gym membership or home equipment, but it all sits unused if you’re not motivated and you don’t enjoy it. Karate is great for adults because it’s a whole body workout. Hone your speed, power, strength, endurance, agility, flexibility, and overall body conditioning with karate. Jon Stewart can vouch for the physical benefits of karate: “I have developed greater physical strength and stamina for the hectic balance of work and parenthood.”
More Energy
Do you feel tired and drained at the end of a long hard work day? The last thing you probably want to do is exercise, yet exercise is proven to give you more energy. If you want to have energy at home, at work, and at play, start practicing karate as an adult. Karate gets your heart pumping, your blood flowing, your lungs working. When you practice karate, your brain pumps out feel-good endorphins, helping you feel reenergized and reinvigorated.
Focus
Does your mind start to wander during the day? Have you become a “multitasker of all trades,” master of none? Focus is becoming a lost art these days…but not to karate students. When you practice karate as an adult, you learn to hone your focusing and concentration skills. Eliminate distractions and focus on achieving a single goal with clarity and determination. You can take the lessons from the dojo and apply them everywhere in your life – from completing a tough task at work, to beating that final level on your video game console.
Sense of Purpose
Has your life lost a bit of direction? “I used to be like this,” says Jon Stewart. “[Droning] on at work, mindlessly accomplishing tasks.” Stewart didn’t know how to get out of the rut, but then he found karate. According to Stewart, karate “lit that fire again. It drove me to improve myself…to live every moment and soak everything from those moments.” If you want to grab life by the horns and rediscover a sense of purpose, it’s time to start practicing karate.
Karate makes everything better for adults, too. Call or visit the AMA Dojo nearest you for more information.
