Whether you’re doing Jiu Jitsu for fun, to get fit, or to get ready for serious competition, the benefits to your body are enormous. Many of us connect exercise with cardio health, that is, being able to get up a flight of stairs without puffing and panting so hard it hurts. Exercise, however, provides so much more than this.
Jiu Jitsu for Health
- Muscle and Bone Strength. It’s a well known fact that regular exercise increases strength. Whether you specifically set out to build muscle or are in a sport with repetitive movements, you quickly realize that particular muscles are either getting stronger and/or are increasing in size. Bone is also the same. Bone mass increases as we exercise as well. Because bone density decreases as we age, even in our twenties, exercising reduces the rate at which this occurs. Joints are also kept healthy when they’re kept moving – an important activity as we get older, especially due to the common ailment of arthritis.
- Glucose Regulation. Exercise improves the way our bodies regulate glucose. Those with Type 2 diabetes have an oversupply of blood glucose due to inadequate quantities of insulin to manage it. By using our muscles during exercise, we’re able to use glucose without the help of insulin. So, even if your body doesn’t have the right amount of insulin, glucose in the body is decreased by exercise. Exercising also increases the effectiveness of insulin.
- Blood Pressure. By regularly exercising, you increase the health of your heart. A healthier heart can pump more blood through it without as much exertion. When this happens, there’s not as much strain on your arteries as blood’s pushed through, lowering your blood pressure.
Training in Jiu Jitsu in Boulder is an excellent way of getting the amount of exercise we need in our lives to truly provide health benefits. From increasing bone density to lowering blood pressure, Jiu Jitsu promotes overall health and wellbeing. At Easton BJJ in Colorado, whether it’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Thai Boxing or MMA, you will certainly reap these health benefits.
