4 ways kung fu can benefit your health

The martial art of kung fu makes for a fun, engaging form of exercise. Discover why kung fu can boost your health.

Kung fu is an ancient Chinese martial art that helps practitioners achieve greater strength, flexibility, endurance and focus.

A single session of kung fu lasts between 30 minutes and one hour, which is the ideal duration for daily cardiovascular exercise.

• Whether it's practising basic forms with repeated motions like punches and kicks, or incorporating kung fu elements into running and jogging, the art is a fun way to boost your cardio.

All good exercise regimens balance physical and mental elements to build strong states of mind along with strong bodies.

• Kung fu literally translates as "hard work," and that's at the core of the art's philosophy.
• Even a single hour of practice can be very challenging on the body, and the highly philosophical element of stance training pushes students to learn a greater degree of focus.

In short, the first month of kung fu practice can be harrowing, but you'll soon come to feel odd when you don't practice.

We talk about stress like it's some mysterious, outside force, but it's really a combination of mental and physical realities that can be controlled.

• Much of the feeling of stress is a build-up of stress hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and epinephrine.
• As an excellent form of aerobic exercise, kung fu naturally reduces stress hormone levels and encourages the production of endorphins, mood-elevating hormones.
• This means that a solid kung fu routine can actually be applied as a flexible response to feelings of stress as needed, replacing unhealthy stress response behaviours like consuming alcohol, nicotine or fatty foods.

As anyone with a background in yoga or gymnastics can attest, improving flexibility is a matter of dedication.

• Kung fu often demands exceptional flexibility to achieve high kicks, challenging forms and smooth reactions to incoming attacks.
• By promoting a combination of strength, balance and daily practice, kung fu can turn stiff, inflexible joints into a fluid network of mindful points.

With roots that stretch across multiple cultures and thousands of years, kung fu is a time-honoured art for holistic health. A regular routine can be just as effective as a standard cardio aerobics regimen and offers the added benefits of improved focus, sharp reflexes, and if necessary, the ability to defend yourself.