Here in the United States, far too many people are living wholly sedentary lifestyles. From children to adults, far too few people are getting up and moving and exercising on a regular basis. There is no doubting the fact that this can take a considerable toll on health, especially as time continues to pass on, and the data that has been gathered on the subject more than supports this concern.
In fact, this data has actually found that a scant 5% – or even less – of all adults living here in the United States are actually getting the amount of exercise that they should be, a mere half of an hour of exercise on a daily basis. In addition to this, less than half of all adults in this country (only about one third of them, to be just a little bit more exact) are getting even the weekly recommended amount of exercise. Over the course of time, it is all too easy to see how this could become hugely detrimental for people, leading to weight gain and a slew of other health problems that are part and parcel to the typical sedentary lifestyle.
In many ways, this has become a reality thanks to our lifestyles today, which are certainly much different than the lifestyles of those who came before us. The use of screens and various electronics is widespread here in the United States – incredibly so. Screen time has even become popular among children of all ages, so much so that more than half of all parents in this country (around two thirds of them, to be more exact) now have worries that their children are engaging with screens too frequently and for too extended a period of time. This fear is not unfounded, as the average child will now spend as many as seven and a half hours just looking at screens – all over the course of just one single day.
Fortunately, there are a number of structured ways to encourage adults and children alike to get up and moving. For instance, kickboxing and martial arts classes can be hugely beneficial and are forever growing more popular here in the United States. This can be seen particularly clearly when we look at the number of people who are participating in kickboxing classes, a number that now surpasses six and a half million participants, according to data that was gathered in the year of 2016. In the time that has passed since, it is likely that this number has only continued to grow as kickboxing itself has become more popular than ever all throughout the country as a whole.
And, of course, kickboxing classes are certainly not the only way to get in shape. In addition to kickboxing classes, other forms of martial arts have also become hugely popular here in the United States. Tai chi is one good example of this, as tai chi is a form of martial arts that actually dates back as many as 2,500 years, according to our currently estimations. And, like kickboxing, the participants of tai chi number in the thousands. As of that same year of 2016 as mentioned above, more than three and a half million people were participating in tai chi.
And there are even more varieties of martial arts out there. Brazilian jiu jitsu is just as popular as kickboxing and tai chi, if not even more so. Other forms of ancient martial arts are also well known and still practiced today, and these forms have become more accessible than ever before. Nowadays, kickboxing as well as martial arts can be practiced by people of all ages, as classes specifically designed for children have now been formulated and put into place all throughout the United States and in other parts of this world as well.
At the end of the day, it’s getting up and moving in the first place that matters the most. No matter how you do it, physical movement matters. In fact, it is even recommended for all kids at the age of two or older to be up and moving for an hour.