Martial arts: The woman's workout

It may be the perfect fitness program: ideal for toning up and honing balance, flexibility and strength, as well as boosting confidence and serenity. Best of all, there's a martial art that's ideal for every woman -- including you.

The art: Tai chi
Often described as moving meditation, the ancient practice of tai chi, commonly thought of as Chinese, actually originated in northern India and later travelled overland to China. It's a martial art without the aggression. Used to increase chi (energy) and balance ying and yang (opposites in nature), tai chi is said to extend life, improve health and bring inner peace while encouraging flexibility.

"What attracted me to tai chi was the beauty of the movements," says Margaret Ann Galbraith, a tai chi instructor for 15 years in Sackville, N.B. "And I wanted to move with that kind of grace and control."

It's good for…
"Circulation, arthritis and any respiratory problem," says Galbraith, 56. "It's very good for concentration and memory, discipline and spirituality, too. Seniors in particular say they notice an improvement in their balance after the second class."

Highly focused, tai chi can raise the heart rate to a low aerobic level, or a 60 per cent increase over your resting heart rate. "It doesn't look like they're exercising, but there is a tremendous amount of effort. And it ties you into bigger forces like the circle of life," says Galbraith. "It's excellent for people who are under a lot of stress."

Blow by blow
White crane spreads its wings, golden cock stands on one leg -- whimsical names to be sure, but each of tai chi's slow turning, pivoting and balancing movements is a study in agility. Yang long style (one of several styles) takes 35 minutes to complete the routine, for example, but months to learn the 186 movements.

Page 1 of 4

The art: judo
Judo…beautiful? Absolutely, says Tina Takahashi, former Canadian Women's Olympic judo coach and 1984 world university champion. "It's an art in which you can perfect the movements to make it look beautiful," says Takahashi, 46, an instructor at Takahashi Dojo in Ottawa. But the feline grace and agility that come with learning judo are just part of the reason this martial art is attracting more women.

Established 124 years ago in Japan as a breakaway from the more lethal jujitsu, women's judo was introduced at the Olympics in 1988. Since then, it has been marketed to women keen to be challenged, get fit and have a good time. "It's a lot of fun," says Takahashi. "It attracts people who are interested in the whole package, not just learning to fight."

It's good for…
"Feeling empowered," says Takahashi, who became the first Canadian woman to achieve a sixth-degree black belt two years ago. "I think it helps women build assertiveness if they're self-conscious about body contact. They're exposed to someone being physically aggressive," she says, "so they learn how to get out of that situation."

Women in judo also develop balance, coordination, strength, power and flexibility, adds Takahashi. "It gives you a feeling of empowerment, being able to use your body."

Blow by blow
Grappling, tripping and throwing. It sounds like what your kids do when they can't get along, yet judo and the related but gentler art of aikido refine those moves by teaching how to pit your weight against your opponent's strength. And unlike kicking-and-hitting martial arts, judo focuses on controlling falls, tripping and throwing.

Throwing others? Fret not. Older students such as Takahashi's 73-year-old mother, who earned her sixth-degree black belt in 2005, learn katas, or the noncontact, patterned movements used to teach judo's fundamentals. Classes, offered to all ages and fitness levels, run from one to two hours.

The art: kickboxing
Despite its macho reputation, the traditional Thai sport of Muay thai kickboxing attracts "moms who work out their frustrations by hitting bags and targets," says Mike Miles, a three-time world Muay thai champion and owner of six gyms in Alberta.

It's good for…
"Developing reflexes, speed, cardio, toning and stability," explains Miles, who says 70 per cent of his students are women. And aerobic kickboxing is an excellent stress-buster: "You spend an hour-and-a-half blowing off steam."

Blow by blow
Be prepared to work. Hard. After cardio exercises such as skipping rope to warm up the fast-twitch muscles, you will learn rhythmic footwork, stance, punching and shin-striking techniques, either practising on a punching bag or with a partner holding up thick pads. "It's a dynamic workout, and you're constantly moving," says Miles. Divided into two camps -- the traditional Muay thai adds elbows and knees to the modern sport's punches and kicks -- kickboxing is increasingly popular for women's fitness.

Page 2 of 4

The art: taekwondo
Hai-ya! A spinning mid-air kick explodes near your ear -- welcome to taekwondo. But the Korean martial art, known for its emphasis on flying kicks and legwork, is more than just "the way of the hand and foot." Deeply philosophical, taekwondo preaches etiquette, modesty, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit, making it one of the most popular family-oriented martial arts available.

"In taekwondo," says grand master Tae Eun Lee, one of Canada's few ninth-dan (degree) black belts, "you use your mind and your physical and spiritual power. You're in competition with yourself, elevating your personal character. That's true taekwondo power."

It's good for…
"Flexibility, coordination, rhythm and body stability," says Lee. "As you get older, you need to maintain them. We get more and more ladies joining for this." When Lee opened his first school in Ottawa after emigrating from Korea in 1977, "there were not even 10 per cent women. Now, there are more than 50 per cent, along with many families," he says. "It encourages communication, releases stress, and there is a sense of happy learning."

Blow by blow
It's no Chorus Line, but taekwondo delivers enough high kicks to rival Broadway. After warming up -- the focus on legs means plenty of stretches, such as slowly elevating your foot to your partner's shoulder height or higher -- you will spar with a partner and learn basic stance for balance, kicks and blocking, as well as how to protect the body's 119 vulnerable points. Poomse, or set movement sequences, are also used to train the body to respond automatically to threats.

The art: karate
Back in the 11th century, conquered, weaponless peasants on Okinawa island (south of Japan) fought with their "empty hand" -- karate. Now a full-contact sport with a reputation for spectacular flying side kicks, karate attracts women such as former CFL cheerleader Rhea Olfert, 25, of Winnipeg. "Karate has been such a positive influence in my life -- it has created a sense of balance and harmony that I have never achieved before," says the executive assistant, who has studied karate for two years.

It's good for…
"Finding yourself," says Diego Beltran, a world-ranked kyokushin karate master and instructor at Guardian Dojo in Winnipeg. Karate's aggressive attacking style is intimidating, he admits, but learning it yourself can be incredibly empowering, too. "It's about seeing a challenge and facing it without fear," says Beltran. "One of our main objectives is to approach the spiritual aspects through pushing ourselves physically."

"I remember feeling like I had never exercised in my life during my first few classes," says Olfert. "That's changed now -- my cardio endurance is way up; I can do pushups on my knuckles."

Blow by blow
Full-contact karate focuses on gravity-defying kicks, leaps and blocks and powerhouse strikes involving the whole body. Some variations such as kyokushin add elements from jujitsu and kickboxing, while some schools teach noncontact sparring. Although you don't need to be in top shape, the one- to two-hour classes will make you so. They start with warm-up conditioning exercises, followed by technique instruction.

Page 3 of 4

Fighting Fit
Brenda Borba leans back in her chair and hoots with laughter. She is trying -- unsuccessfully -- to envisage herself as the poster girl for martial arts. She rolls her eyes at the ceiling of her home in Surrey, B.C. "No," she chuckles, "I'm just not what you'd call svelte and flexible."

Until you look closer. With 187 pounds on her five-foot, six-inch frame, Brenda, 45, admits she doesn't look like a third-degree black belt. But since taking up the popular Korean martial art of taekwondo six years ago, she's lost 80 pounds, gained upper body strength that would make Schwarzenegger goggle and transformed her legs into pillars of steel. It hasn't been easy, she concedes, but she never gave up. "Martial arts kept me going the whole time," she says. "I have been positively affected by it. I carry myself differently, in a very confident manner."

A great way to stay in shape
Canadian women are flocking in ever-growing numbers to martial arts for fun, fitness and the kind of self-assuredness that makes bullies step aside. "It's a great way to stay in shape and learn skills," says Patrick Mascoe, a teacher in Ottawa and a former international judo champion.

Brenda's wake-up call nine years ago came, as they often do, from the hospital. Her husband, Joe, then 39, had gone in for a routine angioplasty. But without an immediate triple bypass, the doctor warned her, he wouldn't be coming out again.

Fun with the family
Her own health was far from spectacular. After having three children, she was overweight and out of shape. Then, in 1999, she was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy; the medication pushed her weight to 267 pounds. "I was 38," she recalls, "and I was heading for problems." Determined to change, Brenda, now 45, ditched the family's fatty diet -- packed with "the cheapest red meat we could find" -- for one high in fibre. But it wasn't enough. The Borbas needed discipline, so Brenda signed up the family for taekwondo.

"I tried it out, and the next thing I knew, I was testing for my first belt," says Brenda, laughingly. Since then, Brenda, Joe, now 48, and their three sons, Brendan, 18, Daneel, 15, and Levon , 9, have all earned black belts and have plans to become certified instructors. "That's what I've really enjoyed about this," says Brenda, who co-owns a newspaper distribution company with Joe. "We're able to do it with the kids."

But that's not all. "The teaching has given me the focus and discipline to lose weight, run the business, run my house and," she says, "stretch myself that little bit extra as a school volunteer."

Wen-Do: For women only
In 1964, Ned and Ann Paige of Toronto read the Kitty Genovese story in horror. With 38 neighbours and strangers nearby, the 28-year-old New Yorker was stabbed 17 times, raped and robbed. Deeply disturbed, the Paiges, who are trained in karate, decided to create a self-defence method just for women. The first course, held at Don Mills Collegiate in Toronto in 1972, attracted hundreds. "We remind women that we're worth fighting for," says instructor Deb Chard.

"A majority of women say they've never had to use the physical techniques, but their sense of self-trust really increased," says Chard, 53, who has taught the self-defence technique since 1988. "And if you feel more confident, you'll make healthy choices. I think the mind-body connection is really powerful."

Students learn basic blocks and strikes, as well as releases from holds, chokes and armed attacks. "We teach women how to use their hands, elbows, knees, feet and even bags. We talk about how to use a strong, confrontational voice," says Chard. Courses, offered to women and girls of all ages and fitness levels, run for 15 hours over two days. Sign up at Wen-Do.

Page 4 of 4