In the middle of a national health crisis, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, many people are seeking to make lifestyle changes - for an increasing number of people, one of those changes involves an Isreali self-defense method called Krav Maga.

Most likely because of its origins as a combat technique for Isreal's military, Krav Maga - meaning Krav/"battle" Maga/"contact" - was simply viewed as another martial arts style of self defense for a long time. It wasn't until recent years that many people began to gravitate toward the method as a fantastic way to get fit, as well.

Eric Sepeda can't blame them.

"I took my first Krav Maga class in 2002 and have been training in it ever since," he told Roswell Patch.

In fact, Sepeda's love for the method turned into much more than a hobby when he decided to open his own school in Roswell during 2003: Atlanta Krav Maga and Fitness.

"I saw what true Krav Maga could do for people and I could think of nothing else I would rather do with my days than train and teach," he said.

He moved the business to a location at Old Alabama Road and Holcomb Bridge Road in 2007, where they've continued to grow ever since.

It's no surprise since, in Georgia alone, searches for "krav maga atlanta" are up by several thousand percent in the past five years, as are searches for "krav maga training," according to Google Communications Representative Sandra Heikkinen.

Relying solely on word of mouth and some online advertising, Sepeda's business has expanded to the point of having to hire seven instructors to keep up with the influx of business, which has him registering around 40 new participants per month. It seems people have gravitated toward the self defense system that teaches them to defend themselves in real life situations. But, in addition to increasing self-defense abilities and boosting self-confidence, Krav Maga has the added bonus of working off an intense amount of calories.

"The fitness benefits are incredible," said Sepeda. "I've had people tell me their doctor wants to thank me!"

The system has been shown to be effective in losing weight, lowering blood pressure and increasing muscle tone, just to name a few of its top touted benefits.

"You get all that while actually having fun and learning something that could potentially save your life one day. I'll take that over the treadmill anyday," said Sepeda, a member of the Krav Maga Worldwide organization.

Atlanta Krav Maga and Fitness is located at 1530 Old Alabama Road, #200, Roswell. They also have a satellite location at Lenox Mall. For more information or to register call them at 770-817-5728.