Weight Loss 101: The Blunt Truth.

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 If you have extra weight, you...
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- Ate too much
(overeating AKA eating beyond the point of fullness)

- Ate the wrong stuff
(junk food, fast food, sugar, white flour, etc.)

- Exercised too little
(workouts too far apart, workouts were too short)

- Exercised incorrectly
(not intense enough, not enough cardio, not enough resistance)

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 To get rid of extra weight...
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- Eat less
(STOP eating the moment you're full. If you have a tendency to overeat, stop eating even if you're not full. Wait about 5-10 minutes and see if you're still hungry.)
- Eat better
(no junk food. no fast food. more veggies. more fruits. lean proteins. no fatty cheeses and dairy. no white flour / sugar. only whole grains).
- Exercise more
 (no less than 3x a week, for at least 45 mins. if you're serious, 5x a week).

- Exercise better
 (high intensity. you should be sweating a lot. you should feel worn out after your workouts. mix cardio with weights and bodyweight exercises. if you take martial arts classes, apply the same exercises you do in class to your workouts outside of class, or just do at least 3 martial arts classes per week)

How do I choose a Martial Arts School for my child?

          Step one in choosing a school is to clearly understand what you want your child to gain from learning the martial arts.  Is it a light recreation?  Then a community center program may suffice.  Is it self-defense or personal development?  If so, then a full time professional school will be more suited for the child.  Many parents view the martial arts as part of their child’s educational development.  With a good professional school, this is very possible.

 

            Step two is to recognize that choosing a school is really choosing an instructor.  Be sure to visit the school and watch the instructor work with other children of the same age.  Every school is different because every instructor is different because every instructor is different.  See how the instructor interacts with the children and look for sincere interest in the children’s progress.  Don’t get confused by claims of black belt degrees, tournament wins or marital art styles.  The only style that matters is the teaching style of the instructor and how your child will respond to him or her.

 

            Finally, trust your instincts.  A professional school will have a family atmosphere, lots of smiles and be well kept.  You’ll feel comfortable with the personnel and the facility.  Martial Arts schools are like any other business the customer comes first and you should feel like an honored guest.

 

            While this may not end up being the closest school to your house, when it comes to the safety and education of your child, an extra ten-minute drive can make a world of difference in the outcome. 

 

About the Author:

             Brandon Richards is a certified Grand Master Instructor in the Martial Art of Taekwondo and is the school director of Seattle Tae Kwon D in Mountlake Terrace, WA.  If you would like more information on how to choose a Martial Arts school in your area call (425) 775-0299 or email to master_richards@hotmail.com

Parents as Coaches

Some helpful hints on how you can coach your child to Black Belt Success

 

Do:  Always, always compliment your child after each class. (Find something they did well) This is also a great time to give out a hug or kiss,  (These are free so be generous.) High 5’s work great too! Kids should immediately associate Tae Kwon Do with feelings of success and pride.

 Don’t: Criticize your child during or immediately after class. Use the PCP (Praise/Correct/Praise) principle.  Offer correction at a more appropriate time. Be careful not to upset your child. Even small criticisms can be devastating.  Do make sure you are offering correction (how to fix) not just critics (that’s wrong).

 Do:  Pick a schedule and do your best to stick to it.  Remember it is natural if your child doesn’t want to come to class every now and then.  Here are some tips to minimize this:  Don’t ask, “Do you want to go to Tae Kwon Do today?”  Remember, children are present focused, and if they are doing something fun they will answer “No”.  Instead, say, “It is time to go in 15-minutes, so please start to get ready.”

 Don’t:  Worry if your children don’t want to practice yet.  It isn’t necessary as long as they are coming to classes twice a week.  -But if they do want to practice, here are some helpful guidelines:  1)  Be consistent!  Have specific practice time and do your best to stick with it (two to three times per a week is enough).  2) Keep practices short!  Five to ten minutes is usually plenty of time for beginners  3) Reward effort!  Be as encouraging as possible.  4) Try not to be too picky!  That’s our job!  Slowly but surely form will improve so don’t expect too much too soon.  5) Make it fun!  This is the single most important factor in long-term success.  One time-tested suggestion is to have the student teach you, or someone else, what they learned in class.

 Do:  Try to practice with your child.  You can do this by having them teach you what they learned, or count their kicks and punches for them.  It is also great to hold our target for them to strike.  Don’t forget to tell them how well they are doing.  Remember, children are pleasers and always want to make their parents proud!

 Don’t:  Complain about traffic, your busy schedule, or money in front of children, they can begin to feel guilty and selfish about coming to train. Before you know it… your child will tell you they want to quit, to help make your life easier.

Do:  Give your child the thing they want more than anything in the world, your time!  Get involved and make earning a Black Belt a Team effort.

Don’t:  Threaten to take away Tae Kwon Do when they’re misbehaving at home or at school. This is a recipe for disaster. Tae Kwon Do is where we learn to behave better and to always try our best. Taking away Tae Kwon Do to improve behavior just doesn’t make sense!

 

Working together as a team… Nothing can stop us!

 

Kids Safety Tips

Children are precious and should be treated and protected as such. It's not enough for us as adults to know and understand the dangers that lurk around us, and our children. We need to make sure that our children know what to do in dangerous situations. Here are some safety tips for your children.

When and if your child does disclose something to you, make sure you really listen, not only to what they're saying but how they say it, and watch for body language. Make sure your child understands that their body is not to be touched in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable, and that they can always come to you if they are unsure of anything, even if family members are involved.

Answering the front door

For those children who spend some time at home alone, answering the front door can be extremely important. When alone, a child should never answer the door. Even if it's a friend or relative of the family - if that person has arrived unexpectedly, it's better for the child to not let them in. Statistics show that abductors of children are usually someone the child already knows. Children also need to be taught that even though the parent is home, it's still important for the child to get the parent before answering the door.

Answering the Telephone

When children are alone at home and they answer the phone, they are never to state that they are home alone. Teach your child to say that the parent is unavailable, to take a message, and then hang up. If the child receives any prank or obscene phone calls, he or she should tell the parent. Children should also be taught to never give out any personal information, no matter who is calling. That should be left to the parent to decide on.

Around the home

When cooking, make sure you always turn your pot handles in so that they are not hanging over the side of the stove. Children can be badly burned if they grab hold of the handle and pull it down, or if they knock it off by accident. Never leave a cup of hot coffee or tea on a counter where a child can reach. Never leave knives or other sharp objects where a child can reach them. Never leave cupboard doors or drawers open as fingers can get caught or shut in them.  Take a few minutes to walk through your home and look around for possible dangers that your children may be exposed to. It's good to do this at least once a month.

Teach your children how to dial 911

Children are more capable than we sometimes give them credit for. This is especially true when we take the time to teach our children what to do in different circumstances. It's important for you to teach your children what to do when and if an emergency should arise. First things first, teach them how to call 911. Take a few minutes to explain the importance of calling 911. Go over what a 911 operator will ask, such as, what, where, why, when, and how. You can even pretend to make a few calls to help them feel more comfortable with this.

If your child gets lost

It's always good to know where your child is but sometimes that can be out of our control. We need to prepare our children for whatever may come up. Make sure that your child always has money for a phone call. I know that many children today now have cellular phones in cases of emergency. Make sure that they know that they can call 911 if they get lost and have no other means of getting safe help. Encourage them to always go with a "˜buddy' - there is safety in numbers. Explain to your children the importance of always telling you where they are going and for how long they will be gone.

 

Safety Tips is an ongoing, public safety and awareness program presented by the Seattle Tae Kwon Do.  For more information on our school please visit our website at www.seattletakewondo.com

THROUGH A RAPIST'S EYES

It seems that a lot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a situation. Everyone should read this especially each and every girl in this world.
 
THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG...
 
Through a rapist's eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts: 
 
1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
  
2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.
 
3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.
 
4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.
 
5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.
 
6] Number three is public restrooms.
 
7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
 
8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
 
9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
 
10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
 
POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER: 
 
1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: can't believe it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter. Now that you've seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.
 
2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
 
3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
 
4] If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow andarmpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.
 
5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot oftrouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.
 
6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles crackedaudibly.
 
7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, and go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
 
8) As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
 
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.
 
Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better safe than sorry.
 
 
WE CAN SHARE JOKES AND SPAM MAILS TO OUR FRIENDS & NETWORKSPLEASE FOR ONCE SHARE THIS AND LETS TRY TO HELP THEM.
 
'Helping hands are better than Praying Lips' - give us your helping hand.SHARE IT WITH ALL UR FRIENDS.
 
AT LEAST PEOPLES WILL KNOW WATS GOING IN WORLD.
 
Friends So Please Share....Your one share can Help to spread this information. We share So many Stupid Things on Facebook and ignore these types of things which can save so many lives's...
 
Take care. Unkwon Author (found this article on the Facebook page of Thought For The Day.)
 
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Seattle Tae Kwon Do classes are Reality Based Martial Arts and Fitness Academies with a proven track record. 
 
One of the many great benefits of our Martial Arts & Fitness Academies, is we focus on conditioning the mind, body and spirit for winning big everyday in life. 
 
If you are interested in our Award Winning Martial Arts & Fitness programs for you and your family, please visit our web site www.trans-mafc.com and request information online or schedule your first free introductory private lesson with us by calling today at 425-775-0299 and check us out at www.seattletaekwondo.com