Fun, Fitness, and Self Defense All Rolled into One

By Yoshi Kundagawa

My wife puts up with a lot, and I love her dearly, and I’m always grateful for the utter lapse in judgement she had in marrying me, over the advice of her friends. She’s appreciated that I do martial arts and that I write about it, and that makes us some money, but she’s always kind of regarded getting thrown on a mat, or punched in the ribs as “A guy thing”, if you know what I mean, so she’s never really participated. It took a lot of promising to do the dishes, but I got her to sign up for the dojo’s kickboxing routine as a fitness program.

We’re trying to get students in at different times, and trying to appeal to a wider demographic. As a result, we’ve taken up teaching Thai Kickboxing as a kickboxing and exercise routine for body shaping and cardiovascular workouts. While Muay Thai is an excellent martial art for self defense, it also provides an awesome workout routine, building balance, flexibility, percussive strength and coordination, and it’s an excellent fat burner, especially on the hips and thighs and abdomen. (Yeah, I know, it doesn’t really do targeted weight loss – it causes you to lose weight over your entire body, but builds muscle there – it feels like targeted weight loss!) Since I have a pretty flexible schedule as a writer, I ended up being the teacher for the afternoon classes.

We’ve worked out a kickboxing routine that starts with stances, and stretches – we have all our students run in place for about 5 minutes to get their heart rate up, then have them stretch out. Getting the blood flowing early means that the stretching is more effective. I try to encourage all my students to take the stretching seriously – it should hurt a little bit as they’re doing it…and I tell them a little hurting now will save them a lot of hurting later.

Then we go through the standard forms, with an initial open stance that’s centered and low to the ground for punches, jabs and the front kick. First we have our students do it in front of a mirror, letting them work up a sweat. I walk through the line as they do it, correcting form here and there – even though I don’t expect any of these women to ever use this as a martial art, I expect them to get it right, just in case. The entire dojo starts to build up some energy, with kiais and grunts.

The next part of the workout is to take them one at a time and get them into hitting the bag. This is actually the most difficult part of the process for my students. Karen, my first one up, actually pulls her punch before she hits the bag – even with the pads on. It took me two or three reps to get her to punch with all the power coming from her hips, glutes and midsection at full speed. And about ten more reps for her to actually do it on her own. A lot of people in America are taught “hitting is bad”, and that’s conditioning that has to be overcome, even when working out with a bag. It took me most of the first session to get all the women to hit the bag decently.

The last part of the session is cooling down – stretching and standing in position and letting the muscles unkink, working on the balance they’ll need to do front kicks and roundhouses, which, at my guess, will be in about two weeks. All it all, it seemed like a pretty solid success, and I look forward to seeing my students later this week!

Yoshi G Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He covers the mixed martial arts industry. For a free report on kickboxing routine visit his blog.

Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist covering the martial arts world. Too much time at his computer eating donuts reduced him to couch potato status. He's on a quest to recapture his youth and fitness. You can read his blog at http://www.martialarts3000.com

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Drop and Give Me 10! Ways to Lose 10 Lbs.

Best Weight Loss Diet for Women

By Tina A.

Women love to diet. At any give time, one of three women are on a diet. Yet more women are overweight than ever and a disturbing new study shows that binge eating is the most widespread eating disorder in the United States, surpassing bulimia and anorexia. Surely, there has to be a connection between food deprivation diets and the rate of increase in binge eating.

I can definitely speak for myself. I first began binge eating after following a fad diet that controlled what food groups I could consume. During the two months that I was on the diet, I dreamed about all the foods I could not eat. These "forbidden foods" became an obsession. Needless to say when I went off the diet, I started over-indulging in all the foods I was deprived of during the diet. I told myself that I needed a reward for losing all the weight. In a few short months, the pounds I lost came back and I was stuck with an unhealthy new eating habit to boot.

Maybe there is something wrong in the way we are trying to lose weight? Since most eating disorders affect far more women than men, there is really a cause for concern. Women need to re-examine the way they attempt to lose weight and the ultimate cost on their health and bodies.

Although it sounds unfashionable compared to the latest fad diets out there, the best weight loss plan for women that ensures permanent results is one on which healthy portions from various food groups is allowed. A plan like this will ensure healthy weight loss without causing undue stress on the body. Women also need to keep in mind that fad diets are ageing. This is because fad diets put your body under stress and also deprive you of nutrients you need to keep your skin, nails and hair healthy.

By following a healthy eating plan, you will not only gain an enviable figure, but will also look younger, have less wrinkles, strong nails and healthy hair. Along with healthy eating habits, the right exercise program for women will allow you will feel more relaxed and more confident in yourself. You will also sleep better allowing your body to repair and restore your body and skin. It is not called beauty sleep for nothing.

The next time you come across a new weight loss diet that promises 10 lbs in 10 days ask yourself if it is worth risking your health and complexion to try something that sounds unhealthy anyway. You did not gain all your weight in a week. Why would you expect to lose it all in a week? Also remember that going on a fad diet could cause you to learn unhealthy eating habits and leave you feeling stressed and obsessed.

Stop obsessing over weight loss. Learn about healthy eating and start living better today. Weight loss will happen automatically along with the side effects of better self esteem, peace of mind and healthy skin, hair and nails.

Tina A. is the author of Easy Fat Loss For Women, a sensible approach to fat loss, not muscle or water loss. Her ebook contains valuable information on eating well, exercising the right way for fat loss as well as stress busting techniques to ensure you lose pure fat and look younger and more beautiful at the same time. Find out more at http://www.easyfatlossforwomen.com

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