August 2003 Newsletter

This Newsletter is published monthly on this website to offer information and motivation to our readers.

 

Are Your Children Prepared for the New School Year?

by Joseph Galea

Whether your child is starting kindergarten or high school, each school year brings new opportunities and challenges to overcome. Imagine if you started a new job every year and had to learn a multitude of new information. It’s similar to what children experience when they enter a new grade.Your child’s ability to overcome challenges requires many personal skills. It’s our goal as martial arts instructors to provide children with a boost in the following areas that play a vital role in your child’s success.

Confidence: Children must learn to feel good about themselves and believe that they can succeed.When children are confident, they will attempt new tasks and try again if they don’t succeed the first time. Martial art training instills confidence in children through positive reinforcement and the development of self-defense skills.

Independence: Independent children have a greater ability to adapt to changing environments.Your child’s progression in the martial arts relies on their own class contributions and practice at home… much like in their regular school.

Motivation: Children must be self-motivated to learn effectively. Children need to enjoy what they are doing and have goals to stay motivated. We teach fun lessons that show children how they can stay motivated in and outside of the class too.

Persistence: Children must learn to finish what they start. Parents and instructors can team up to teach children to finish what they set out to do. There is great satisfaction in working to overcome obstacles and achieve a goal such as black belt.

Cooperation: Children must be able to get along with others, learn to share and take turns. Children get many opportunities to practice cooperation and teamwork in the martial arts classroom with their peers and learn the value of working together for a common goal.

Self-control: Children must understand that some behaviors, such as hitting, are inappropriate.They need to learn that there are good ways and bad ways to express anger. Children that learn self-defense learn how to control their anger and are less likely to hit others. They are less likely to be a bully or give in to peer pressure because of the self- esteem they develop through martial arts training.

Source: U.S. Department of Education publication "Helping Your Child Get Ready for School

 

action PRINCIPLES

Pass the Test

By Bill FitzPatrick

Life is a test and the points on that test are earned by how much attention you give to improving yourself and helping others.When your test is graded, to what will you attribute your success: study, hard work, personality, talent, skill, opportunity, patronage, or luck? No amount of material success earned and kept will be awarded credit.The greater your blessings, the greater your obligation to share your good fortune.

by Jennifer G. Galea MS RD

Over the past year, the media has exploded with views on the pros and cons of high protein diets. How much protein do we actually need?

As an athlete, your dietary requirements are not all that different than what is recommended for anyone trying to maintain a healthy diet.Your calorie needs may be increased due to increased exercise (if you aren’t trying to lose weight). Since most protein recommendations are given in relation to overall calories, your protein requirements may be slightly higher as well.The recommendations for protein consumption range from 12 to 20 percent of total calorie intake.

Another way that protein recommendations are expressed is in terms of grams per kilogram of body weight. (To convert your current weight to kilograms, divide the pounds by 2.2.) Research suggests that for endurance athletes, the required protein level is 1.2 g/kg per day. For bodybuilders and strength athletes, the recommendation is increased to 1.6 to 1.7 g/kg. Research has not yet determined exactly how much this recommendation needs to be adjusted for female athletes. What is important to remember is that increasing your protein consumption will not increase lean body mass; only exercise and training can accomplish that.

The easiest way to regulate protein intake is to eat a well balanced diet. Skewing the scales to protein has been successful in promoting weight loss.At the same time, experts agree that consuming more than approximately 2 grams per kilogram body weight is probably not in your body’s best interest.This recommendation is easy because it converts to eating no more than one gram of protein per pound of your body weight.

What is most important in a diet is what you are actually eating. Eliminating carbohydrates (carbs) is not the answer; rather control the type of carbs that you eat. So focus your protein on the lean cuts and emphasize fish (which has a great number of health benefits).Make sure your carbs are whole grain or whole fruits and vegetables.Minimize your fats, especially the “trans fatty acids” and saturated fats. Eat a little bit of each type of “real food” (as I’m a fan of saying) at each meal and you will have a winning diet.

 

Your Child will "Learn to Earn" at ASDFC

In today’s world of immediate gratification, it’s getting harder to teach children the value of working towards goals and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. Our children’s program focuses on reinforcing traditional martial arts values such as trying one’s best and never giving up. Our students take pride in hard work and achieve their belts the old fashioned way. They earn them!