KickChick

...well, I think there are less abusive and addictive ways to help yourself relax rather than lighting up a cancer stick! We all know as martial artists the power of inner strength ... if you smoke try using it! How are you doing after those 3 days??

ahem.....::::putting hands over the "little one's" ears:::: .... MadDog --- I wouldn't be able to resist that either (....and I mean't saying what you said ! ) Had fun! GO GIANTS!!

... hmmm let's try this one too --- got my cowboy boots and denim jacket on, on my way out the door to go to a football game where I am going to work the concession stand --->draft beer for everyone!!!!! Deby

((((Hugs Back))))

Angus....this is truly a volatile topic and highly debatable...and yes, ginger, you did indeed open up a can of worms... Angus ..."your" anger IS a "gift"... use it! It's nice to know you practice what you preach buddy! Good defense on your part. It seems that chivalry is also your gift and I would also hate to see you not practice that either. You are a breath of fresh air in a room full of males. But I do have to let you know that I learned my most valuable lesson by being hammered with a side kick to the ribs by a 225 pound (motorcycle riding tough dude) <---just forming a pic for you guys! ... This was early on in my training and I assumed he would be "easy" on me cos I was a :pony: ...well, he wasn't and I fell unconscious against the wall and found out to have several bruised ribs! Well....my fauly actually....false assumation on my count about the way he was going to fight me...and I did not block properly or "kiah'd" as he kicked me so I didn't expell the air from my abdomen with the kick.. (which maybe could have helped!) So see ever since then...I go into every spar as if I were going to get the crap beaten out of me...(made me a much better contender)... and now I know to block and breath!!! Note: I did find out I was 4 months pregnant after this... baby and mom did just fine! Deby

Well I do try to be informed...I read alot and it was part of my fitness certification. It seems that you are not over weight at all ... (however I never really understood the whole kilo thing...only measure my drugs that way! ) I measure by the pound as I do my chocolates!) We can always lose another 10 pounds but it seems that those 10 pounds are always harder to lose! Everything in moderation .. I too enjoy one of those skinny cigars on occasion....and I love beer...Yay! Oktoerfest time!!! But moderation is key! I had gestational diabetes with my pregnancy and know some about it.....keep it in check like you seem to be doing and you'll be just fine! Deby

:up: YAY!!! thanks iamrushman .. Women martial artists face alot challenges in the dojo. We have been brought up to believe that we are "the weaker sex," in need of protection. We have been brought up to be passive, nurturing, submissive, hesitant, helpless, powerless, and otherwise "feminine." We are unwilling to both hurt and be hurt. In addition to the cultural conditioning we bring with us, we have to deal with the stereotypes and prejudices men have about and toward us. In their eyes we are generally too feminine ("Don't break your nail, honey") or not feminine enough (She's strong, she must be a dyke"). As students we often encounter men who do not want to practice or spar with us. Such as Angus! These guys are afraid of hurting us and feel that they will not be able to train hard and won't get the full benefit of their class time. Some are worried about being "beaten" or "shown up" by a girl and in their desire to protect their male egos, they forget (or refuse) to use control. Or they take entirely too much pleasure in their role as attacker during practice. There will never be equality in martial arts so lets just embrace the differences that work together to form the balance....the yin and yang! Deby

Very good advice iamrushman ... ...you crack me up!!! Deby

Ditto to what iamrushman posted above^ ... by no means a bother...that is why we are all here! On to your question....first I hope you're not a smoker. . Smoking damages the walls of the blood vessels and makes it easier for plaque to form there. It also can lower your "good" HDL by as much as 15%. Lack of exercise can also lower the HDL. Aerobic exercise, which increases your breathing and uses your big muscles, is one way to increase your HDL. Even 30-45 minutes of brisk walking every other day helps to protect your heart. Too much body weight lowers HDL, increases LDL and triglycerides, and makes you more at risk for heart disease. Losing just 5 or 10 pounds can improve the levels of fat in your blood. So I don't know whether you need to lose weight or not. It is very important to keep your weight and your blood sugar under control and to have a complete blood lipid profile done once a year. As age increases, so does the level of LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. Up until about age 45, men usually have higher levels of total cholesterol than women do. Women up to this age also have higher amounts of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. ( Nah nah nana Nah! :pony: sorry...had to add that...I'm a bit of a smart arse!) Now no more crying in your beer! Too much alcohol raises blood pressure causing damage to the blood vessels and puts stress on the liver, which can result in high cholesterol. Alcohol is also high in calories, but low in any nutrition, so it is bad for weight control. As far as getting back into a martial art....try a class --- if you are getting a good workout (which is what you are aiming for) than that is you're choice. If you are in fairly good shape than I needn't worry about your age ... yes, start off slow... don't freak out your heart!!! I think you have some good choices there...good luck and keep us "posted" !!! Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) It is when the student approaches black belt that the serious student discovers that he has only just begun his study of Karate [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-10-05 06:37 ]

:blush: :blush: Deby

Welcome MadDOG... and thanks for finally joining KarateForums. Hope that you enjoy contributing to our interesting (and friendly ) forum!! My you are far from home!! Deby

hmmm...if I were 19 and know what I know now.... Deby

Ah....I am actually considering kung fu. I am debating whether to go for my 2nd degree and continue in TKD ...(I have reached a plateau where I feel I have ceased to learn) ... my interest level needs to be peaked! arghh!!! I am at a crossroads here...I still will teach cardiokickboxing. Deby

Thanks Master and kicker ... and for bumping this one up for more reads! We have this posted on bullentin board at school. Good info that I felt was worth passing on! Deby

Patrick....(was worth the wait!) Deby

Yin and Yang Man< --->Woman According to traditional Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are the two primal cosmic principles of the universe. Yin (Mandarin for moon) is the passive, female principle. Yang (Mandarin for sun) is the active, masculine principle. Yin and Yang hows the perfect balance between opposites (man & woman), or the great forces of the universe. This portrays that there is no "real" masculine or feminine nature, but that each contains a part of the other. The two are contained in one circle thus showing that both powers are in one cycle. Instead of these two being held in antagonism, they are held together to show the that they are mutually interdependent partners. One cannot exist without the other. I tend to believe that they each lend their own special charateristics to create the power of balnce within the martial arts! Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) It is when the student approaches black belt that the serious student discovers that he has only just begun his study of Karate [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-10-04 06:39 ]

Ah....I kinda know what you're feeling....How many did u do? One time we spent almost 5 minutes doing spin kick after spin kick up and down the floor....What helps is doing what professional figure skaters do when they spin on the ice --focus on a spot on the wall in front of you, or say a target....don't follow with your eyes as you spin...take a deep breath before executing the spin ...ehaling as you spin around. Whew!!! it takes some getting used to... Deby

GoldDragon...Traditional Korean Tae Kwon Do is taught at the school I attend. Deby

At our school the rule is white doboks at test and we can wear black pants during class (we have real nice ones now with red/white/blue stripes running down outside of legs) with our white dobok tops (black belts have black trim) and in summer we can wear school t-shirts (with our logo on them). For the girls the black pants are a plus... Deby

So thats kickbuttnat!...Now I'm wondering what the martial arts "sort" is...and whether I am one or not best to keep em' guessing .. until they find out! Nice pic though... taken on holiday? where? I know what you mean... starting to get brrrr cold here up north! Time to go tanning! Deby

Well said Lori... I have also tried to set the example for my daughter and she beat me in getting her black belt....! I started at age 33 to help my son (then 7) out (he was having troubles with his yellow belt form) Our school started a family class. I joined and my son decided to take football instead at age 8. I stayed on...gave his sparring equip & uniforn to my daughter...she began training. I found out I was pregnant...left for 2 years came back and 7 years later got my black belt. Its great for self confidence too...something I think we all need more of! Deby

See for the majority of you guys....martial arts is equated with who can beat the crap out of the other person. I know that "martial" means "combat"...and hence it is one of the purposes in studying martial arts...but I think the respect should be given for the physical and mental committment and conditioning involved in training in the martial arts. I am not talking about the combative street fighting karate styles... I have more fear than respect for those practitioners. Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) It is when the student approaches black belt that the serious student discovers that he has only just begun his study of Karate [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-10-02 12:15 ]

I agree with taezee. There is no reason for the ****pit to be open and in complete view of the entire plane. Unfortunately that would put an end to the little ones shaking hands with the pilot and getting their "wings" clipped on by the pilot. Surveillance cameras need to be set up and monitored by true security personel. Your right about El Al....we should follow their lead ... actually many of the int'l carriers are well secured...heck I don't even trust the baggage people some of the domestic carriers have employed....when they get minimum wage for what they do... I have seen a pick up where I work as far as air travel goes...small but its getting there. We need to feel safe again and continue our travel otherwise all those red, white and blue flags we are flying might as well be white! Deby

Very good iamrushman...yes, deep breathing is important also when doing that stretch it may help to pull the knee down toward floor with opposite hand while keeping shoulders flat on the floor. Avoid over stretching too. Here are a few other good back stretches for flexibility... Bridging: Lie on your back, hands at your side. Exhale, complete pelvic tilt. Push arms into floor. Slowly lift trunk from floor. Body is in line ankles with shoulders. Stay in pain-free range. Do not arch back. Hold 10 seconds. Rest 5 seconds. Repeat 3 – 5 times Wall Slides: Exhale, do pelvic tilt. Keep head and back against wall. Feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Slowly lower buttock, sliding down wall until thighs are parallel to floor or until pain in back starts. Slide up the wall keeping your back flat. Hold 5 – 10 seconds. Rest 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times Both of these are very good and a little more advanced for MA training...I also have some others that are good but rather simple. Deby _________________ 1st Deg. TaeKwonDo Black Belt/Fitness Kickboxing (Moderator of Health & Fitness Forum) It is when the student approaches black belt that the serious student discovers that he has only just begun his study of Karate [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-10-02 10:21 ]

Don't be discouraged borischowchow!.... I wish that I had started my TKD training earlier in my life (only regret that I do have in training in the martial arts) When I began I was in pretty good physical shape with the desire to learn and to complete my training no matter what,,,(and that included some pulled ham strings, groin muscles, bruised ribs, and numerous black & blues!) Martial arts training does take its toll on the mature body so you do need to warm up completely before you begin....work on your stretches and flexibility everyday!. Its a bunch of hog wash about how you lose your flexibility at an older age. It just takes more work on your part....and don't give up. We have a guy at our school who just earned his black belt at age 57! Don't have any regrets....if you truly want to learn there is nothing stopping you except your mind! If you need some more tips email me and I'll explain some real good stretching and flexibility exercises for you! Deby