Meet Virginia, a four-year advanced student at Keller’s Martial Arts.

While earning her MBA, Virginia achieved definition of her mind and body, by adding Keller’s wildly acclaimed Cardio Kickboxing to her daily regimen.

“I started with Keller’s because of the proximity – I figured I’d be able to walk to and from class, and that was a huge plus! Too bad I didn’t anticipate not being able to walk after that first class with Maria!”

Kickboxing became fun for me – I really like the intensity and overall vibe expressed by the instructors. So I decided to give UBC a shot. That sucks, honestly – it’s not nearly as bouncy and fun, but I absolutely saw near immediate results after joining that kick-ass class.

The classes are multi-beneficial, as Virginia experienced strengthening in her knees – something PT wasn’t really achieving alone, after a serious injury.

“I think what I appreciate most about Keller’s is that the instructors are so truly passionate about their work – and especially the direct impact this work has on their students’ lives.  It matters when everyone is cheering loudly for you – and it works!”

Virginia is our Spotlight Student – we applaud her growth, development, constant efforts and dedication to self-improvement and wonderful health!

Warning Sign: You Exercise Less Than 3 Times Per Week

You can still be skinny without working out, but lack of exercise has a huge impact on your health. If you don’t move your body at least three times a week, you’re raising your risk for cancer, heart attacks and many other conditions.

for more warning signs read the article highlighting the work of Dr. Glenn Gaesser, author of the book Big Fat Lies.

Being slim doesn’t mean you’re healthy. Thin bodies can still carry plenty of visceral, or intra-abdominal, fat. This means you may have a low BMI, but a high percentage of body fat, leading to problems such as high blood pressure or high blood sugar. Be aware of the warning signs.

Warning Sign: You Exercise Less Than 3 Times Per Week

You can still be skinny without working out, but lack of exercise has a huge impact on your health. If you don’t move your body at least three times a week, you’re raising your risk for cancer, heart attacks and many other conditions.

for more warning signs read the article highlighting the work of Dr. Glenn Gaesser, author of the book Big Fat Lies.

Keep Healthy With Herbs

For centuries, herbs have been used in Chinese medicine and many other traditional medicinal systems to help strengthen the immune system.

• Ligustrum has been shown in many recent studies to have immunity-boosting benefits.

• Cherokee rose is traditionally used to protect the body from external pathogens with its astringent properties. It’s also one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C.

• Honeysuckle is a natural antimicrobial herb that has been used for thousands of years to increase resistance and fight against bacterial, viral and fungal infections.

Treat Your Body Right

Encourage your body to fight flu and other infections by giving it the care it needs.

• Get at least seven hours of quality sleep every night. Studies show that your immune system function drops by an average of 60% after just three nights of poor sleep.
• Keep your stress level low with meditation, tai chi or yoga.
• Dry body-brushing daily can activate lymph circulation, which helps clear out toxic debris and stimulate immunity.

Read full article with more tips at http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/mao-shing-ni-lac-dom-phd/natural-ways-ward-winter-colds

If this sounds good to you, keep reading to find out what you need to know before you take the kickboxing challenge.

What Is Kickboxing?

Although the true roots of kickboxing date back to Asia 2,000 years ago, modern competitive kickboxing actually started in the 1970s, when American karate experts arranged competitions that allowed full-contact kicks and punches that had been banned in karate.

Because of health and safety concerns, padding and protective clothing and safety rules were introduced into the sport over the years, which led to the various forms of competitive kickboxing practiced in the United States today. The forms differ in the techniques used and the amount of physical contact that is allowed between the competitors.

Currently, one popular form of kickboxing is known as aerobic or cardiovascular (cardio) kickboxing, which combines elements of boxing, martial arts, and aerobics to provide overall physical conditioning and toning. Unlike other types of kickboxing, cardio kickboxing does not involve physical contact between competitors — it’s a cardiovascular workout that’s done because of its many benefits to the body.

Cardio kickboxing classes usually start with 10-15 minutes of warm-ups, which may include stretching and traditional exercises such as jumping jacks and push-ups, followed by a 30-minute kickboxing session that includes movements such as knee strikes, kicks, and punches. Some instructors may use equipment like punching bags or jump ropes.

After this, at least 5 minutes should be devoted to cooling down, followed by about 10 minutes of stretching and muscle conditioning. Stretching is really important because beginners can strain (“pull”) their muscles, and slow, proper stretching helps relax muscles and prevent injury.

Instructional videos and DVDs are also available if you’re interested in trying a cardio kickboxing routine at home.

Full Article Here… http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/exercise/kickboxing.html

But there are some aspects of Martial Arts that are also greatly beneficial that perhaps you were not aware of.  One of which is the improvement of different aspects of your physical body.  Learning a Martial Art should not be so much about learning a specific style, rather it should be about learning Body Qualities.

This means that you should learn how to efficiently use your muscles, your skeleton, and your internal body as well.  Your muscles should be relaxed, allowing your skeleton to hold up your body, and then movement should come from the power core muscle groups.  This usage of the body is what is referred to as internal power because the internal core muscle groups power the movement of the entire body.

Internal power is extremely beneficial in all kinds of ways.

First, we like to call using internal power “predator movement.”  Not because we have plans to go hunting, rather because predatory animals use their bodies extremely efficiently- with internal power.  For example, a tiger is light on its feet, but incredibly powerful.  It is very relaxed, but also very explosive.  You would be afraid to attack a tiger not because of what “technique” it knows, but because it is a tiger.

Full Article here: http://www.whiteoakmartialarts.com/910/why-are-martial-arts-good-for-your-health/