Ever wonder what foods may offer you superior health?  There are many types of food you can eat which are packed with protective substances that may guard your heart, boost your bone strength, save your sight and maybe even help you lose weight.  These foods are probably foods that you eat often and don’t realize what effect they have on your body.

  Some vegetables are considered superior foods which we should include in our diet and one example is the avocado.  Avocados contain more blood pressure lowering potassium than bananas.  They are rich in monounsaturated fats, low in cholesterol, and are cancer protective along with vitamin E, vitamin B6 and fiber.  Another example is broccoli, it’s an easy way to get potent cancer-blockers that modify natural estrogens into less damaging forms and increase the activity of enzymes that fight carcinogens.

This year’s Kick-A-Thon for the Tomorrow Fund will take place at Brown University on April 10th.  Get an early start on raising funds for this worthy cause.  Last year we raised over $8,000!

The first character, Ai, can be interpreted as “harmony” or “union with” or “oneness.”  The second character, Ki, refers to the essential life force or the fundamental creative energy.  It is believed that Ki is centered in your “one-point,” which is located in the lower part of the abdomen.  The final character, Do, is one that we often see in the names of other martial arts, such as Judo, Kendo and even Taekwondo.  It means “way” or “path.”  Taken together, it can be interpreted as the way of blending with an opponent’s attack or movements.  This reflects one of the principles of Aikido, in that a practitioner will seek to blend with his attacker’s movements and use his attacker’s momentum against his attacker, turning the attack into a throw, a pin or some sort of joint-manipulation.  

Honor in the martial arts is something that goes back thousands of years.  What the martial arts has taught us is that the most important person to honor is you.  The martial arts in Korea dates back to 50 B.C.  The first Honor Code had a philosophical background similar to the philosophy of today.

  The Martial Arts Code of conduct of today is derived from the ethics and standards that have been taught throughout generations.  The wording may vary from art to art or from school to school, but basically the conduct says the same message.

• Adam B.
• Jenna B.
• Noah B.
• Matthew B.
• Pasquale C.
• Gage Carlow
• Wyatt C.
• Paul D.
• Nathan D.
• Micheal F.
• Pablo G.
• Alena G.
• Lucas G.
• Muriel L.
• Briana L.
• Joshua L.
• Bryce M.
• Matthew S.
• Olivia V.
• Nathanial X.

Running is one of best activities you can do. It doesn't require special equipment (except some quality shoes) and you can do it anywhere. Best of all, you burn serious calories, especially if you add hills and sprints. A 145-lb person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes. The downside is, it takes lots of practice and you should watch your knees and ankles for any discomfort or pain.

Outdoors or indoors, cycling gives some great cardio. Using all the power in your legs, you'll increase endurance while burning lots of calories, anywhere from 250-500 in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.

Bowing in any martial art is a sign of respect and should be a sincere slow bow. It is sometimes more disrespectful to bow incorrectly than not to bow at all as this is a sign that you do not understand the reason behind the gesture.

Some martial arts may differ but in Taekwondo you must always be in attention position when you bow. So make sure you have no gaps between your feet and your hands are placed smartly at the sides of your body.

The most important contributors to a happy holiday season are the expectations you create in your own mind about the holidays. You can't make them perfect - people get sick, and recipes don't always turn out as expected.

You don't have to have the perfect party, perfectly behaved children, or the most beautifully decorated home. Give yourself a break. You'll be happy you did.