Kidz ‘N Power Bullying Prevention Program

Creating a HAPPIER Community
Bullying Prevention thru Olweus and Songahm Taekwondo

Bullying is one of the most difficult issues that students, parents and educators might encounter in or out of school. Discipline, order and respect are mainstays of Songahm Taekwondo, but many instructors offer additional support with presentations from the The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available.

Learn more about bullying, how to prevent or resolve it, and more about the Olweus program

Protect your children with bullying prevention skills and strategies by calling ATA Martial Arts of Branchburg to inquire about our upcoming seminar based on the Olweus program.

Event: Kidz ‘N Power Bullying Prevention Program
Date: Friday, July 30th
Time: 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Cost: FREE!! Bring a Friend!!

Summer Spectacular

IRON MAN Training Class & Pizza Party

Don’t miss out!! In honor of Iron Man ATA Martial Arts is hosting a Special Iron Man XMA Training Class and Pizza Party. FREE for all ATA students who bring a buddy. Bring a friend and go Xtreme. This Summer: Heroes Aren’t Born, They’re Built. Build up your Confidence, Discipline, Fitness, and Performance Levels. Our Iron Man XMA Training Class is taking flight Saturday, May 8th and all Month long!

2010 Fitness Goals

Every one of you should have these. Take personal responsibility for a higher level of fitness. Try doing this at home: see how many full sit ups you can do in a minute or how many you can do before you can’t continue; do the same for push ups (toes or knees – do your best). Do this exact same evaluation 2 -3 times a week. I guarantee you’ll feel positive results within a week or two. Try to keep this up for 30 days and hopefully you build some good habits with the routine.

Other things you can/should try: get 8 hours of sleep, drink more water and less soda, stay away from bizarre diets, and you must become more active! You cannot achieve a higher level of fitness without getting off the couch. Walk an hour, bike an hour, play basketball for an hour, train in your martial arts class for an hour, lift weights for an hour . . . get the picture?

15-20 minutes of exercise might be a popular idea or movement, however, it won’t get you the results you want. An hour of intense exertion several times (3-5) per week is what you want. Now before you get discouraged, just try one of these things. Perhaps you’ll try cutting out soda for a month. Perhaps you are going to try and do some sit ups and push ups. Just do something! We’re all capable of achieving great things, we just have to decide to do them. If you are not in a uniform yet, come see me and we’ll get you fixed up for classes, you’ll be glad you did, guaranteed.

Don’t forget to join us Saturday, January 30th 9am – 10am for our Adult Fitness Bootcamp.

ATA FITNESS: GETTING STARTED! Part 1

The American Taekwondo Association has made fitness a top priority in. To eat better, train harder and live healthier this year, take your cue from ATA and commit to a new you.

Nine Steps Toward HEALTHY EATING HABITS

Nothing is more discouraging than going on a diet. Plus, studies show that diets don’t really work. What’s important, they say, is to eat in a healthy way that supports an active lifestyle, like that of a martial artist or athlete. Follow these suggestions to improve your nutrition without going on a diet.

1. Eat the right amounts of vegetables. According to the Food Guide Pyramid for Children, kids under age 6 should have three servings of vegetables in a day. Kids over age 6 should have three-to-five servings of vegetables. Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories but high in nutrients that our body needs, including vitamins, fiber and potassium. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, eating your vegetables helps protect you against heart attacks and cancer, and even can help maintain your eyesight.

2. Eat the right amounts of fruits. According to the Food Guide Pyramid for Children, kids under age 6 should have two servings of fruits in a day. Kids over age 6 should have two-to-four servings of fruits. Fruits have many of the same nutrients as vegetables and also help satisfy that sweet tooth as a healthier alternative to candy. A serving of fruit is one piece, like a banana or an apple. (this sounds funny to me. Is it saying one serving of fruit is equal to one piece of candy?) Eating a banana after a Taekwondo workout can replenish the potassium your muscles use, helping you get ready for your next class.

3. Drink more fluids. Kidshealth.org reports that when you’re really thirsty, cold water is the number-one thirst-quencher. And there’s a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to grow strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral. How much do kids need? Aim for three cups of milk per day, or its equivalent. Mix it up by serving milk and some other calcium-rich dairy foods.

4. Cut back on fast food meals. Eating a cheeseburger and fries from time to time can fit into a healthy eating plan, but fast food meals for kids need to be monitored by a parent to prevent over-eating. A cheeseburger and fries do provide some nutrients, but by super-sizing the meal, a child can take in more than 1,000 calories in a sitting.

5. Snack throughout the day. It’s hard to believe, but eating more food that is good for your body will help you get fit quicker than if
you eat less food and walk around hungry. When your tummy is grumbling, instead of reaching for the chips or cookies, try crackers and cheese, popcorn, pretzels or yogurt.

6. Listen to your body. According to Kidshealth.org, people sometimes keep eating even when they’re full because they don’t pay attention to their bodies. Learn to tell when your stomach is full. Don’t rush through your meals–it can take 10 or 15 minutes for your stomach to register that you’re eating and that it’s getting full. Remember, that feeling of extreme fullness will slow you down and can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

7. Don’t skip breakfast. If you skip breakfast, you’re likely to become tired when your brain and body run low on fuel. Usually by mid-morning you are hungry and crabby, and a sour mood might make you more prone to unhealthy choices at lunch. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.

8. Take your vitamins. Supplements are not a substitute for good food, and they should never be used to justify a poor diet. If you’re not eating well, take steps to improve your eating habits, along with taking a supplement. According to WebMD.com, “Any generic type of children’s multivitamin (in chewable or liquid form) will do, unless your child has special needs.” Since your diet may not provide all of the nutrients you need, taking a daily vitamin is typically a good choice to fill the gap.

9. Give yourself a break. Being healthy doesn’t mean you can never have chocolate again! It’s important that you deal with cravings as you take steps toward fitness and still enjoy the foods you love. Feel free to have some birthday cake–just don’t have the biggest piece with the most icing. Don’t treat it as a reward but rather enjoy it as an indulgence. Just be sure your healthy habits aren’t forgotten.

What Parents Can Do?

Keep healthy food around the house. Being hungry is not a crime, but it’s what you and your child choose to fight that hunger that can create bad choices.

Find healthy foods you and your child like. To find out what food your child enjoys and is most likely to eat, ask him or her to “grade” the different choices, suggests WebMD.com. That gets your child involved in the process of making healthy choices he or she can live with. If your child doesn’t like broccoli, try green beans. Play with different recipes and find things that are tasty and healthy.

Don’t reward your child with food. Dessert shouldn’t be the reward after a healthy dinner. Instead, reward your child with playtime in the park or a similar activity that supports a healthy lifestyle.

10 Degrees of Fitness

Our new year’s resolution for 2010 is for all of our students to get into and stay in great shape. Starting in January we have 10 great events, every week all month long! Improve the strength of your family and make the decision to begin a “family workout” by utilizing the ATA FIT & Warrior X-Fit Program.

ATA FIT is a workout that prepares your body for virtually any physical activity and can be geared toward any age and fitness level. Most other programs focuses on cardiovascular endurance and/or strength, but ATA FIT develops flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, accuracy and balance. The cardiovascular portion of the workout is based on interval training, alternating between shorts bursts of exertion and rest.

Our new teaching method, called 360 Training, is being heralded for its ability to seamlessly blend fitness training into regular Taekwondo class segments. It is made up of functional movements done at high intensity. Each workout has a different set of techniques but the workout can be scaled down to meet individual needs such as lowered weights, reduced reps, or modified push-ups.

According to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health there are now almost 12,000,000 children and 100,000,000 adults in the United States who are considered obese or overweight. This epidemic has put all individuals at risk for risks such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, psychological and social problems.

Fortunately, you can take action to prevent this epidimic (horrible disease) from growing by getting your family to exercise together. Doing so will keep the whole family physically and emotionally healthier…” Sharing physical activities with your parents isn’t just a good way to get your heart pumping and burn calories, it’s a great way to improve your relationship with your parents. When you exercise together as a family, you are creating memories everyone will treasure; and studies show if you begin exercising now, you will make it part of your everyday life as an adult.

Contact us to schedule a visit and see if our program is right for you or your family.