Minnesota Taekwondo Center Newsletter — June 2005 Issue
(Submissions are welcome! News and information, articles, drawings, etc., are requested.)
(Submissions are welcome! News and information, articles, drawings, etc., are requested.)
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Minnesota Taekwondo Center Newsletter — June 2005 Issue
(Submissions are welcome! News and information, articles, drawings, etc., are requested.) |
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Welcome to the June '05 Issue of MTC Focus —
Current News from the Minnesota Taekwondo Center
Congratulations to those testers who have been promoted in the recent weeks, especially Mr. Edgar Young, Jr who has achieved a 4th Dan Black Belt! Mr. Koy just received official word that he and his Army unit will be deployed to Iraq on August 24 of this year. We wish Mr. Koy the best. The next several months will be important in the development of the Minnesota Taekwondo Center. With Mr. Koy leaving soon, the scheduled instructors will be shifted accordingly. At this time no class schedule changes are expected. Mr. Fix has been named General Manager of MTC and will handle a lot of the details in his absence. Some things planned are: adding TKD merchandise to the Pro Shop, creating a library of DVDs of historical or informational data, getting a sign for the north side of the building, adding new equipment to what we have now, and more. Our number one way of increasing enrollment is word of mouth. We have a Summer Special ($150 for three months) for new students, including a free uniform. If they continue after that time, it will be at the regular rate of $75 per month, with discounts if signing up for a longer period. Midwest Gymnastics Center is looking at opening a branch in Maple Grove or Woodbury, and we at MTC will be a part of that. We will also be promoting the Winter Carnival Classic, a concurrent yet separate tournament consisting of gymnastic and Taekwondo competition, slated for the weekend of January 28 and 29, 2006. The TKD tournament will be run in conjunction with two other TKD schools in the Metro area. Volunteers will be needed and the proceeds from the tournament will be distributed among those who work for it. You do not need to be a Black Belt to assist in one of the many ways that will be available. This will be a big event and hopefully the start of a new level of TKD camaraderie among the schools, and a highly anticipated national tournament as well.
Other Notes —Black Belt/Instructor Meetings USATaekwondo Jessalin Ramsay and Valerie Clintsman made a wonderful cardboard display of Taekwondo tenets for a school project. It is available for viewing at the school. (Picture not available at this time). Study Notes
A great saying that I heard from a fellow martial artist is “a black belt is a white belt who never quit.” What makes this phrase so special? It puts into perspective the power of following through. Those students who persevere through obstacles, challenges, and pressure are the ones who reach the distinctive level of black belt. Becoming a black belt is a great accomplishment. It takes much effort and continuous follow through to achieve. Reaching the level of black belt is not an easy task, but receiving a black belt makes it worthwhile. By understanding what rewards wait on the other side of the mountain you can complete even the most difficult tasks. Knowing that your hard work will pay off, you gain the strength to follow through.
Next time you are in class, at school, or at your job, seek out ways that you can follow through. For class, you may want to follow through after your session and ask your instructor if there is anything you can work on at home to improve your skills. If you are in school, you can follow through with your teacher to see if there is anything you can study to improve your learning curve. At your job, you can follow through with your boss to see if there are new skills that you can work on to help improve your performance. You are limiting your achievements until you take action and follow through to constantly find new ways in which you can reach your potential. Following through can also be very powerful in your personal life. By following through with friends and families by saying “thank you” for gifts or special gestures, you can improve your relationships. When you make mistakes that affect others, you can follow through by taking the opportunity to correct those mistakes. It shows that you are a person with genuine respect for others and that you care. Following through in all areas of your life can amplify your success and happiness. Next time you are stressed or under pressure, have the power to follow through and enjoy the success that comes along with it. HealthKick: Are Sweets As Good As They Taste?By Jennifer G. Galea, M.S., R.D.Everyone enjoys sweets, and for good reason: they provide energy, and naturally sweet substances such as fruits and milk are high in nutrients. So why are “sweets” at the very top of the (old) food guide pyramid, with the least number of calories allowed for them? It’s because “sweets” are really foods that contain added sugars. Naturally “sweet” foods are found in other areas of the food pyramid. Sugar-sweetened foods provide excess calories with few or no nutrients. And for martial artists, who are trying to optimize nutrient intake and maintain appropriate weight, this is a significant food group to avoid. Besides being low on nutrients, sweetened foods tend to “crowd out” other healthier choices. Limit your intake of “added sugars” to 10 percent of your calories. This equates to about 12 teaspoons of sugar in a typical daily diet of 2,200 calories. The key is to make each of these teaspoons count, and to count them all (e.g. sugar-sweetened cereals, beverages, and processed foods). Totally avoid sugar-sweetened sodas; liquids aren’t filling, so the calories consumed just add to your overall intake rather than replacing other intake. Instead, have low-fat chocolate milk, thereby obtaining the benefits of the low-fat dairy along with the added sugar. And consume your added sugars with foods to avoid some of the “rush” that you might otherwise experience when consuming high sugar items. When discussing the need to decrease or eliminate added sugars from the diet, the issue of artificial sweeteners always comes up. Are they safe? Should you use them? How much can you use? Here, as with all dietary intakes, moderation is the rule. Most sweeteners are considered safe, but care should be taken not to overdo it. In addition, research isn’t conclusive for some sweeteners. Are artificial sweeteners are appropriate for children? Children have very different metabolisms from adults, and no research has been done with children. Substitute other ways of sweetening without using added sugars. For example, serve diluted fruit juice or unsweetened iced tea instead of soda or other sugary beverages; lightly sweetened whole-grain cereal instead of sugary “kid” cereal; low fat yogurt combined with pureed fruit rather than traditional yogurts or “kid” yogurts.
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The power of following through is not limited to achieving goals such as black belt. Successful businesses heavily rely on this power to acquire new customers. By following through and asking for referrals, a small business can flourish. By following through on your promises, you can earn the respect of the people to whom you made the promises. The opportunities are endless, and the world opens up even more once you understand how powerful following through can be.
