Friday, November 28, 2014

Cardio Kickboxing at Bruce McCorrys

Burn off the Turkey Stuffing with Cardio Kickboxing
Written by: Sandra LaRosa

Holidays are the time when the turkey makes us forget the fitness vows and New Year resolutions. Enjoying a good feast is fine, but it is equally important to workout properly and burn off the excess calories that is a usual part of holiday weight gain. Which is the best workout to combat holiday weight gain? If this is your question, you have reached the right place.

Holiday Weight Gain Facts: What to Know and What to Prevent

Holiday weight gain is a concern among anyone who is conscious of their health and fitness. Weight gain, in itself, is both unhealthy and unwanted. What makes holiday weight gain doubly so? Here are some essential facts you need to know before the Christmas feast gets the better of you:

* Every holiday season (the time from November to December) passes with causing an average American to gain at least one pound of weight. Remember, that’s just the minimum.


* If you think that just one pound can be easily burned off, then there is an important thing that you need to know. Certain medical theories have suggested that the weight gained during the holiday season can hardly be burned off.


* If there is truth to these studies, this means that every passing year will lead to a persistent increase in body weight, which cannot be reversed. One study even points out that within a decade, usually ten to twenty pounds of irreversible fat is added to the body weight.


* Psychological opinions on holiday weight gain suggests that most of the New Year resolutions are on fitness and workout because of the guilt and discomfort that accompanies the holiday weight gain.

Cardio Kickboxing to Fight Holiday Weight Gain

Whether the stats are completely true or not, at least one thing is evident. It is better to prevent putting on weight rather than to strain to lose it. There are ways by which you can prevent holiday weight gain without really giving up the joys of a Christmas feast. Cardio kickboxing is a good option.

Cardio kickboxing is a martial art which balances the benefits of traditional arts with the ease of a modern workout. Veterans have placed kickboxing among the ultimate weight loss methods.


* According to the Center for Health and Sciences, kickboxing can burn nearly 1,000 calories per hour even in a person with obesity


* Kickboxing puts most of the major muscle groups into action. It is a comprehensive workout.


* Heart rate repeatedly climbs and stabilizes during a cardio kickboxing session. This is ideal for both losing weight and maintaining cardiac health.


* Cardio kickboxing makes your body look balanced even after the weight loss so that you won’t appear frail or tired.
Cardio Kickboxing at Bruce McCorry’s

Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts Academy offers quality lessons in cardio kickboxing with its focus on weight loss and fitness. At the academy, you can get clear guidelines on how to use cardio kickboxing effectively for fitness and health. 

The best way to prevent holiday weight gain is to start practicing beforehand, and fall into a regular pattern of workout by the time of holidays. You can also use cardio kickboxing to burn off the weight you have already gained, because it is one of those rare workouts that can minimize the effects of holiday weight gain. When you can use cardio kickboxing to avert weight gain, why hesitate to celebrate the feast!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Thanksgiving: Origins and History



As we approach this Holiday Season, we would like to express our thanks. As we look back upon the past year, we would like to take the time and acknowledge those who have helped us along the way.  Special thanks to our valued customers and long time students. We are grateful for your support. We look forward to another year of new goals. Its a pleasure serving you.
 
Thank you. Most of all, thank you for your loyalty, new and older students alike... WE WISH EVERYONE ALL THE BEST IN ANY ALL ENDEVOURS YOU EMBARK UPON IN 2015.
 
Happy Holidays
Master McCorry and Sandra

Enjoy a little Thanksgiving History, Facts and Origin...

Today, we think of Thanksgiving as November’s fourth Thursday – a day to gather as a family and enjoy a delicious meal. But beyond the feast and the family, Thanksgiving has an interesting and unforgettable history which every American should know.

Thanksgiving: Origins and History
The roots of the Thanksgiving ceremony can be traced to the Native American traditions of giving thanks after a bountiful harvest. The turkey and pumpkin pie that we enjoy today is a relic of the ancient ways of commemorating a good harvest.

When the Pilgrims crossed the waters, they brought with them many Puritan religious customs of which Puritan Thanksgiving was one. This religious ritual that combined meals and prayer later became blended with the Native American tradition of Thanksgiving. In the modern sense, the day was first celebrated in 1621, when the Pilgrims succeeded in coming up with a good harvest after suffering and scarcity for a long time. The customs they initiated – the feasting, recreation and family gathering – are what we observe to this day. There are chronicles and documents which prove that 1621 celebration marked the birth of Thanksgiving in the modern sense.

In 1777, the fervor of the new nation was seen in the Continental Congress declaring the first ever national Thanksgiving. By 1815, the concept of National Thanksgiving gradually ceased, though President Washington and others had endorsed this mode of celebration. Since then, Thanksgiving was more or less an individual state observance until President Lincoln once again called for a National Thanksgiving to unite the war-shaken country. In 1941, the Congress fixed the fourth Thursday of November as the permanent Thanksgiving holiday, as we celebrate it today.

Massachusetts and Thanksgiving
Massachusetts is important in the annals of American history as the landing point of the Pilgrims. In the history of Thanksgiving also, Massachusetts has its proud space. Though we don’t know the exact date in which the first Thanksgiving took place, we know that the spot was Plymouth. There are eye-witness accounts of the incident as the evidence of this. It is from Massachusetts that Thanksgiving was embraced by the whole of the United States to be a national festival.

Thanksgiving Facts Today
Here are some of the facts about Thanksgiving which you don’t know!

* Though Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in US, it is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada

* First Thanksgiving was celebrated for three days

* During Thanksgiving celebration, 28000000 turkeys are sold every year

* An average American consumes up to 18 pounds of Turkey a year

* Benjamin Franklin wanted Turkey to be the national bird

* 91% of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by eating Turkey

* Each Thanksgiving and Christmas causes a pound of weight gain to an average American

* The pounds you gain during these holidays cannot be lost (Make sure you work out!)

* West Coast of US uses Dungeness Crab sometimes instead of turkey

* Thomas Jefferson thought of Thanksgiving as a “ridiculous idea”
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Depression: Martial Arts as a Cure

How Martial Arts Come to Your Aid Against Depression
Written by: Master McCorry

It is estimated that around 121 million people around the world suffer from depression. According to the data by Healthline, US and India top the depression charts with 30 to 36% of reported depression incidents. An estimated 121 million people around the world currently suffer from some form of depression. It is calculated that one in every ten Americans encounter depression at least once in their lives. As these unhappy stats indicate, the modern life has contributed more to stress than to well-being.

No depression phase passes on without leaving its imprints on your body and mind. Consequences of depression range from sleeplessness to increased chances of cardiac arrest, stroke and suicidal tendency. Sometimes, depression is the aftereffect of a specific event – the death of a relative, or losing your job, for instance. However, depression can also happen without any particular trigger. In either cases, it is important to realize that what the victim undergoes in not ’just sadness’ but clinical depression.

Recognizing Depression: Symptoms and Warnings

In order to recognize depression, you may ask yourself the following questions:

* Do you feel helpless and lost most of the time?
* Have you lost interest in what happens around you?
* Have you noticed a sudden change in your appetite, weight or sleep pattern?
* Do you feel uncontrollable anger or tiredness?
* Do you hate yourself at times?

If your response to most of these questions is yes, you may suspect that you might have clinical depression. If you are still doubtful, you can take the advise of a physician.

Clinical Depression: Martial Arts as a Cure
Many experts agree that physical activity can help people with depression. Often, engaging physical activities like martial arts gives you a sense of control and decisiveness that you can surpass the obstacles in your life. With this psychology at work, martial arts can help you to overcome depression. Even if your doctor suggests medication, martial arts can go hand in hand with the treatment because it adds to the healing process.

Here is how martial arts come to your aid against depression:

* Life skills: Martial arts teaches you many lessons about life. You can develop the ability to deal with the problems of life through martial arts.

* Being happy: Martial arts quicken the healing process by teaching you how to recover and be happy. Studies show that martial arts have been instrumental for many people in recovering from the trauma of abuse, dysfunctional families and eating disorders.

* Self-confidence: The sense of achievement that you gain from martial arts is unmatched. It is not just for health and fitness - it imparts the ethics, self-awareness and mental strength to be confident.

* Discipline: Discipline, in the context of martial arts, means that it tempers excessive emotions and helps you to restrain yourself. If you want to get out of depression, you need to learn to control emotions.


* Strength: Martial arts also makes you stronger – both in your body and mind. This enables you to face the problems of life effectively.

Martial Arts at Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts Academy
The ultimate aim of anything that we do is to live with insight and be happy. The martial art lessons at Bruce McCorry’s Academy (Peabody, MA) is a constructive program that helps you to equip yourself for the difficulties in your life. Martial arts at Bruce McCorry’s has helped many to recover and come back to life from states of depression and stress. At Bruce McCorry’s you can experience martial arts with insight and live a longer, happier life.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Self Defense Classes - Facts & Information

Self Defense Classes - Facts & Information
written by: Master McCorry

Self defense is an inevitable skill to survive in today’s world. Each day, the media comes up with new instances of violence, attacks and crimes. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention, 33% of the youth has been a part of physical violence. School bullying stats and juvenile crime rates are on an alarming rise. Youth and children are not the sole victims of crime. Adults also encounter situations in which some self-defense skill would have come handy. Elder abuse is also on the rise.

Some specific reports by Neighborhood Scouts from Massachusetts are shocking:

* Around 6000 robberies and 18000 assaults are annually reported

* 2 million burglaries are reported from Boston alone

* From 1970 to 2014 there is an increase in number of assaults from 5003 to 18,638

All these indicate that it is important for every one of us to learn to fight back if necessary. It is especially so in the case of women, children and elders – the most frequent victims of violence and crime. We should not only learn to just defend ourselves, but we should also be aware of our self defense rights.

Martial Arts: The Ultimate Self Defense
Self defense is not just using your fist and knees to overpower your attacker. It also involves using your intelligence and alertness to extricate yourself from dangerous situations. In fact, the latter skill would prove much more useful than physical resistance in many situations. Even where physical fighting fails, intellect and alertness can win. That is why martial arts – the combo of physical resistance and vigilant thinking – is considered the ultimate self defense.

Martial arts can equip you to defend yourselves in many ways. Following are some of the useful self defense skills that you can gain by learning martial arts:

* Martial arts give you stronger physical ability

* It increases your self confidence by erasing negative thoughts and making you stronger

* It teaches you to be alert and vigilant always

* Martial arts teaches you how to think and act swiftly – a skill that comes most useful in self defense

* Martial arts teaches you how to be cool and collected at the face of an emergency. Not panicking is the first thing you need when you face a difficult situation
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* It makes you courageous and brave. This is an important value, because it will teach you not only to protect yourself, but also help others from a crisis.

* Finally, martial arts has the ability to improve your perception and attention skills. Quickly noticing and recognizing suspicious circumstances is a big advantage in self defense, and martial art teaches you this.

Self Defense Classes at Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts
Teaching self defense is not easy, because self defense succeeds only when the learner decides to equip himself/herself. The martial arts self defense lessons at Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts Academy (Peabody, MA), therefore, focuses on teaching you how to prepare yourselves. So the emphasis of Bruce McCorry’s self defense classes is not just on jabs and punches, but also on vigilant thinking, quick action and decision making skills. An essential part of Bruce McCorry’s self defense martial arts lessons is teaching how to recognize and avoid dangers, along with fighting back.

Join today for useful self defense martial art classes at Bruce McCorry's Academy of Martial Arts!

Friday, November 7, 2014

After school Karate for Kids

Karate Kids - After School Karate Classes for Children
written by: Master McCorry
Learning Karate in after school hours might be something that you have never thought of before. But if you think about it, you can see that it is one of the most beneficial ways in which your child can make use of the time after school. Karate is a wonderful martial art that can actually transform your child’s life. Why should you choose Karate as your child’s after school pastime? Here are some answers. Karate and Kids: The Advantages of Martial Arts for Children Karate is one of those martial arts which every beginner can easily adapt to. However, this adaptable nature of Karate is only one among the many reasons to choose Karate. Your child will benefit both physically and mentally through Karate lessons. · Karate increases physical strength in children and boosts their energy levels.

· It makes them more immune to illnesses. It also reduces the chances of lifestyle-based health risks in future life.

· Karate learners develop the ability to work for a long time without being tired. This can be beneficial to your child.

· Practicing Karate can actually refine the mind and improve its reasoning abilities. Each Karate session involves spontaneous planning and action, which will make kids reasonable judges and quick decision makers in the future.

· Karate is also a useful self-defense that you can use to protect yourself from danger.


· Through enhancing bodily strength and defensive skills, Karate actually boosts your self-confidence. Karate-learning children seldom face stage fear or nervousness at a crucial moment.
Afternoon Karate Lessons: Why is it Useful? Many martial art veterans opine that the time after school is the most suitable for learning martial arts. On the practical side of it, learning martial arts after school has its many benefits. After hours of mental effort in school, every child needs some physical activity to relieve them. Until a few decades ago, children used to play and take part in physical activities, but nowadays, physical activities are restricted to a specific hour dedicated for gym. Even this is not properly carried out many a time. Afternoon martial art lessons can compensate this need for physical activity. We see many children too exhausted to learn anything once they come back from school. The reason is the excess mental effort that they have to put during the school hours. Just like fresh air or nourishing water will refresh them, energetic physical activity for an hour can replenish them without being a burden on them.
Bruce McCorry’s Academy – After school Karate for Kids If martial arts lessons become as dull and effortful as the school hours, there is no point in hoping that it will refresh children. It is very important to plan the lessons carefully, blending enjoyment and fun with martial arts. Many kids and parents love Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts Academy (Peabody, MA) because here they get the opportunity to learn quality professional martial arts in a fun way. Bruce McCorry’s is in the forefront of major martial art schools in the US, and there is a dedicated team of instructors at the academy. The contribution of Bruce McCorry’s in building a generation of martial artists and martial art lovers in Massachusetts has been monumental. After school Karate lessons come with many benefits like experienced guidance, fun yet comprehensive syllabus and transport facility. Join today to know the difference!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Martial Arts Fitness - The Perfect Way to Stay in Shape During the Holidays

Martial Arts Fitness - The Perfect Way to Stay in Shape During the Holidays
written by: Sandra LaRosa



It is again that time of the year when we easily forget our daily responsibilities and get into the mood of a holiday. Holidays are the time you get to relax the most and take a break. Each Christmas and Thanksgiving comes with a few days of relief from the stress and hurry of our busy days. Ironically, statistics point out that each holiday has adverse effects on health and fitness. Holiday weight gain is not something to be dismissed lightly.
Why Fear Holiday Weight Gain? Traditional studies show how November and December adds around 5 to 7 pounds to a person’s weight.
  • The average holiday weight gain is 5-7 pounds for people with normal weight, but a person has trouble with losing the weight gained, causing a constant increase in weight every year
  • Though 5-7 is the average, persons with overweight or obesity can gain much more
  • Students showed a weight gain from half a pound to two pounds in just two weeks during Thanksgiving
The fact that it is difficult to lose the weight gained during holidays, this is why you must take it seriously. Why does this happen?

Unhealthy Diet Habits and Holidays
We usually don’t bother to stick to our regular diet during holidays. Celebration time comes with high calorie food - lots of chocolates, fast foods and sugar. This has a lot of negative impact, especially if you are a person who sticks to a regular diet pattern. The human body always keeps a balanced store of fat, called the set point. When you are on a diet, your body will grow accustomed to it, and create energy from the little fat available. When you switch to fatty food all of a sudden, naturally your body will store the excess fat for the future, leading to health problems.

No Workout = Weight Gain
Yet another reason for the holiday weight gain is breaking the regular workout pattern. Taking breaks from workouts is unhealthier than stopping the workout altogether. Each time you take a break from working out, your body tends to gain weight faster. Even though you restart working out after the holiday, it becomes harder and harder to lose the extra pounds you've gained.

Staying in Shape with Martial Arts at Bruce McCorry’s
With friends, family, shopping, planning and celebrating, the last thing you want to do on a holiday is workout. But what if you take up something enjoyable like martial arts? Martial arts are not just fun, but lighter and more effective compared to most workouts. Martial arts can burn calories effectively at a very fast pace. The result is a toned and fit body. Fitness, health, stress-relief, self-confidence and self-defense are only some of the benefits of martial arts. It is always better to prevent weight gain than working hard to lose the pounds that you virtually cannot lose. Martial arts fitness is your way out.

At Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts (Peabody, MA) you can choose from more than 10 different martial arts that will help you to stay in shape even during the holidays. Taking up martial arts is not just something to prevent weight gain during the holidays. It can be your fitness mantra all year long. Choose martial arts for a healthier, happier holiday season…