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

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.

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!

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!

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…

Halloween Safety Tips - The Martial Arts Way

Halloween Safety Tips - The Martial Arts Way
written by: Master McCorry

Getting scared for Halloween is fun; however, it need not be at the cost of your child’s safety. Usually, it is quite normal that a kids-night-out will result in some scratches and tears, but that's not a problem compared to the real threats. The increasing number of child pedestrian fatalities on the day of Halloween over decades has led media to describe October 31 as the "deadliest day" for children. There are also reports of abduction attempts, hazards resulting from dangerous costumes and so on. Familiarize your child with the following Halloween child safety tips to ensure a fun and safe Halloween!

Halloween Safety Measures and Tips for Children

1) Safe Trick-or-Treating

* Always go trick-or-treating as a group, preferably accompanied by an adult. Always try and stick to the group.

* Go Trick-or-Treating only at areas which are familiar to you
* Stick to well-lit roads and familiar houses, avoid desolate and dark areas
* Even if you wander off from your group, try to remain alert. Knowing some kind of a self defense would come to your help if you are met with an emergency.
* It is better not to go trick-or-treating late at night. Even if you do, always keep a flashlight with you
* If strangers offer you a ride, do not accept it

2) Eating Your Treats
* Try not to accept treats from strangers or suspicious people as much as possible.
* Since the most common method of Halloween crimes are doped candies, at least wait till you reach home before you eat candies offered by strangers.
* Make sure that younger children do not lay hands on big candies to avoid incidents of choking

3) Costume Safety Tips
* Do not include damage-causing accessories to the costumes. Especially in the case of younger children, it is better to avoid dangerous costumes that involve knives, swords and fire
* Test the skin make-up before you wear it for a long time. Remove it completely before you go to sleep.
* Parents may choose costumes that are made of material that is not easily inflammable

4) Road-Safety Tips
* Wear bright costumes and colors so that drivers easily spot you and avoid accidents
* Avoid dark-colored costumes as much as possible
* Avoid costumes that blocks or distorts clear vision. This may include fancy contact lenses, improperly pierced masks and eye make-up
* Always walk through the sidewalks
* Watch carefully before you cross the streets, even when you are in a group


Dealing with a Danger: What to Do?
If suspicious-looking strangers approach you during trick-or-treating, try to handle the situation without panicking. If you have learnt some kind of a self-defense like Karate or Taekwondo, it would be helpful to you. You can use martial arts as a protective measure to escape from situations of emergency. There are institutions like Bruce McCorry's Academy (MA) that offer lessons in martial arts for self-defense. Even if you do not know any self-defense or martial arts, try to remain as alert as much as possible and try to take help from adults or other trick-or-treaters who might pass along. In the case of an accident, offer first-aid quickly and seek the help of an adult so that the injured person could be taken to the nearest hospital as soon as possible.


As parents, you can share these tips with your children. More important, however, is to make them aware of the possible dangers of Halloween and the importance of child safety. Enjoy a safe and fun Halloween!

Don't forget to visit  our Trunk-Or-Treat event Friday, Oct 31 at 5pm!

National Month for Breast Cancer Awareness - by Sandra LaRosa

                                                    A Trip to the Doctor

National Month for Breast Cancer Awareness

by Sandra LaRosa

Every October, we see pink ribbons all around us, and we have many socially conscious people pledging solidarity with the women who fight breast cancer and trying to spread its awareness. As a result of the commendable work done by these activists, we have more and more women aware about their body and health. Despite the rising number of women who come forward for annual check-ups, still there are many women who think that there is no need to do a mammogram unless they feel some tangible symptom. The story I want to share with you will show how important it is for us as women to be aware of breast cancer and remain constantly in vigil.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. women, excluding cancers of the skin. 

A Trip to the Doctor....
Though I had a medical history of Polymyositis, I hadn't had any setbacks for many years now. My regular martial arts practice and the treatment had been effective. I was confident, and it was with this confidence that I decided to start October with an annual mammogram. It was a Thursday, and Monday I received the callback that many of us dread.

The woman on the phone wanted me to go over to the Mass General to get some more pictures, and an ultrasound scan if they think it is necessary. "This is routine, you shouldn't be nervous..." She added. However, I was worried.

If the current rate stays the same, women born today have about a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer at some point during their lives.

Since I didn't like waiting. I made my trip to the doctor the next day. It was in the waiting area that I first noted how the lobby was filled with pink. There were women, hiding their tears behind magazines. There was a news station on, in which some talk about breast cancer was going on. When I was waiting in that room with worried, panicked faces, I couldn't help thinking that what I received might be something more than a second routine call, another hurdle in my path...

Soon I was escorted to the mammogram room, where the technician took the pictures on that cold awkward machine. Back in the waiting room, I was soon called by a second technician, who wanted to me to follow her for an ultrasound. "There is nothing to worry, it looks like a cyst..." she said Again. I was wondering whether they were being serious. A few minutes after she pointed out the area of concern to me, the doctor came in. She wanted me to go in for an aspiration or a biopsy. She considerately asked me whether they should reschedule. I couldn't wait any more, and asked her to proceed.

In 2014, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in U.S. women. In addition to invasive breast cancer, an estimated 62,570 cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed

I called Bruce McCorry's Martial Arts where I am an instructor. It was about noon, and Mr. McCorry, who answered the phone, kept me focused on remaining calm. He assured me everything is going to be okay, asking me not to worry about the school. While I waited for the doctor to make his preparations, my colleagues at School kept me sane by talking about all the usual happenings at school.

In 2014, an estimated 40,000 U.S. women will die from breast cancer

Within two hours from the morning appointment, here I was, doing an aspiration. Waiting patiently and feeling the numbness of it were the most difficult parts. Thirty minutes later, the cyst aspirated. The final mammogram showed everything being fine. The doctor added with a smile: "We will see you in a year..." I headed back to school with all the surgical tapes and mini ice packs in place. Back to another day of martial arts...

Looking Back...
Looking back with the power of hindsight, we can be relieved that the odds are in our favor. Statistics say that about 90% of callbacks turn out to be nothing. However, something like this opens our eye toward the fact that breast cancer is something that can happen to anyone, and it is our duty as women to be aware and alert to the issue.

The risk of getting breast cancer increases with age. Approximately 77% of women with breast cancer are over the age of 50 at the time of diagnosis.

Any dangerous disease is treated best in the earliest stages. Breast cancer is no exception. It is important to realize that October — the National Month for Breast Cancer Awareness - is not just about helping our fellow women who are victims of breast cancer to fight and come back to life, but also for the rest of us to be in vigil. It is not just enough to resort to medical help, but also to stick to healthy living practices - for both cure and prevention. Healthy eating habits, regular workout sessions, doing arts of living like martial arts, being eco-friendly - these are all part of our endeavor toward a world without cancer. Healthy women are the asset of any healthy society. This October, let us remember the message.

When detected and treated early, 5-year relative survival for localized breast cancer is 99%. For regional disease, it is 84%. If the cancer has spread to distant organs, 5-year survival drops to 24%.

Larger tumor size at diagnosis is also associated with decreased survival.

At this time, there are an estimated 2.8 million breast cancer survivors living in the U.S

Reference Statistic by:
The National Cancer Institute & the American Cancer Society