Suparinpei

Posture!

Consider this fact:
The average human head weighs 8 pounds. And if your chin moves forward just 3 inches -- as it tends to when you work at a computer -- the muscles of your neck, shoulders, and upper back must support the equivalent of 11 pounds. That's a weight-bearing increase of 38 percent -- often for hours at a time. Left untreated, the effect of chronic desk slump results in a postural dysfunction that physical therapists call upper-cross syndrome; you know it as rounded shoulders.

The consequences aren't simply a vanity concern; this little-known condition is a common cause of weight-lifting plateaus, as well as pain and injuries. And, chances are, if you work a desk job or lift weights, you already suffer -- or soon will -- from this sinister syndrome. Your risk is even higher if you do both.

Use the self-test that follows to determine whether you're an upper-cross victim. Then reevaluate your workout and your job posture with our problem-solving guide. It'll show you how to repair the damage if you've already fallen prey, and provide you with a preemptive battle plan for fending it off in the future. The bonus: Your shoulders will be bigger, stronger, and healthier than ever.

The Self-Test: Are You Crossed Up?
Place two fingers at the top of your right shoulder and feel for a bony notch that pro- -trudes from it. That's your acromion. Now grab a ruler and lie on your back on the floor, your right arm resting alongside your body. With your left hand, measure the distance from your right acromion to the floor, being careful not to raise or lower your right shoulder as you do so. If the distance is more than 1 inch, you have upper-cross syndrome.

Want a second opinion? Ask a friend to take a digital picture of you -- shirtless -- from the side. Stand tall, but in a relaxed position, the way you would if you weren't thinking about your posture. Check to see if the middle of your ear is in line with the middle of your shoulder, hip, and ankle. If you can't draw a straight line through these points, then you've just been diagnosed -- again.

Problem #1: Your Workout
The shoulder is the most complex and unstable joint in the human body. For it to function properly, you need to train all the muscles that help stabilize it. Trouble is, to the average guy, the shoulder muscles are the deltoids, the rounded muscles that cap the upper arms. Period. "Men suffer from an ‘If I can't see it, why train it?' mentality," says Micheal Clark, D.P.T., president of the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

And that means they'll do plenty of overhead presses and lateral raises -- exercises that target the front and middle portions of the deltoid -- but neglect the smaller, less visible muscles at the back of the shoulder joint. The result: a strength imbalance, which makes the shoulder less stable.

Poor stability not only increases your risk of injury -- think dislocations and rotator-cuff tears -- but also reduces your strength in almost every upper-body lift. That's because you can lift only as much weight as your shoulders can support. In fact, weak shoulder joints are the most common cause of longtime lifting plateaus.

Another workout issue: bench presses and lat pulldowns, two of the most popular exercises in any gym (except Curves). The first move emphasizes your pectoralis major -- the primary muscle of your chest -- and the second targets your latissimus dorsi, the largest muscles of your back.

Both of these powerful muscles attach to the inside of the upper arm, which means they rotate it inward. If you perform these exercises more than you do moves that rotate your upper arms outward -- such as bent-over and seated rows -- your pectoralis major and lats will pull your arms inward, causing your shoulders to round forward.

This primer shows you how to train your "other" shoulder muscles. As a general rule, count the total number of sets of bench presses, shoulder presses, pullups, and lat pulldowns that you do in a week, and make sure you do an equal number of sets of exercises that work the following muscle groups.

I tend to have the same problem with my shoulders because I spend hours daily on my computer. I have set a 15 minute timer on my computer reminding me to stand up and stretch for 60 seconds. It has made a world of difference!

article retrieved from Men's Health

Bunkai - Kata Gekisai Dai Ni

Japan Karate

What Really Saves Gas? And How Much?

This has absolutely nothing to do with Martial Arts but I want to expose this article on all of my blogs and sites...

With gas prices so high, the media is awash with lists of gas-saving tips. Well how's this for a tip? If you listen to us, you can see hybrid-type savings without having to buy a new car.

By changing your driving habits you can improve fuel economy up to 37 percent right away (depending on how you drive). Combine several tips and perform routine maintenance and you will save real dollars, not just pennies.

A miracle? All we did was take several of the most common tips out there and put them to the test over a remote 55-mile route in the high desert of California. Some of them worked like a charm. Some of them didn't work at all. We'll give you the breakdown.

These tests were done under real-world conditions — not in a government lab somewhere. Our results can be matched by anyone — even you.

The wonderful part about what we found is that improving your car's mileage is just a matter of changing your habits. Stack a few of these winners together and we'll bet that you'll see a substantial savings at the pump — without the need for a new car.

Test #1 Aggressive Driving vs. Moderate Driving Result: Major savings potential
The Cold Hard Facts: Up to 37 percent savings, average savings of 31 percent
Recommendation: Stop driving like a maniac.

Test #2 Lower Speeds Saves GasResult: Substantial savings on a long trip
Cold Hard Facts: Up to 14 percent savings, average savings of 12 percent
Recommendation: Drive the speed limit.

Test #3 Use Cruise ControlResult: Surprisingly effective way to save gas
Cold Hard Facts: Up to 14-percent savings, average savings of 7 percent
Recommendation: If you've got it, use it.

Test #4 A/C On, Windows Up vs. A/C Off, Windows DownResult: Nice in theory; not true in practice
Cold Hard Facts: No measurable difference (unless you open the sunroof, too!)
Recommendation: Please, make yourself comfortable.

Test #5 Check Your Tire Pressure Result: Important for safety and to reduce tire wear
Cold Hard Facts: No measurable effect on the vehicles we tested
Recommendation: Check your tire pressure often but don't expect a big savings.

Test #6 Avoid Excessive IdlingResult: More important than we assumed
Cold Hard Facts: Avoiding excessive idling can save up to 19 percent
Recommendation: Stopping longer than a minute? Shut 'er down.

Geki sai - Very impressive!

Steven Seagal

Traditional Japanese Goju Ryu Karate and Japanese Aikido is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information www.KarateofLA.com

Saifa

Traditional Goju Ryu Seiwa kai is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information: www.KarateofLA.com

Nice Jab!

Better Late than Never - Goju Ryu Seminar Los Angeles

Karate Gymnastics

Judo

Traditional Japanese Goju Ryu Seiwai Kai Karate, Japanese Aikido, Krav Maga, and Yoga is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information: www.KarateofLA.com

Dont Fake it!

Traditional Japanese Goju Ryu Karate, Japanese Aikido, Yoga & Krav Maga are available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information: www.KarateofLA.com

10 FOODS TO SOLVE ANY HEALTH WORRY

Your Kitchen is a Medicine Cabinet...

1. You've got insomnia.Eat a handful of almonds. They contain massive amounts of magnesium, which helps your body relax.

2. You're hungover.Blend an orange-flavored smoothie. This liquid meal fights alcohol-induced dehydration. It's loaded with vitamin C to help combat binge-related cell damage, and the fructose in the fruit juice helps speed the metabolism of liquor.

3. You're worried about garlic breath.If the ingredient list for dinner includes garlic, add some fennel seeds to the dish, too. The active compound in fennel—anethol—speeds the rate at which you produce saliva. Saliva inhibits microbial overgrowth and clears the bad-breath-causing sulfur compounds released by garlic.

4. Your throat is sore.Forget the sugar content and add some honey to your tea. The sweet stuff's antibiotic properties are soothing and healing.

5. You're tired and stressed.Stress sucks potassium, vitamin C, and manganese out of your body, resulting in fatigue, sore muscles, difficulty concentrating, and a rise in blood pressure. Get those nutrients back with just one papaya.

6. You've got a toothache. Place a whole clove on the gum of the tooth and rub it to release the oils. It burns like hell, but relieves the pain.

7. You've got a headache.Just a dash of Tabasco sauce will turn your eggs into ibuprofen. That's because the red peppers in hot sauce are the top source of capsicum, a natural painkiller. In one small study, it eliminated the headaches of nearly half of the subjects.

8. You're nauseous.Chew on a stick of ginger or pop a thick slice of fresh ginger into a mug of boiling water and drink like tea. Ginger helps settle your stomach, whether you're sick because of some bad pad Thai or because you had one too many last night.

9. You feel like you have poor circulation.A sulfur compound in garlic reacts with red blood cells, causing the blood vessels to relax and allowing for greater dilation. Your blood will flow better and your blood pressure will lower. But reread No. 3 to freshen your breath.

10. You're feeling ... um ... gassy.Either too much or too few of specific bacterial species in the intestines can cause flatulence. Yogurt with probiotics may help to balance these bacterial levels.

information retrieved from Men's Health

Karate and Aikido

Traditional Karate and Aikido is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information: www.KarateofLA.com

Okinawan Strengthening

NO MORE EXCUSES!

There are days when you don't feel like doing your workout.
Some days, your bed is too soft, too comfortable to leave. Some days, deadlines--and your boss--are breathing down your neck. Other days, you just dread heading down to that dank, musty basement gym.

Here are four ways to stay inspired:

1) Reward yourself. Finish your workout and treat yourself to a magazine, a TV show, or some new songs for your iPod.
2) Set up a punishment for missing workouts. Skip the workout, put $20 into a jar to spend on home repairs. Make sure your spouse controls the jar.
3) Realize that the hardest part of the workout is often just getting there. Tell yourself, "I'll just go in and do one set of the first two exercises. Then I can go." You will end up doing the entire workout. Guaranteed.
4) Get social support. Become accountable to everyone in the Belly Off! forums. If you don't post your workouts, they'll demand to know why you've fallen off track. Online or offline, you need to get everyone on your side.

Karate is a great way to improve your mind, body and spirit. Traditional Japanese Goju Ryu Karate is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information: http://www.karateofla.com/

Monkfish with Ratatouille

Dont worry if the fat seems a bit high—it's mostly the heart-healthy kind from the fish.
Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)
1 medium-large zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
1 large bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces4 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic1 jar (14 ounces) prepared marinara sauce
4 monkfish fillets (about 6 ounces each)
3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil (plus leaves for garnish)
2 tablespoon drained capers

Preparation:

Heat oven to 450°F. Toss eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper and onion with 2 teaspoon oil in a bowl. Add thyme; season with salt and pepper and toss again. Coat a shallow baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange vegetables on pan and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in garlic and marinara. Cover loosely with foil and roast 10 minutes more. Remove pan from oven. Stir in chopped basil. Rub fillets with remaining 2 teaspoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Nestle fish in vegetables; cover loosely with foil. Bake until fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Top with basil leaves and capers.

Nutritional Information:

Nutritional analysis per serving: 286 calories, 9.9 g fat (1.7 g saturated)

Traditional Goju Ryu Karate is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information: http://www.karateofla.com/

information retrieved from epicurious

A Faster First Step in Sports

To run fast, you have to train fast. This drill, combined with running sprints three times a week, will train your central nervous system to respond to quick movements. How to do it: Imagine a large X on the floor and stand in the middle of it with your feet pointing at a 45-degree angle toward the top left of the X. Keep your shoulders facing forward as you rotate your hips and feet back and forth toward each end of the X. To counterbalance the movement, shift your arms to the right when your hips rotate left, and vice versa. Rotate back and forth for 6 seconds at the start of each sprint.


Traditional Japanese Goju Ryu Karate is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information: www.KarateofLA.com

The 10 Best Foods You Aren't Eating

Want to do your body a world of good? It's as easy as expanding your grocery list.
By: Jonny Bowden, Ph. D.
Although some guys aren't opposed to smoking some weed, most wouldn't think of eating one. It's a shame, really, since a succulent weed named purslane is not only delicious but also among the world's healthiest foods.

Of course, there are many superfoods that never see the inside of a shopping cart. Some you've never heard of, and others you've simply forgotten about. That's why we've rounded up the best of the bunch. Make a place for them on your table and you'll instantly upgrade your health -- without a prescription.
Beets
These grungy-looking roots are naturally sweeter than any other vegetable, which means they pack tons of flavor under-neath their rugged exterior.

Why they're healthy: Think of beets as red spinach. Just like Popeye's powerfood, this crimson vegetable is one of the best sources of both folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can damage your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease. Plus, the natural pigments -- called betacyanins -- that give beets their color have been proved to be potent cancer fighters in laboratory mice.

How to eat them: Fresh and raw, not from a jar. Heating beets actually decreases their antioxidant power. For a simple single-serving salad, wash and peel one beet, and then grate it on the widest blade of a box grater. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.

You can eat the leaves and stems, which are also packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Simply cut off the stems just below the point where the leaves start, and wash thoroughly. They're now ready to be used in a salad. Or, for a side dish, sauté the leaves, along with a minced clove of garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil, in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the leaves are wilted and the stems are tender. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.
Cabbage
Absent from most American kitchens, this cruciferous vegetable is a major player in European and Asian diets.

Why it's healthy: One cup of chopped cabbage has just 22 calories, and it's loaded with valuable nutrients. At the top of the list is sulforaphane, a chemical that increases your body's production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals and reduce your risk of cancer. In fact, Stanford University scientists determined that sulforaphane boosts your levels of these cancer-fighting enzymes higher than any other plant chemical.

How to eat it: Put cabbage on your burgers to add a satisfying crunch. Or, for an even better sandwich topping or side salad, try an Asian-style slaw. Here's what you'll need.

4 Tbsp peanut or canola oil
Juice of two limes
1 Tbsp sriracha, an Asian chili sauce you can find in the international section of your grocery store
1 head napa cabbage, finely chopped or shredded
1/4 cup toasted peanuts
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk together the oil, lime juice, and sriracha. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving. The slaw will keep in your fridge for 2 days.
Traditional Japanese Goju-Ryu Karate is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information.
information retrieved from Men's Health

More Master Gogen Yamaguchi

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Republic Karate Federation formed

By A Staff Reporter
KATHMANDU: Nepal Republic Karate Full Contact Karate Federation has been formed under the presidentship of Prem Nath Shrestha. Kajiman Shrestha has been nominated for the post of vice president and Ganesh Kakshyapati is designated as General Secretary of the 16-member committee. Sanju Manandhar is a treasurer of the federation. The members of the committee are Jeevan Bhakta Nakarmi, Prem Lama, Mahendra Maharjan, Anil Maharjan, Sujin Shrestha, Suku Gurung and Jayendra Bahadur Chand is nominated as a chief advisor of the federation.

retrieved from The Rising Nepal

Suparinpei Kata

Amazing! He moves smoothly and his techniques are great! Traditional Goju Ryu Seiwa kai Karate is available in Santa Monica. Please visit our website for more information. Beginner classes are starting soon! Call or email now for more information.

World Karate Goju Ryu Championship 2006

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MMA Fighter - Kimbo