courage - Minorsan

How Addicted to Sugar are You?

July 14, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

My addiction goes back a long way…

At 2 months of age I was fed canned milk diluted with water. The milk was sweetened. That was the ‘formula’ at the time, if babies could not breastfeed, for whatever reason. I was so addicted as a kid, I would take the flower decorations on birthday cakes from others kids’ cake (who didn’t want it), and eat them all! They were made with food coloring and hardened sugar.

At the Santa Clara County Fair I would eat an entire cotton candy (ok, maybe not the whole thing, but most of it), a red candied apple, and a strawberry shortcake (yes, I was stuffed, wanted to hurl, and sometimes did when I got home…lol). I visited the dentist a lot.

And to this day, it is still easy for me to crave ‘sweet,’ so I do the best I can to avoid it. Mostly I can, and do, avoid it. I choose to find alternatives to refined white sugar. There are a lot of alternatives on the market these days.

Most packed foods contain some form of sugar

If they are sweetened, then you are guaranteed there is some form of sweetener added to almost everything.In fact, sugar has been added to most packaged foods for decades. (See the link below to find the list of different names which are used in ingredient lists.) It is truly one of the hardest addictions to stop. Sugar is more pervasive than any drug or substance out there, as it is available literally everywhere.

You don’t see ads on television selling heroin, cocaine or cigarettes (anymore), or any other illicit drugs for that matter. Even though prescription drugs are a huge epidemic, again, they are not added to most of the packaged foods on grocery shelves.

And, yes, even ‘natural foods stores’ carry packaged goods that can easily contain some form of sugar. Most sweetened goods in these stores do contain sugar in one form or another.

In fact, it is hard to get any type of sweet packaged goods (cookies, pastries, pies, cakes, etc) that do not have any type of refined sugar. I often end up making my own. I’m very conscious of what I eat and avoid sugar most days. (I still eat it sometimes!) Very often fresh fruit will suffice.

And, no, it’s not easy to go from full out sugar addiction to eating just fruit to satisfy. It takes time, consistency, persistence, desire, and the willingness to check out different forms of sweet. And I know I am not alone in this.

We eat sugar because, mostly, we crave it. How can you change what your body craves? Keep in mind (if you didn’t already know), you crave what you eat the most…always. Check out what you buy when you grocery shop…every time. Most people buy the same things, almost the same brands, over and over and over.

If this is you, and you want to change your eating habits, but don’t know where to start or what alternatives you have, you can learn all about foods, and how to safely and most effectively make changes.

Members learn about this in Tabata Bootcamp. It really is the only program where we delve into nutritional guidelines, and educate people about their food choices. This is one of the essentials in our Tabata Bootcamp team meetings. These weekly team meetings are an integral part of each Bootcamp. You can find out much more about Tabata Bootcamp at the next Intro-Teaser Day. Click here to read more and sign up. For the list of sugars, here is the list:

Here is the list of the names of sugar

Contact me if you you want more info on Tabata Bootcamp.

Sincerely,

Clara E Minor
Master Trainer-Instructor
Minorsan Self-Defense & Fitness
831-458-0900

Sugar’s Hidden Names

July 14, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Sugar comes with many names

These are not the only names, btw...

Here is a list of the many names that are used for 'sugars' in packaged foods. Read your labels carefully. It hides in a lot of ways. If you are wanting to get healthier, this is one huge big first step. Just begin reading your labels and educate yourself about the hidden sugars in foods. You don't know what you don't know. Get educated. Take your own lead. Make your own changes. On your own time.

Here is a list of most of the names of sugars:

All natural evaporated cane juice
Barley malt
Beet molasses
Beet sugar
Beet syrup
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane crystals
Cane juice
Cane juice crystals
Cane juice powder
Cane sugar
Caramel
Confectioner’s sugar
Corn sugar (HFCS)
Corn syrup (HFCS)
Corn syrup solids (HFCS)
Corn sweetener (HFCS)
Crystal dextrose
Crystalline fructose
Crystallized organic cane juice
Dark brown sugar
Dehydrated sugar cane juice
Dextrin
Dextran
Dextrose
D-fructose
Diastatic malt
Diatase
Disaccharide
Dried evaporated cane juice
Evaporated organic cane juice
Fructose (HFCS)
Fructose crystals (HFCS)
Fructose sweetener (HFCS)
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
Golden sugar
Granulated fructose
Granulated sugar
Granulated sugar cane juice
Inulin (HFCS)
Invert sugar
Invert syrup
Lactose
Light brown sugar
Malt
Malted corn and barley syrup
Maltitol
Maltitol syrup
Maltodextrin
Malt syrup
Mannitol
Organic sugar
Organic Cane Juice
Organic Cane Juice Crystals
Organic Cane Syrup
Organic Cane Juice Concentrate
Powdered sugar
Pure cane syrup
Raw Sugar
Rice maltodextrin
Rock sugar
Saccharose
Simple syrup
Sorbitol
Sorbitol syrup
Sucrose
Sugar
Sugar beet syrup
Sugar beet crystals
Sugar cane juice
Sugar cane natural
Sweet sorghum syrup
Table sugar
Trisaccharides
Turbinado sugar
Unrefined sugar
White crystal sugar
White sugar
Xylose

If you want to eliminate sugar from your daily foods (or at least lessen how much you eat), be sure you read your labels. If you'd like some options on how to cook/bake with different sweeteners, contact me.

Sincerely,

Clara E Minor
Master Trainer-Instructor
Minorsan Self-Defense & Fitness
831-458-0900

Firearms Safety Class

May 31, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Firearms Safety Class for Everyone

In this Firearms Safety Class you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about them. Types of bullets, different firearms, most common used, learn about calibers, what the numbers mean, which have magazines (and what are magazines?), how much time it takes to fire each one, what are revolvers, semi-automatics, automatics, etc.

Held June 17, 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased here.

Taught by an Expert Marksman with extensive Firearms Training, is a Defensive Tactics Instructor, Taser Instructor, has extensive training in Use of Force (Decision-Making), and has a lifelong Martial Arts Background.

Rio Minor – Firearms Safety Class Instructor

I know this is a hard subject for some to even talk about, and is controversial in the larger picture. This Firearms Safety Class is for educational purposes only. You can ask all the questions you’d like. You can even hold the firearms if you choose to do so. Remember, this is about safety. This class will help demystify firearms for you so that you will be more educated.

To sign up for this class, you can purchase tickets here. There is early bird pricing.

You can always contact me for further information.

Sincerely,

Clara E Minor
Master Instructor-Trainer
Minorsan Self-Defense & Fitness

Why I Teach Martial Arts & Fitness

April 5, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Teaching martial arts, self-defense & fitness go beyond "passion"... There is purpose behind what I do

I often get asked what I do (by people whom I'm meeting for the first time). In March, I was at an event and had the opportunity to speak to 85 women. What a treat! A captive audience….a speaker’s dream.

The first words out of my mouth were: “I teach women how to fight.” It is the first time I had ever told anyone what I do, in those specific words. For some reason, it held a lot of power. My audience was immediately captivated by what was to follow. I had all of 3 minutes! lol…

But in those 3 minutes I explained in a nutshell exactly what I do.

“I teach people how to fight, and specifically women. I help women who have a hard time standing up for themselves and don’t feel very good about their bodies, to feel great in their bodies and live their lives in fearlessness, by cultivating their #badasscourage [thru physical movement].”

(And I did not even mention martial arts or fitness.)

I like it a lot

I like these words. They do hold a lot of power. And it is what I do (among so much more). Teaching women (and men) this particular skill goes so far beyond the actual skill, as it becomes a part of our nervous system with new muscle memory, replacing old patterns of movement and old ways of thinking. Even more important, it replaces a new way of feeling. You get emotional transformation through your own physical transformation. It is indeed powerful.

Yes, I teach men and always have. However, lately a lot of women have been drawn to my studio to learn how to fight. Maybe that is why I chose those words at that moment. Maybe it is just time for more women to learn to fight. It has been a ‘given’ for men to have the ‘permission’ to learn to fight. Women…not so much. The time is ripe. The time is now.

And if every woman and girl in the world knew how to fight, wouldn’t the world look different? Food for thought…

Our bodies are brilliant

They hold so much within. Trusting that has often been so hard for so many of us. Our bodies speak to us all the time. Often we ignore our bodies. We let our minds take over. That’s when we run into our own trouble. I keep learning from my body every day. I seem to be on a path to bigger and deeper healing…every day. Listening to my body has become top priority. (And I am still learning from the incident with my broken arm.)

Going thru my own process of ‘getting there,’ I have learned that we hold energy, thoughts, and feelings in every fiber of our bodies. Sometimes it is best to release it (for our better health and happiness). The release of energy happens in lots of different ways. Some are subtle and some are quite a bit more ‘intense.’ From experience, I know that heat can create a release of energy that we didn’t even know we were holding. This can be intense.

I have had these releases thru my martial arts training, sweat lodges, and sitz baths. The common denominator was heat. In the martial arts training, my core was continually contracting as I rolled on the mat. My body was sweating. Tears started rolling. My teacher, Mr. Tino Tuiolosega, was surprised, as I was, for nothing had happened to me, except I was practicing rolls…and sweating a lot. I’ve seen martial arts students break down in tears from something that was seemingly ‘nothing.’ This doesn’t happen to everyone. However, when it does, it is very powerful.

Heat is expansive. Cold is contractive. Most of us know this. When we are cold we hold ourselves tighter. Our muscles contract in an effort to retain heat. In this effort, the cells are tight. Not much can pass through. With heat in the cells, they expand. Expansion allows more room for energy to travel through each cell. In that opening of the cells, therein lies the release. Release of old energy, old memories, old stuff. (Sweat lodges and sitz baths work in a similar way. Maybe more about those later.)

So, back to what I do

Learning how to fight goes so far beyond knowing how to fight. It can truly be a method of healing. In my world, there is no other more powerful confidence builder than being able to control another person who might be attempting to hurt or harm you, especially if that person is bigger than you. There is such a huge myth surrounding people who are ‘bigger than you.’

As I continued to train (with everyone who was bigger than me), I began to demystify this myth for myself. I was getting a new truth…about myself, about other people (and their ‘size’), and how feeling my own power to knock someone out made a true and lasting change in my life. Having trained in 6 other martial arts disciplines, I still did not have that for which I was looking. It wasn’t until Mr. Tino Tuiolosega walked into my life did I learn about this energy within and the power to cultivate courage.

And then there is #badasscourage

"Cultivate Your #badasscourage" was developed out of a need to find, in a nutshell, what I do. Courage is what got me through the doubts and fears. Doubts and fears don’t disappear. They become smaller and less significant, but only after you’ve gone through them. At least that was true for me. That is cultivation. The more I cultivated, the more courage I built. Having to confront my own teacher was the hardest part of any training I ever did with him. I almost lost him as my teacher (twice) because I had the courage to speak up (to the one who was teaching me to cultivate my power…lol). Nobody confronts ‘Mr. Tino.’ I had to. And it was worth the risk. He (unknowingly) taught me to deal with other people's anger. Huge big lesson. And it was great! It took courage to stand in close proximity to Mr. Tino Tuiolosega when the release of this energy happened. Whoa! And every time I got stronger.

Cultivating ‘knockout power’ provided my body, mind and spirit with an energy that I had never, ever felt, ever in my life. And it sure did feel good. Yes, I was learning to put someone’s lights out. Never in my life growing up did I ever think I would one day have the ability to knock someone out. I never thought about it because, like most people, who wants to think about this kind of stuff?

We often ignore the 'what if's.' As I began to learn this power, I was creating confidence that I had never had before in my life. Knowing that I can knock someone out makes all the difference in my world. It doesn’t make me invincible. Yes, someone else can knock my lights out too. I am as vulnerable as the next person when a situation is totally out of my control. However, when I have control to make choices, I won’t feel so frozen. I will choose to fight for what I believe or take flight for when it makes more sense to get the x@#^ out.

And I use it every day

What’s even bigger than this is that I use my training every single day. Self-defense is about making your own choices on your own watch every day. It’s about standing up for what you believe. It’s about speaking your mind, and not having to justify anything to anyone.

I still make mistakes. If I didn’t make mistakes, I wouldn’t be learning much. The difference is that now when I make choices, I know they are my own, I am operating under my own power in all aspects of my life, and I have the confidence to stand behind my choices. I stand up for what I believe to be truth. I ask for help when I need it. I release people who feel toxic to my life. I stand strong in who I am and don’t make excuses or justifications.

I can take the time I need to assess a situation and not make a move out of fear (of rejection, embarrassment, being made wrong, etc—which is entirely different from making a move in a dangerous situation). The energy that runs through my body when I feel #badasscourage cannot ever be explained. Each person has to feel it. (Like how you explain the taste of an orange to someone who has never tasted citrus.)

And besides, feeling that #badasscourage is a great way to live. And this is why I do what I do...why I teach what I teach. Whether in my martial arts classes, self-defense classes, or fitness classes, I bring it all to the table. Talk to me if you are curious how this might work for you too, beyond what you are already doing.

Clara E Minor
Master Instructor-Trainer
MINORSAN Self-Defense & Fitness
Santa Cruz, CA
Contact Page
831-458-0900
Yes, I will teach you to kick-butt in a most appropriate way.

Get Your Life ‘Fit’ this Spring

February 23, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Yes, Spring is almost here. As each season is only 3 months, what can you determine to get accomplished, maybe finish, or start, continue, and/or achieve in 3 months time? Spring is always the best time to clean up: clean out closets, rearrange another room, clean out the garage, get rid of excess storage, get the garden fixed up, and a host of other things we think about in Spring.

Many people often think of a 'spring cleanse' for the body. We drink juices, or liquids, or take supplemental drinks, or use different products to attempt to achieve a more 'clean' inside our bodies. Some are for the liver, some for releasing heavy metals, some are intestinal, and on and on. There are many things to choose from in the marketplace. You can start this process by simply beginning to choose to purchase (and eat) foods that are more 'clean.' Yes, cleaner eating will begin the detoxifying process.

Cleanses are popular and lots of people have tried at least one. They are pretty straightforward: consume this, and not that. Do this now, and do that then. Most cleanse instructions are easy to understand. What is not as popular, are emotional cleanses. Great to get your body fit and healthy. And that is a great place to start getting your entire life fit. Once you get to a level in which you are comfortable with your body, then another step in getting your life fit would be to do some ‘emotional’ cleansing. Getting your life 'fit' is always a great transformation, and ultimately, it will bring you more happiness. How fit is your life compared to your body?

Is there something different you can do this Spring? Focus on something that you've wanted to change for a long time. What can you 'clean out?' Think of it like recycling and/or trash: what are you still not recycling, and what is truly trash? When we recycle, we let things go, to be used in a different way. When it's trash, it is simply time to dump it back into the earth. It will eventually become something entirely different on it's own, and in it's own time. It no longer has use in it's present form.

Is there something you still have not achieved that you’ve wanted to accomplish for a while? How are your fitness and lifestyle goals going for you? Are you where you want to be yet? If not, what can you do different to reboot your body, and begin getting results again? This is always a great first step to getting your life 'fit.' (If this is something you want/need, get a hold of me and let’s set an appointment time to chat about it. It could be just a small change can begin the reset process.)

An issue most people have, that can always be more 'fit,' is getting adequate sleep. If you still have not been sleeping enough because you just go to bed late, what steps can you take to remedy going to bed earlier? Here are a few things you can do to help with sleep:

Photo Courtesy of coverphoto.net

1) Write your to-do list for the day, and if you don’t get it all done, let it go. Attempting to cram everything into the day, because it is on your list, creates more stress, thereby making it harder to sleep in the first place. Going to bed earlier might not matter if you are thinking about what you did not do and can’t get to sleep because of it;

2) Turn off all electronics and let your body decompress without the extra stimulation (yes, the studies have been done on this one. Late night electronic use keeps us awake longer when we finally attempt to fall asleep;

3) If you must eat late because you were not able to get in your last meal earlier, make it smaller. Food in your stomach upon laying down is the wrong way to get it digested;

4) If you go to bed angry, upset, or frustrated because you were not able to resolve a conflict you had earlier, fix it the next day. You will have a hard time getting to sleep every night that you go to bed with conflict. Yes, it takes courage to speak up. For some of us this is easier than for others. However, for most, it is not easy…ever. Once you do this (speak to the person/s involved), you will feel so much stronger, and the stress of the situation will be gone.

If you don’t do something about your sleep, who will? This is one of those situations where ‘talking about it with your friends’ isn’t really going to resolve it. They can, however, have ideas that might lead you to find the help you need. This is part of self-care is a great way to begin getting your life more 'fit.'

Think of anything else that might be getting in the way of restful sleep. If you chronically wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep, see a specialist. There are alternate ways of dealing with it, thus, often avoiding medications. Sometimes one simple change can make a huge difference.

In the end, nobody is more responsible than we are, for our state of well-being. Having a roomful or closetful of ‘stuff’ that you no longer use (and most probably no longer need) can create stress that you are not even aware is affecting you. It is. Not getting enough sleep is affecting you. What else is there that you need/want to change? Take one step in the direction to resolve it. Taking care of ourselves, truly, is more than what we eat and the exercise we get. Our emotional bodies are usually the most neglected. And guess where most of our issues come from…(yep, right answer).

See what you can do in the Spring to make a change that you no longer want/need. Write it down to help make it more solid. You will be more accountable to yourself when you actually see it in written form. Post it somewhere so you can see it every day. This will make a huge difference in your actually getting it accomplished. Be accountable to yourself. Create the change you want to see.

See you in class.

Clara E Minor
Master Trainer/Instructor
Minorsan Self-Defense & Fitness
(See Contact Page to send her a message)

What is #BadassCourage?

January 18, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Every move re-educates the muscles.

Ahhhh...Courage—

It evokes pictures of some courageous and strong people we all know, or have seen in movies—I think of Braveheart, Wonder Woman, and other SuperHeroes.

The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr., airline pilots (who have successfully landed an ailing aircraft full of people), and others we hear about in the news, are the ‘big’ people.

They are ones who have an impact on many. They are all ‘BadassCourageous.’ There is even a local SuperHero who saved another woman from a continued sexual attack. Here she is. And she is 15 years old.

When I think of people I know, besides our Local SuperHero mentioned above, those who come to mind are the ones who:

• decided to quit their job and go back to school

• broke off a toxic relationship

• decided to move to the other side of the World

• have opened a business solo

• went overseas alone (knowing only the English language)

• decided to get up on a stage for the first time

• presented an idea to ‘experts’

• published their first book

• decided to confront someone in power

• told her/his employer why they deserved the raise

• confronted the bully in their office (or at a school)

• moved out of a house that no longer served her/his needs

• left a relationship that was toxic

• and so many more

We have all accomplished courageous things in our lives...and not always recognized them as being courageous. Just walking into a fitness facility or a martial arts studio takes courage for so many.

What about you?

What courageous acts have you created so far in your life? Absolutely no need to be a SuperHero to have Courage. We all do courageous things all the time. Most often we see them as ‘life challenges.’ And life challenges absolutely cultivate our courage. Everyone has a story. What are your stories?

The one fear I hear the most in my line of work is the fear of going out alone. What is the true fear here? It is the fear of getting hurt by an attack, and not knowing what to do, or having the resources to be safe. It is so much easier to stay home. So we limit ourselves. We limit our life experiences. We limit our freedom. We settle for limited lives.

The fear of embarrassment and rejection, often go hand in hand. For this reason we don’t introduce ourselves at an event where we might not know very many people. Some of us won’t even go to a party alone. If we do go, we might sit in ‘our spot’ the entire night.

Or we fear getting up in front of a group of people and speaking our minds. How many times have you seen an empty dance floor…only to begin filling up after one brave soul went out there to dance (that would be me…lol. And I usually don’t wait long. When a danceable song I like comes on, I’m there).

There are so many instances whereby we allow our fears to stop us from living a full, free, and happy life. It’s easier to be mediocre, normal, let others have their way, and we settle for where we are because it is in our comfort zone.

‘Confrontation is just too hard'

We can only develop courage when we charge ahead through our fears. This is the only (and I emphasize only) way to build courage.

Learning to 'follow-through' ensures you will hit with all ya got

So now think of how you would respond if your life was in danger. Is it scary just thinking about it? Our brains all ‘think’ of what we would do. You can think it over and over, and you will end up reacting with what is in your body at the moment. You will truly never know until it happens. Being prepared is absolutely one of life's 'best practices.'

From my experience in teaching self-defense and martial arts programs these past 36 years, our bodies are the ones who will respond. Not our minds.

Courage is not in our heads. Courage is in our bodies, as are all emotions. Think of sadness. Have you ever lost a loved one? Lost a love? Lost anyone in your life whom you valued? Where do you feel the pain? In your head? I don’t think so. The pain resides in our hearts. The pain is real.

If we could do it, most of us would just pull out the pain with our hands. However, because it is energy we cannot ‘pull’ it out. Most of us simply cannot physically ‘grasp’ energy. We cannot ‘will’ it away either. (If you can, show me how please…(I want to ‘lol’ here, as I don’t think anyone will come thru with the ‘how-to’ on this one.) And what is the most common method to release that pain? Tears. Tears allow healing, as they allow the emotion to release. This is not news. We all know this.

How will courage work In confrontations?

We have three choices: Fight - Flight - Freeze. Which one will work for you? In any situation—even in a conversation with a relative, or the bully at work, or school, or someone in power, which response will your body elicit?

Gonna talk about ‘freeze’ for a sec here. When we ‘freeze’ as in paralyzing fear, or someone says something to us that makes us clam-up (and we truly didn’t want to clam-up!), how do we get out of that frozen state?

Maybe the person walked away before we could say what we really wanted to say. Then we’re left depleted, discouraged, dis-enheartened, belittled, feel like we ‘lost,’ etc. And it can easily bring tears.

What could you do to get out of the ‘freeze response?’

What in your body allows you to move this frozen energy? If you guessed ‘take a deep breath’ you are correct. Is that a thought in your brain? It could start as a ‘reminder’…”oh yeah, breathe.” However, the breathing itself is a body-response. Your deep breath clears your mind, as it allows fresh blood to flow into it with the renewed oxygen flow, thus unfreezing your body. This is another gift we were given as humans. This deep breath allows you to also relax which is the cornerstone for stress-reduction.

So now let’s look at someone physically coming at you in a threatening manner. Time and again I have asked people new to ‘quick-reaction-body-knowledge’ to show me what they would do.

I even let them know what I am going to do (how I will ‘attack’ them). Now bear in mind, I make sure that everyone is safe in this exercise—no one is getting punched out or knocked to the floor).

Time and time again, they freeze, or move in a way that would allow me to continue to overpower them or re-attack (if I was a ‘bad’ person). Even though in their heads they may have thought of what they will do, their response is quite short of what they were thinking.

Sometimes I tell them exactly how they will be confronted, then show them exactly what to do, and they still do something different. Why is this? Because that is what is in the body. That is the memory of the body—the knowledge and intelligence of the body. The body’s brilliance.

The muscles can only move with the knowledge the body contains.

Our entire lifetimes we are inputting information (emotion) into our bodies. When therapists can elicit something that was ‘deeply buried’ inside of someone, where was it buried? Our brains are only thoughts. The energy of that past experience is buried in our bodies. It comes out most readily with our tears.

So then, how do we change the response of the muscles to move in the most efficient way to be safe?

It starts with the input the nervous system receives. When physical confrontations happens, the messages are sent through the eyes into the brain’s nervous system and then into the body. In order to change how the muscles react, we must re-educate them.

This does not happen in one hour or even one day or one week. It takes hours and hours of time, depending on the severity of the response (or non-response) to re-educate the muscles.

When the muscles have this new knowledge in them, it creates a response in the brain that gives us the confidence needed to move through fear and challenges with courage. When our bodies know that we can knock out a perpetrator, the confidence rises, we become more relaxed, and we have now created what I call #BadassCourage:

• the ability to stand your ground

• centered and balanced

• speak your truth, regardless of what other people think or say about you, and regardless of the possible consequences

• find your own freedom

You fight to defend yourself, and come out on top (it may all be verbal). You are not fighting for mediocrity. Who wants to 'kind of-sort of' feel good? You are fighting within to ‘win the battle.’ You might end up with a few ‘battle scars.’ And those are good, because you fought the fight. You did it. You defended yourself. I see these as ‘Badges of Badass.’

You will find your voice when you develop your #BadassCourage. Start by collecting your own Badges of Badass.

Finding your voice allows you to make the choices that work for you (and those you love). It allows you to stand up for yourself. It allows you to speak up. Be bold. Be creative. Achieve your own freedom. And that is where you will find your happy place. It will allow you to live the life you want.

Contact me if you are interested in finding out more about your own BadassCourage (complimentary consultation), and how your life can totally change in a positive, powerful way.

Sincerely,

Clara E Minor
Master Instructor/Trainer
MINORSAN Self-Defense & Fitness

#badasscourage
#fight4YOURlife
#badgesofbadass
#selfdefense
#martialarts
#womenspower
#womensmartial arts

Self-Care Self-Love Day!

January 18, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

OK...this is predominantly a Ladies event! Heidi Moakler of Ruby Ribbon will be showcasing her "BraFreeForever" line of clothing that will change the way you choose your clothes! February 5, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm we are having a Special Event that will highlight Ruby Ribbon, doTerra essential oils by Katherine Hughes, and GoosesGoodies Toffee by Marci Prolo!

This is a great way to celebrate your love for you! See how wonderful you too can feel in this clothing that is phenomenal and so kind to our bodies. Feel the smoothness and silkiness of the material and how it makes you feel wearing it. After trying one on, you will probably want to purchase several. Different styles-different colors-you choose what works for you.

Essential oils help us get through so many different 'states' in our bodies, minds and souls. Find out what would benefit you immediately. And you can purchase the wonderful little handmade cloth bags made by Katherine, to store your oils. These also make great gifts for family and friends (and, of course, you!).

Marci has been running GoosesGoodies for several years. Her toffee is a family favorite that she has built into a business. Come taste the goodies and purchase a bag or two.

We'll provide something to drink. And someone will win a Gift Basket filled with all types of goodies.

It takes courage to make a change. This one should be easy. Help to activate your #badasscourage by taking one small step to make a difference for yourself (or your special person). What a great way to celebrate First Friday too and our Love Month!

See you there.

Sincerely,

Clara E Minor

Helping you cultivate your #badasscourage ...

Tabata 2-yr Anniversary Celebration Week!

December 6, 2015 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Here is all the info on our Tabata 2-yr Anniversary Celebration Week. Someone will WIN a Tabata Bootcamp at 50% off! Someone will WIN a #badasscourage tank. It could be you. You’ll also have the three opportunities in one week to check out these 30-minute workouts for FREE. We’ll answer all your questions, and you can also pre-purchase a Bootcamp for use in 2016, at 2015 prices before they expire on December 31, 2015. Remember these workouts are progressive, so they are doable for almost everyone. Refreshments will be served, as well as providing free Holiday goodie recipes.

For your specific questions, call us at 831-458-0900, or contact us here.

Sincerely,

Clara & The Crew

of Team MINORSAN

Adventures of a Broken Arm

November 25, 2015 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

On the town on a Friday night networking, partying, dancing, eating great food (served by our very own Hedy Nochimson of Plate & Bottle), and generally having a great time at the Little Black Dress event, a fundraiser put on by Monica Karst of the Santa Cruz Socialites. Awesome event with great friends and colleagues.

Little Black Dress Antics…with Monica Karst (Santa Cruz Socialites), Leta Jusilla and Michelle Bean (both of Optimal Health and Fitness).

I left a bit early (it ended at 10:00, and I left by 9:20 pm), as I had to teach classes in the morning starting at 8:00 am. As is my usual pace (fast, and it’s great for repelling the bad guys), I walked down the driveway, and was just ready to turn left (my intuition told me to get out my small flashlight, however, my head thought it knew better and told me “Nawww, there are lots of street lights. Don’t need the flashlight,” feeling a bit like Smeagle. Not 10 seconds later, my left boot caught the embankment as I was turning, and sent my body sailing across the sidewalk and into the tire of a parked SUV. Both arms were thrown back. I did not have time to break and roll. My right arm hit the tire, and my knees acted somewhat as breaks on the concrete, as I propelled forward. In that moment I felt the right arm protruded wayyyy back, and there was a slight numbing sensation. I knew I had effed up. My brain labored that I would need surgery, and months, maybe years, of therapy. And have pain forever…I just knew it.

Got onto my hands, untouched in this fiasco, and stood up with a bit of knee pain, but still able to walk. I slowly pulled on my arm forward, and of course it was in tremendous pain, not unlike childbirth. It was bent at the elbow by design from the incident. Grabbed my purse (btw, forgot my camera somewhere there on the concrete…so if anybody turned in a Nikon, let me know…lol…yes, it got thrown too), and I walked a few hundred feet. I had to sit down. Got back up, walked a bit more, then realized I was not going to be able to drive (yeah, I was still focused on getting to my car).

Got on my phone and called a couple people who were still at the event. Of course they did not hear their phones, as they were still dancing to great music by DJ Sparkle who played the most fantastic music! (That part of the event was the most fun!) I called a couple more people, and Marica Buenafe came to my rescue. She was at Dominican ER with me until 3:15 am!!! She has more info on the comings and goings in Emergency that night…lol.

The tear my boot took…

Even though I was in pain (after 2 meds, a single shot to the (other) arm, then a double shot to same arm), I was able to quickly fall asleep, as I was by now, exhausted. My arm had a clean break (Great testimonial for the effects of BodyPump training!).

Ready to get wheeled out of ER…with a barf bag…

So here I sit, on the mend, ‘eating crow’ because I did not listen to my own intuition, and I teach this! I teach it in my martial arts classes, my self-defense classes, and I even throw it into fitness workouts! Lesson two: slow down fool…

This is a few days after…

I’m sure I’ll see lessons 3, and 4, and 5…who know how much will come out of this. So far, I am enjoying the fact that I have an awesome staff! My Crew of 19 are fabulous, capable, reliable, fantastic, totally awesome, and so #badass! They get the job done, thank you verr much! Kudos to Marcia Buenafe and Robin Ludington for their exceptional help, and to Analicia Cube, Cassandra Coraggio, Brent Rohrs, and ALL my subs and help: Sophie Calhoun, Connie Kreemer, Anika Wong (for stepping in to teach BodyPump while on vacation here!), Melissa Finsthwait, Samira Hartje, Dixie Mills, Denice Kowalski, and Bernadette Franzel. And thanks to everyone on my entire Crew: Kira Durant, Amanda Clark, Carolyn Wormhoudt, Jenna Giuliani, Jillian Chesley, Katie Landau, Alma Arquiza, and Lorna Russo. They keep the studio humming!

And btw, that night at Little Black Dress made it totally worth it!

Much Love,

Clara E Minor

Cultivating #badasscourage, and encouraging you to #fight4YOURlife!

Update on Upcoming Events

November 24, 2015 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

In March, 2016, as part of our self-care series, we are hosting Damsel in Defense, a woman-owned Scotts Valley business, for a Special Event, open to the public. You will get to hear all about the various goodies pictured here (and more). These are non-lethal safety implements available in various colors and sizes (yes, they have pink, black and gray). You don’t need to be a martial artist to use these!

This will be quite the interactive event. Yes, you’ll get to try out all the goodies. You’ll get an intro to self-defense too! And we’ll serve refreshments throughout. These make great gifts for your friends, and for you. Great colors too. Now you can be safe in style! (OK…just kidding, but you know what I mean). You will feel good carrying these. There is even digital protection and emergency kits. Members will get your Perkville special event points for attending.

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On December 16, Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, we’re holding a Special Tabata Night. ALL those who just want to do the workout, as well as those who are interested in Tabata Bootcamp, are welcome! Even if you haven’t done Tabata in months, or you did one Teaser Day, or you’ve never done it! This will be a special fun night for everyone. The workout will be from 6:00 to 6:30 pm. Refreshments and schmoozing after! For anyone hooked into Perkville, yes you’ll get special event points!

Get this on your calendar!

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In February, March and April, we have three Self-Care Events planned! Part 1 is scheduled for February 5, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. See Self-Care Self-Love in February! The March event will be held March 12. Check the News tab on the website for updates as we get closer. Mark these as tentative on your calendar. Once again, Perkville special event points will accumulate for you. We’ll let you know the date of our April event soon.

As always, you can contact us through the website’s Contact page, or call 831-458-0900.

Enjoy this Holiday Season!

Clara E Minor