fighting - Minorsan

Your Safety Quotient

May 6, 2018 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

What is your Safety Quotient?

Level of Confidence

How is your confidence level when it comes to self-protection? If you were to give it a number from 1-10, your ‘safety quotient’ would be at what level?

Knowing you can absolutely take care of yourself, should a challenging situation arise, is self-confidence. Confidence isn’t thinking you would do this, or you would do that. Being ‘cocky’ or arrogant is not confidence either. Cockiness and arrogance are just masking fear (but that’s another story).

Confidence is knowing your body—not your mind—has a full ‘library’ of movement that will go on auto-pilot when your nervous system tells it to. This does not happen automatically—your muscles must be trained in order for your nervous system to give them the okie-dokie to go into safety-defense mode. Otherwise your muscles will move (or not move) with the memory they currently have programmed into them. The current ‘untrained’ memory might not be best suited to react favorably. And it may very well already be well-suited. Only you absolutely know your truth. Either way. What do you rate yourself right now, from 1-10?

Repeated training will make all the difference

Why is ‘fighting’ so foreign?

Most of us were not lucky enough to grow up learning self-protection skills along the way, simply by ‘play-fighting’ with our siblings/cousins/friends. Our parents didn’t teach us much except to not talk to ‘strangers.’ Most women were taught, as girls, that fighting was just for boys. Consequently as adults, many women have no clue how to defend ourselves (which is learning how to fight…yes, I said fight). And we simply don’t think about it. Why? Over the years, I have heard all these reasons:

• Don’t think we will ever be attacked
• Haven’t been attacked yet, so why think about it
• Too busy with too many things to do
• SHOULDN’T have to learn to defend ourselves because it is wrong, and it’s against the law for others to attack us (FYI, perps don’t care)
• The police will help; or someone will come to the rescue (boyfriend/spouse/brother—simply because he’s a man, or they do martial arts/MMA/kickboxing)
• I’m a lover not a fighter
• Fighting is for males, and besides, it is violence
• Don’t think about it, therefore won’t be attacked

How many other reasons can you think of?

All this thinking has set us up to say ‘it’s not for me.’ After all, there’s:

• shopping for groceries
• taking the kids to school
• board meetings
• work
• housekeeping chores
• filling out forms
• dentist appointments
• calls from kid’s school
• volunteering for the next event
• meeting friends, work trips
• vacations
• school
• homework
• special events
• taking a shower
• getting school supplies
• family celebrations
• kids homework
• date night
• doctor appointments
• lunch/dinner
• salon time
• and on and on

Or put simply, “I’m just too busy.”

Why would you want to even spend time learning this?

Why use up your time training if you don’t think anyone will ever attack you? The truth is we get ‘attacked’ almost daily. Have ever been in situations where someone said something to you/about you/or cut you off before you could finish? And you didn’t like how you felt (your body’s reaction)? You could not think of anything to say (or do).

Daily we must make choices. People come in and out of our lives, and often we are left with a brief encounter in which we were unable to respond as we wanted to, and come away feeling just a bit depleted because they got the ‘best of us,’ or they got their way (again). IOW, they took some of our power (and that is because we let them).

Think about your daily interactions with others. You truly DON’T know what you will do in any situation, trained or not. And that is simply because we cannot predict the future. You will only know in the moment. If you are caught off guard, the outcome can be anywhere from disheartening to devastating.

What is this training about, and why even train?

Training IS about you. In your entire world, you are the most important. Taking care of you first allows taking care of others from a balanced perspective. You will simply make better choices for everyone involved. Your confidence will inspire others. And a myriad of other good things will happen for you when you raise your confidence.

Training builds the muscle memory I talked about earlier. It is not your brain that defends you. It is your body. Let me repeat that: it is your body that defends you. Your body gets it’s messages from the nervous system. The nervous system then allows the reactions. And your body will react with whatever memory is in it. Just thinking about it won’t replace the old memory (for most people, anyway).

Physical reactions and powerful verbal strategies require training time (for reprogramming). Your body needs the time to integrate the new memory—time actually spent on moving thru the motions and movements, and time spent on versing the words to say in difficult situations, and quickly getting past the ‘stuck’ or ‘freeze’ reaction in the ‘flight-fight-freeze’ responses with which most people react.

Repetition is key

Repetition will ingrain voice commands and help to create powerful muscle memory. And that’s because our bodies are more brilliant than our minds. This one too bears repeating: our bodies are more brilliant than our minds. Our bodies rule our world.

Our legs are for more than just walking

Knowing you have instantaneous reactions, builds confidence. Instantaneous reactions come from repetition. Knowing you can knock out a perpetrator, builds confidence. It requires repetition. Knowing you can control the body of another person builds confidence. This too requires repetition. Is that a waste of time? Let’s look at how else this confidence, from all the repetition, could benefit your life.

• How about ‘commanding’ respect? (different from demanding)
• Being listened to when you speak?
• Standing up and speaking your mind when you see a ‘wrong’
• Saying ‘no’ when you mean no, and ‘yes’ when you mean yes
• Standing up for others?
• Speaking to a boardroom full of (mostly) males?
• Asking for the raise
• Letting your co-worker know s/he is a bully
• Standing up to overbearing/bullying parents?
• Standing up to your own kids? (yes, this happens)
• Quitting your job
• Getting up on a stage and speaking
• Making your own choices, daily

Does any of this connect with you?

Building confidence through learning to fight is not just about physically defending yourself. It is about standing UP for what you believe to be true and correct, standing in your center, unwaveringly confident in your choices. And knowing you have something to back it up. It is about being the “badass” of your life.

Learning to defend yourself is not hard. What is hard is admitting it out loud (even to yourself), that you need some training.

I have never been attacked (ok, lol, in 7th grade once, this bully girl who did not like me, caught me alone and hit me once, then walked off). I never encountered her again face to face. I don’t even remember if she got in trouble for it.

Yet, years later, training in self-defense became important to me. I did it because at first it was fun, and then I really wanted to feel that I could defend myself (fight) when I was alone, and then I continued to train because of the confidence it built within my entire body. During the process, my thinking changed. And then I continued because I wanted to pass it on to others.

Our community has unfortunately not gotten any safer over the years, and so my work continues. It is up to each of us to be able to help ourselves when the police, or anyone in our support system, are not present. We simply must empower ourselves. We must make time for our daughters (and sons) to learn skills and strategies for defending and protecting themselves.

Wherever you are on the safety spectrum, more training will be good…always. If raising your safety quotient matters to you, and you know that ‘someday’ you will get some training, my question to you is ‘how long are you willing to wait?’ Every single day is the day to commit. Start. Do it. Cultivate your #BadassCourage starting now. Be the #Badass Boss of your Life. And do it with Respect and Love.

Upcoming training: Learn more HERE.

Sincerely,

Clara E Minor
#BadassBoss of MINORSAN Self-Defense & Fitness
Master Trainer/Instructor
831-58-0900
Or Contact Me HERE

Why-What of Hemp Oil Extract

November 12, 2017 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Those of you who take my classes have heard me mention this after class: my ‘crazy’ energy is from PMB Hemp Oil Extract (and just a dose of Clara too).

What is PMB Help Oil Extract?
I’ll explain in a bit. First, I want to give you a bit of the history. I have been introduced to the next level in our quest for healthier bodies/minds/souls/spirits. It is one of a few ‘revolutionary’ discoveries. There has not been a greater discovery in the scientific/nutritional community in the past 30 years. This is huge!

Nanotechnology Opened Up Our World (and it is not scary…)
In 1992, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his colleagues, using the newly developed technology (the ability to break particles down into infinitely tiny particles—under 0.1 micrometer), discovered the endocannabinoid system in the human body. Ever since scientists all over the world have been clamoring to find out more about it. They realized that we have ‘receptor sites’ all over our bodies, influencing our nervous system, hormone system, and immune system. Humans have been on the planet for how many years now? So this is a very recent discovery.

And Just What Are Receptors?
Receptors (on the edge of our cells), as in ‘receives,’ receive information from our blood; they respond to hormones, neurotransmitters, signalers throughout the body and they take cues from what is presented through the normal process of our bodies, and turn them into proteins and organize the biochemistry around the things that are hitting the receptors. (Yes, this is kinda scientific, but bear with me for a bit.)

The receptor ‘sites’ are everywhere in the human body (the biggest class of receptors in the human body are the cannabinoids), with a predominance in the brain and the central nervous system, and in the periphery on the immune cells; plus women have a large cluster of receptors in the lower abdominal region (uterus/ovaries, etc).

Cell to Cell Communication
This happens through the cell membranes. When the membranes are damaged, cell to cell communication, and communication within the cell, is compromised. Healthy cell to cell communication demands healthy cell membranes. All of this, and more is explained in the 45-minute video posted below.

(You’ll need to get past the whoops and hollers, as Dr Christopher Shade, a well-known award recipient in the world of advanced nutrition, and considered by his peers to be the ‘expert’ in the science of detoxing the body, is preaching to the choir here—filmed at the PMB launch conference in June 2017).

It is extremely insightful in learning about this newest scientific/nutritional discovery. Watch his hour-long video at the link below.

In short, we make cannabinoids inside our bodies, with our endocannabinoid system. They modulate our hormones, the way we run our immune system and the way we run neurotransmitters in the brain. The scientific evidence around the healing properties of the hemp plant is well-documented. Dr. Christopher Shade has been working on this formula for years. (Oh this is so scientific!) Watch the video below.

Why am I telling you all this?
Because to not tell you would be a disservice on my part. I educate people whenever I can. If I am wrong, I will stand corrected. I educate myself, so I can educate others. People then make their own choices. The discovery of vitamin C was huge. So is this. And, yes, I will tell you up front I am using the PMB product. I am also making it available to others. How could I not? I truly want everyone to know about this option. It is truly revolutionary.

How many people do you know:

• that feel sluggish most days
• feel ‘out of whack’
• have ‘brain fog’
• are depressed
• feel low
• think a lot of negative thoughts
• have no energy
• just can’t get anything done because they are lethargic
• have sleepless nights
• are dealing with chronic health issues
• hate exercising
• have immune disorders
• have constant infections
• get sick a lot
• have mental illness
• get exhausted easily,
• are exposed to environmental toxins (think car exhaust/diesel fumes)
• or lack the wherewithal to make positive changes, etc.?

This is not ‘normal,’ however, it is the ‘norm.’ Being ‘the norm’ does not make it ok. There are many people who don’t have any of these issues, and say they ‘feel ok.’ Being in a sickened state, or even feeling ‘ok,’ is not normal. It is imbalance.

What is Normal?
Feeling vibrant and energetic, in a content and happy state—that, is normal. Facing challenges with a positive and open attitude is normal. The human body was made in a perfect manner. It has the ability to heal itself, given the proper tools. Yes, it can get complicated to think of all the ‘proper tools’ for any imbalance, be it a cold, or cancer, or autism; however, it is possible.

Most of the time we need expert advice and/or expert help. Some expert advice/help can assist us in making our condition better. Some of the expert advice/help can even assist us to regain full health. Full and vibrant health is normal. Most of us know know that to ‘heal’ anything, we need to get to the root of the problem, not cover it constantly with bandaids. As long as there is no ‘cure’ or answer, we must use the bandaids. I’ve always (as long as I can remember) been about finding the root of the problem: what, when, where, why and how? Thus, I had to open my mind when people began to tell me about this hemp stuff.

Homeostasis: ‘Coming Home’ to Our Bodies
This revolutionary dietary supplement and it’s amazing properties allow our bodies to reach homeostasis, the process whereby our bodies work like they were meant to work. Most babies have perfect to near-perfect homeostasis at birth. As our bodies gather more and more toxins from our environment, with each added year, homeostasis becomes more challenging, thereby compromising what our bodies are meant to do to be optimally healthy. Toxins can make our receptor sites shut down (cell membranes become unhealthy). As adults, many of us live our lives in less than optimal health.

Why is this dietary supplement so revolutionary? There is no other growing thing on this Earth for which we have receptor sites, like we do for the hemp plant’s extracts.

Let’s Talk About Hemp
Just the very word brings up images in many people’s minds, mostly related to illegal substances. When I first heard about this product, I had no interest in taking any into my body, as I too had preconceptions about it’s relationship to other illegal substances. ‘Just don’t talk to me…I’m not interested,’ was what I was thinking. And then I decided to just listen, as I was closing off my mind (something I strive to overcome when I hear something I disagree with).

The hemp plant has been around for 5,000 years. There are a multitude of uses for this most amazing plant, from healing, to clothing, to industrial use. And, it is a legal plant in all 50 States.

Dr Christopher Shade’s formula is PrimeMyBody’s Hemp Extract (Oil)
This formula contains synergistic (the sum of all work better together) ingredients that have been specially formulated to make this product the absolute highest quality on the planet, and to make it the most ‘bio-available’ (more about in the video), of all hemp oils in existence. All ingredients are organic. Each ingredient has passed the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) tests for purity and the least toxicity. Ongoing quality-assurance testing is conducted for each ingredient. All are tested to be GMO-free.

So What is ‘Bio-Availability’ and Why Does it Matter?
Bio refers to our biological system, the way our muscles, nerves, blood, bones, hormones, etc, all work together. ‘Available’ refers to how the body uses the foods and liquids that we put into it. How much of the ‘usable’ parts of any food or drink (nutrients) actually can be used by the body, as opposed to being excreted as they go through our small intestines into the large intestines and filtered out through the liver, kidneys, urine, stools, and skin, is the ‘bio-availability’ of the product.

The bio-availability of PrimeMyBody’s Hemp Extract is more than 90%. This means that your body uses 90% of the product. There are other hemp oils on the market. Their bio-availability is about 6%-10%. (Yes there is scientific research to back this us. Watch Dr Shade’s video.) So even though other brands cost less, you have to use/buy more to get the same result. And it takes longer to achieve results. This is a huge difference.

How Does the Bio-Availability Happen?
The PrimeMyBody Hemp Extract is administered with exact precision (small pump on the bottle), and is taken under the tongue. The ‘oil’ is nano-enhanced, which means that the particles are so small that they can absorb through the membranes in the mouth. Within 30-90 seconds it is absorbed into the system (placed under the tongue). The other oils are taken internally and go through the digestive process, therefore they are not absorbed quickly and directly. Much is destroyed in the stomach alone. This is where the bio-availability is compromised.

Homeostasis Discussions
You have heard me talk about homeostasis in classes, especially in Tabata Bootcamp, as it relates to the muscles needing to recover. The muscles can only recover when your body reaches homeostasis. The muscles need to relax in order to repair and rebuild. This process then boosts your metabolism, thereby making weight loss easier, by making your muscles leaner (which require more energy to sustain themselves in their new leanness), and your bones become more dense (which combats osteoporosis).

Your body needs to be functioning in the parasympathetic nervous system to repair and rebuild. This is where it goes when we sleep soundly. When we ‘can’t get to sleep’ our sympathetic nervous system is active. PMB’s Hemp Extract helps the body to reach homeostasis and easily go into the parasympathetic nervous system when it is time to rest and sleep. You can also get there through meditation and deep breathing. (However, this can’t fully heal the cells’ membranes.)

When our brains are ‘on fire’ (when our sympathetic, fight-or-flight nervous system is activated), we cannot truly rest. If there is inflammation in the brain, we cannot truly rest. And inflammation in the brain causes many mental ‘instabilities.’ When we are in normal waking hours (daytime) we need energy. This product then enables us to feel the pure energy of our bodies without adding stimulants.

If our bodies are in constant high-energy expenditure, and don’t have time to rest, then the body cannot recover to do what it is supposed to do best in homeostasis: repair and rebuild. Our bodies are wonderful works of perfect art. We are the ones who mess them up. And by ‘we’ I mean humans create the toxins in our air, food and water, and we are even subjected to toxic people.

Sometimes as individuals we have no control over what others choose to do. Their choices can affect us, an entire community, and even the entire world. We have the choice to do something about it. We can start with our own bodies/minds/souls/spirits. Fix that first, then we are set to begin helping others find their true fix, and dealing with larger problems in the world.

Our ‘Cultural Default’
Many conditions of sluggishness, inactivity, always feeling tired, brain fog, lackluster existence, and generally being in a state of unhappiness are common. We are toxic. It is the ‘norm’…however it is not normal. It is (as Robin Holland stated to me), our ‘cultural default.’ There are so many of us feeling so much less than optimal, that we take it as a normal thing. “Oh yeah, lots of people I know feel this way too.” Therefore, we make it ‘normal.’ It is not normal. It is the norm. Again, not really ok if you want to reach your highest levels of vibrancy, energy, nutritional balance, and health.

I am giving you this information because if you ever get to a point where you are just fed up with your health as is, the ‘cultural default,’ and you’ve tried ‘a million things,’ here is a great option that could very possibly help turn it around. You just have to give it a chance…Just give it a chance.

Text me, IM me, contact me however you can if you want more information, or if you are ready to make a purchase.

You can purchase this oil at minorsan.primemybody.com

If you’d like a small sample bottle for $35, let me know.

My Mission is to ‘Heal the World—One Person at a Time, and It Begins with You’

It took me all day to write this…(lol). I spent this time because I truly want as many people as possible to know about this discovery. And if it moves you too, spread the word.

Watch the video HERE.

Sincerely,
Clara E Minor

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

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)

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!

Randy Clifford—Martial Arts Perfection

August 19, 2015 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

‘Once in a Blue Moon’ just happened. Because this ‘blue moon’ happens every few years only (as it did a few weeks ago), when things in our lives happen that seem to come out of nowhere, were unexpected, or seem very random, and it seems like it will not happen again for a very long time, we refer to these events, as ‘once in a blue moon.’ These can be very good things or very difficult things.

High energy has been going full throttle. Things are moving fast. Lots of ways to go/be/do/think/react. I knew we would be faced with challenges at this particular time, and we certainly have been here in Santa Cruz.

Yes, these past few weeks have been brim full of challenges. Taking on a challenge, at least for me, is to jump in with both feet. Fully commit to finding the answer, moving in a different direction, adapting to what is in front of me. This is a principle I teach to my martial arts students. The ability to adapt is critical for their safety. I apply it in my own life too. A few weeks ago I was presented with a challenge that I have never taken on, ever (among everything else what was going on).

I was asked two days before an event to ‘officiate/present/lead’ this event. It was not a huge event. It was an emotional event.

I was honored to take this on. The event happened to be a memorial service for one of my long-ago martial arts students. His name is Randy “Randawg” Clifford. He left us at a young 62.

During the time he studied at my martial arts studio, I got to know him and his family. His joy for life, his joking, his laughter, his smile every time he walked in, were infectious. And I had to laugh with the perfectionism, as our birthdays are in September, and one day apart. I know this one very well (perfectionism, also referred to often as ‘anal retentive’).

He was meticulous in his martial arts movement, his appearance, every job he did with his roofing company (Clifford Roofing & Construction), teaching his sons how to properly wash a vehicle, keeping both his white cadillac and white Harley in meticulous condition, and the perfection of his signature BBQ sauce (Uncle Randawg’s BBQ Sauce, available locally in specialty shops).

These qualities certainly set him apart. His wife of 20 years, Veronica Clifford, his family, friends, and the Santa Cruz community will certainly miss Randy “Randawg” Clifford.

The following was presented at his memorial service.

____________________

Randall Leonard Clifford~

We are here today to celebrate the life and spirit of Randy “Randawg” Clifford, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.

Born in Gardena, CA, Sept 21, 1952, to Patricia and Don Clifford, he passed away July 6, 2015.

He spent his early years in Southern California, working with his Uncle H.T., as a young roofer at age 14. He then attended Riverside High School, and from there was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he spent two years during the Viet Nam war. He continued in the Army Reserves for another four years.

After he was discharged from the Army, he returned to Riverside and opened his own business, Clifford Roofing & Construction. He taught his sons Lance Clifford and Ryan Clifford the trade, as well as Lorenzo Rios. To this day, Lorenzo Rios is still at it, roofing local homes in the Santa Cruz community.

Randy met his wife of 20 years, Veronica Clifford, on a blind date. Both had been reluctant to commit to this blind date, and the fourth attempt by their friends would change the rest of their lives. It was truly love at first site. That night he took her to Castagnola’s on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. There he got down on one knee, sang Elvis Presley songs to her, some blues too, and, of course, embarrassed her to no end. She loved it. And she knew she had found the true love of her life.

While at their attorney’s office taking care of some legal papers, he got down on one knee, and began to propose. The attorney excused himself, however, Veronica insisted he stay, as he was already witness to this event. Randy continued, on one knee, with his proposal, sang another Elvis Presley song, then stood up, arms uplifted and simply stated, “Ta Da!” and kissed her. She said yes. This was simply Randy’s style.

They were married on Randy’s birthday, September 21, at their beautiful home in Santa Cruz. Together, they brought five children into their marriage; Randy’s two sons, Lance and Ryan, and Veronica’s three children, Katrina, Vanessa, and Patrick. Over time they would have nine grandchildren that brought so much joy to them both.

Randy was an “adventurer.” He loved to scuba dive. He and Veronica were blessed to have visited the Bahamas, Cancun, and Cozumel; to dive in Cortez and explore shipwrecks. They went diving with sharks without the cages! (The ‘crazy adventurer’ in them both.)

He also loved motor cycle riding, and when mounted on their Harley, they looked like celebrities. He took pride in his appearance, and it did not matter if he was working, or going out to a function…he was always classy! His bike was just as classy. He kept it meticulously clean.

They also found joy in the simple things; picnics they shared in a cove near their home, bbq’s in their backyard, and simple family gatherings. They included their grandchildren when ever they could, and the picnics and grilling created incredible time for them all.

Randy was very successful with his roofing company, until he had an accident while on the job, which would change everything. The business began to suffer, as Randy had to go through many surgeries to repair his broken bones. The weeks turned into months. They had to think of something to do to remedy the situation while he healed.

Veronica and Randy were a team. Together they collaborated on a new venture: they created and marketed “Uncle Randawg’s BBQ Sauce.” Randy had a love of cooking, and he was influenced greatly by his grandmother. Early in life he began making his own BBQ sauce. He would make dishes for family and friends and they always urged him to sell it. This did not happen until he and Veronica put their heads together and decided that they would give the BBQ sauce a go. Veronica had the skills and expertise to get the product to market, including researching companies who could bottle and ship it.

They went to many events promoting the product that Randy had created. At the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim CA, they entered the BBQ sauce, and they won the 1st place trophy and 3rd place ribbon, in two different categories. In the process, they met many celebrities, including Tiger Woods’ father, as he purchased their BBQ sauce too.

When they showed at the Carlton-Ritz in Half Moon Bay, they met Jerry Rice, had a photo-op with him, and met many of the 49er cheerleaders. Everyone seemed to love their BBQ sauce.

Randy also loved to hunt and fish. In his teen years, every year he would make trips with his Uncle H.T. and his cousin Greg Perry, to either Utah or Alaska. He always took his beloved dogs, Max and Peetie, and more recently, his dog Sugar.

He loved Uncle H.T. and Aunt Marge, from whom he learned many of the values for his life. Uncle H.T. was a perfectionist in is trade and taught many in the family, including Randy, the right way to roof. The ‘trainees’ would need to stay on the ground (sometimes right in the driveway), pounding nails in boards for many hours before being allowed to get on a roof. They had to pass Uncle H.T.’s standards—then they would be ready to ‘load’ the roofs, carrying bundles of shingles up the ladders to the roof—it is the way it was done in that period of time.

Randy was a very thoughtful man and would do the little things for people that made them know they were special. Walks with Veronica along the pier, meeting up with their friends, sending gifts to Uncle H.T. and cousin Greg (and Greg’s two kids, Shelly and Tootie), and showing up in Utah “just because.” He continued his friendship with his long-time friend, Leon. With Randy it was ‘friends forever.’

Many of us here today have felt the love, generosity and compassion that Randy shared with us. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed. RIP “Randawg.”

___________________

It was truly an honor to take on this challenge for this martial arts student, Randy “Randawg” Clifford. Rest in Eternal Peace Randy.

Clara E Minor is a Martial Arts Master Trainer and and Fitness Instructor in Santa Cruz, CA. She recently celebrated her 30-year anniversary with a martial arts business in Santa Cruz. You can contact her through her website at www.minorsan.com

Comfort in Apology

March 31, 2015 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

How often have you had someone do or say something to you, and you felt ‘offended’ (to use a word that is now so commonplace, it is actually used as an excuse for not dealing with our inner game.)

And what if now you feel different about that person because of what they said or did? This often happens when someone you trust, breaks trust. Irresponsibility breaks trust. Ignoring a commitment breaks trust. Betrayal breaks trust.

It happens all the time to many people. Someone you ‘thought’ was a friend betrays you. What happens to the relationship? It usually ends…sometimes after a yelling match, and sometimes through utter silence.

No further communication happens between the parties involved. No one knows what to say, or one person feels the other one should say something first, as that person was the ‘offender.’ And the other person just ‘can’t’ say anything because they either lack the tools to know what or how to say anything, or they don’t believe they are at fault. Or the same issue has come up over and over again, and one party is just tired of making full out attempts to help fix it, with no action, commitment, or effort from the other party.

What if you are the one who has committed the ‘offense.’ You might not even know you committed it. The other person did not even offer up that you did this or that. And they avoid you. And you don’t know why. Or if they did let you know what you said or did, they are not interested in listening to you. They have made their mind up that you are wrong, and there is no fixing it. What can you do? Sometimes nothing more. We call it ‘letting go.’

If apologizing is in order, without the entire story laid out, and all the pieces put on the table, the puzzle cannot come together for a complete picture of what happened. Therefore, it makes it hard for someone to apologize. And, most often, an apology is not enough anyway.

So, first communication has to happen. Then the next step in ‘the fix’ will become clearer. Then those who feel they need to hold themselves accountable (and most likely all parties will feel this way when all the puzzle pieces are laid out on the table), can hold themselves in their new truth—which probably wasn’t new at all, but now is acknowledged.

When the issue is truly lack of communication, nothing will move. People don’t suddenly wake up one morning and say, “Gee, I think I’ll call XYZ and just say let’s call it ‘water under the bridge,’ and let’s move on.” If this does happen, it is most often because one party is an enabler, and does not know how else to ‘make it all go away,’ except by saying “Oh, it’s really not that bad. Let’s just forget about it and move on.” This person doesn’t know how, or doesn’t want, to deal with the ‘ugly.’ The uncomfortable. The unknowing.

“Water under the bridge” is only truly possible after there has been some form of communication about the issue. When a situation takes place, and no one says anything, and both parties end up not talking to each other, ever, again, I’d be willing to bet this won’t happen.

So now, what if it’s you who did the offense? Are you comfortable with apologizing? Remember, just an apology does not often work very well. What else is there?

You have to be accountable. You have to take full responsibility for what you said or did, and what was created because you waited so long to say anything. This is uncomfortable. Most people just don’t want to go there. How do you do this? Sum up your courage (more about this next week). Yep, you need courage.

First you need to acknowledge what you said or did. This internal dialogue will help you in becoming a stronger person. It doesn’t feel good. Finding comfort in this process is not easy. And like anything else, when you do it over and over, it becomes easier and easier. And in there lies your newfound strength.

You must take full responsibility and stop using the words “well, it was because of xyz (extenuating circumstance).” Whenever you attempt to add an element of “why,” you are deflecting that you were truly responsible for making a decision that now turns out was detrimental to your relationship. You are still not holding yourself in full responsibility. So, muster up your courage and do this:

Step 1: Acknowledge your responsibility fully, no one, or no thing, to blame. When you take full responsibility that you did make a decision all of your own accord, you will now get the other party’s attention. It helps them get out of defensive mode. Their body often begins to relax.

Step 2: Acknowledge that your words and/or actions were detrimental to the other party, and how they affected the other party. And how it must have made them feel. And that you understand her/his reactions to your original actions/words.

Step 3: Now you offer the apology while looking at them straight in their eyes.

Step 4: Tell them what you will be doing to be sure it never happens again. (training, mentoring, counseling, therapy, etc.)

Step 5: Offer the apology again.

Then wait for the response. Here is where they might ask you why. Great time to answer (without passing the blame).

While these steps seem simple, they can still be very hard to do. Let yourself feel the ‘uncomfort’ of the process, and do it anyway. When you have completed it, a huge weight will be lifted, you will physically feel lighter, your head will feel clear, your heart can breathe better, and you will have helped mend your relationship. Now you can move on and upward. You will find comfort in your apology. Tremendous comfort.

Clara E Minor is Master Instructor/Trainer at MINORSAN Self-Defense & Fitness. She works with people who have a hard time standing up for themselves and don’t feel very good about their bodies. She helps them feel great in their bodies, feel fantastic about their bodies, and live their lives in fearlessness. You can reach her via the website contact page.