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  • News | Blog

Breaking up is hard to do…lol

June 11, 2017 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

 

Breaking Up is Hard To Do - CA

Well… I never thought I’d be saying or doing this…after 9 years of having Zumba on my studio schedule, it’s time to let it go. Sad and happy at the same time. I started Zumba because of my LOVE of dancing. I have been moving to sounds since I was at least 7 years old. (Can’t remember earlier than that…lol). My parents were both music movers (social ballroom dancers). And when I saw Tanya’s Beardsley’s vid (like many of us) almost 10 years ago, I was hooked. I knew I had to teach Zumba.

It was so popular, that I held “how-to” classes for the community. Many of you came to those. And they were often free. They were a hit. My classes were a hit, as were the classes of my other instructors. Zumba was everywhere. As with many new formats, they have a peak, and then they drop into the valley of their comfort zone. Just as kickboxing did. It peaked in 2002-2003, and then started declining; but the decline was mostly in gyms. Private martial arts studios are still rocking with it today. It is still my most popular workout (KickAeroBix™).

In some areas, Zumba is still huge! The decline has been mostly in the USA, although some instructors can still draw huge crowds! Zumba will never go away. We are a dance community. It will be in Santa Cruz for a long time. And we have many quality instructors still teaching it all over our community!

Fast forward to today. My focus is clear now. When I went solo with my studio (2010), I had to go through lots of ‘changes’ and mostly they were in my head. At that time, there was no reason to let go of Zumba classes.

As I got more and more focused on my purpose and my brand, I realized that Zumba was not truly aligned with the rest of my programs. Although dance is my love, and has been for my entire life, the Universe has sent me into a slightly different direction. My programming has to reflect what my purpose has become.

I am so thankful and grateful that I provided Zumba classes. My circle of friends has grown because of Zumba! I’ve had the privilege of having some awesome instructors on my staff (and subs) over the years (in alpha by first names!) : Amanda Clark, Brenda Sproule, Carolyn Wormhoudt, Deb Voison, Dixie Mills, Elizabeth Charlton, Eugenia Rice, Itziar, Janet Antolini, Jenna Giuliani, Jillian Chesley, Joanie Vigil, Joann Tassone, Joanna Dover, John Perez, Linda Pearson, Michelle Bjorkman, Shauna Horton, Sierra Varela! And thank you to Terry DelDiego for teaching at our awesome Holiday Z Party, and Jim Furlong for drumming!THANK YOU ALL! It’s been a long and happy trip!

With that, I bid adieu to Zumba Fitness® classes, and HELLO to STRONG by Zumba®! Yes, we have a new format on the horizon. I will probably launch this in September. It is HITT training (as compared to HIIT). The emphasis on the first T is Tempo. High Intensity Tempo Training. I have already taken the training. I love this format! It will so closely align with my other programming. You can google YouTube vids and watch it. There is no dance in it whatsoever. They did have a bit of dance in the early stages of this format, as they felt they needed a transition for all the Z peeps who knew just dancing fitness.

Now they have realized that it is not necessary anymore and have phased out all dancing. It is STILL to the BEAT of the MUSIC! That is what makes it so fun. (What we do in KickAeroBix and BodyPump).

No worries, Pilates and Yoga peeps…those classes are a great complement to our other intense workouts. Pilates Barre (Brenda) Pilates Mat (Jenna) and Yoga (Connie) are awesome classes, and they are staying!
So stay tuned for info on our launch!

Until next time…

Clara E Minor
Master Instructor/Trainer @ Minorsan Self-Defense & Fitness
minorsan.com
contact@minorsan.com

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: #badasscourage, fitness, fitness classes, Santa Cruz California, self-confidence, strong by zumba, weight loss, zumba, zumba fitness

Minorsan Has Moved!

October 4, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Minorsan has Moved and Morning Classes are at The Tannery

Minorsan-Has-Moved! - CA

Monday – Friday morning classes are being held at The Tannery!

Classes start October 3, 2016.

We are very excited about this collaboration with The Tannery. It is such a great space to just be, and a great space to move. See our online Schedule to see the class times/room. Please bear with us as we work through all the details of the Schedule. Some slots may change.

Our biggest change is for Wednesday morning: Zumba is at 11:30 am, and BodyPump is at 12:30 pm. (Now Wed & Fri Zumba both at 11:30 am!).

And we are very excited to begin evening and Sat/Sun morning classes on October 25, at Garfield Park Community Church! This is another great collaboration within our community. Another great venue to hang out, and to move our bodies! The Church and its entire campus has been revamped, renovated, and is now a beautiful space.

In the meantime, we are offering Tabata workouts (30 mins each) to all members of Minorsan, at 6:00 pm on the Garfield Park Church Lawn. The first was October 3, and it was a hit! Even if you have never taken a Tabata class, you are welcome to join us. Bring a friend and check it out together. It’s always more fun with 2, or 3, or 4 or 5! Bring as many friends as you would like. Anyone new to Minorsan can take one free! Anyone can do a 30-minute class…

We will update when we are open at Garfield Park Church for all classes.

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: #badasscourage, childrens martial arts, fight for life, fitness classes, HIIT classes, kickboxing, martial arts, martial arts classes, minorsan move, self -esteem, self worth, self-confidence, self-defense, strength, Tabata Bootcamp

Lessons from the Wharf to Wharf

July 26, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Lessons-from the Wharf to WharfThis past weekend I ran the Wharf to Wharf with a bunch of fun crazy ladies (and one gent, the Beekeeper) who were all promoting Hive & Hum, a new business on River Street, focusing on the importance of our winged friends…especially our BEES. (It is a beautiful store with lots of goodies for everyone!). Every single one of them has been to MINORSAN Self-Defense & Fitness. Crazy-fun crew. (Yes, I am promoting Hive & Hum, as I believe in their vision. OK…done. Just go there and check it out.)

So today, two days later, I am still feeling the ‘run.’ Have to laugh at this one, as many people do not truly ‘run.’ Many jog/walk and could care less what time we get to the finish line. (That is the best part of this local Santa Cruz event.) And either way, our bodies still feel it. I know it would be ‘smart’ to do many practice runs before this ‘race.’ I’ve ran it twice before this year. Each time, my muscles talk to me. It’s in a loving way, but they do talk loudly to me. I ignore them. I’ve had this lesson now three times. And I choose to say…’meh.’ No big deal. Muscles heal rather quickly. Mine will be good by tomorrow. Really, in the greater scheme of things, no biggie. (Throw this in with ‘first world whining.’)

I run now once per year. This is it. The Wharf to Wharf. I don’t even ‘practice’ for it. I just get out there and jog it. This year I walked a bit too cuz I was with so many other people, and we were all attempting to stay together. Everyone in the group of ‘bees’ did just that. We stopped and danced at many of the bands along the way. We stopped to take photos or video. Pure fun.

Turns out, lots of MINORSAN members also participated in this race. We were randomly dispersed throughout in small groups. Most are not ‘runners’ either. I used to run (years ago before I had any purely fitness workouts at my Studio.) I also went to local ‘gyms.’ Had to get in those weights and the cardio (besides doing my martial arts workouts, which are more anaerobic and work the muscles in an entirely different way). That’s when I used to run. All along West Cliff, in fact. These days, time is even more limited and I have to pick and choose my workouts. So running is a back burner thing. Random. Still, I love this little race called the Wharf to Wharf, from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk/Wharf to the Capitola Wharf in our little slice of paradise located in California. One of my favorite local events.

What got me thinking about this, is that so many locals participate in this this ‘race’ every year, and this year it sold out in 45 minutes! 16,000 people. That is phenomenal. You’d think we were purchasing tickets to see the most beloved person on the planet. Even more impressing was that all abilities were out there participating in this event. And so many local bands and performers were out there supporting the runners/walkers/joggers. The bands help make it so much more fun!

What struck me the most this year, was that there were people who’s bodies didn’t run, and instead, afforded them the ‘walk.’ They walked the entire time. And it was with effort. And they did it. One was in our very group. I also saw a gentleman who was ‘running’ his 44th Wharf to Wharf!!! Yes, he has participated every single year of this event! This time he was walking, and had the aid of two people with him, and he was doing it! There were no excuses. None. He was proudly displaying a sign stating that this was his 44th run of this little race. Simply amazing. Shows how powerful the human spirit can be when we want to achieve.

Yes, I get the lessons about the muscles (which I choose to ignore). However, this lesson from these people who have no excuses, are a bit less able than most of the others ‘running,’ and still get out there and do it, is such a huge inspiration. And a lesson to anyone who uses excuses for anything. At some time or other, we have all come up with excuses. Easy to do. Harder to do is to set excuses aside, thank those excuses for showing up, and then move on ahead, way past those excuses. Why thank them? Because they allow us to pass them up. When we pass up our excuses, we get stronger in mind and spirit. We find more power within. And that is what we are programmed to do. Find ways to accomplishment. Passing up our excuses is the first step to achieving.

This is by far one of the best local events ever. And I will continue to ‘run’ it every year (if I’m in town). And I will probably continue to ignore the lesson my muscles give me every time. After all, I could use that as an excuse. Besides…I’m not THAT sore. Thanks to my other workouts. (Check the rest of my site for what we do.)

So I leave you with your excuses. Me with mine. We can all choose what to do with them. Here’s to happy choosing!

Sincerely,

Clara E Minor
Master Trainer-Instructor
MINORSAN Self-Defense & Fitness
831.458.0900
contact@minorsan.com
1320 Mission Street, SC CA 95060

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: bodypump, empowerment, fitness classes, HIIT classes, kickboxing, martial arts, Pilates, Santa Cruz California, self -esteem, self-confidence, self-defense, strength, weight loss, will power, yoga, zumba

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

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: #badasscourage, be kind, beliefs, confidence, courage, diabetes, exercise, fat loss, fight for life, fitness class, fitness classes, health, healthy living, heart disease physical exercise, HIIT, HIIT classes, HIIT training, lifestyle, nutrition, self -esteem, self worth, self-confidence, self-love, success, sugar, sugar addiction, Tabata, Tabata Bootcamp, weight loss, worthiness

Sugar’s Hidden Names

July 14, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Sugar's Hidden NameSugar 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

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, News Tagged With: #badasscourage, be kind, bootcamp, courage, doubt, empowerment, exercise, fat loss, fear, fight for life, fighting, fitness classes, habits, high intensity workouts, kickboxing, life success, martial arts classes, negotiating, Santa Cruz California, self -esteem, self worth, self-care, self-confidence, self-love, success, Tabata, Tabata Bootcamp, take action, weight loss

Congratulations to our Winners!

May 16, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Yes, congratulations winners! We had 5 Winners.

Workin' our booth

Workin’ our booth

Here are a couple of vids we took regarding the Women’s Health & Lifestyle Expo at the Coconut Grove in Santa Cruz, on May 12. All our Challengers did soooo well!

Congratulations Angelica Torentino, Sue Renner, Jessica Williams, Jackie Christinson, and Brittany Saunders!

Congratulations Everyone for gettin’ on your ‪#‎BadassCourage‬! 42 people took on a Challenge!

Watch what these 3 won…Thank You to Robin Ludington, Denice Kowalski and members who helped with the drawings.

https://www.minorsan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMG_1070.m4v
https://www.minorsan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/IMG_0001.m4v

If you missed this event, you will want to get on this for next year. They provided free food bites, free drink, free giveaways, free screenings (!), prize drawings, and you could make purchases from the many local businesses that were there supporting Women’s Healthy Lifestyles in Santa Cruz, CA. Minorsan will be there for sure again next year. And we will have our Challenges again. You could win a 3-Month Fitness Package, a Tabata Bootcamp, 3-Month Kickboxing Package, 3-Month Martial Arts Package, or an 8-Module Self-Defense Course for 2! See you at this fantastic event next year!

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

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: #badasscourage, fitness classes, kickboxing, martial arts, martial arts classes, self-confidence, self-defense, Tabata Bootcamp

Summer Works for Weight Loss

May 16, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

fruits & vegetables

Summer provides an abundance of fresh & local fruits and vegetables

Summer works for weight loss due to several factors

A recent study, which was highlighted on a daily news show, indicates that 68% of the U.S. population loses more weight during the Summer months. Here are some good reasons why Summer works for weight loss:

1 – We move more in the Spring and Summer. It’s nicer out, we have more light, and there are many outdoor activities. We want to be more sedentary in fall/winter. It’s colder, darker, and the tendency is stay inside where it is warm, and we can have lights on. Contrary to the belief that we burn more fat during the Winter due to the cold temperatures, that might be true if we lived in tents. Most of us live in warm homes, and often turn the heat up. We heat our vehicles. We go into warm buildings. Very few like living/working in cold buildings. If you enjoy working out outdoors in the cold, that helps too.

2 – Fall is the season in which most people get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). This can easily create depressive moods. When depressed, who wants to do anything, much less get your butt up and working out. We tend to eat to feel better. The is why I’m always getting y’all to come in to work out. It WILL help you feel so much better and get out of that depressive mood. Fall season also starts ‘holiday eating syndrome,’ and it’s easily subsequent weight gain. Remember, I’m talking about overindulgence of calorie-dense, nutrient-deficient foods here, not small bites here and there of your favorite foods.

3 – Hot weather suppresses our appetite. I have an anecdotal story here: when my son got married, that entire week was very very hot here in CA. Both locations, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, were in the high 80’s and 90’s (yes, this is hot for CA…lol). I had set up a bunch of yummy (and yes, healthy, but still very yummy appetizers). They were hardly touched! I asked if the food was just not that good, and the overwhelming response was that ‘it was just too hot!’ Afternoon workouts in the hot Summer work best indoors!

4 – Many people are more conscious of their bodies in the Summer when many of us wear less clothing (men and women), and this can be a great motivator to watch our habits with food.

5 – Summer brings an abundance of fresh, in season, fruits and vegetables. Always best to eat in season, and Spring/Summer make it so much easier to get high-nutrient dense foods that are low in caloric value.

For seasonal workers (i.e. teachers who have Summer off), a perfect answer would be to take in a Tabata Bootcamp.

As always, you can contact me via this website’s Contact page or call 831-458-0900.

Sincerely,

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

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: bodypump, fitness classes, high intensity workouts, kickboxing, martial arts, Santa Cruz California, sehealthy living, self-confidence, self-defense, Tabata Bootcamp, weight loss, zumba

Why I Teach Martial Arts & Fitness

April 5, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Why i Teach Martial Arts and FitnessTeaching 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.

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: courage, fight for life, fitness classes, kickboxing, life success, martial arts, martial arts classes, Santa Cruz California, self -esteem, self worth, self-confidence, self-defense, success, weight loss, worthiness

Chemistry Involved in Changing Habits

March 22, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Chemistry Involved in Changing HabitsWho knew that chemistry was involved in how successful we can be with changing habits. The following blog post by James Clear explains how it all works in our brains and how changing habits works (or doesn't). See if you can see your 'sticking points' after reading this article by James Clear. The good news is that you can change all those 'sticking points.' You first have to identify them. Only you can do that for you. Or you could hire me to come live with you for a bit...I would find them for you. (On second thought, let's ixnay that idea...lol.) Seriously, this article can be an eye opener.

The-Chemistry-of-Building-Better-Habits

Let me know what you think.

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

 

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense Tagged With: adult martial arts, confidence, exercise, fitness classes, habits, martial arts, martial arts classes, self -esteem, self-confidence, self-defense, workouts

Get Your Life ‘Fit’ this Spring

February 23, 2016 by Clara E Minor Leave a Comment

Get Your Life Fit this SpringYes, 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:

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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)

Filed Under: Fitness & Health, Martial Arts/Self-Defense, News Tagged With: beliefs, bootcamp, courage, fight for life, fighting, fitness classes, kickboxing, life success, martial arts, martial arts classes, priorities, Santa Cruz California, self -esteem, self worth, self-confidence, self-love, Tabata Bootcamp, take action, weight loss, worthiness

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