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The Benefits of Simple Exercises

Sometimes we try to complicate life by starting exercise regimes that are too difficult. This practice can often lead to us becoming discouraged and more likely to quit when we don’t achieve perfection right away. We overlook the simplicity in achieving good physical health. We make our health about complex fitness classes and obscure dieting fads. Tired of giving up? Tired of feeling defeated? Go back to basics.

Just as in martial arts, life doesn’t start with a black belt. We need to remember the fundamentals of classic exercises. It takes practice and consistency to get better….and even when we get our black belt, we can’t forget the simple movements that our entire curriculum is based on.

Here are some simple exercises we do regularly:

Touching your toes
Push-ups
Jumping Jacks
Planks
Squats

If you’re looking to be more physically fit, try incorporating these exercises into your daily routine. Getting up from your desk a few times a day and touching your toes will stretch your leg muscles, your shoulders and back muscles. A short walk at lunch can brighten your mood and increase your strength and balance. Push-Ups are a great full-body exercise – and you don’t have to start with a hundred. Start with 10 and work your way up from there. And, if you have to start from your knees (we do NOT call them girl push-ups because of well, you know, feminism), go for it! Practice and you will see improvement every single time!

Keep it simple. Keep moving! Try to do a little bit each day. Have fun!

No need for equipment. No need for a gym membership. Try this all at home (after consulting a health professional) or even better – join us at Elite Martial Arts & Fitness.

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Wanna Be a Hottie? You’ve Gotta Warm-Up First

19146185_1350374748351568_7710478099447082135_nA strong body requires preparation, routine, and diligence. One of the most important aspects of feeling your best is making sure you are able to operate at an optimal performance level. This requires a happy lifestyle, good nutrition, and exercise.

But, before you get all ‘gung ho’ about ‘pumpin’ up the volume’ to get ‘all buffed up’, make sure you warm-up first.

A good warm-up is vital before any physical activity. We want to increase our heart rate and circulation so that we can be our best.  For those of us over the age of 21, it’s imperative that we warm up so that we loosen our joints and increase blood flow to our muscles. A good warm-up before physician approved exercises helps prevent injuries.

Some of our favourite warm-up exercises? We like jumping jacks, jump squats, push-ups, or even a brisk walk.

Be safe! Your body deserves it.

Care to warm-up and exercise with us? Visit elitekarateottawa.com to learn about our Sculpt & Fit Classes, Karate, or Kickboxing.

 

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Challenge Lanaudier 2018

Congratulations to Elite Tournament Team on their success at Challenge Lanaudier at the end of February. Our team was awarded 4 Silver medals and 4 Bronze medals.

Congratulations to all participants and THANK YOU to all coaches for their hard work. The entire dojo appreciates their time and dedication.

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Karate Chop Those Blues Away

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health.

Exercise can keep conditions such as depression, ADHD, and anxiety at bay. Moving around and staying active is a great way to combat stress, keep you happy, and improve your memory. You’ll be so exhausted from the fun that you’ll sleep better too!

At Elite Martial Arts and Fitness, we offer Sculpt & Fit, Karate, and Kickboxing for all fitness levels. Our instructors are welcoming and our students are great.

Exercising and practicing martial arts can build up confidence, giving us the fortitude and self-reliance to deal with adversity – whether it’s at work, at school, or even when you are out and about. When you feel stronger, you stand stronger. The tenacity it takes to exercise regularly or to progress in martial arts gives us the courage to rise above our daily hardships.

Join us today. Our classes are welcoming and plenty of fun. Call (613) 834-0802 to book your intro lesson.

You deserve to feel better!

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Da Plank! Da Plank! The Core of Everyone’s Fantasy Body

The classic plank and its variations are exercises that can make even the fittest person question life’s purpose. When holding the plank position seconds can turn into what can seem like weeks.
This core strengthening exercise is an effective and efficient way to trim down around the belly, arms, back, glutes, and upper part of our legs. It’s a great exercise that can be done quickly and without equipment.

How to:
Start in plank position with forearms and toes on the floor (almost like a push-up that has given up on life).
Tighten your core to form a straight line with your body without sagging or bending.
Keep your head relaxed while looking at the floor (or your smartphone…or a BOOK if you’re really ambitious).
Hold this position for as long as you can. Start at 10 seconds and build up to a minute (or more if you’re Hercules).

Benefits of the plank are:

Supports proper posture
Improves balance
Increases endurance
Strengthens your core
Makes swimsuit season less petrifying

Are you excited to get started? Is the full plank position too difficult? That’s ok! There’s always a modification to suit all fitness levels. Drop to your knees and hold the plank position just like so:

Is your stomach feeling stronger already? Now it’s time to try the side plank.

In addition to tightening your core, side planks help strengthen shoulders, arms, and wrists.
With the extra concentration required, you will be a superhero if you can do these every single day. Remember to switch sides so that you don’t walk funny.

 

…..and here is a modification of the side plank:

 

When you’re feeling crazy go ahead and start lifting legs and arms to create a challenge.

Reminder: Before starting any exercise, check with your physician. Your health and well-being are important to us.

Most importantly remember that FITNESS IS FUN!

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Push Yourself to Push-Up

Push-ups are one of karate’s favourite exercises. Why? Push-ups can generate a unified  ‘groan’ from a group of students like no other exercise…aside from an extended side-plank.

Why are push-ups good for us?

What is the first thing one would want to do if attacked? PUSH the person off, right? What better way to do that than practice a good PUSH-up?!

Push-ups make us stronger. 

Push-ups work on several different muscle groups on your body, including arms, core, and lower body – all at the same time! It’s a great full body workout.

Push-ups also help train our muscles to work together, increasing reaction time. Doing push-ups regularly also helps improve balance and stability. They also work muscles in the chest, shoulders and in the back, possibly preventing chronic pain later on in life.

Boost that metabolism.

Weight-bearing exercises help boost metabolism. Who doesn’t want a well-functioning metabolism. It could mean a guilt-free extra bite of cheesecake.

No more excuses!

What sort of equipment does one need for push-ups? NONE. If you have a working body and a floor, you are good to go!

How many push-ups should I do a day?

As many as you can. If you are just starting push-ups, it’s great to start on your knees.

Keep your core tight and start with 10 at a time.

Once you master the knee push-ups, move to a full push-up position. Try repetitions of 10 at a time.  Do what you can and try to push your limits without injuring yourself. You will see an improvement in your ability before you know it.

It’s better to do 5 good push-ups with a tight core than 20 lousy ones with poor form.

For fun, try variations on push-ups by changing the width and position of your hands/arms.

Most importantly, have fun!

 

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WKC Worlds 2017 – Congratulations to Sensei Kiana

A huge ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Welcome Back’ to Sensei Kiana who just finished competing at 2017’s WKC World’s in Orlando, Florida.

Sensei Kiana spent five days competing.

Here are her results:

4th place for her Traditional Weapons event

3rd place in Point Fighting Continuous Fighting

3rd place in Continuous Fighting

2nd in Team Continuous Fighting

1st in Team Fighting

 

Sensei Kiana is always supported by her amazing martial artist of a sister, Kalli, as well as her devoted parents, Eric and Rachel. Thank you to the entire family who continue represent Elite Martial Arts and Fitness in such a positive way. 

To raise money for Sensei Kiana to attend WKC, the entire family received support from local businesses such as  Pumpkins and Peanuts.

Sensei Kiana also had many rallying behind her as she organized a FREE Women’s Self-Defense course, generously instructed by Renshi Guy Oullette. Sensei Kiana is a fine young lady, conscious of the impact a girl can have when they are willing to give back to a community that helps raise them. Continue the great work and keep advocating for things that you believe in.

Sensei Kiana’s father had this to say:

“A big shout out to Sensei Guy who continues to train Kiana and make her the martial artist that she is. A big thank you to Sensei Maeghen for coaching Kiana at Worlds. Thanks also to all of Kiana’s sponsors and those that have supported her financially. And also those who send her nice messages and notes to encourage her along the way. It means a lot, more than you know.”

Thanks again and congratulations to our Red Dragon! If you want to read more about our little Red Dragon, visit her website at KJ Red Dragon.

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An Important Announcement from Renshi Guy

Dear Elite Family,

I want to take this opportunity to thank all students and their families for being part of the ELITE community. Whether you’ve been with me for 25 years or 2 weeks, I value you and your contribution to our dojo.

A few years back I made a strategic decision to relocate at the Kids Kingdom location and we’ve been here for just over a year. Unfortunately, over the past few months it has become clear that continuing down this road is not feasible for the long run. This has caused me to take a step back to evaluate the current state of our dojo and determine the necessary steps required to ensure ELITE is on a path that will see it grow and flourish for the long term.

I have dedicated my life to teaching karate, it is my passion and there is nothing more rewarding than to see my students grow and become the best person that they can be. It is for that reason that I have decided to initiate a period of transition to ensure that I can continue to invest my time and resources to maximize the positive impact ELITE can have on the students and their families.

Though reflecting on this has not been an easy process it has taken me back to the reasons I do this in the first place and it has reignited my passion and I am moving forward with a renewed commitment. I will be reevaluating and restructuring the program and investigating a variety of options for the new location. I am hoping that these changes will help me ensure that I am giving our dojo the love and attention it deserves.

To begin this period of transition, we will be relocating to St. Mary’s Hall located at 1171 Smith Rd, Navan ON K4B 1N7. We will have classes on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and we will be able to also teach the Elite Tykes Class on Saturday Mornings at 8:15 a.m. We will send more specific times for the classes in the next couple of days, as we restructure the schedule to allow everyone to still attend 3 times per week.

Please Note: We will be moving to the Hall in Navan over the weekend and during the first week of November and classes should resume Wednesday, November 8th. The last class at our current Kids Kingdom location will be Saturday, October 28th, 2017.

As we all know, change is not always easy but I truly believe that through this transition it will bring the ELITE family closer together and we will be better for it. I commit to you to provide as much information as possible through this transition and I invite you to approach me with any concerns you might have.

Kind Regards,
Renshi Guy Ouellette

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Come TRAIN with Me

I enjoy working with people of ALL FITNESS LEVELS to be the best person they can be.

I offer karate classes for children and adults, indoor/outdoor fitness classes, one-on-one training, off-ice hockey training and more. Call, email or visit our dojo for more information.

(613) 834-0802

elitemartialartsguy@gmail.com

elitekarateottawa.com

1290 Trim Road, Orleans

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