The Front Kick...it's not just for breakfast anymore

Ah yes, the illustrious front kick. You don't need to be a martial artist to use this kick. Just ask 90% of t.v. and movie action actors who've played cops kicking in doors or busting out car windows. The front kick would be the kick they apply. Granted, Hollywood doors are made of balsa wood and toothpicks while the windows are breakaway glass made of sugar but it sure looks cool doesn't it? Yeehaw!

No doubt you have applied this kick to your fender when your car wouldn't start or to a vending machine when it would'nt cough up the M&M's. Wait! Why are you eating anything out of a vending machine in the first place? But I digress. Let's kick shall we.

Start with your strong leg back (rear leg) and weaker leg forward (foreleg). Keep the elbows in tight and hands up to protect your face. Great! This is your fighting stance. Now, raise your rear leg and bring the knee up in front of you. Imagine this is the first stage of moving into the classic Karate Kid stance. Lift up to the ball of the foot of the leg you're standing on (formerly foreleg). Okay, fire that strong leg straight out and aim it at your opponent's knee, groin or stomach. Strike with the ball of your foot not the toes. If you do use the toes you'll hear the sound of 4-5 candy canes snapping in winter...and those will be your toes. You can also use your flat foot, especially the heel as in the case of kicking open the aforementioned solid oak door.

There are essentially two versions of this kick. One is the quick kick that darts out like a snake's tongue and recoils just as quickly. This can disrupt an opponent's attack, it can give you time to take on attacker #2 and even fall a man if you catch him squarely in his family jewels. Version two has more power and is often referred to as a 'shove kick'. As an action hero we (okay they) often use this one to kick a villain through the window of a high rise building, or into a giant spinning buzz saw. (I don't advise kicking someone into a buzz saw while wearing a nice tux (fellas) or fave Vera Wang number (ladies)...what with spatter and all). With the shove kick you slightly move your hips forward and lean back upon impact. If timed correctly you can send your opponent a great distance, and thus feel really good about yourself.

Please note that while this is one of the easier kicks to learn, like all strikes in martial arts it takes a great deal of time and practice to perfect. Repetition is the key. And please use this kick and other forms of attack for good, not evil. Now go kick some ass! (for good)

DIET is a four letter word

balance...


As of late many of my clients (and not just the ladies) are subscribing to what I believe is a crazy subconscious notion. And that is, "if I don't eat too much during the day I'll lose weight. Yah!" I say subconscious because who in their conscious mind would believe that after eight hours of sleep a rice cake with a half teaspoon of peanut butter will get them through their work day? Children know this is insanity. Try putting a toddler on this diet and ten minutes past lunch time she'll cry, scream, pout, hold her stomach and more. But we as educated grown ups actually choose this nonsensical behavior. Believe me I've heard it all: "I don't know where the time went?...I'm too busy at work to stop and eat...My fridge is empty, I need to shop...I'm just not hungry during the day..." Poppycock, hooey and balderdash!

This kooky life choice be it conscious or not comes under the diet umbrella and it is pure madness. Let's be clear, your diet is all that you put in YOU. Experts all over the world agree on this one fact: To be the best you, you can be one needs to have a balanced and healthy diet. As with most things on this lovely planet, balance is the key.

Dieting or semi-starvation can lead to lethargy,depression, decreased attention span, weakness, and the big ones; anorexia and bulimia. But hold the iphone, there's more. Let us not leave out hair loss, anxiety, high blood pressure and more...than I care to list here.

Come on folks use your universe-given intelligence. Your body is a machine and gosh dang it, it needs fuel. When a car runs out of fuel it chokes and sputters until it finally stops moving. Our bodies being more complex than a car are more resilient. The down side is that when we withhold proper sustenance our bodies while fighting for our survival buy us time...to build up all of these symptoms and THEN we pay the ultimate price.

The solution is simple. Eat properly, exercise frequently, get rest and drink lots of water. Follow these fundamentals and you've got the best fighting chance at happiness, strength, energy and longevity.