We had the opportunity to attend the inaugural North Georgia Open by PROMAC this past weekend. This tournament was literally less than a mile and a half from our dojo, so it felt like it was right in our backyard!
It was so amazing to have so many of our fellow Cumming Martial Arts students in attendance to cheer each other on and celebrate our wins!
Our dojo ended up with 13 first places, 12 second places, 11 third places, and 2 grand champions. What a way to welcome the North Georgia Open to Cumming, Georgia!
Not to mention, we got some snow as well! Just the frosting on top of a great day!
We started our karate competition season off with a road trip to Franklin, Tennessee for the Middle Tennessee Classic by PROMAC.
While it was awesome to get back into competition mode, make new ones friends from all over the Southeast US; part of the reason we love traveling to tournaments is making these weekends a mini getaway.
After the Middle Tennessee Classic tournament, we spent the rest of the weekend exploring Nashville and visiting our friends at the Gentle Barn Tennessee.
Nashville has so many amazing murals around the city. If you find yourself there, definitely try to visit a few of them. The angel wings were our favorite, and they were so gorgeous in person!
The Gentle Barn Tenneessee holds a special place in my (Melissa’s) heart. Dudley, their three legged cow, played an enormous part in my journey to not eating meat. The sweet animals who still live at the Gentle Barn carry on his legacy at the sanctuary. They serve as amazing ambassadors for kindness to animals everywhere.
Core strength is so important. Your core muscles are the base of support for your entire body, and play a huge role in everyday activities. When core muscles are strengthened, you also reap the benefits of improving your balance and overall stability, which makes you less likely to injure yourself.
Creating that stable base is super important, especially when you start doing movement. And the thing is, kids don’t naturally have lots of core strength, it’s something you build up as you get older. We also have a few other things to thank: increasingly demanding academics and more interest in sedentary technology.
Here are a few easy exercises that are great for kids to start strengthening their core.
8 Easy Core Exercises for Kids
1. Bridge with head down, butt up – 5 slow reps This is a great warm up for the core, tighten the glutes and tummy when lifting up with the legs.
2. Boat to Canoe – 10 reps Modification is to keep your hands on the ground next to your hips. Try to keep toes off the ground. Bent knees in the boat pose, then straighten your legs while keeping your feet off the ground for canoe.
3. Russian Twists – 20 reps Keep toes off ground, touch hand on each side of hips.
4. Basic Plank – hold for count of 20, 3 reps Tighten tummy, push the ground away, with your shoulders. Make sure butt is not sticking up and body is in a straight line. This pose takes some practice for the little ones to get properly. I’ve found that giving them a spot to look just ahead of their hands helps with alignment.
5. Elbow Plank to Dolphin – 10 reps Starting in elbow plank, push your hips back into the sky, forehead to the ground, then back to elbow plank.
6. Plank to Elbow Plank – 10 reps Right hand to elbow, left hand to elbow. Then right elbow to hand, left elbow to hand. Repeat with left hand going first.
7. Superman – 5 reps Starting on your belly, lift your chest and legs off the ground and hold for a count to 10. Relax and repeat.
Modification – superman with arms back. I like to call this one: flying mermaid
8. Cobra Pose Stretch after doing these core exercises.
I started this site after my amazing friend & holistic health coach started working with Rogue on her eczema. She has had this dry skin issue ever since she was born and I just couldn’t stand seeing her in so much discomfort all the time.
So… we went on a gluten-free diet to clean up her gut, remove any internal inflammatory issues and clear her skin.
The rest of the family also went gluten (and dairy-free), because it was easier (and more fair) to do it that way. Can you imagine having a toddler eat “special” food while her older sister chows down on traditional mac n’ cheese?
After a couple weeks of this new lifestyle, my daughter’s face cleared up and as a side effect, I lost weight.
Wait, what?
Without putting myself on a diet, I ended up getting healthier and feeling better too.
We learned to eat more whole foods and be more conscious of what we were putting into our bodies. After the adjustment period, we realized… this isn’t so difficult after all.
There are various reasons why people usually go gluten free, from celiac disease to autoimmune diseases to simply not feeling quite right, all the time. While certainly not for everyone, reducing your intake of wheat will help you lose weight and get healthier. As long as you replace wheat and bread with fresh vegetables and fruit.
On this site, you’ll find all gluten-free recipes and tips, so I invite you to try the gluten free lifestyle, or at least reducing the amount from your daily nutrition.
I recently found this amazing instant oatmeal while escaping the office during a lunch break. I fell in love with the coconut turmeric flavor – both the taste and the ingredients made me feel not-guilty of having these on hand for an afternoon pick me up.
Then, the little voice in my head started wondering if I could make something like this from scratch for weekend breakfasts.
Yes, why yes I could.
My favorite part of this oatmeal is making it. The warm, spicy smell of ginger and cinnamon fills the kitchen and my heart & soul is so happy. Absolutely perfect for these colder mornings in November. Making this takes about 10 minutes start to finish and it’s filled with whole foods goodness.
Vegan Turmeric Coconut Oatmeal
Ingredients (makes 2 servings)
2 tsp coconut oil
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats (use quick cooking if you want less texture)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups non-dairy milk (I like to use Califia Farm’s toasted coconut almond milk)
2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground flax seeds, optional
1 tsp ground chia seeds, optional
Banana slices, shredded coconut, granola, or dried fruit to serve (optional)
Directions:
1. In a small pot over medium heat, melt the coconut oil.
2. Add the oats, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon to the small pot. Lightly toast, stirring frequently for 1.5 minutes.
3. Add the non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until the oatmeal mixture is thickens.
4. Stir in the ground flax and chia seeds. I like to add these superfoods for added protein and fiber.
5. Serve oatmeal immediately topped with desired toppings.
