United States Karate Academy News:

Attitude of Gratitude

November is always one of my favorite months of the year. Fall is in full swing and the Holidays are right around the corner.

This is a wonderful time to think about what we are grateful and thankful for in our lives.

Sometimes, you can have a bad day. Nothing seems to go right and everything just goes wrong. Maybe you got into an argument with a friend. Or maybe you got a bad grade in school. Maybe the dog really did eat your homework. Maybe your mom or dad got upset with you for not cleaning your room. Maybe your Boss at work didn't approve of your latest idea.

Whatever may be happening in your life, one thing that will help you is to "Always Have an Attitude of Gratitude." This means that instead of being upset about something that may not go the way you want it to, think about something you are grateful and thankful for each day. Be grateful that you have your friend in your life, or that you are able to go to school and learn. Be grateful you have a room that you have to keep clean or if you are an adult, be grateful that you do have your job and have the opportunities to improve on your life.

In fact, I would like for you to think about something you are grateful for each day. Write it down, and share it on our United States Karate Family Facebook group. You can also make a poster or a video about things that you are grateful for and share it on Facebook or at the dojo. Please share with all of us by Thanksgiving.
"Always Have an Attitude of Gratitude" and good things follow!

Thanksgiving Day Camp 

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017

9:00AM - 3:00PM 

We will be hosting a Thanksgiving Day Camp at our Rockrimmon Dojo the day before Thanksgiving, as a service to all the parents and kids in our dojos as well as their friends and families.

The Pre-Thanksgiving Day Camp will be held on 

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017

9:00AM - 3:00PM 

The cost will be $25 per child. Each additional family member will receive a $5.00 discount.

Join us for FUN, games, pizza, crafts and of course, AWESOME martial arts training. Please register by calling 719-388-2020 or register with your instructor at your dojo.

See all of you there!

***Special note: No Regular evening classes onWednesday, November 22nd or Thursday, November 23rd.

Thanksgiving Schedule

We will be Closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday at ALL locations on Wednesday, November 22nd & Thursday, November 23rd (except for the Pre-Thanksgiving day camp at Rockrimmon onWednesday, November 22nd. See above).

Rockrimmon dojo will re-open on Friday, November 24th with a special All-Ranks Karate class at 4:00pm followed by Kobudo at 5:00pm.

Braodmoor & Galley Road Dojos will re-open onSaturday, November 25th with regular classes at10:00am for Knee-High Samurai, and 10:30 am for all juniors and adults, followed by Kobudo at11:30am.

Stripe and/or Rank Examinations & Rank Promotions:

Juniors & Adults 

Stripe and/or Rank Examinations & Promotions will be in December per the following schedules:

Brown Belt Stripe Testing and/or Rank Examinations will be on Saturday, December 2nd at 10:00am at our Rockrimmon Dojo.

This event is for High Green Belts and Brown Belts and will serve as a progress check for Black Belts.

ALL levels of Brown Belts are strongly encouraged to come and participate, even if you are not stripe or belt testing. This is a great preparation seminar as you progress towards your Black Belt testing. Examination results will be given at your home dojo the following week per the schedule below.

Please wear a clean, pressed heavy weight gi and be prepared to rock!

Stripe and/or Rank Examinations & Promotions for Juniors & Adults will be at your home dojo December 4th & 5th (see schedules below).

Rockrimmon Dojo: Monday, December 4th at 6:00pm

Galley Road Dojo: Tuesday, December 5th at 6:00pm

Broadmoor Dojo: Tuesday, December 5th at 6:30pm

Please make sure you have turned in your Intent to Promote form before your test night and also that you have made up any missed classes. ***All students should attend whether or not they are testing as it does count towards attendance.

We will have a refreshment table set up after the examinations & promotions that will be provided by the United States Karate Academy. Feel free to bring something if you would like to.

Invite your friends & family, and parents. Don't forget your cameras!

***NO earlier Karate Classes on December 4th & 5th. All Juniors & Adults should come to the later class time for testing***

Annual Holiday Potluck Party 

You are cordially invited to our Annual Holiday Party Saturday, December 9th, 2017 at our Rockrimmon location.

The party starts at 11:30AM and is Potluck Style. Please bring your favorite dish to share with everyone and please come prepared to have a good time. Invite your friends and family. There will be games, crafts and Tons of Fun!

The address to our Rockrimmon dojo is:
207 W. Rockrimmon Blvd. Suite A, Colorado Springs, CO 80919

We look forward to seeing all of you and having a great time! 

Chicken Pot Pie Soup 

Who doesn’t love Chicken Pot Pie? Creamy, hearty chicken soup wrapped up in a warm flaky crust…it sounds dreamy, but it’s actually a nutritional nightmare! Not only are there far too many carbs and calories in the crust, but the soup itself is often filled with heavy dairy products and noodles that make weight gain automatic.

I have a lightened up this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Soup that gives you the same flavors and comfort of Chicken Pot Pie, while keeping you on track with your fitness and fat loss goals. Enjoy this warming recipe on chilly day!

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 16
Here’s what you need
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 yellow onions, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 teaspoons Garlic, minced
¼ cup coconut flour
½ cup white wine
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 bay leaf
3 cups roasted chicken, chopped
2 (14 oz.) cans coconut milk, full fat
1 cup Pearl Onions, halved
1 Green Zucchini, diced
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Melt the coconut oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, celery and garlic. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the coconut flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in the broth, butternut squash, thyme, poultry seasoning and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to medium. Simmer the soup until the butternut squash and sweet potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Discard the thyme and bay leaf.
Add the chicken, coconut milk, pearl onions, diced zucchini, parsley and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

Nutritional AnalysisOne serving equals: 227 calories, 15g fat, 11g carbohydrate ,4g sugar, 329mg sodium, 3g fiber, and 12g protein.

Be Unstoppable!

What do you think UNSTOPPABLE means?  What does it mean to you specifically?  Here is one way you can be UNSTOPPABLE. Always have an “I Can” Attitude!

How many of you remember the story about The Little Engine that Could? Most of us, at some point, have heard that story.

In essence, the Little Blue Engine wanted to help get the toys and food over the mountain. She wasn’t sure if she could do it but she gave it her best shot!   She constantly repeated “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”. Finally, the Little Blue Engine dug deep down and tried with everything she had and finally made it over. She was very proud of herself and her “I think I can” changed to “I thought I could”.

Have you ever been in a situation where you weren’t sure if you would be able to do something? Did you give up?  If you gave up, how did you feel afterwards? Did you do like the “Little Engine that Could” and tell yourself over and over again that you could do it?  How did you feel after you did it?

To learn more about having an “I Can” Attitude and being #UNSTOPPABLE click here! 

Holiday Food Drive: Brother Can You Spare A Can?

United States Karate Holiday Food Drive

This year we will be doing a Holiday Food Drive to help local families in the Colorado Springs area have enough food for the holiday season.

I am a firm believer that we should help people all year long, but the need is felt most during the holiday season.

The Food Drive will start Monday, November 7th and will continue through our Annual Dojo Holiday Party on Saturday, December 3rd.

There is no limit to how much you can donate. Let's all come together to make a difference in our community. You never know who you may be helping and you may never know the impact you can have in someone's life. 

Want to donate?  Call us at 719-388-2020

FIRE SALE

COMING SOON...FIRE SALE!

We will have a Smoking Hot Fire Sale, on Saturday, November 5th at the United States Karate Academy-Galley Road.  Everything on sale!  Save up to 50%. Limited to items in stock. Hurry, quantities and sizes limited. First come, first serve.  

Want to be one of the first?  We will have an early bird preview starting this Friday at the Pumpkin Bash.  

We have uniforms, sparring equipment, training equipment and more.  Call for more information: 719-388-2020 or email us at: uskadojo@gmail.com

5 Tips for Staying Safe on Halloween

 

Halloween is such a fun time of the year for children; but when children encounter tricks instead of treats, this holiday can become very scary – and not just because of the decorations and frightening costumes. Abductions, bullying, candy that has been compromised; these are all things that can make Halloween a dreadful holiday for children and parents alike.

In order to keep your kids safe this Halloween, educate them before they put on their costumes and start knocking on the neighbors doors. 

Here are 5 tips that can help keep those little ghosts and ghouls safe this – and every Halloween.

1. Plan a Route. Before your kids hit the town to gather goodies, plan a route for them. It should be one that leads them through well-lit areas that are heavily populated. The lighter the area and the more people around, the less likely there will danger lurking. Make sure to discuss the route with your kids beforehand.

2. Give them a Cell Phone. You may not want your kids to have a cell phone on a regular basis, but on Halloween, you might want to make an exception. Pre-program the phone with emergency contact numbers so that if there is an emergency, your child will be able to easily call for help. Also, it will allow you to call and check up on your child at regular intervals. They’ll have the freedom to trick-or-treat by themselves, but you’ll still be able to keep a watchful eye, or ear, on them.

3. Talk to Your Child About Potential Dangers. Discuss possible scenarios that could occur that would be dangerous. For example, what they should do if someone tries to ask them to get into their car, or go into their house. Provide them with the right response so that they know how to react and so that they can avoid a potentially dangerous situation.

4. Light them Up. Give you children flashlights or have them wear glow bracelets or necklaces while they are trick-or-treating. Doing so will allow them to not only see what is around them, but will allow others to easily see them. Cars can be a particular danger while walking on dark streets; lighting up your kids will make them more visible to drivers.

5. Don’t Eat Candy! Of course, children are going to find it difficult to keep their goodies out of their mouths; however, you really need to stress the importance of waiting until they get home to eat their candy. Once they get home, you can inspect them to make sure they are safe. Spread the candy out and go through it together. Remove anything that is unwrapped or looks questionable. And while homemade treats may seem like a nice gesture, there is no telling what is inside of them, so nix them.

Your kids can have fun while being independent this Halloween. By following these 5 tips, you can ensure that they have plenty of treats and avoid any tricks.

Click here to visit our website at: www.unitedstateskarateacademy.com 

SUGAR

#1 Rule Of Clean Eating: No Refined Sugar

I can't say enough about the dangers of refined sugar. 

Regular sugar consumption will always cause weight gain. In addition to ruining your figure, chronic sugar consumption puts you at risk of numerous health problems. 

When you're in the habit of taking in sugar everyday it's hard to quit, but once you've broken the habit you won't give sugar a second thought. 

Whenever your sweet tooth flares up eat a piece of fresh organic fruit.

FIRE UPDATE

Attention Rockrimmon students, I just wanted to reach out to you to give you an update on the situation at our facility.

Unfortunately, the only news we have is that we are still uncertain when we can resume classes at our Rockrimmon location. We have had multiple inspectors and restoration companies out in the last few days but still we do not have a complete answer as to when it will be 100% completely safe to resume.

During this time, we would like to offer all Rockrimmon students to come to either of our other two locations; Galley and 8th Street dojos.

We have also decided to hold Monday andWednesday classes in addition to the regularTuesday and Thursday classes at Galley dojo.

Galley Dojo: 5245 Galley Road

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY
        515pm KHS
        6pm Juniors & Adults

Tuesday & Thursday
        4:30pm Beginner Juniors
        5:30pm KHS
        6:00pm Juniors & Adults

Saturday
        10am KHS
        10:30am All Ranks
        11:30am Kobudo (Weapons)

8th Street: 1769 S. 8th Street

Tuesday & Thursday
        4:00pm KHS
        4:30pm Juniors & Adults
        5:45pm KHS
        6:15PM Juniors & Adults

Saturday
        10am KHS
        10:30am All Ranks
        11:30am Kobudo (Weapons)

Please know, we are doing everything possible to be able to get back into class with all of you. We are exploring all possible options available to us at the moment.

Our ultimate goal, is to continue to give you outstanding service and incomparable Karate training in the safest and best way possible, no matter what life throws at us. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at 719-388-2020.

Thank you for your support and understanding in this difficult situation.