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In this video, licensed nutritionist Lisa Jubilee of Living Proof Nutrition/Fitness explains the 3 most common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight.

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It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

This month’s Powerful Word is TRUSTWORTHINESS.

Here’s a video from Dr. Robyn Silverman in which she introduces some of the concepts we’ll be covering this month:

Trustworthiness can be defined as “being worthy of someone’s trust” or confidence. While straightforward, trustworthiness is achieved by choosing to take (and not take) certain actions.

In particular; trustworthiness is achieved by
(1) consistently telling the truth,
(2) keeping promises and commitments,
(3) maintaining confidentiality,
(4) refraining from stealing or cheating,
(5) following the rules,
(6) choosing to do the right thing even when nobody’s looking and
(7) being accountable for one’s mistakes.

From an early age, children understand that not everyone is a reliable source of information. Some people are more worthy of trust than others. A recent study shows that children as young as age 4 are able to discern who is and who is not trustworthy (Association of Psychological Science, 2011).

According to the researchers; the children are able to “distinguish someone who’s truly knowledgeable from someone who’s given them a right answer but doesn’t necessarily deserve long-term trust.” Unfortunately, we’re up against a great deal of challenges. Public figures in sports, government, and media have been caught lying, cheating, stealing, breaking laws, and reneging on their promises.

Yet, they’re often excused for their wrongdoings by an adoring public. Whether we like it or not, many of these public figures serve as role models and many of them aren’t doing a great job of showing the importance of trustworthiness. They are, in fact, “anti-role models.”

This month, please talk with your family about the importance of trust as it is the backbone of our choices, our relationships, and how we are perceived by others. Ask them how they know who to trust and share stories of the lessons you learned around this important Powerful Word.

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing this month:

Week 1 Trustworthiness defined: What does trustworthiness mean?
Week 2 Cheating and stealing: How do these actions break trust?
Week 3 Promises & Secrets: When do I keep them? Is there a time when I shouldn’t?
Week 4 Rules and Accountability: How do I abide by rules and deal with mistakes?

About Dr. Robyn:
Dr. Robyn Silverman, child development specialist, body image/body bullying expert, sought-after speaker and award-winning writer, is known for her no-nonsense yet positive approach to helping young people and their families thrive. Her ground-breaking research at Tufts University on young women is the foundation for her book, “Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It.”

Photo Credit: notsogoodphotography on stock.xchng

For $30, you get 4 kickboxing classes with a 40-minute personal training session, and a pair of free boxing gloves.

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For $50, you get 10 kickboxing classes with a 40-minute personal training session, and a pair of free boxing gloves.

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Be sure to call us at 718-287-5500 as soon as you purchase it to schedule your first class.

We do require our Groupon kickboxers to make an appointment, and our schedule is already filling up fast!

Please note that the Groupon is available only to newcomers to our kickboxing program.

So if you’ve taken a kickboxing class with us before, you won’t be eligible to use this deal, sorry!

We’re coming upon the summer months and the end of the school year.

This often can mean a change in routine and the adoption of other activities and programs in your child’s daily schedule.

While summer is a wonderful time of year to relax and try new things, it’s important for your child to maintain a balance of structured and unstructured time.

It’s advisable to keep some consistency in your child’s activity schedule so that the transition back at the end of the summer is not jarring or difficult.

As a Child Development Expert, I’ve been asked about whether a child should or shouldn’t “take a break” from karate during the summer. Obviously, there’s no one answer since no child is the same.

However, in my experience, maintaining at least 1-2 classes per week during the summer helps a child to feel a sense of accomplishment and stability.

At the same time, they’re able to strengthen their character and keep their commitment to learning alive. This helps them to be classroom-ready when school resumes.

Children get very uneasy if they feel that they’re missing something or that someone is advancing ahead when they are “on a break.”

This can negatively impact children’s confidence levels and make them feel reluctant to rejoin once the break is over.

Of course, if a week long vacation is planned, a prepared parent can side step any negative ramifications by having their children take an extra class before leaving or an extra class when they return.

Frontloading classes (without overwhelming) can ease the feeling that they are “falling behind” or someone else is “getting ahead.”

In addition, getting a tutor, such as a more advanced student or a willing instructor, can help a child to stay on the path to success when a vacation is planned.

Sometimes children become intrigued by what their other friends are doing, playing, or saying while your children are participating in their karate class.

This can be difficult for children because again, they don’t want to miss anything.

It’s important to prepare your children for these feelings by talking openly about priorities, effort, commitment, and time.

Helping your children make good well-thought-out choices that strengthen character will be much better in the long run than if they make poor decisions based on short-lived temptations and whims.

Remind your children that they only have the opportunity to enjoy karate a few times per week for just a few hours (or less).

They have the opportunity to spend time with friends during the many other hours available in the week.

Parents, too, need some time off. You deserve it!

We certainly appreciate your devotion to your children’s physical and mental development. Please know that we have your children’s best interest in mind.

It’s in that spirit that we ask you to help your children keep their commitment to karate throughout the summer and assist them in frontloading or making up classes if a vacation is anticipated.

We’re dedicated to your children’s advancement in both curriculum and character.

We sincerely appreciate being your partners in success.

About Dr. Robyn:
Dr. Robyn Silverman, child development specialist, body image/body bullying expert, sought-after speaker and award-winning writer, is known for her no-nonsense yet positive approach to helping young people and their families thrive. Her ground-breaking research at Tufts University on young women is the foundation for her book, “Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It.”

Looking for a place to host your child’s next birthday party?

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Not only does the birthday boy/girl get to cut the cake with a real samurai sword, but all the kids will learn cool karate moves and play fun karate-themed games.

Unlike other party venues that provide the space and… well, not much more than that, we provide all the pizza, drinks, plates, cups, napkins.

All you have to do is show up with the cake and goodie bags!

Packages start as low as $399 but availability is limited, so call us at 718-287-5500 to reserve your date today!

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand that is what you leave behind. It’s what people remember about you, a team you were on or a school or class you were part of — even after the season or year is over.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

In this video, Dr. Robyn addresses a girl who’d like to know what kinds of questions to ask her grandparents in order to better understand their legacy.

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing this month:

Week 1 Courage defined: What does courage mean? What are people scared of?
Week 2 Taking healthy risks: How can I try new things & meet new people?
Week 3 Courage & Values: How can I stand up for what I think is right and fair?
Week 4 Keeping Control: How can I calm myself down and make good choices?

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand that is what you leave behind. It’s what people remember about you, a team you were on or a school or class you were part of — even after the season or year is over.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

In this post, Dr. Robyn answers a question from a parent who wants to preserve her family history to help her children see where they come from.

Dear Dr. Robyn,

– KatieAnn D.; Durham, NC, paraphrased from an e-mail; with permission

Dear KatieAnn,

What a beautiful idea! I think it’s wonderful that you want to help preserve your family history and use your family’s story to teach your children.

People often think of the “treasures” someone leaves behind in terms of money, jewelry and other assets. But as Mark Hayes Daniell writes in Family Legacy and Leadership; “Family legacy encompasses all that a family holds dear and wants to preserve for the future – the histories, values, knowledge and experience that are just as essential as a family’s financial assets.”

I agree, don’t you? So what should we think about when we are trying to preserve our family’s legacy?

(1) Tell stories:
Whenever your family gathers, be sure to tell family stories. How did your great, great grandparents meet? What business were your great grandparents in and what were their struggles? What did your Great Aunt always say? Notable skills? Jobs? Possessions? The more people know about their family history, the more likely that family history will be preserved for future generations.

(2) Interview:
Don’t wait. Interview parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles about their lives, their accomplishments, favorite moments, successes and challenges. What have they learned? What were their dreams? What do they know now that they wish they knew when they were younger? Any advice?

(3) Document:
These days there are so many ways to document people’s stories. Video taping, of course, allows the story-teller to tell his or her own story. You can also transcribe stories into print. Have your children “illustrate” the stories. They can also help you to gather photos to place next to the stories in a book that you can pass down through the generations.

(4) Ask:
How do we want to be remembered? We have control over how we live our own lives. Thus we have control over how we will be known by others while living and how we will likely be remembered for generations to come. Ask your children, “how do you want to be remembered?” Then, talk about living your life in accordance with the values for which you want to be known.

Here’s to your success!

Dr. Robyn

About Dr. Robyn:
Dr. Robyn Silverman, child development specialist, body image/body bullying expert, sought-after speaker and award-winning writer, is known for her no-nonsense yet positive approach to helping young people and their families thrive. Her ground-breaking research at Tufts University on young women is the foundation for her book, “Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It.”

Photo Credit: Parker Michael Knight on stock.xchng

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand that is what you leave behind. It’s what people remember about you, a team you were on or a school or class you were part of — even after the season or year is over.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

To inspire your own discussions at home, here are five of our all-time favorite quotes about legacy:

“The mass of men worry themselves into nameless graves while here and there a great unselfish soul forgets himself into immortality.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Pride and power fall when the person falls, but discoveries of truth form legacies that can be built upon for generations”
—Criss Jami

“The reward doesn’t necessarily go to the biggest, the brightest, or the best. It goes to the one who has the courage to keep trying until success is inevitably achieved.”
—Dr. Robyn Silverman

“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
—Benjamin Franklin

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.“
—Shannon L. Alder

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.“
—William Shakespeare

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing over the next 4 weeks:

Week 1 Legacy defined: What does legacy mean? What is a good or a bad legacy?
Week 2 Legacy, character & behavior: How do I treat others?
Week 3 Impact & impression: Who has made an impact on me? Who has taught me?
Week 4 Keep & share: How do we remember and commemorate?

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!

Photo Credit: Skunkworks Photographic on stock.xchng

Throughout April 2012, we’ll be working on the concept of “legacy.”

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand that is what you leave behind. It’s what people remember about you, a team you were on or a school or class you were part of — even after the season or year is over.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

Here’s a video from Dr. Robyn Silverman in which she introduces some of the concepts we’ll be covering this month:

This month we will focus on the powerful word; “legacy.” Legacy is what you leave behind. It’s what people remember about you, a team you were on or a school or class you were part of– even after the season or year is over.

You can leave a legacy of hard work and commitment when you graduate. A doctor can leave a legacy of a certain level of care after s/he retires. A grandparent can leave a legacy of love and tradition after s/he passes away.

The type of legacy people leave is dependant upon the type of impact they make on others. Were they kind and thoughtful? Trustworthy and true? Respectful and dependable? Character certainly plays a big part in legacy.

Thinking back, we can all remember certain people that made a big impact on us. People often speak of teachers that had a big effect on us when we were children or on our children when they were younger.

In July of this past year, a study that was published in the Teachers College Record showed that teachers can affect student achievement over time (July, 2011). Especially those teachers who work with our children early on in life seem to have a profound effect on student achievement years later.

Findings suggest that “teacher effects do not fade” and strong teachers leave a legacy of learning in their students. Even when our children are young we can ask them, “How do you want people to remember you?” or “What 3 words would you want to come to mind if someone were to describe you?” We can talk in terms of legacy about teachers who are no longer teaching or family members who are no longer with us– “what do you remember about ______?”

This month, please share with your children about the people who made a profound impact on your life. Famous or not, who do you feel leaves an important legacy?

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing over the next 4 weeks:

Week 1 Legacy defined: What does legacy mean? What is a good or a bad legacy?
Week 2 Legacy, character & behavior: How do I treat others?
Week 3 Impact & impression: Who has made an impact on me? Who has taught me?
Week 4 Keep & share: How do we remember and commemorate?

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!

About Dr. Robyn:
Dr. Robyn Silverman, child development specialist, body image/body bullying expert, sought-after speaker and award-winning writer, is known for her no-nonsense yet positive approach to helping young people and their families thrive. Her ground-breaking research at Tufts University on young women is the foundation for her book, “Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It.”

Photo Credit: Biscarotte on stock.xchng

While you’re there, be sure to “like” our page too!

Thanks to the parents for lending us your adorable kids for the morning!

And we also want to send a big thank you to the very talented Magdiel Sanchez for another incredible job!