Magnesium and Keto

Amounts that should be ingested daily

Men should consume between 400 and 420 milligrams per day.                      Women should consume between 310 to 320 milligrams per day.                       

More than half the population don’t get enough magnesium in their diet which leads to the following health issues.  

  

• Bad sleep
• Poor blood sugar control
• Low energy
• Nausea
• Muscle cramps (very common)
• Poor bone health
• High blood pressure
• De regulates the calcium, potassium and sodium in the body that is essential for cellular health.   

                                                   

The foods high in magnesium are:

• Potatoes
• Rice
• Beans
• Cereals
• Breads that are high in Gluten.  

In KETO these foods are the ones we avoid because of the high levels of carbohydrates that they contain.        In order to make sure people on keto maintain a healthy level of magnesium it important to take a magnesium supplement either in pill or powder form. 200mg would be the ideal amount as well as eating foods rich in magnesium too.                                                        Keto friendly foods rich in magnesium are :

• Avacado
• Spinach
• Kale
• Greek yogurt
• Tuna
• Brussels sprouts
• Peanut butter
• Salmon
• Chia seeds
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Beef

Reiki Energy Healing

Understanding Energy Healing

During a Reiki treatment the practitioner will use the universal energy by keeping their feet grounded. This energy will be transfered through the practioner and onto the client. The practitioner will work through all of the Chakras.

Chakras are the energy centre of our bodies. They constantly turn clockwise in the body and keep us balanced in all aspects of life. Once a Chakra becomes blocked it sends our body out of balance and can cause physical and/or mental problems until it becomes unblocked.

Palm healing – is a non-contact technique which moves energy between the hands of the practitioner and the area of the body of the client they are working on.

Hands on or touch healing is when the practitioner places hands directly onto the client which can strengthen the healing process and for many clients they find this more comforting.

I use a combination of both methods

The practitioner will send positive intent to the client which would generally be discussed beforehand. The client is asked to inwardly focus on this energy during and after the treatment. Intent is an amazing way to manifest positivity and reach life goals

The energy can be felt by the practitioner and can become stronger where a blockage is located. The energy can feel like waves back and forth from one hand to the other and at times during a treatment a practioner can even feel physical pain where a blockage is. Which inturn can stir up emotions such as sadness, anger, happiness etc. releasing the stuck energy. This phenomenon can take place during or after treatment.

Treating energy blockages with Reiki healing is done by staying on the blocked Chakra for as long as the waves of energy start to relax and become stable. Once this happens many practitioners will draw out and throw the energy from the area away to the ground at least 6 times.

During a treatment its not unusual for a client to feel pins and needles, see an array of colours, feel emotions, spiritually connect with past or present loved ones, or to feel heavy or light, hot or cold. The physical or emotional feelings can come as a result of the blocked Chakra being released and starting to move again. Some clients can have these feelings for days after. It is a positive reaction regardless of the release from the body and even crying is positive. It means the body is releasing the emotions or physical stagnation in the body that it may have had building up for a long period of time.

Benefits of Reiki Energy Healing Treatments

Written by Reiki Practitioner Amy Thompson

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The importance of natural medicines.

Natural Chinese Herbal Medicine can be taken in conjunction to Western medicine.

Chinese medicine has been practiced for 1000’s of years and is extremely successful in treating all ailments. Aswell as being natural there are no negative side effects that western Medicine can cause.

Chia Seed Recipe Two

This is my yummy, nutritious, super easy to make Chia bread 🍞👌keto Friendly, as are all my recipes.

Ingredients: 4 eggs, 1 cup of Almond flour, 1/4 cup of Almond milk, 1/4 cup of melted butter, 1tbsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 a cup of ground Chia seeds and half a cup of milled flaxseed, Co enzyme mix (see picture below)

Instructions : Pre heat the oven to 180°c. Then whisk the eggs and all the other ingredients. This only takes a few minutes 👍⌚ Place into a non stick loaf pan. I then sprinkle some more of the milled flaxseed mix over the top and Place in the oven for 40 minutes.

I make homemade jam which I will be blogging the recipe for soon 👌 but you can use the bread however you want. One of my favourites is cheese on toast or in the mornings scrambled eggs with toast.

I hope you enjoy making this lovely, simple bread.

Amy Thompson

http://www.dragontcm.com

Cook with Chia Seeds the super food!

I will be sharing my chia seed food creations over the next week. This is recipe number 1: Chia Seed pudding.

As a Nutritionalist and someone that understands the benefits of certain foods that give us SO MANY health benefits, Chia Seeds are number 1 on my list!!! Before you go to the recipe here is a list of reasons why chia seeds are my number 1 superfood.

• Provide large amounts of calcium, magnesium, omega 3 and omega 6.
• They are gluten free.
• They provide a very large amount of fibre (nearly half of the weight of chia seeds is fiber).
• The high amount of protein means you feel fuller for longer which helps in aiding weight loss.
• Chia seeds reduce insulin resistance which keeps the blood sugars stable which has huge benefits to tackle type 2 diabetes and heart disease. They also stop you craving sugar.
• They contain large amounts of antioxidants which reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer etc.
• They can reduce high blood pressure giving huge health benefits etc.
• Over all chia seeds have everything you need to help in a healthy lifestyle

Blueberry Chia seed pudding is my go to staple in the morning to really give me and my partner the energy we need to get us through the busy mornings. Not only is it super easy to make but it’s tasty and provides all the nutrients the body needs.

Ingredients:

200 mls of Unsweetened Almond milk. 40g of Chia seeds. 60g of Blueberries 2 tablespoons of double cream. 2 tablespoons of Stevia sugar

Instructions:

Mix the Chia seeds into the Almond milk let settle and mix again. Pop into the fridge overnight.

Place the blueberries into a small saucepan with 1tbsp of water and bring to the boil, mash the blueberries gently then simmer for 2 minutes until it becomes like a syrup. Place into a small container and place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning add the cream, sugar and blueberries and stir really well for a few minutes then serve and enjoy. THIS MAKES 2 PORTIONS.

Tip: I always make double the amount so Im ahead of myself for the following morning. Also you can use other berries not just blueberries. Just make sure to follow the same instructions.

Amy Thompson.

50th Anniversary of The Dragon Sign Athletic Association HK

On the 19th of November 2019 myself and my partner Amy travelled to Hong Kong to attend and perform at the 50th Anniversary of the DSAA.

Assembled in the function room of a very large hotel was a gathering of some of the best known and respected masters of Lung Ying Dragon Style Kung Fu. The best masters from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Macau, USA, UK etc had travelled to pay their respects to the association and the Sijo of the style Master Lam Yiu Kwai.

Also in attendance were some of the very finest masters of kung fu from across Hong Kong – masters of Bak Mei, Tong Long, Tai Chi, Wing Chun etc.

The evening was a fabulous spectacle, showcasing some marvellous kung fu, lion and unicorn dancing.

I attended as the representative and Sifu of Dragon Style Kung Fu Ireland. Also in attendance was my Sigung Kong Chiu Tsang and My Sibak Gung Kwong Yiu Leung.

I was very humbled and honoured to have a feature article in the official DSAA 50th Anniversary manual.

I also had the honour of displaying my Kung Fu on stage in front of the elite of Dragon Style, for the performance I decided to perform a Hybird form of Lung Ying Mor Kiu and Plumb Blossom Punch

Over the course of the evening I had some great social interactions with the masters and witnessed some very fine kung fu performances.

My Partner Amy also represented Dragonstyle Girl Power with a fine performance of Sam Tong Gor Kiu

Overall the evening was a great success and a real pleasure to attend.

A big congratulations to the organisation of the DSAA HK for hosting a brilliant event.

Healthy Eating is Tasty

Many people have the wrong idea of the words “healthy eating”.

Healthy eating is far more complex than just living on salads. It’s about variety, having fun and changing your whole lifestyle regarding food choices and enhancing your body and mind in a positive way inwardly and outwardly.

Doing your research before making any changes is very important because the more informed you are before you start your healthy lifestyle changes, the more positive the experience will be.

Keep it simple – is my top tip when starting a lifestyle change, both with food and exercise work your way up at your own pace.

Goals are so important, but be realistic! so that achieving them however small is far more likely. If your lucky enough to have someone who wants to start this journey with you it will make the whole experience that much easier as you can support each other. If you don’t, then even having a supportive friend can keep you on track. However always remember the main person you are making these changes for is YOURSELF.

Deciding what works best for you isn’t always simple as what works for one person won’t always work for another.

Many health issues can be reversed through lifestyle changes. What are you waiting for make the change today. Get in touch we can help.

Professional Nutritional advise to get you started on the road to feeling great.

COVID-19 Prevention Phase Formula 1

These are the 7 herbs that are the ingredients of the Corona virus prevention phase Chinese Herbal Medicine formula.

Plated up is each individual herb and photo of one portion of the formula. You also see below a short description of what each herb does with regard to fighting the virus.

I’ve been selling at least 100 bottles a day of this formula in pill form. It’s purpose is to boost the immune system, to fight symptoms and shorten the duration of the virus if contacted.
Keep yourself safe, strengthen the immunity take vitamins A, C and D and Zinc and obey the guidance.

1. Huang Qi 15g – warm herb, enters the Lung and spleen, tonifies the lungs, tonifies defensive qi, relieves the exterior, nourishes the blood, dispels toxins.
2. Bai Zhu 10g – warm herb, enters the spleen and stomach, tonifies qi, drys dampness.
3. Fang feng 10g – warm herb, enters the lung, large intestine, spleen and liver, dispels wind, releases the exterior, expels wind damp, wind heat
4. Guan zhong 10g – cold herb, enters lung, liver and stomach, expels parasites, ckears heat, removes, toxicity, cold heat in blood.
5. Jin Yin Hua 10g – cold herb, enters the lung, stomach, heart, large intestines, clears heat, removes toxicity, vents and disperses wind heat, clears damp heat
6. Chen pi 6g warm herb, enters the lung and spleen, promotes qi flow, drys dampness, resolves phlegm, regulates qi, relieves diaphragm obstruction.
7. Pei lan 10g neutral herb, enters lung, spleen and stomach, resolves dampness, releases exterior and strengthen spleen.

Is cross training really necessary, if you know your Martial Arts System?

Is cross training really necessary, if you know your Martial Arts System?

So its most popular nowadays to be versed in many disciplines of Martial Arts, it has now become normal for a martial artist to cross train in other systems. Not only as in the past where you might find a martial artist practicing another Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino or Okinawan system to compliment their own system i.e. a practitioner of the Chinese arts might take up Tai Chi or Shuai Jiao to compliment their Tong Long (Mantis Kungfu) or a practitioner of the Japanese arts might take up Aikido or Judo to compliment their Wado Ryu or Shotokan Karate. Present day this has gone a step much further to where you can now see a practitioner of the Chinese Arts practice for e.g. their own chosen first system, lets just say Tong Long and in addition to this they might practice the Japanese art of Judo, Korean art of Hapkido, Filipino art of Kila (stick fighting) and maybe some BJJ (modern day Jujitsu). All in the name of becoming a more rounded practitioner/ fighter.

So what is the correct approach? Is there one?

Here are some questions to ponder before you answer:

● If your style has been around for a long time and was developed to encompass all aspects of fighting, could there be a need for you to explore your chosen style in more depth? Basically do you not understand the fighting applications/ abilities of your own style? So are you looking elsewhere for this when there maybe no need?

● If you have noticed weaknesses/ gaps in your own style is it that you’re right? Is it the case that you have chosen the wrong style for you? Or is it that you perceive there to be deficiencies in the system due to your own lack of study/ understanding of the principles and concepts of the style?

● Should all martial artists cross train as it has its benefits understanding the fighting concepts and principles of other arts could come in handy, its no harm right?

● Is it damaging to cross training?

○ Most arts have key principles for power generation, is it counter productive to mix these principles? Could it lead to lots of knowledge/ ideas but no mastery? “Jack of all trades master of none” type situation.

○ Some arts particularly the Chinese ones have internal practices involving breathing methods, principles on energy cultivation and so on , could it be damaging to mix these principles/ practices?

○ Most arts have a fighting strategy/approach is it beneficial for the practitioner to mix his fighting strategy during combat? Or will it bring confusion to what can already be the chaotic world of real combat? Would a world champion boxer suddenly decide to throw kicks and knees during an encounter?

○ Does the unique training methods of a system build the physical physique a certain way – the tendon, ligament, bone, muscle development? And if it does- is it damaging to the body to train with other methods that may or may not pull the body in different directions?

● If you need to learn how to Throw or Ground fight does it mean your main system or style is lacking in this area? Or does it mean you have not looked deep enough and in reality do not know or understand your system in its totality?

So what do I think? based on my own experience and knowledge

My own personal opinion is that it can be both good and bad to cross train my own chosen system is Lung Ying (Dragonstyle) Kungfu and I also practice some Shuai Jiao the Chinese art of Wrestling. That said, Lung Ying is my Main focus and always will be – within Lung Ying there is a complete comprehensive fighting system, the art has Throws, Joint locks and breaks, Ground defence and attack, Short and mid range striking for both attack and defence. So for me the art has everything if you look deep enough you will find the hidden treasures that the masters have left for us, its a matter of exploration and thirst for knowledge. Seek and you shall find!

Also the art of Lung Ying is both external and internal so I believe that our unique breathing methods the Qigong side of the style to be truly understood takes time and focus. So yes I do believe that the practice of other unique to the system Qigong methods could be damaging and very confusing to the body.

These points are just my own opinions and based on my own experience of practicing Lung Ying Kungfu for 30 years and my exposure to the other great arts throughout the word of martial arts.

In conclusion, am I telling people not to practice cross training or MMA if you will? No ( I always struggle with this term as I believe its not a new term, Eastern martial arts and indeed all fighting systems throughout time have always had a number of elements to them such as stand-up fighting/ striking, wrestling, throwing, locking, etc. so MMA for me has always been around) what I am asking or challenging the astute martial arts practitioner to consider is the Positives and Negatives of cross training, to look at their art and decide if they are giving it the level of study required for mastery of all of the fighting element as aforementioned, to look at the potential for damage or benefits to the body by mixing the arts.

Remember most authentic arts weren’t thought up over night- the masters gave them great consideration in both their martial application and their health benefits to the individual. Most traditional styles have been refined over many years if not centuries, influenced by culture and needs (war, invasion etc.) So if it does not work for you or is not enough for you please consider the fact it could be you and not the style.

…so you should also give great consideration to the fact that there’s a reason for doing things a certain way and for not.

Article by Sifu Scott
http://www.dragontcm.com

info@dragontcm.com

Great at Lion Dance – Shit at Kungfu, What?

Something that’s fascinated me during my 30 years in the world of traditional kungfu is the vast difference in the skill level of the kungfu and lion dance of some kungfu schools and I dont mean one school versus another – I mean the same school. So fascinated was I, that I tried to research/study why this is so. At kungfu gatherings, demonstrations I have attended I have witnessed excellent lion dance and to say the least questionable kungfu skills or in some cases the other way round, but the latter to a lesser degree. Ok so, the obvious reason here is the particular school or style have decided to focus on their lion dance or kungfu and so the other suffers. But this reason must have a root cause or causes, so what are they. Well let’s pause for a moment and look at the why; So on the positive side of things some schools may have a rich and proud history of displaying their kungfu systems lion dance abilities and so train very diligently to uphold that reputation and somewhere along the way the schools kungfu skills gets second billing and as a result we see a reduced standard of demonstrable skills. On the negative side of things – some schools have identified that lion dance can be a nice little earner and make some individuals wealthy. Well what do I think? Personally I feel that a kungfu school should have a good level of proficiency in both kungfu and lion dance, excusing all of the justifications that go along with a poor level of either – such as “there’s not enough time to be good at both” we are known for our lion dance” etc. etc. The school should IMHO (in my humble opinion) have a schedule that allows for practice of both. Looking at the positives I feel it is great when a school has a strong lion dance crew as I see lion dance as part a schools tradition and an integral part of any authentic/traditional kungfu schools curriculum. “If kungfu is the tree – then lion dance certainly is a branch” that said, I don’t believe kungfu should suffer for the lion dance. If your lion dance is excellent and your martial skills poor – Fine! Then in my eyes your not a martial arts/ kungfu school your a lion dance school/society and should promote yourself as such. As a student if your lion dancing year in year out ask yourself the questions: can I use my kungfu ? What have I learned in the past few years…if the answer is just lion dance ,then I would walk. On the negatives, I think lion dance and it’s original purpose to warn off evil and bring prosperity to the receiver of the blessing has been exploited by some to bring prosperity to themselves and so their interest in lion dance becomes greater as they realise the profits that can be made. Again IMHO I feel the profits from lion dance should be used for the upkeep, running and promotion of the school otherwise as is always the case in matters of money – human beings get greedy and fall-outs follow. A kungfu school requires a Sifu ( master) of good character and ethics to manage this space. In summary, there are probably many other factors but from my own personal experiences both good and bad I take the position that a true kungfu school must be able to demonstrate a competence in both the application of the systems martial movement and their lion dance routines.

Regards, Sifu Scott

Info@dragontcm.com

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