Keeping your body self-defense ready is like keeping your car ready for a long trip. It needs maintenance. We rely on our cars everyday. Some people do maintenance and those that don't often end up broken down. Being broken down in your body leaves you open for the possibility of being mugged, raped or worse.

Taking care of your body is essential and can give you success in a self-defense situation. It:

• Helps you age better

• Helps you recover from injury faster

• Keeps you off the couch

• Keeps you ready mentally and physically

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Maintaining your body starts with hydration. Most people drink 8oz. of water per day. Chief Master Lovas recommends two gallons per day. Water is essential for your body. It cleans the body, provides lubrication for your joints and ensures overall health.

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Your protein intake is another important factor. You should be eating one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Try to keep your muscle mass up to 40-45% of your overall weight. Proper amounts of protein in you diet will maintain agility, flexibility and keep your reaction and reflex time up. When you don't feed your muscles, you get slower. Even your brain processing speed goes down. Think of your body like a high performance race car, not a broken down truck. Proper preparation makes all the difference both physically and mentally.

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The type of water you are drinking does make a difference. Chief Master Lovas recommends an alkaline water with a ph. of 8.8. He suggests this because he self cured himself in less than forty five days from stage three cancer by turning his body alkaline, removing sugar and gluten from his diet. He also reduced the amount of cancer producing foods entering his body while increasing cancer killing foods.

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Chief Master's daily diet consists of 1/3 cup of chia seeds that have been soaked in almond milk overnight with some fruit for breakfast. This provides him with 20g of protein, 37% of his fiber, Omega oils and folic acid from the fruit. Two and a half hours later he eats another meal consisting of 20g of protein, folic acid, and omega oils. He will continue this same pattern every two and a half hours for the entire day. Anything that you introduce into your body on a regular basis, your body no longer needs to store anymore. Your body will process protein, fats and carbs properly. This diet will keep you at a low fat percentile of about 4-10% of your body weight. It makes you feel healthier and faster. You won't be carrying around extra weight and your stamina will increase.

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Discipline yourself. Take control of your life. Cook your meals for the week on the weekend, including veggies and omega fats. When you are away from home, bring your meals with you. Stop being lazy. It is easy once you get used to it.

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Once you have your body ready to go, don't think that you are going to learn self-defense by watching a you-tube video. What video would you have your child watch to learn how to swim? Hopefully, none. Your child needs to get in the water and practice. Self-defense training is the same way. You need to find a professional who has used their skills in real life to learn from. 

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If you are an elderly individual, that does not mean you are disabled. Your lifestyle in your younger years will dictate your ability to defend yourself with your body. If you are an elderly person who is not in shape, do not rely on your body for self-defense. Buy pepper spray or an alternate weapon. Have it with you and accessible at all times. Know how to use it and practice using it. If you don't learn to use pepper spray properly it could end up in your face as well. Practice will give you confidence as well.

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Training tip: Have someone surprise you, holding onto a piece of paper with a dot on it. Learn to react by poking your two fingers through the hole. The surprise of the individual will cause you to experience the adrenal stress involved with an attack.

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Situational Awareness is a huge part of self-defense. When you are in public, sit in an area where you can observe the room. Use your vantage point to watch who is coming and going. Don't get into a conversation before you become aware of who is around you. When you enter your vehicle, check it to make sure no one is waiting for you. Stay aware of any changes in your environment. When out in public, walk tall and make eye contact with those around you.

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Your appearance can affect your need for self-defense skills. Out of 1000 successful rapists at Folsom Prison were asked what made them choose the victim they did. 970 answered: Because of their ponytail. This hairstyle gives an attacker head control. However, training can trump appearance. No matter what you wear if you live a preparedness lifestyle and stay disciplined in your training it can make every bit of a difference in a self-defense situation.

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Finding a school is not difficult. Get online and research the local schools in your area that you wouldn't mind driving to on a regular basis. Make sure they are nationally accredited. Check for the quality of instruction. How long have they been in business? Do generational students return? Is there a happy atmosphere? All martial arts are good it is the personal application of the practitioner that makes all the difference. Start off by taking a trial class, talk to the people at the school, assess the instructor's skill sets. Check out multiple schools. "You're investing in yourself and you deserve the best."

The decision between a standup style and a ground style depends on if you are a man or a woman. Chief Master recommends that you do both but if you are only going to do one you should do standup as a man or ground as a woman. Men are typically physically stronger than women. A woman can often strike with a man no problem. She can utilize flexibility and speed as a strength neutralizer. However, in the ground game, if a woman is not trained, she is not going to win. Women trained on the ground can take on much larger opponents and cause serious damage. A striking system of martial arts is good for multiple attackers. It creates distance. If you tried to grapple multiple attackers you have to isolate one opponent, leaving the others open to attack you. Grappling is an extremely effective one on one defense. 

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A training regiment gives you answers to self-defense questions. It tones our body and builds stronger joints. It encourages you to eat properly because when you do, you can train better. 

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There are lots of emotions that accompany a self-defense moment. They range from a sheer adrenaline rush to a feeling of remorse over your defensive actions. Martial arts was created to learn control over adrenal stress and manipulate it to your advantage. 

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Having someone jump out and scare you often is a great technique for self-defense readiness. The typical first response it to get angry. However, if you try putting your hands up defensively and yelling back instead you will begin to channel that energy defensively. You need physical practice to experience adrenal stress and learn to deal with it. No you-tube video will provide that.

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