The IAA One Minute Blog

Now that spring is here, people may be beginning their outdoor exercise routine. They may even start to begin walking to places they normally drive to. While those are great options to help keep you fit, it is important to remember to stay safe while doing so. Bad things can happen in safe places, so instead of heading to the gym maybe check out a self- defense class!

Avoiding Danger

When you head out to exercise this spring, you should be able to feel safe. You are your best defense mechanism, so make sure to use your resources. Here are some tips on avoiding potentially dangerous situations:

• Act confident and focused: Just as you can sense people’s feelings, they can sense yours as well. Predators look for people who are meek, mild, weak, unfocused, and distracted.
• Be aware of your surroundings: Bad things can happen in safe areas. In fact, would-be attackers lurk around places where they have the opportunity to catch people off guard, and remain anonymous. You should be aware of what’s normal in your neighborhood. When something is out of place, take note. People naturally have good instincts and it is extremely common for victims to say after the fact they had a bad feeling about the situation, that something didn’t seem right. But they ignored it. When you’ve got a bad feeling pay attention to it.    
• Free your hands: The more stuff you occupy your hands with, the harder it will be to fight off a potential attacker.
• Have company: Walking with a friend is one of the simplest tactics for radiating confidence and security. 
• Pay attention to the people around you: You can often sense people’s intentions just by the way they look at you.  
• Trust yourself: Many times your eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue will give clues indicating that something threatening is ahead.

Awareness and risk reduction account for 90% of personal self-defense, according to the National Self-Defense Institute.

Benefits of Self-Defense Class

Self-defense classes can come in handy in many ways. Self-defense classes can help with:

• Exercise: Self-defense classes can offer exercise benefits such as muscle toning and strengthening, improved balance and coordination.
• Increased self-confidence: Training in self-defense helps people develop more self-confidence in themselves and their surroundings.
• Safety: Self-defense classes teach you how to defend yourself in a variety of situations. These classes can teach you the basics of how to quickly disable an attacker so that you can escape.  

Taking a self-defense class could help you feel more confident in your ability to handle a potential threat.

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you to stay safe. Sometimes that means empowering yourself by taking a self-defense class or simply training your mind to be more aware of your surroundings. IAA wants everyone to stay safe and healthy. Remember, with IAA one call does it all.

Like this blog post? Let IAA know by going to our Facebook page and clicking the Like button!