As I mentioned in my previous post there are many different benefits to working out. I wanted to continue this conversation by talking about more ways to boost your brainpower. So what better way to start off then by talking about how working out benefits your learning.
As freshmen, new to the process of college, we are always looking for tips and advice to help us get through this new time in our lives and through our school work. One way I know how to help is through working out. Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors. Growth factors help make new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells which help us to learn. Now you think to yourself, alright I will go for a run to help myself learn but it is not that simply. Interestingly enough, complicated activities such as playing tennis or taking a dance class provide the biggest boost to the brain. These activities require coordination and when you have to think about coordination you are actually challenging your brain even more. Complicated activities also improve our capacity to learn. It does this by enhancing our attention and concentration skills.
Throughout high school I learned this concept of boosting my brain power very well. In high school I was very active and involved in softball, volleyball, and was a cheerleader since my freshmen year. Being involved in all of these sports not only taught me time management but kept me focused on my school work. Every day I would go to school, sports, then come home and do my homework. This became a daily routine of mine throughout my four years in high school. Having practiced in all of these sports is what kept my grades up throughout high school. Going to some kind of practice every day and feeling nice and refreshed after that work out made it so much easier for me to come after practice and just relax and focus on my school work. If I would not have participated like I did then I feel like my high school experience would have been a lot different which is why college is so different now.
Most of us who participated in many sports in high school come to Penn State and feel a little different because we do not have all of that activity still in our lives. That is how I feel still because I am not as active as I use to be and I feel that it makes me lazy and I do not have the focus I use to in high school. However do not let these feelings discourage you. College has just started for us and we still have plenty of time to get back on track with our exercising. I know it seems like a struggle exercise ever day because trust me it is for me too. But you have to push yourself otherwise you will not have the motivation to do it. Just think about the benefits there is to exercising and push yourself from there.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/slideshows/7-mind-blowing-benefits-of-exercise
I have always wondered why the government has not lowered the cost of college tuition but after researching the topic I learned that it is a lot more complicated than I have ever thought. However as I was researching topics for my civics blog this week I came across some things that I thought were very interesting. I came across different states that were coming up with proposals to decrease the cost of college tuition.
In the first article I found it started off talking about a proposal that was brought up by the state of Oregon. This proposal was called “Pay it Forward.” With this proposal students would attend college for free but then repay the cost of tuition and fees as a percentage of their annual income after graduating. Senator Mark Hess, the chairman of the Senate Education and Workforce Committee, said, ” It’s a very alluring idea, but it won’t work in practicality.” This was proposed in September 2014 but many people who supported it started to think twice about how they felt about the proposal.
Tennessee has already passed a proposal such as this one. This plan that was passed was called the ” Tennessee Promise.” The Tennessee Promise covers a full ride at two-year colleges for any high school graduate. With this each student is required a mentor and they must complete at least 8 hours of community service each year. Governer Bill Haslam, who promoted this proposal, said ” We don’t want anyone to say, ‘I’d like to go to college, but can’t afford it, ” which is why the decision was made to come up with this proposal. More than 1,000 students applied for the program before its first deadline which was November 1, 2014. Haslam has said he wants to pay for the program, expected to cost about $34 million annually, by using $300 million in excess lottery reserve funds and join it with a $47 million endowment. The state has about $400 million in reserves.Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan said, “It does create a whole different culture over time that students know that they can go to college and that changes the discussion, and I think this will lead to many more students going to college.”
Another plan that is offered by 34 states that is a college savings plan is the 529 plan. A 529 plan is a college savings account that’s exempt from federal taxes. The plans were introduced in 1996 to help taxpayers salt away college expenses for a designated beneficiary.These plans, named for Section 529 of the federal tax code, often have tax benefits at the state level for in-state residents. This only applies to states that have an income tax. Any U.S. citizen or resident alien at least 18 years or older can open a 529 account. Usually, the beneficiary is a child, grandchild or younger relative. However, an adult can also open a 529 plan to save for his or her own higher education costs; there are no age limits. There are two types of 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans and college savings investment plans. Those who open a prepaid tuition plan lock in the current costs of tuition in place of future prices, which generally rise every year.College savings plans have grown in popularity during the past few years, while several prepaid tuition plans have stopped accepting new enrolled students or shut down entirely. The decreased popularity of prepaid plans may be due in part to some particular drawbacks. For example, money put into a state-run prepaid plan may only be applied to tuition and fees at in-state public colleges and universities. Room, board, books and other expenses aren’t included and must be covered separately.
I think learning about all these different options is something that can be beneficial to anyone that wants to attend college during their life. I’m glad that I looked into these different plans because I did not even know that these types of things existed. After seeing different states proposals and the college savings plan, I feel that Pennsylvania needs to be doing a little more to help lower college tuition prices. I do not know all the facts still but from what I can see I think some of these plans Pennsylvania has not adopted would be beneficial to the citizens of this state.
1. He tries to put his activities more in a perspective in which it shows that there are mistakes in the law that need to be changed and he reframes those actions in forms of religion.
2. I argue and disagree with his explanation of non-violence because, like Malcolm X brought up with his self-defense policy, I believe that violence can only be necessary if you are defending yourself from violence. I disagree with how he stated that this non-violence can take a lot of time.
1. Malcolm’s rationale for the creation of his own organization has to do with the fact of getting what is necessary for African Americans and not stopping until that is completed. He mentions in his speech that our motto is we want freedom by any means necessary, we want justice by any means necessary, and so on. This shows that he feels the process to get these things are taking to long and that he wants to push to get them no matter what.
2. My interpretation of the self-defense policy is that violence is not encouraged but when it comes to means of protecting yourself it’s allowed and necessary. I feel like many took this the wrong way and accused Malcolm of encouraging violence but I do not believe that is the case. He was just trying to explain how African Americans have the right to defend themselves.
3. Education was such an important component of this speech because African Americans had the worst education. With better education, these children can learn more about African American history and help them learn more about themselves in deeper meaning.
There is many benefits to working out. Working out can not only improve your appearance but it can also benefit you mentally. Exercising is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of memory, mood, and learning. Even 10 minutes of exercising can improve the brain activity in a way and in this blog I’m going to talk about the different ways to boost your brainpower.
One thing that exercising can do is reverse the effects that stress causes on your body. Jumping on the treadmill for 30 minutes or even doing cross fit can release tension from your body. It does this by increasing chemicals in the brain that are soothing such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
I know from experience that this is true. When I am stressed out about school or anything going on in my life, I know that going to the gym or exercising in any way helps me relieve stress. It takes my mind off of the things that are stressing me out and focuses it on working out and improving my body. Since I have gotten my concussion I have not been able to work out. This has given me no way to relieve stress and it’s irritating. Also all that sitting around makes you feel exhausted and disgusting. So if you need a way to release some stress I suggest working out. Something as simple as getting away from some school work and going on a walk could help. Working out is not for everyone but you will not know if it is for you or not until you give it a try.
There was also a study done on women that shows that your process of aging slows down with working out. Women who work out vigorously for 45 minutes for a three day period had cells that showed fewer signs of aging compared to women who are inactive and very stressed. Knowing this little fact makes working out for women even better because who does not want to stop the aging process.
Another effect of working out is that it lifts depression. Research has shown that burning 350 calories three times a week through sweat inducing activity can reduce the symptoms of depression. This method works just as effectively as antidepressants do. The reason for this is because exercise appears to stimulate the growth of neurons in certain brain regions damaged by depression. One type of exercise that helps this is yoga. Three sessions of yoga per week is known to boost the level of the brain chemical GABA. GABA is responsible for improved moods and decreased anxiety. Yoga can be used to complement drug treatment for depression.
Working out can help many things from depression, relieving stress, and so much more. So if you are encountering any of this in your own life give exercising a try. May be going to the gym is not for you but that is not the only way you can exercise. Even the little things,such as going for a short walk, can help improve your body.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/slideshows/7-mind-blowing-benefits-of-exercise
This semester I decided to do my civics blog on education in the United States. I hope to focus more on the funding of higher education so what better way to start than to talk about Obama’s new college tuition plan.
President Barack Obama has come up with an agenda to help make college more affordable for American families. In his State of the Union address President Obama said this phrase,”to lower cost of community college-to zero,” and this is exactly what he is trying to do with his new proposal. The proposal states that the first two years of community college will be free for all United States citizens. However there are requirements that have to be met by the individual to keep receiving these funds.
Individuals must be at least a half time student to receive these funds and they are required to maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher. They also have to be making steady progress to a degree or transferring to a four year college. The funds for this agenda will be paid for by both the federal and state government. The federal government will pay for 75% of the average cost of a year’s tuition and the state government will pick up the remaining quarter of the cost.
One of the reasons Obama proposed this plan is because of how much college tuition has increased over the last couple of decades. According to the College Board and Census Data, the average tuition at a public four year college has increased 250% over the past 3 decades while incomes for a typical family has increased only by 16%. This high increase in tuition has left the average graduate that has borrowed loans with over $26,000 in debit. This loan debt has left many young adults with such a burden when they have just graduated college and are trying to start a life for themselves.
Every two out of three jobs in today’s economy requires a college degree to be applicable for the job. Obama is hoping by providing these funds he can give the opportunity of college to individuals who would not normally go because of financial issues. These funds are offered to all individuals of any age so if someone did not attend college after high school they are now given the opportunity with this financial help.
Many people believe that this is a great plan for the United States but there are others who disagree with this proposal. Some of the concerns by people who disagree with this proposal is that college students will not appreciate the education they are being given. College students in United States try to strive when they are in college and try to get everything possible out of this experience because they are paying large amounts of tuition for this education. They fear is that if college is initially free the same drive will not be produced from the students enrolled. This fear has risen because of the similar polices such as this one in different countries. Students in universities in places such as France have shown that they do not value their education as much because they are not paying for it. However this is just the case for some, not all students in this country for example.
I personally have conflicting opinions when it comes to this proposal by President Obama. To the people who believe that students will not value there education as much if it is given to them for free, I can see what they mean by this. Young people today take more things for granted then compared to earlier generations. Free education for the first two years of college would give many young adults the opportunity to slack off and not work hard at the beginning because they have the mind set that well I’m not paying for it, so why does it matter. This is a mindset a lot of young adults tend to get.
However on the other hand I believe that this proposal is a good thing for people who really are interested in getting a college education. I know that if it was me receiving this it would really help me out in the end to decrease the large amount of college debts I am going to have.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/22/fact-sheet-president-s-plan-make-college-more-affordable-better-bargain-
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/2015/02/02/what-obamas-free-community-college-plan-gets-wrong
When exercising no one really ever thinks about breathing properly, but it is something that is essential. Breathing properly while exercising is something I know I struggle with so learning more about this was beneficial to me and I hope is beneficial to others.
During aerobic and non-aerobic exercises, a good breathing pattern ensures that the muscles you are using while exercising will continue to receive the oxygen they need to keep contracting. When you inhale, air is pulled into microscopic air sacs in the lungs called alveoli, where oxygen is delivered to red blood cells and carbon dioxide is transferred from the blood to the air in the alveoli. The oxygen-rich blood flows to your heart, which then pumps it out to your body. You exhale the carbon dioxide.
You can determine your effort level during exercise by how hard you are breathing. For an exercise such as walking, which is classified as moderate in intensity, you should not be breathing so hard that you can not have a conversation with someone. Jogging, which is considered vigorous in intensity, should make you breath faster but you still should be
able to talk in short sentences.
One of the best ways to improve your breathing while exercising is through yoga or tai chi because breathing techniques is essential to both of these. Yoga’s pranayama breathing technique improves your immune system and helps with hypertension, asthma, and stress. Similar to this, tai chi uses mediation, movement, and breathing to improve health.
Deep breathing through the diaphragm during these workouts also contributes to the benefits. The best way to get a full, deep breath is to breathe from the diaphragm while expanding the chest at the same time. Allow these inhalation to push out your belly and expand your rib cage as opposed to lifting your shoulders.
I remember in high school chorus that at the beginning of ever class my teacher would make us do this proper breathing exercise. She would do this so we could produce more long lasting breathing while we were trying to sing. This is when I realized I did not breath the proper way most of the time.
Breathing is not only important when you exercise, but also when you are trying to stretch. Slow and controlled breathing as you enter a stretch can better allow muscles to relax and lengthen. The whole point of stretching is to relax your muscles so if you want the best benefits out of it make sure you are breathing properly.
I know that I have a problem breathing properly while trying to exercise. Throughout sports in high school, or even now when I am at the fitness center on the treadmill, my face tends to get really red and blotchy from exercising. This is because when I run I tend to not breathe at a normal pace and I actually breathe a lot less. It is almost like I am holding my breath when I exercise.
I am not sure why this happens but I know it has made me want to learn more about proper breathing and ways to improve my breathing while exercising.
Over the years I have tried many different types of work outs, from lifting to cardio to sports. However one thing that has always fascinated me, that I have barely ever participated in, is CrossFit.
The official definition of CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operation teams, military special operation units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of elite and professional athletes worldwide. Basically this means that CrossFit is a training program that builds strength and conditioning through extremely varied and challenging workouts. Each day your CrossFit workout should test a different part of your functional strength and conditioning. The goal of this workout is not to specialize in one particular thing, but instead reach the goal of building a body that is capable of pretty much doing anything and everything.
Yes you can take CrossFit at a gym, but how can you do CrossFit at home? Check
out CrossFit.com. This website provides a work out of the day which can be done
at home, at a commercial gym, or at a CrossFit gym.
Even though it is possible to do CrossFit at home there is some issues that come along with it. Doing CrossFit by yourself, without a proper coach, can bring up some negatives such as no one is checking your form during different work outs. Doing CrossFit workouts with the wrong form can lead to you severely hurting yourself as you increase the amount of weights with which you work. Also another problem is equipment. Most people do not have a full squat rack, bumper plates, kettle bells, medicine balls, and other equipment at their house. This will cause people to create their own modified workouts which is not the same.
CrossFit is not for everyone, but it can be beneficial to certain people. For example, people who are beginners to weight training might be benefited by CrossFit because it is a good way to learn all the important lifts you need to know. CrossFit is also good for fitness fanatics and former athletes. For fitness fanatics, it gives them the consistent workout they strive for with a 3 day on, one day off schedule. Some people even end up doing the workout every day because of the joy they get out of it. For former athletes, CrossFit gives you a sense of competition. Almost all CrossFit workouts have a time component to them, where you either have to finish a certain number of repetitions in a certain amount of time or the time is fixed and you need to see how many repetitions you can do of an exercise. That gives the former athletes the sense of competition they once had by pushing themselves.
Even though I can not talk much about CrossFit from personal experience, I really think that every one should give it a try. During my senior year of high school, when I was weight lifting a lot, I tried CrossFit once or twice just to see what it was like. As hard as it was to complete all of my repetitions in a certain amount of time, it was a great work out and I wish I would have stuck with it.
So if you think CrossFit is for you or you just want to give it a shot, try it. There is never any harm in trying a new way of working out.
http://www.crossfit.com/
“Opportunities will come and go, but if you do nothing about them, so will you.”
This quote by Richie Norton really shows what I believe in life. I believe that living life to the fullest and not taking life for granted is very important.
Three years ago, a very close family friend of mine died in a very unexpected accident. He was coming home from work when he got a flat tire and had to stop and change it. As him and his friend were changing the tire, a car getting off the exit hit them both killing Kevin, my family friend.
This accident put a lot into prospective for me that I would like to share with people around me.
People, especially young adults around my age, do not fully appreciate the good lives they were given. We all grew up in a society where a lot of people focus more the issues in life and the little things compared to the wonderful moments. We worry about what people think about us, having the latest technology, and even being mad when our favorite sports team loses a game. But are those things really what should be important in life?
The answer to that question should be a no. Dwelling on those little things in life is what makes us miss out on the bigger opportunities life has to offer us. One day you could be mad about the littlest thing, such as an your roommate’s side of the room is extremely messy. As you dwell on this throughout the day, you could be missing opportunities such as learning something interesting in class or even doing something fun that night with your friends.
Before this event occurred in my life, I was just like everyone else. I worried way to much about the little things in life that could go wrong. Now I feel like I look at life in a different way.
Tragic events such as this shows you how short life can be and how unexpectedly it can all come to an end. For this reason, everyone should forget about the little worries in life and focus more on making their life better and creating memories they will remember down the road.
For my passion blog this semester, I have decided to continue the fitness blog I did the previous semester. Fitness has been something I have always been interested in because in high school I participated in many sports. Now that I am in college I do not play sports and I need to learn new ways of exercising which is why I decided to do a passion blog on this.
For my civics blog I have decided to do it on higher level education. Within this category I hope to focus on funding for higher level education. This is something I do not know much about but I am interested in learning about this.
