7 Reasons Why You Should Get Involved in Martial Arts

No matter who you are, there’s a way for you to get involved in martial arts. Many gyms and fitness centers offer classes for beginners and have a certified trainer you can work with. You could also find a specific gym for a certain type of martial arts you’d like to learn and work on learning the techniques and moves. Watching professionals can be intimidating, but there are plenty of options for starting to learn. Here are some of the many reasons you should get involved in martial arts.

1. Fitness

Martial arts is extremely good for the body. You’ll learn to use muscles you weren’t even aware you had for each different move, kick, and punch. This will initially come with aches and pains, but soon the body becomes strong. Multiple weekly fitness activities are recommended for every able-bodied person.

2. Mind focus

Martial arts teaches you discipline of the mind. In fact, that is a key tenant of the practice, and everyone who practices will learn it. One must focus in order to practice and fully execute the moves. This is the only way to master the art and is a great added benefit!

3. Decreased anxiety

Exercise has been scientifically proven to reduce anxiety and stress in people. This means that any activity will help, but especially one as involved and focused as martial arts! A regular exercise program, such as multiple lessons and practices a week, keeps the anxiety down on a regular basis.

4. Self defense

With the world being as it is today, it is nice to be able to defend one’s self. Martial arts is the ultimate practice of defending one’s self, and having that confidence and skill will make you go from feeling helpless to feeling like you have agency to defend yourself.

5. Confidence

An ancient and world-encompassing martial arts practice is a terrific way to build confidence. Having the ability to channel your body and mind into an exercise and defense is extremely confidence building. Everyone in the world needs confidence, and martial arts is well-known for creating this in its practitioners.

6. Group support

Being part of a group is wonderful. Groups lend support and happiness to those who join them. Martial arts is the same and it is hard not to become a group when people are sharing sweat and hits. Becoming part of the overall movement is also another great way to be part of a group.

7. Learn conflict resolution

Every martial arts teaches conflict resolution and diffusing the situation before using any skills acquired during study. The top goal is to exit or break down the situation rather than having to resort to physical action. This is because it can be dangerous and words are better to use first. Martial arts is a smart practice that teaches you how to communicate better and maneuver difficult situations.

6 Ways to Connect Classic Literature to Students’ Lives

Many people avoid reading classic literature and often never pick up another classic once they’re done with school. Many people don’t even read the assigned books while in class. For educators, you might feel like it’s worthless attempting to teach a class about classic literature; maybe one or two of them like it, but the rest resent you for assigning the book and take nothing from it. While some students may feel this way, do not approach studying classic literature believing it holds no value for your students. There are plenty of benefits from reading classic literature; here are just a few.

Stronger language

Simply reading through classic literature helps instill a stronger sense of language into students. There is certainly some outdated language in many classic works, but your students will learn new words that they may not encounter every day. Simply learning obscure words can be fun and educational.

Understand references

Every day, your students likely encounter some reference to a classical work; they simply don’t realize it! Reading classic literature helps students identify common themes, tropes, events, and references in modern culture that they wouldn’t understand otherwise.

Find movie versions

For virtually any classic novel, you’ll be able to find a film adaption of it. Some of these adaptations may not be any good, but they can provide humor, an alternative view of the novel, or a more succinct understanding of the events and meaning of the book. Comparing movie versions can be fun and useful when studying the interpretation of a classic work.

Greater understanding of history

One of the biggest draws of classic literature is the place the novels hold in our collective history. It can be helpful for students to read classic novels set during major historical periods; they’ll gain a more comprehensive understanding of what the world was like at the time. Having interesting characters and plot to follow while studying historical events makes learning about history even easier.

Better social skills

Reading classical literature helps improve your understanding of how people behave in social situations, why they do certain things, and how these actions later affect them. Reading about the minute social interactions in classic literature helps modern students better navigate the world around them.

Increased knowledge

I’ve touched on specific examples of increased knowledge above, but your students also experience a general overall increase of knowledge. Regularly reading novels boosts emotional intelligence, helps comprehension skills, and can improve students’ performance in other subjects. Oftentimes, students don’t even realize they’re learning while they read.

Hopefully these benefits convince your students of the value of classic literature. There are plenty of works to choose from, so you can ease them into reading the heavier tomes. Start with something shorter that has an interesting plot and let your students learn the value of classic literature for themselves.

How to Train for a Marathon

Marathons often seem daunting if you’ve never trained for one before. It’s an incredible intense physical test and requires you to be in good shape – physically and mentally. You’ll need to get into a regular workout routine that maximizes benefits and molds you into the proper shape for running a marathon. It’ll be a lot of hard work, but it’s definitely worth the feeling you get when you cross that finish line.

Do your research

Before you start your training at all, take some time to do your own research (which is likely what brought you to this blog post in the first place). Check out popular runners’ blogs and what professional runners have to say about starting your training. Consider talking to a personal trainer and getting their input on what you should do to prepare for your race. Look into the possible issues with running and also check out what races are good for beginners.

Create a comprehensive workout routine

Once you begin your training, it’s time to focus on creating your workout. Do more research to learn what the best route to take is when it comes to working out. Some basic rules to follow are: one or two rest days, a few days of cross-training so you aren’t only running, and then around three days of varied runs. You know your body the best, so you know where you should start and how much you can push yourself.

Give yourself plenty of time

If you’re only beginning as a marathon runner, you’re going to want to give yourself plenty of time to train. It’ll take a while to work yourself up to running a marathon, so begin training several months, or even a year, ahead of time. Depending on your current fitness level, you may need more or less time to get marathon ready.

Know what you’ll need to have

While you want to be physically fit, there are also a few other things you’ll need in order to be the most successful at your marathon. Remember to always properly hydrate yourself, before and after workouts and while you’re running. This habit is important to carry over to the actual marathon as well. It’s also important to regularly stretch and get in the correct mind space when you’re running so you’re not overwhelmed by all the miles.

Honestly evaluate your progress

Before you actually go to the marathon, evaluate yourself and be honest! If you aren’t ready to run an entire marathon, don’t force it. You could end up seriously injuring yourself and ending your chances of ever running a marathon in the future. Even if you can’t run a marathon when you thought you could, you’re still making progress and can one day reach that goal.

Take care of yourself afterwards
Once you’ve completed the marathon, it’s time to take care of yourself. Make sure you stretch after running and properly hydrate. Avoid pushing yourself too hard immediately afterwards. Rest for a day or two and then start doing some light workouts to keep yourself fit.

5 Benefits of Crossfit

Crossfit is becoming increasingly popular with fitness enthusiasts everywhere. People of all ages love Crossfit and spend hours each week heading to their local Crossfit gym to work out. For those not involved with Crossfit, it can seem a bit baffling when confronted with the intense dedication people feel toward the hobby. However, there are many great benefits to Crossfit that you’ll begin to notice once you get involved. There are plenty of reasons why you should find a Crossfit gym of your own and start working out.

You get a holistic workout

A huge issue that many people run into when working out is they have a workout routine they always go back to. This method will work for a while and you’ll likely see some results, but it’s vital you also spend time working out your entire body. Instead of focusing on a single area you want to make stronger or cut weight from, make sure you’re working out everything. If you only focus on one area, you risk injury or an unbalanced look. Crossfit provides you with an intense workout that targets all areas of your body.

You quickly tone your body

Since Crossfit involves a lot of high intensity exercises, you can tone your body more quickly than with traditional methods. You shouldn’t expect results immediately, but you’ll be spending less time working out each week and see results more quickly than you would with more moderate workouts.

You have less health problems

People who stay fit have many less health problems than people who don’t. By engaging in regular activity, you have a lower risk of obesity, diabetes, heart problems, and stress. Crossfit helps you push yourself to your fitness limits and also gets you into a habit of regularly working out. If you have a routine of spending time working on fitness goals, you’re creating good habits for yourself that impact the rest of your life.

You’ll overcome plateaus

A common problem fitness enthusiasts encounter is reaching fitness plateaus. After a certain point, it often seems like you can’t go further. Because you’re consistently focusing on different muscles and workouts, it is less likely that your body hits a plateau. A holistic workout helps prevent you from becoming bored with what you’re doing and then lose motivation.

You find a great community
Like I mentioned above, the Crossfit community is close-knit and supports one another. Once  you become involved in Crossfit, you’ll meet plenty of people who love doing it and want to help you reach your goals. You can workout together and always find motivation to get your workout in. A support system has been proven to be one of the most useful tools when attempting to reach fitness goals.

5 Ways You Can Help Out Endangered Species

No matter where you live, your country has many endangered species. The United States alone has over 1,000 plants and animals listed as endangered. While there are plenty of other serious issues in the world today, it’s important to work toward conserving the plants and animals we still have. Biodiversity is what keeps the environment healthy and if we ignore conservation issues, we run the risk of destroying agriculture and ways of creating vital medicines. Varied plants and animals add to the biodiversity of an area and are what keep ecosystems healthy. Here are some ways you can help your endangered species and ensure that the world remains vibrant for years to come.

Visit a wildlife preserve

There are wildlife sanctuaries across the United States that feature animals of all kinds. You can even find places for endangered species that aren’t native to the country, but have been rescued from unhealthy situations, such as exotic pets or poorly run zoos. These animals are taken care of and kept in a healthy environment, with the added bonus of educating visitors. Take time to find and visit a sanctuary near you! Any money you pay for an entrance fee usually goes toward taking care of the animals and also helping sustain populations of endangered species in the wild.

Learn about native species

Like I mentioned above, there are over a thousand endangered species in the United States. It’s important to understand conservation issues around the world, but you should also learn as much as you can about your local ecosystem. Find out what plants and animals are endangered so you can avoid harming them and be mindful of introducing invasive species into your area that could harm local plants and animals.

Contribute to a philanthropy

One of the best ways you can help out endangered species is through providing assistance to an organization that focuses on bettering the environment. There are many philanthropies out there that would appreciate your time and donations, so find one that suits you. For example, one of my favorite organizations is The African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT). This organization takes a multidisciplinary approach to helping the environment and I feel confident they’re sincerely making a difference.

Engage in ethical buying

A great way to benefit endangered species is by making sure you’re engaging in ethical consumerism. Purchase environmentally friendly products as much as possible, so you avoid contributing to pollution and deforestation. Find ethical products that donate money to help conservation efforts or that avoid harming the environment and species. There are plenty of ethical companies out there, you just need to do some research.

Educate yourself

Finally, one of the best steps you can take to help out endangered species, is simply to educate yourself about environmental issues and how you can help. Follow some blogs that focus on this topic and learn as much as you can. The more knowledge you possess, the more tools you have to make a tangible difference. Once you’ve educated yourself, begin raising awareness by discussing these issues with others.

The Top 5 Benefits of Group Work

Group work in school elicits mixed reactions from most people – students and teachers alike. Some people love group work while others absolutely despise it. There are those who find working together intellectually stimulating and others who believe it’s a waste of time and would rather work on their own. While it’s important to figure out what methods of learning work the best for you personally, group work has been shown to have incredible benefits to all kinds of students and should certainly be considered.

Learn how to work with others

One of the best perks of group work is that it teaches students to get along with their classmates. Students can be in a single class together and rarely interact, but group work gives them the opportunity to learn how to work with people they don’t know very well or who are quite different from themselves. No matter what they go on to do later in life, they’re going to be working with others at some point. Learning how to communicate and delegate tasks is incredibly important to understand as soon as possible.

Students can encourage each other

When students work together, it provides them with a chance to encourage one another. Students hold each other accountable for doing their share of the work; if you don’t do your portion of the task, other students will be unhappy with you. If one student has difficulty with a specific tasks, other students can help and they’ll work past the issue together.

Easier solving problems

If you assign a group project, you can usually give students a more difficult or involved task than you would give if they were working individually. With more people working on a problem, students find it easier to reach a solution and complete the project. The more people working toward a solution, the better.

Share knowledge with each other

Students who work together can learn important information from their classmates. A student may have a specific way of approaching classwork that she can share with other students in her group. This method could be more efficient than what others are doing, which helps all students out beyond the simple group project.

Adds variety to the classroom

A huge benefit of group work is that it adds variety to the students’ days. Instead of spending all class listening to a professor speak or working on their own homework in silence, group work allows students to socialize and connect with their peers. Students can often become bored with class, especially if they do the same actions every day. Giving them the opportunity to socialize and learn together adds a healthy amount of variety and also allows them to continue learning.

6 Benefits of a Personal Training

Have you ever considered getting a personal trainer? Most gyms offer the services of a personal trainer and you can easily locate one in your local area, but many people do not believe this service is for them. However, there are lots of benefits to working with a personal trainer, no matter what your own level of fitness is. They can help you get in shape, improve your current workout routine, or just give you motivation to workout. Maybe you think you can achieve these goals on your own, but there are plenty of reasons why a personal trainer is for you. Here are some of the benefits to working with a personal trainer when starting your own fitness journey.

Leads to faster results

If you’re looking to increase your fitness level or lose body fat, a personal trainer helps you do that a lot faster. You certainly can do research on your own and there’s plenty to read online, but not all of it is reliable and it doesn’t take into account you as an individual. A personal trainer can evaluate your needs, habits, and body type and help find an exercise routine that works for you.

Less chance of injury

A personal trainer is a professional who knows what they’re doing. Because of this skill, they can help you avoid injuries. It’s common to become injured when beginning a new activity, especially if you haven’t exercised those muscles for a length of time, but a personal trainer teaches you how to pace yourself and avoid injuries.

You learn something

In general, you’ll learn a lot from a personal trainer since they have to get certified in order to hold the title. They understand how the human body works, what exercises benefit you in what ways, and other beneficial steps you can take for increase your fitness. Even a few classes with a personal trainer can teach you something valuable.

Proper muscle gains

Many people make the mistake of only working out a specific part of their body when they should actually be getting a more holistic workout. Personal trainers make sure your muscle gain is proportional and evenly spread out, so you don’t run the risk of gaining too much (or not enough) muscle on one area of your body.

You’re held accountable

It’s common advice to tell someone looking to create a fitness routine to find a workout buddy. However, your best friend might not be the ideal person to head to the gym with; are you going to hold each other accountable if you don’t go? Will you talk about healthy eating habits? Do either of you have enough knowledge of fitness to actually help each other out? A personal trainer holds you accountable for your healthy or unhealthy habits and also makes sure you stick to a regular routine without skimping on your workouts.

Helps create a routine

Scheduling appointments with a personal trainer helps you get into a regular fitness routine. If you know someone is relying on you showing up to the gym (especially if you’re paying for a personal trainer), you’re much more likely to actually go. After a few weeks of a regular routine, it’ll feel natural to head to the gym before or after work!

The Importance of Learning about Endangered Species

There are tens of thousands of animals that are considered seriously endangered, many of which are creatures that people have never heard of before. In addition to these animals, there are many more plants that are labeled as endangered. While plenty people and groups work hard to raise awareness of the flight of these animals and plants, it can be difficult to feel like anything you’re doing is making a difference. Some people wonder why we should even care if all of these organisms disappear, especially because they often seem insignificant or are native to a very specific area. However, there are lots of reasons why it’s important for us to learn about and work to protect endangered species. I’d like to share just a few of those reasons and hopefully convince you of the importance of protecting endangered species.

Controls other populations

One of the main benefits of a variety of organisms is that they help control the populations of other organisms that could detrimentally impact the environment if not regulated. There might be an endangered species that seems like it has minimal impact on an ecosystem, but it could be keeping the population of another plant or animal down. A well-known example of this issue is when otters were wiped out by hunters in areas of the Pacific Ocean, sea urchin populations swelled and destroyed several ecosystems. No one anticipated this issue, which is true for many endangered species.

Provides valuable medicines

Some of our most successful medicines have come from certain types of plants and animals. While I support this practice, I want to first highlight that it’s important these resources are gathered in a humane and responsible way that doesn’t further harm the species. There are lots of types of medicines that come from specific plants, such as penicillin, which is a fungus. Without these plants, we would be unable to produce life-saving medicines and homeopathic treatments. There are also plenty of plants we have yet to learn more about and the possible medical benefits they could have. It’s vital we make sure these plants stick around for as long as possible.

Keeps stable environments

Related to the fact that strong populations of various species help control the populations of other animals in the ecosystem, lack of endangered species also leads to the sustenance of stable environments. Many plants and animals provide the resources needed for a certain ecosystem to survive, such as clean air, fertilization, and control of negative substances. Biodiversity is vitally important to keeping balanced environments, which are often quite fragile.

Makes the world beautiful

A final reason it’s important to learn about endangered species is that they simply make the world a more beautiful place. Animals such as lions are incredible to see in the wild and are beautiful, majestic creatures. Even animals that aren’t so aesthetically pleasing are great in their own way and often make it possible for the world to look as beautiful as it does. Do your part and raise awareness of endangered species and learn what you can do to help break the cycle!

Learn to Understand the Flow of a Story

As a professor of literature at a community college, I understand the extreme importance of imparting a basic understanding of reading and interpreting literature to students before they can begin to really benefit from studying it. In order to grow from reading literature, you must first understand the basics of how the story is structured, whether it’s a classic novel or an informative article. In any good piece of writing, there’s a beginning, middle, and end that helps shape the path of the story and leads the reader to a thoughtful conclusion. In order to learn when you read, it’s necessary to be able to identify this structure, or story arc, as it’s often called, and understand the importance of it.

The beginning

The beginning of a story serves to entice the reader and introduce them to the premise of the entire story. Without a beginning, there is no story. Every single conversation and experience a person has includes a beginning, though you may not actively think about it. Anything interesting that occurs has to have a beginning, just like anything you may learn started from some point. In writing, a quality beginning is what makes people want to keep reading. While I am wary to state that one of these aspects of story structure is more important than another, the beginning is what leads to the middle and the end. There cannot be a middle or end without a beginning.

The middle

Generally, no matter what you’re reading, the middle is where all the action happens. You got hooked at the beginning, but if the middle is too dry, you’ll never make it to the ending. The flavor of the middle of a story is what determines whether or not the ending is going to be happy, sad, or bittersweet. Oftentimes, the middle is the longest part of a story, so you need to plan ahead in order to make it worthwhile. A lot of your content goes into the middle and it’s often where important lessons are presented and taught.

The end

Finally, the end of the story. Whether you’re writing or reading a story, this is where all the resolution occurs. For a story to be good, it needs to have a quality resolution that leaves the reader feeling satisfied. Maybe the ending wasn’t happy, but it needs to be ended well. No matter what you’re writing, you want the story to feel wrapped up (unless it’s part of a series) and have the reader take away a lesson or idea that the text inspired. With a proper ending, the reader feels content with the work and that they took something valuable away from it.

What this all means

You may be wondering what this all means or why it applies to you if you aren’t currently studying literature. Like I mentioned above, this story structure applies to anything that’s written, whether it’s a great novel or a simple article. Even if you’re drafting an email, there is a beginning, middle, and end structure. If you’re writing something, it’s important to understand this structure in order to capture your reader. If you’re a reader, understanding this structure helps you interpret and pull out the necessary information from whatever you’re reading.

While there is an endless amount to say on this subject, these are the basics when it comes to the beginning, middle, and end of a story. I could go into much more detail on each aspect, what good writing of each part is like, and much more, but I wanted to give a quick breakdown of these parts and why they’re so important.

6 Famous Books for College Students to Read

There are a lot of books out there, many of which you likely would like to read. You should keep reading and studying books that you find interesting, but there are also a few essential books to take a look at, especially if you’re a college student. We can learn an endless amount from books and they help us see our world in a different light. Here are some of the top books you should read if you’re currently in college.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

It’s fairly likely that you’ve heard of this novel before, or at least recognize Fitzgerald’s name. While he has many other famous books you may have read (like The Great Gatsby), this novel is another masterpiece. It’s his debut novel and focuses on a recent college grad who becomes disillusioned with the world around him following graduation. This feeling can plague college grads who are often not in school for the first time in their lives, so it should be pretty relatable.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Marquez has written many masterpieces and is one of the best-known artists from Latin America. This novel focuses on the human life and the idea of loneliness and also how humans attempt to combat it. It’s an epic novel, but certainly worth the time it’ll take to read it.

The Defining Decade by Meg Jay

Jay’s novel focuses on your twenties and how they often define who you are as a person. It’s the time you fully transition into being an adult and learn how to live your life. This book is technically a self-help book, but it’s more motivational than helping solve a problem. Jay makes a point to motivate readers to get up and make something out of their twenties instead of wasting away the years of this incredible decade.

The Last Lecture by Jeffrey Zaslow

There’s a chance you’ve already read this book, because it’s a fairly easy read and people have been talking about it for years. Zaslow put together the book, but it’s actually based on Randy Pausch’s commencement speech that he gave in 2006, recently after he learned he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died a couple of years later, but the lessons he offers in this speech are life-changing and help readers focus on the larger purpose of life.

The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler

Based on an interview between these two men, The Art of Happiness offers fresh insights from the Dalai Lama that can benefit college students who feel overwhelmed. It offers a deep look at how you can achieve happiness and how it depends less on your circumstances and more on what’s inside of you.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela is a name many know, but few people have actually read his autobiography that he began while he spent 27 years in prison. It catalogues the life of this world leader and will teach you more than you ever expected to know about Mandela and the incredible work he did.