Research Paper Completed !

Not everybody has the money to pay for a gym membership or even the time and transportation to get to the facility. Year after year there are new fitness fads that become popular for some time then fade away. Some are technologies to help with fitness, some are different diet strategies, some are different clothing styles, and some are even different workout machines that are supposed to keep you in shape. There have been plenty of fitness fads that were a fluke and did not work and are just a hurt to your pocket. There are also some fads that are worth getting involved in because they can change your life. The fitness industry has come a long way since shiny spandex and sweatbands ruled the scene. But it’s fun to stroll down memory lane and remember the fitness fads of the past 10 years that were a fluke such as the Ab Roller, Shake Weight, Toning Shoes, and Power Balance. (Shakeshaft.n.d) Also down the lane are the fitness fads that actually are beneficial and work such as Yoga, Zumba, Kettlebell Workouts, Exergaming, and High Intense Interval Training which is most commonly know as HIIT. ("Top Workout Fads", n.d) This paper will explain why the fads were a fluke or a success and what fad I, personally consider to be the best one backed up by different information and research that has been found.
          Everyone wants to have that tone fit stomach especially around the summer time. What are people willing to do to attain a nice solid stomach?  Many people are tired of the old boring sit ups and planks that they have done over and over.  Ab machines became popular and one that is well known is the Ab Roller. The Ab Roller is a small, portable piece of fitness equipment. It has a u-shaped frame with foam handles. There is cushion on the bottom to support your head.  You can add weights on the side to increase the intensity of the workout and add more resistance to the roll that you will be performing. (Johnson,2011)  The ab roller is best known for its comfort, but there has been no evidence that it does anything better than what normal crunches and sit ups do for your abs.( “Ab Roller”,2008) The non-profit fitness watchdog group, conducted a study to measure the effectiveness of this product by checking the muscle activity. They measured the muscle activity by using electromyography equipment. The study concluded that the sit-up placed 7^th on a list of 13 and the Ab Roller placed 9^th on the list. (Johnson,2011) You cannot get that flat stomach by using this or basically any ab machine unless you diet.         
          The number one biggest fitness fad that has been a fluke is the Shake Weight. (Shakeshaft.n.d) The Shake Weight became very popular by the info commercials that have been televised over and over and consecutive mentions of the product on various TV shows such as Ellen DeGeneres. (Jonathan, n.d) When it comes to nonsensical exercise equipment the Shake Weight might just be the head of them all. It is based on the oxymoronic “principle” of “dynamic inertia,” the Shake Weight is alleged to give users, “lean, sculpted arms and shoulders. (Marinello,2010) The Shake Weight resembles a regular dumbbell, It is a 2.5 pound weight with a spring on either end. To perform the exercise, you shake it back and forth. They claim that this movement is much better than traditional weight training. This is proven wrong by another electromyography test to judge how it activates the chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps muscles. They looked at those results compared to basic exercises such as calisthenics and elastic bands. The results display that the Shake Weight’s exercises were inferior to our conventional exercises targeting those muscles, and for the biceps, they were about the same.  You burn more calories walking 3 mph then using the Shake Weight. (“Shake Yourself Into Shape”,2011)  According to this information I would not buy the Shake Weight. All I see it doing for me is putting a hole in my pocket and falling for another gimmick that these info commercials play. 
          A fitness fad that became popular and had many different brands consuming them is the Toning Shoes. Toning shoes are designed with a bottom that is not like the traditional shoe. This bottom is rounded instead of a flat and stable surface. The point of the roundedness is to force you and your muscles to work harder on keeping your balance.(Rodriguez, n.d) These shoes are definitely not in for fashion because they look hideous like your grandmas orthopedic footwear. Do these shoes really help you get toned legs and a butt that Beyonce would envy? A fitness claim has stated “It’s the shoe proven to work your hamstrings and calves up to 11 percent harder. And tones your butt up to 28 percent more than regular sneakers just by walking.” This was proven wrong by a study that was conducted by exercise scientists from the Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin, and La Crosse. The study was evaluating exercise responses to walking in traditional athletic shoes (a New Balance running shoe) versus the popular toning shoes. The second study evaluated muscle activation when walking in regular athletic shoes compared to toning shoes.(Anders, n.d) The exercise response  study was done by females who completed a dozen five-minute exercise trials in which they walked on a treadmill for five minutes wearing each type of shoe brand. The subjects were asked to walk at different speeds and different elevations. The shoe order was randomized. Researchers monitored each subject’s oxygen consumption, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and caloric expenditure. To measure the muscle activation the researchers used EMG to record muscle activity in six muscle areas: calf, quads, hamstrings, buttocks, back and abs.(Anders, n.d) The results were as assumed, that there is no major increases in either exercise response or muscle activation. Also there is no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone. These shoes are not something you want to wear to help you slim down and live a healthy fit lifestyle. 
         Another fitness fad that flopped is the Power Balance.( Shakeshaft ,n .d ) The Power Balance is a performance enhancing bracelet that has tiny holograms embedded into it. They want what’s going to give them the edge over someone else,” explains Rachel Hazuga, M.S., a researcher from the University of Wisconsin. “Even if it makes them only slightly better, it still means they’re better.”(“Power Balance”, n.d) Would a band like this really improve flexibility, balance, strength and vertical jump? The American Council on Exercise also known as ACE got together 42 NCAA Division III athletes to perform a few test to see if these bracelets really work. There were half men and half women whom each completed two trials of four test: trunk flexibility, balance, strength and vertical jump. One trial the subject wore the Power Balance bracelet and for the other trial they wore a placebo. They did not know what bracelet they wore for what trial. It was completely randomized and double blinded. (“Power Balance”, n.d) Porcari, one of the researchers who conducted the study said it was invariably. Each subject performed better on the second trial no matter what band they had on. (“Power Balance”, n.d) You might ask why the bands work on the commercials you see on TV. Well this is easy to explain, if you were given a math test today and then the same math test tomorrow, it is almost assured that you will score higher on the test tomorrow. This is because it’s sequence of events and you knew what to expect. This researchers call order effect is the same for the commercials. In the product demonstrations, the tester first tugs on the subjects arm while he is not wearing the wristband. This disrupts his balance and causes him to stumble. During this initial trial, the subject is unaware as to what to expect or how to react. For the second trial, the wristband is used. The tester again tugs on the subjects arm. This time, the subject is aware of what will happen and is prepared to stabilize himself. As a result, the wristband miraculously improves the subject’s balance! (Williams, n.d) There are little ways to fool the viewers into buying products like this. Overall I would personally not get one because they are expensive, 30 dollars for something that is proven not to work is what I consider to be a frugal buy.
            As I just spoke about the fitness fads that were flukes, it is now time to talk about the fads that were successes.  Yoga has become popular over the past few years and it is still growing in popularity. Parents running around with their children and students worrying about work can be very stressful. If they're getting the best of you, you might want to make like a cobra or a mountain and try yoga.(Mayo Clinic Staff,2010) Yoga is known to bring together physical and mental disciplines to achieve peacefulness of the body and mind. This helps you relax and manage stress and anxiety. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010)  A study was done on the effects of yoga versus walking on mood, anxiety, and brain GABA levels. The study consisted of 34 people who were randomized to yoga or a metabolically matched walking intervention for 60 minutes 3 time a week for 12 weeks. 19 people were in the yoga group, 14 people were in the walking group.  They tested everyone’s mood and anxiety levels at weeks 0,4,8 and 12.  The yoga group reported great improvements in mood and greater decrease in anxiety than the walking group. A positive correlation happened between improved mood and decrease anxiety and thalamic GABA levels also the yoga group had a positive correlation between mood scales and changed in GABA levels. All subjects had MRS Scans: Scan 1 at baseline; Scan 2 after their 12 week intervention; immediately after Scan 2, all subjects completed a 60- minute yoga or walking intervention, depending on group assignment, which was immediately followed by Scan 3 (Streeter, Whitfield, Owen, Rein, Karri, Yakhkind, Perlmutter & Prescot, 2010) Yoga is beneficial for physiological, psychological, biochemical, and health benefits. Zumba is another top fitness fad that is the only Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music with active and fun dance moves. People of all different sizes and shapes do these workouts. It became very popular in 2011. (“Top Fitness Fads”,2011) Zumba causes a high caloric expenditure, which leads to weight loss. Factor in the fact that there is little recovery time and the body has no choice but to burn a lot of calories. Zumba can also help aid weight loss because it creates discipline. When an exercise routine becomes habitual and people enjoy it, this will bleed into other aspects of their lives that can further increase weight loss, such as diet. Zumba is being done at homes following fitness DVDs and even done at the gym by following an instructor.  
           It’s funny how workout trends come and go, and how a centuries- old piece of cast iron can inspire legions of exercisers in 2010.That’s the way it seems to be going for the good old kettlebell (Schnettler,Porcari & Foster,2010). The kettlebell has been around since the 18^th century. They are made out of cast iron; they are cannonball shaped weights with a single handle on top. The popular feat with kettlebell is the swinging motions you do. It increases stamina and strength.(Parker,2010) A study was done by the University of Wisconsin, LA Crosse Exercise and Health Program. The study consisted of 10 volunteers of both gender ages 29 to 46. Each volunteer was given a maximal exercise test on a treadmill while oxygen consumption and heart rate were constantly monitored. Once they had a fitness baseline established, on a separate day they performed a five-minute kettlebell VO2 max snatch test to establish a baseline of their specific kettlebell fitness. The results showed that the kettlebell workout was much more intense. They burned much more calories in half the time doing the intense training than the exercise test on the treadmill. (Schnettler,Porcari & Foster,2010) 
           Many children just want to play video games instead of working out. Students can sit and play a video game for hours but some can only work out for a short time until they get bored and don’t want to do it any more. High levels of screen time are a contributing factor that encourage sedentary lifestyles in young people.(Daley,2009) Exergaming has been a great motivator for children to workout. Exergames are seen as evolving from technology changes aimed at making videogames more fun. This type of gaming incorporates physical activity for all ages and involves movements of all different types of limbs. Exergamer games are such as Dance Dance Revolution and the Wii. DDR is a game that involves you to step on a mat that has arrows. You step on the arrows as the arrows move up to the top of the screen. This game can get very intense when you play on a higher speed; you are non-stop moving around the mat to hit all the arrows. Children and adults love this game.  I never imagined riding along rugged terrain, swerving around curves, racing an adversary, all from a stationary bike.  This is as all because of virtual devices. These types of equipment are becoming popular fast. They have a bike called the “brain bike.” This bike incorporates the physical activity of pedaling while playing games on a screen. The games improve body and brain functions. They are designed to improve memory, concentration, and cognitive function. These types of equipment can range from reasonably affordable to almost unrealistically expensive. From 1999 to 2003 the time young people spent playing videos nearly doubled from 29 minutes to 49 minutes.(Yang,2006) This time could have been spent in engaging in physical activity.  Overall, exergames may motivate children to become physically active, but we also need to develop techniques to engage children in learning and adopting healthy diet and nutrition habits.(Yang,Smith & Gramham 2006) 
         What would you say if we told you that the latest scientific research suggests shorter cardio sessions for crazy fat loss? High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is on the fast track to becoming the standard for steady and sustained fat loss. HITT is known to increase your metabolism and keep you burning calories. The key is in what is called EPOC (Extra post-exercise oxygen consumption), a process happening at the end of the workout and the oxygen consumed after the workout.(“An Instant H.I.I.T”,2007)  Researchers at Laval University conducted a study using two groups in a months-long experiment. One group followed a 15 week program using HIIT and the other group performed only a steady-state cardio for 20 weeks. The 20 weeks of steady state cardio burned 15,00 more calories than HIIT but the HIIT program lost significantly more body fat. (Pena & Stoppani,2010) This is great because not everyone wants to lose muscle mass by burning so many calories. HIIT training makes you lose the fat under the skin and you keep your muscle definition. New research published April 5 in the American Journal of Human Biology reveals that high intensity exercise is more beneficial than traditional endurance training.(Blackwell,2011) The study was voluntary school children, 47 boys and 10 girls, who were randomly divided into two groups moderate(MOD) and high intensity(HIT) exercise teams. They worked out for 3 weekly exercises over 7 weeks. The HIT group did sprints of 20 meters over 30 seconds in contrast to MOD who ran steadily for a 20 min period. When the study was over the MOD group completed 420 minutes of exercise while the HIT group only completed 63 minutes. HIT intervention was 907.2 kcal in comparison to 4410 kcal for the MOD group. The MOD group exercise was 6 times higher than the HIT group. Cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Hit group occurred in only 15% of the total exercise time.(Blackwell,2011) As you can see from this study that HIIT does equal as much if not more than moderate training but in half the time. This is great because a lot of people have the excuse of I am too busy to workout. I am sure everyone can find a simple 20 minutes to workout. There are many ways to perform HIIT training. You can make up your own workouts or follow a fitness DVD program called Insanity. Insanity, created by Shaun Thompson, who is an American fitness trainer, was released in 2009. It was dubbed 'the hardest workout put on DVD' and sold via infomercials. This program took traditional interval training and flipped it on its head—you perform long bursts of maximum-intensity exercises with short periods of rest. Each Insanity workout keeps you constantly challenged as you alternate between aerobic and anaerobic intervals performed at your max. The result: burn up to 1,000 calories in an hour and get the most insane body in 60 days. Insanity is a popular fitness fad in 2011(“Top Fitness Fads,2011)  Insanity is a HIIT program that can be done in your room or anywhere you have some space and a DVD player of computer.  I have personally done Insanity two times and loved every moment of it. I also ran long distance for quite some time. I personally liked the HIIT better because running 10 miles can take up to 2 hours while I can get a great workout that will push me to my limits by using HIIT and be finished in 30-40 minutes. Research shows that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can burn adipose (fat) tissue more than up to 50% more effectively than low-intensity exercise and moderate intensity exercise. (Behar,n.d). HIIT training is for the people who are looking to burn as much fat as possible during a cutting phase, people looking to minimize fat gain during a bulking phase, people looking to increase their basal metabolic rate and etc. The only set back for HIIT is that it is really intense and you must be ready for it. It is very tiring and pushes you. If you’re too busy to workout, that is a lame excuse since HIIT does not take long.
         As you can see, there are plenty of fitness fads down memory lane that you do not hear of anymore and then there are some that you still hear of every day and that are still growing in popularity. HIIT involves alternating brief bursts of very high intensity exercise (work intervals) with brief segments of lower intensity exercise (recovery intervals). Overall, if you are looking to loose some serious fat but still stay lean and do not have lots of time for those long workouts, H.I.I.T is the way to go.  I suggest everyone to go out and buy Insanity. This program changed my life and I became addicted. Nothings is better than the floor looking like a puddle, my grey tank top is now soaked and dark grey, gasping for every ounce of air and my face looks like a stop sign, bright red… and I am smiling because I love it. Insanity and H.I.I.T have been proven to help everyone reach a goal they want.

Friday Night Volleyball Intramurals

Since I came to Cortland I have been part of 3 friday night volleyball intramural tournaments. These tournaments start at 8 pm and usually do not finish until 1am in the morning. My previous 2 experiences in this tournament have been a success to an extent. My teams have always been the best team but just we did not finish strong nor win, suffering our only past 2 defeats in the finals both times. This tournament our 3rd one was a little different. It was the first tournament we had a full roster of 6 players. We usually have 5 and play down a player. This makes it a harder challenge to cover more court and watch out for the dinky tips and put backs right over the night in the open spots. We lost in the previous two but this time we were not letting this happen with 6 people ! Every tournament we were undefeated until the finals, last night we lost our first match of the day in a hard fought battle that went to 3 games to lose by 2 points. After this match we knew we were the best team their and if we just played our game we would win. We made a change in the line up that just brought constant success for us. We have myself setting when I was in the front and a female setting in the front when I was in the back. The key is to have a great female setter since a female must touch the ball before it goes over the net. When I was in the front, our strategy was for a female to pass the ball to me to dish off a perfect set to our star hitters Matthew Lertora and Christian Outcault but they were in the back row so they had to swing from their or I had to tip if over or set it to a girl. This was our hardest rotation on us but once we got out of it, myself in the back row we just feed the beast. Matthew had every ball until he got blocked or choked, both which rarely happened. When he was not an option Christian knew it was his time. He pounded the ball when we needed him to do so and he played his game. We had one sick rotation that both our hitters were in the front row and I was just passing nails to our setter while she set the dimes for the kill. Our motto was "roll with it" and "relentless." Every point we had to roll with it and get a few more right after it, don't take it easy be relentless and keep pushing until the game was over. The finals came and we were in it, which we expected before the tournament even started. We were facing the team who beat us in the first match of the day. They were all grad students who have played or coached volleyball before in their lifetime. They didn't expect us to come out strong and we sure did. Coming off a 15-4 win in the semi finals just gave us wind in our sail to sail away. "Good Pass, Good Set, GOODNIGHT." Ball after ball went to Matt and he just kept doing his job. He finally got blocked and we went to Christina who was hungry and he ripped the ball into the ground. We went on to win the first game. Filled with energy from the first win in set one, we left started right where we left off. We went on a run and the score was 14-11, game point for us since we were only playing to 15. Here I must say we choked. We had trouble getting a pass to me to set Matt. Our passes went cold real quick. 12,13,14,15,16,17 in the matter of 3 minutes. We blew the set. It was now set 3. DO OR DIE. I called my team into a huddle and simply told them. We are not losing I am not going 0-3 in the final. They all agreed and we knew we should of one the previous set. They did not beat us, we beat ourselves. We started out pretty good. Battling point for point one after another. It wasn't until we were both tied at 6 all until we took a lead 8-6. They got the next point to make it 7-8 us. We were served a easy serve that they regretted, the pass was pretty than ever, the set was high, the ball was CRUSHED. Christian ripped it from the outside. It was now my time to serve. My goal was to be relentless and rip my jump serve. I tossed the ball high, took my approach and ripped the ball over the net on the serve. We won the next few points to make it 13-7. We needed two points to be crowned champions. I knew we could not let them catch and fire but we just didn't have any water in the area for the next few points. They scored until they got to 10. 3 points in a row until we won a battle of tipping . It was now game point. I was filled with adrenaline and screamed, " ONE AND DONE." My team knew what I meant! The ball was served over and they passed it well and got a good set off. There outside hitter came in hard and hit the ball crossed. I was in the right spot at the right time and dug the ball to our setter. She set Matt the ball high to the outside. Everyone knew Matt was getting it before the serve was released but the problem was THEY WERENT GUNNA STOP HIM. Matt flew in the air like Michael Jordan and pounded the ball through their double block......CHAMPIONS we were for the FIRST time in 3 tournaments. Me and Matt ran and hugged each other in joy that we finally got our T-shit. What we been playing for forever was finally achieved. The streak of losing in the finals was now over.

The Weather Is A Bummer

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Sitting in class starring out the window, it looks like there is no one on campus. Barely any cars driving by, barely anyone walking around and definitely no one playing sports or doing activities. This is all because of the cold weather. In Cortland the weather is very cold especially around this time of the year, and it doesn't help that all it does is snow. It is upsetting because the cold weather is the reason why most students lack physical activity. I told myself that this semester I would go running outside 4 times a week but the weather restrained me . I do not want to be bundled up to the point where I can barely move and still be cold. I am involved in club and intramural sports so I am active daily. Some students do not do anything since they do not get to experience the nice weather outside. Our campus is a whole different place when the weather is nice. I feel like if I went down south to Florida, all the students would be outside enjoying the weather. When the weather here is nice it is interesting to see the other 5,000 students, that did not do anything all winter long, outside playing sports and getting involved in different activities. Most of the girls are even tanning to absorb some of the sunshine. I personally believe that this school should have more indoor facilities for the students to use. All our indoor facilities now are occupied first priority to varsity sports, then club sports, and then intramural. If a student who is not involved in any of these wants to go play around, they will be really lucky if they find an open facility. Get out and be active! Don't let anything so feeble as the weather stop you! What are you doing today to be physically active?

Philosophy Primer 2

 9. What is physical education about..

1. Physical education is the study of providing training, performance and management of athletic games.
2. Giving students the knowledge they need to be healthy and active.
3. Making sure your students know lifetime skills to stay physically fit.
4. Teaching students to improve their hand eye coordination and to promote a health physically fit life
5. The instruction in the development and care of ones body. This ranges from doing simple calisthenics exercises to a number of courses of studying training in hygiene gymnastics and performance and management of athletic games.
6. It is about making the children be aware of how to take care of their bodies and keep themselves healthy, learning through example.
7. Fitness involved with the sports and or health fitness dedicatedly taught

10. What does it mean to be “physically educated”

1. You are well aware of your body, what you can and cannot do, as well as health related issues
2. You know the fundamentals of being physical active – knowing the basics then combine with separate elements into a complex whole problems.
3. Learn sports and learn how to keep yourself healthy.
4. You learned skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities. Being physically educated you...Move using concepts of body awareness, space awareness, effort and relationships. Demonstrates competence in a variety of manipulative, locomotor, and nonlocomotor skills.  Demonstrates competence in a variety of manipulative, locomotor, and nonlocomotor skills performed individually and with others. Demonstrates competence in many different forms of physical activity.  Demonstrates proficiency in a few forms of physical activity. You are physically fit by appearing, achieving, and maintains physical fitness. You design safe, personal fitness programs in accordance with principles of training and conditioning. You are involved in physical activity at least 60 minutes a day. You recognizes the risk and safety factors associated with regular participation in physical activity. 
5. Physical education is the study of providing training, performance and management of athletic games. 
6. Giving students the knowledge they need to be healthy and active.
7. Educated on fitness and health of the body

11. What is the role of the field in society…

1. This should give students the chance to gain the knowledge they need to be fit or have the chance to do so. 
2. The field is the palette of the world whereby the student gets to choose their colors for which they are to paint their own world.
3.  To help students become the best person and help them grow both academically and physically
4. To provide training, performance and management education in exercise, health,
5. hygiene.They teach society about being physically healthy both in a physical and mental way.

12. The ideal physical education program would..

1.  Be one that is conducted by interesting and exciting programs such as fitness gram, fitness assessment care to share adventure night, jump rope for heart, student/teaching volley games, run against hunger, having fitness LABS
2. Have students learn about the sports and how to play as well as  teaching them to work together on a team
3. Include the training in calisthenics exercises, teach the students about nutrition, health and sports
4. Include some type of daily stretching exercises.
5. Give students the knowledge of foundations of sports and health
6. Cover all material involved with sports and physical fitness
7. Educate students through the physical across the tree domains: Psychomotor, Affective, and Psychomotor. The psychomotor objective is the actual physical task the students are performing. The affective objective deals with the personal and social behavior of the student. The cognitive objective relates to information or knowledge.

13. What is athletics about? What is its purpose..

1. Students playing a sport, putting time and dedication to make a great team unit and players
2. Athletics is helping to teach the students about their bodies and how to eat and exercise to help keep you healthy.  Also learn different sports.
3. Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking.
4. Athletics is about developing character in the individual to strive for excellence and excel for his or her own good and for the good of the team.
5. Sports should be a continuation of the classroom so that such lifetime values as citizenship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and hard work are taught and reinforced.
6. Athletics is about bringing out the students competiveness to win a game. The purpose is the become more proficient in the activity you love.

14. The role of a coach is to..

1. Give your player the guidance and instruction they need to be the best they can be
2. Bring out each athletes true potential and to teach how to work together
3. Sports coaches assist athletes in developing to their full potential. They are responsible for training athletes in a sport by analyzing their performances, instructing in relevant skills and by providing encouragement. But you are also responsible for the guidance of the athlete in life and their chosen sport. Therefore role of the coach will be many and varied, from instructor, assessor, friend, mentor, facilitator, chauffeur, demonstrator, adviser, supporter, fact finder, motivator, counselor, organizer, planner and the fountain of all knowledge
4. Guide his students to make the most important choices that will influence and mold his future in keeping himself healthy
5. To coach his team into being the best players they can be. Educate them on the sports and tackle different game strategies relating to that sport.
6. Teach student-athletes essential life lessons

15. The ideal athletic program would..

1. Have sufficient funds to be able to provide the students with specific opportunities. The ideal athletic program needs to have faculty that are dedicated and talented to be able to teach and guide the students to strive to be the best they can be.
2.  Have staff involvement and student involvement in the development of their schools athletic teams to achieve high ranks in their division, county, state and even nationally.
3. Have tons of community support that consistently draws enough fans to fill our existing sports venues close to capacity. 

Philosophy Primer

1. The purpose of school is...

1. To educate the students.
2. To development ones mind. It is where a united group learns and trains to become smart
3. To gain knowledge and understanding of certain subjects and information.
4. To best educate our future leaders and prime them for their upcoming life.
5. Is to get an. Education is highly important in getting a good job and creating a good life for oneself.
6. Is to instruct students, transfer knowledge and prepare children for the future.
7. To get educated and knowledge to help you in the world 

2. Faculty and staff in schools should...

1. Work together – The faculty and staff should work together as a team. Make it your goal to deliver outstanding service to your parents and students positive, personal connections can make a difference throughout the year. The warmth of a smile, a friendly hello and handshake can go a long way in providing a welcoming atmosphere.
2. Play critical role in ensuring a healthy school environment.  The faculty plays a pivotal role in helping to teach the students.
3. Treat their students as they would want their own children to be treated by another faculty member.
4. Use their knowledge and teach each child to the best of their ability.
5. Be broken down into specialization constituting a special area, have input from all, faculty staff students and suggestion from a parent/teaching team.
6. Collaborate with students, parents and administrators to give students the best education possible.
7. Should always be alert of what is going on in the schools. They should always be available for a teacher or and student. They should be willing to help a student at any time.

3. Curriculum should..

1. Be tailored to age, as well as grade level for each group of children.
2. Be up to date and comparable with the other schools in the area.
3. Be based on the requirements of the stat and standards and be on a level that each child can understand.
4. Be broken down into specialization constituting a special area, have input from all, faculty staff students and suggestion from a parent/teaching team.
5. Have a pragmatic purpose. Education ought to be about building learners' abilities to do useful things. What is important to learn is whatever helps learners do things that they want to do or that they can be induced to want to do. Therefore, if we want to detail the knowledge students need to have, we should first detail the things students should know how to do. Then we can determine what knowledge will be useful in each case.
6. Be aligned with state standards
7. Be up to date and taught to students in a way that they will understand and remember.

4. Instructional approaches must...

1. Be differentiated to each individual students abilities and weakness.
2. must have teachers constantly reflect about their work, observe whether students are learning or not, and, then adjust their practice accordingly.
3. Share lesson plans, that would provide platforms for teachers in the K-12 grades to share their best lesson plans with other educators across the country.
4. Be on appropriate level for the grade and children in the class.
5. Be student friendly to be able to keep the students engaged in the curriculum.
6. Be educational as well as mind-tempting and fun
7. Be given everyday and in away students understand.

5.  School leaders...

1. Should focus more on their students and faculty than making impressions in the political society.
2. Need to make sure that their ultimate goal is to provide the community with school that provides the students with the education.
3. Should demonstrate the proper qualities of what child and individuals should follow.
4. Should be instrumental in securing grants to conduct programs.
5. Should influence students to help achieve success for the school.
6. Should collaborate with teachers to help them reach each student.
7. May or may not be teachers, but someone who works in a school who can be looked up to for any kind of help.

6. The ideal school includes...

1. Teachers, students, and parents working together to help their kids grow academically.
2. All teachers working together to have their school and students reach their full potential
3. Everyone’s in put staff, faculty, students parents, community and instrumental in securing grants for programs.
4. An environment where each child has the opportunity to flourish and the ability to grow.
5. A highly qualified faculty and staff that really are concerned with providing the best education for their students.
6. High level teachers and staff.  Computers for every child, as well as some type of tablet where the students can borrow it for a week at a time and read as many books as they can.

7. Parents and communities need to...

1. Come together for the good of the children, and be sure to make improvements based on the needs of the children, not the needs that would promote them to additional levels.
2. Work together and raise money to give the students more.
3. Be heavily involved in all the school activities to ensure that the students are being provided with the best education possible.
4. Come together for the school and students.
5. Come together and work as a team, they need to be more involved.
6. Be involved with the school, adult participation sends the message that school is important and the work children do there is worthy of adult attention. In school-based physical activity provides numerous benefits. Research shows that youth participation in physical activity is influenced by participation and support of parents and siblings. When families are active together, they spend additional time together and experience health benefits.  Families can support a comprehensive school physical activity program by participating in evening/weekend special events and parents/guardians serving as physical education/activity volunteers. Community involvement allows maximum use of school and community resources (facilities, personnel) and creates a connection between school- and community-based physical activity opportunities.
7. Be involved with the students and school and up to date with the educational curriculum. 

8.  The major problems facing education today are...

1. Problems such as teacher attrition, parental involvement, and student reading ability may hinder progress in education.
2. Obesity, money economy financial grants programs, students performance, teachers attrition, cash-strapped budgets and ingoing economic uncertainty.
3. Children not having enough structure – parents need to back up teachers.
4. That in some schools the staff is always worrying about the budget and not really looking into what are the best opportunities for the students.
5. Students have no accountability for their actions. Parents run the schools and take their children’s word over any other.
6. Larger amounts of children in class and less teachers to educate them
7. Not enough money and teaching positions to teach students. Students are in over crowded classrooms where it is hard to get a good education.

AeroShot

Courtesy of AeroShot

How many of you drink coffee or have an energy drink to stay awake? I personally love energy drinks and drink them before sporting events mainly for that extra burst of energy. The beast is unleashed when I gulp down the liquid substance. I feel like a new person because of the high amounts of caffeine. Never did I think that there would be a product that you can inhale for caffeine. A new product just hit the market called "AeroShot." AeroShot was invented by Harvard biomedical engineering professor David Edwards. This spray comes in a small chap-stick size bottle and contains B vitamins, plus 100 milligrams of caffeine powder, about the equivalent amount of caffeine in a large cup of coffee.  This product went on sale about a month ago in Massachusetts and New York and is also being sold in France. The FDA does not have to approve this product if it is considered a dietary supplement. As we all know children abuse their privileges and often overuse different substances.  New York U.S Senator Charles Schumer is concerned with students inhaling sprays after sprays and abusing this particular product. Can this inhalant harm the children? This product is now in review by the FDA. The product sells for $2.99 at local gas stations and smoke shops. This AeroShot might be used as a club drug by inhaling the caffeine to feel the high and going wild at the clubs. Too much of anything is dangerous for anyone. If this drug is approved by the FDA, I will be willing to try it in replace of an energy drink. I like to take caffeine to help me focus more in certain tasks. I feel like I become alive when I consume it. My performance is improved almost all of the time. I will be interested in this product and I hope it is safe, but it will be hard to have people not inhale multiple shots at one time. The warning label does say to consume no more than 3 shots a day. More on this interesting topic can be found here: AeroShot

A Little Humor.. Prime Example Of What Not To Be ( MY ROOMMATE )

Never Have I Ever Been To Boston

Never have I ever been to Boston, nor have I ever expected to plan a trip to go. When I think of Boston all those sports teams that New Yorkers hate come to my mind; Boston Celtics, The Patriots, Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins. Never have I ever been to a state conference or a national conference. What are the chances of me checking these two off my list? Well I am making sure that it is happening. This upcoming March 2012, I will be in Boston, Massachusetts for my first ever Conference and it is actually going to be the National Conference. This is the biggest conference event of the year and one of the only ones for a while to be on the east coast. The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) sponsors this event. The mission for this organization is to promote and support leadership, research, education, and the best practices in professions that support creative, healthy, and active lifestyles. At this event, there will be plenty of professors, administrators, principals and people who hold power in school districts. I will get to market myself to them and I am thoroughly looking forward to this. You never know who you will talk to that can help you down the road of my journey to become a physical education teacher. This will be an opportune time for me to network with others in my field.  I am very excited for this event and excited to hear the seminars on different topics of ways to help children stay physically active. I am also looking forward to learning some new games I can incorporate into my lessons. There will also be new equipment that I will be introduced to here at this conference that can benefit me in my future teachings to assist students to physically active lifestyles. March just can not come sooner! :)

Success..I Think So

 Over winter break, as I stated in an earlier post, I had my observations for EDU 256. This consisted of a 2-week experience of me waking up early, getting dressed professionally, and driving to a near-by Middle School for a week, and then a High School the following week. I observed students capable of all different abilities working with others and participating in activities. I learned a lot through my experience. I discovered different ways to teach certain lessons and ways to hook the students to keep them on track. Along with this came a binder I had to complete for the class. It was very overwhelming because there was such an abundance of work to be completed in a short amount of time. I organized my materials and completed them right away and did not let it drag on to the last week of my vacation. I submitted the book on time and the next step was waiting for my interview. I was nervous for this at the beginning, but I practiced talking to friends, strangers, and even into a mirror until I had trust in myself to be confident and go into the interview with no doubt in my mind that I would impress the interviewers. The interview arrived and I got all dressed up, I was looking pretty fly. I was called into the office and the interview began. I started off with a firm handshake and introduced myself. I kept a smile on my face and added a little humor to my answers to show my true personality. The interview was over in the blink of an eye, the time just flew. I was told that my notebook was one of the best notebooks they had seen. I didn't acknowledge myself enough for this comment I received. I had recently received an email from Lynn Couturier, the head the the Physical Education Department, whom was my interviewer. The email stated that I had received honors for my notebook and interview. I was ecstatic about this news because I worked so hard on this book and I was recognized for it. My book was placed in a show case with 10 other books whom also had received honors. The major has about 200 students, and I was in the top 11. This is an astonishing achievement that I am truly proud of. Hard work really does pay off, everything you do in life, attempt it with your best effort. Never settle for less than you deserve. I never imagined that my book would be selected for this, but I had worked hard on it. It is better to try things and fail, then fail to try. In this particular case, I didn't fail, but I achieved complete success.

Chapter 1 SCOPE MEDIA !

Here is a video my class made for chapter one. There was a lot to it, but we focused on the main points. Trent the director of this video spent countless hours to put this video together. He did a wonderful job as it shows in the video. There were two groups, acting group and music group. We all came together to film this video. More videos to come as SCOPE MEDIA continues throughout the year.

Toss Salad The New Term..So Long Melting Pot

I was told before that the term "melting pot" should no longer be associated with America. I didn't understand why, and I was not sure if this was true. After reading chapter 3, I learned that America is no longer a melting pot.  When you talk about the cultural, racial, or ethnic differences at a social gathering, or even in a more challenging environment such as a work environment, things can get heated. This is a very debatable and sensitive subject to all, and therefore is often avoided.  Many people live in silence about race and ethnicity. The Statue of Liberty is known to open her arms to the world's immigrants. A "melting pot" is the fusion of all races. How can America be known as a "melting pot", if we have states and even towns that are segregated? Where I live, it is mostly a white community, but spanish and latinos are migrating into it. I've heard that my community is getting "bad." This is a very racial statement and assumption. Just because they are a different skin color does not necessarily make them "bad." This is a prime example of a stereo-typing situation. The new term for America is a "tossed salad". This represents cultural pluralism. This entails that some groups, either voluntarily or involuntarily, have been able to maintain their culture and language, and these group differences should be understood, appreciated, and even honored. They should not have to forget about their own personal cultural backgrounds and become the American "superman." A tossed salads ingredients still keep their distinctive flavors. The problem in todays schools is figuring out how to educate our increasingly diverse students equally. This links to the different learning types and disabilities.  Some students need more time learning a subject than others. Should we separate students according to their ability, color, race, or beliefs? This can spark a huge debate and even one terrible argument. I personally believe we should incorporate everyone together like one big family and make the necessary adjustments to help the students who need the extra assistance after school or during free periods.

No Physical Education?

It is almost your 45th birthday and you're hanging onto your life by a thread. You have high blood pressure, suffered 2 heart attacks, given your self insulin shots day after day and are 100 pounds overweight. You start to question whether life is worth living. You go to your doctor because your are not feeling well. The doctor tells you that you have a blocked artery and it is getting serious. He informs you of the worst news of your life, you have 5 months to live. The toughest is wanting to be able to see your kids grow up and get married. You shed a single tear then a waterfall of them pour down your face. Your doctor goes on to tell you that when you were a child, you did not get enough physical activity. The reality of the matter was you only had PE class once a week and you never went. You never played sports or were physically active. Essentially, you were the cause of your own fate.

Today, Physical Education is getting cut from schools first before any other subject. Students sit in their classes all day and get no physical activity, they are too sedentary. They have hours of academics but not enough time for 30 minutes of activity a day. Many children learn by example, and if students do not have PE class, they will not be active everyday. Physical Education helps students release energy so they can be focused in class and not be so antsy. Schools need to recognize how being sedentary can cause obesity and overweight children. Many students and adults are overweight and this could have been prevented from being active. Physical Education must not be cut from schools, if anything, there should be more classes given. Students need activity as much as adults do. Next time your friends ask you to go play football with them at the park, don't think twice, get up and go. You can prevent yourself from getting life threatening illnesses. You can read an article that was posted on this at Helium.com

Exergaming Is Quite Interesting

My, professor Mr Yang, is big into the study of exergaming. Exergaming is video games that are also a form of exercise. Exergaming relies on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. The genre has been credited with upending the stereotype of gaming as a sedentary activity, and promoting an active lifestyle. Exergames are seen as evolving from technology changes aimed at making videogames more fun. This type of gaming incorporates physical activity for all ages and involves movements of all different types of limbs. Exergamer games are such as Dance Dance Revolution and the Wii. DDR is a game that involves you to step on a mat that has arrows. You step on the arrows as the arrows move up to the top of the screen. This game can get very intense when you play on a higher speed; you are non-stop moving around the mat to hit all the arrows. Children and adults love this game.  I never imagined riding along rugged terrain, swerving around curves, racing an adversary, all from a stationary bike.  This is as all because of virtual devices. These types of equipment are becoming popular fast. They have a bike called the “brain bike.” This bike incorporates the physical activity of pedaling while playing games on a screen. The games improve body and brain functions. They are designed to improve memory, concentration, and cognitive function. These types of equipment can range from reasonably affordable to almost unrealistically expensive.

Image taken from Here

There was an interesting article written that can be found here about exergaming. It talks about exergames and how they can help children who are obese become fit without being around other people or needing other friends to play a sport for physical activity. Exergames should not replace sports, but it is a great alternative for when mother nature does not permit us to be outside. Also instead of the video gamers sitting for hours in front a the game console in one spot, exergaming gets them up and moving and burning calories. I play Wii bowling a lot on my Wii and now know it shows an increase in energy expenditure above rest of 2.3 times. I think this is amazing. The term "exergaming" has recently been added to popular dictionaries in 2007. As technology advances, the exergaming games are getting more and more intense. It went from dance dance revolution to now seeing yourself on the screen and actually watching yourself do the movement. These games help athletes as well to assist them with their fundamentals and form. Yes, hitting a baseball that is thrown at you is harder than swinging at a ball on a video game, but with the web cam effect, you can see if your elbows are back and see where and what you need to adjust in real life. I am very interested in exergaming now since professor Yang brought us into our exergaming lab this morning. I never knew my school had this and I am amazed and excited to try out all the equipment. I hope to bring some exergaming ideas to my future school that  I hope to teach at. I want to incorporate the technique of becoming physically active into my schools curriculum. 

Learning Is Not Really What You Thought...

When I am trying to learn something, such as new material, I take notes, study in the same area, and focus on one topic for plenty of hours. According to Robert Bjork, professor of psychology, this is actually the wrong way to learn. I read this article and it caught my attention. All my methods for preparing myself for a test are not the most efficient . When I study, I like to focus on one specific topic area. I will not change topics until I become proficient in that area. In retrospect I am actually wasting my time because I won't fully absorb all the information. It is better to do smaller segments of each topic. Mr.Bjork talks about interleaving, when you are learning to do something, you want to interleave certain topics that are a like together. You do not want to change to a completely different topic.  “People tend to think that learning is building up something in your memory, and that forgetting is losing the things you built. But in some respects the opposite is true," Mr Bjork is correct about this, if you remind me of something I learned already, I will pick it up reasonably fast, but if you tell me to learn something new, it will take longer to absorb. 


I am going to try the new techniques that I learned from this article. I will space out my studying and actually study in different areas. The way that I have been studying now works fairly decent for me, but I want to try and improve and see if it helps. I am looking forward to spacing out my studying and not devoting hours upon hours on one subject.

Have you ever heard of Howard Gardner? He is the man who explored what intelligence is.  Multiple Intelligence is the idea that people vary in their ability levels across different domains of intellectual skill. He has came up with 8 intelligences. They are as followed:


Linguistic-Ability to speak and write well
Logical-Mathematical- Logic and mathematical skills to solve problems, such as scientific questions. 
Spatial- People who think and rea
son about objects in three-dimensional. Great at visualizing things.
Musical- understand, perform, and enjoy music. 
Bodily-Kinesthetic-Manipulate the body in sports, dance, or other physical activities.
Interpersonal- Interact with others well.
Intrapersonal- People who understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Naturalistic- Recognizing, identifying, and understanding animals, plants, and other living things


The theory of multiple intelligences gives adults a whole new way to look at their lives, examining potentials that they left behind in their childhood but now have the opportunity to develop through courses, hobbies, or other programs of self-development. I personally would say I am strong in Bodily-Kinesthetic because I am athletic and pick up sports quickly. I also understand my strengths and weaknesses; I am strong with my intra-personal skills. I know what my strengths are, such as maintaining a physically active life and acting as a leader. I motivate to my friends to workout everyday and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I love corporative games, engaging with other people and working together to solve a problem. This means I am strong in my inter-personal intelligence.  One intelligence that I lack is musical intelligence. I do not know how to read music notes or play an instrument. This is something that I do not excel at. As an educator, it is important to know the 8 intelligence because all students learn differently. Educators need to meet the needs of all students by providing a variety of lessons using many teaching methods. When incorporating technology in lessons, teachers must remember the needs of all the learners and use various methods and techniques. 

50 New Tech Tools You Should Know About

Technology has alway been a big part of my life and I can not live without it. I am very addicted to my cell phone and laptop. Over the years, I've had many cell phones, ones that I can't believe I ever owned. My first laptop was a Dell, but now I have an Apple, MacBook Air. I would never go back to a Dell or try any other brand. I was always addicted to my blackberry and I had stated that I would never change it. Well, this statement was proven other wise when I was talked into getting an iPhone. The iPhone has become my new addiction. I was on Twitter and I saw that my professor, Mr. Yang, tweeted about the "50 new tech tools you should know about." My eyes were glued to this article, and therefore I will be talking about some of the interesting things I saw, used, and might even download to my smartphone. 


I am always looking for new intriguing applications and in reading this article, I came across an application that they call "can I park here?"  This app. is only $1.99 and I believe it would be well spent. The app deciphers the parking signs around New York City. All you do is take a photo of the street sign and the app will tell you when you can park there and for how long. It has a timer for you that will start once you park your car so you know how much longer you have until your allotted time runs out.  I personally thought this was the coolest thing in the article. An application that has the capability to save you tons of money from parking tickets. 


An app that I had read about, that I thought was "stalker-ish" is called, "find my friends." I actually know first hand that this app is one I regret ever having. The app allows friends to easily locate you at any given time. You must accept the invitation before the person can see your location. I had 5 friends on this app that saw where I was at all times, and that I was able to see where they were all the time. I loved creeping on them, but I did not like it in return. There is an option that you can turn off your location so your friends can't see where you are. When I turned off my setting, my fellow friends on the application would text me and ask me why they can't see my location. They always thought I was up to something sneaky or hiding my location from them for a certain cause, honestly at times I was. I realized that this app was not for me. I do not need people to know where I am 24/7. I would never suggest this application.


One application that was on the site that is by far my favorite app that I posses is called, "Instagram." This application is like an equally popular site known as "Twitter," but on "Instagram" you only post pictures. You can take a picture and edit it to your liking and post it so your friends and strangers can see it on your "timeline." The key to the application is to post hash tags so strangers can see your pictures if they are not following you. If I hash tagged, #Sky, anyone who searches the word sky would be able to access my picture. If they like it, sometimes they follow you. I have 505 followers right now and my goal is to have 1000 by March. Also what is pretty neat about this application is that there is a "popular page" that peoples pictures can get posted on. To achieve this honor, you need at least 60 likes on your photo in a minute. The people who get on this page are usually famous and/or have thousands of followers. 


I was extremely pleased my professor tweeted this website. I enjoyed reading this article and it made me realize how remarkable technology can be. If technology was taken away from me I would not know how to react. This summer will be very interesting for me since I am attending "Raquette Lake" and we are not allowed to have technology with us. We will be isolated from it. To endure 2 weeks without my cell phone, computer, and iPod, is not even imaginable to myself, but I will find out first hand if I will go psychotic these 2 long gruesome weeks.

A Change In Life

Physical Fitness is a key to a healthy life. I was always off the chart for the average height for my age. This upset me because I was big into sports. I was very competitive, but I was never too successful because of my height and everyone had a competitive edge over me. I felt like I was cheated out of life. I wanted to do something about this but there was not much for me to do. I decided if I signed up for a gym I could gain size and be physically fit. The first day I walked into the gym, my life was changed.

Walking into the gym for the first time, I did not know what to expect. I did not know if I would see people that I knew, or if there would be people smaller than me. I scanned my ID card and it all began. I was a little boy and the gym was huge. I didn’t know where to begin. I decided I was not ready for anything but machines.  I sat down at the machine that was known as the chest press. I pulled the pin out of the stack of weights, it was at 130 pounds, more than I weighed.  I dropped the pin into the 40-pound slot. Rep one felt like I was attempting to lift an elephant. I quickly lowered the weight to 20 pounds; this was a lot more reasonable.

I went from machine to machine working on my chest. I didn’t know too much, so I always had to read the directions on the machine. I felt like everyone was watching me. I was in fact right; someone was watching me, a trainer. He came up to me and told me I looked clueless. My face turned bright red like I was sun burnt, I was completely embarrassed. The trainer was about in his 30s and every single muscle on his body was showing. I was amazed at the definition he had. I didn’t think such thing was possible; it was like he was a machine. We went on and chatted about things I should do, and how to go about them, and the technical aspects of it so to prevent an injury. My ears were open to absorb as much information as I could. My eyes were glued on him.

I went home to research more. My parents asked me how my first day went as soon as I stepped into the house. I looked at them and just went straight to my room. I did not respond. The next day at school I was unable to concentrate. All I wanted to do was walk back into that gym with complete confidence because I felt that I knew what I was doing now, only to discover that I was wrong.  I was performing the movements wrong and the trainer helped me out again.  I didn’t think anything could have gotten worse until I dropped a weight and everyone looked at me like I was a fool.

The week finally was over and I had a better understanding of different workouts I could do. Things were only getting better from here on out. Weeks turned to months, and months turned to years. I was able to reach my goal of gaining strength and becoming physically fit. Friends who were a lot taller than me were now weaker because of my strict and gruesome workouts. I was now a machine. I had definition on my body and was proud to take my shirt off. I had a six-pack that all the females loved. This motivated me to never give in.  It has been 5 years since that first day I walked into what changed my life, the gym.

I accomplished many great achievements in these 5 years. I was able to bench 250+ pounds, run a half marathon, compete in a triathlon, and gain quickness and strength for the sports I play. I now focus a lot on DVD workouts. I completed Insanity, Asylum and am now in the process of P90X2. These are some of the best I have ever done. They push you to your extreme limits. Today I woke up early to get my workout out of the way. I perform these in my dorm room.  As I look back to where I began, I can sure say the gym changed my life. I am now in shape and feel confident about myself. I learned a lot from weights over the years, lessons in restraint and self-control. If you try and lift something that you are not ready for, It will not budge. If you do get it up, the chance of it coming crushing down on you and causing injuries is high. I spent a few months not able to lift anything over 10 pounds because I was foolish and tried to lift something that I was not ready for. Gravity taught me the lesson of self-control. I cannot wait to influence others to start working out and becoming physical fit. If fitness came in a bottle, everyone would have a great body. It's the hard work and persistence to fight for your health and achievements that makes being physically fit an accomplishment to be proud of.