Critical blog

What are the key areas / disciplines / ideas that are being explored

 

The key ideas that are being explored are: the student as consumer is what the author is calling here a “double problem” In a sense, it is both inherently destructive to the university, and it is being wrongly implemented, even under its own conditions.

 

In academic fields such as higher education (HE), it is generally believed that the character and determination of British universities are being reshaped by marketization. Although the purpose of these reforms is to surge answerability, receptiveness, and worth of education for the expanded higher education area rather than the exclusive education sector. Academics from different corrections have put forward in detail the threat of marketization to the basic purpose, value and ideals of true “higher” education ( Boden and Epstein 2006; Lynch 2006; Marginson 1997; Naidoo and Williams 2015; Natale and Doran 2012; Potts 2005; Ritzer 1998, and also student comment, e.g. Afolabi and Stockwell 2012).

The problem stems from why they are unwilling to treat students as customers. This reluctance seems to be based on the idea that if students are treated as customers, academic rigor will automatically disappear. (Albanese 1999; Bay & Daniel 2001; Franz 1998).

 

Rajani Naidoo and Joanna Williams argues that, the attempts by various national governments to restructure higher education according to market principles have constructed the student consumer as a social category, thereby altering the nature, purpose, and values of higher education. The curriculum designed to meet the needs of large numbers of students, increase incomes and address short-term financial pressures can undermine the sociocultural measurement of higher education. Due to the “marketization” of disciplines and the narrow focus on the economic competition view of students as customers, the decline of the humanities and social sciences will lead to the loss of professional knowledge and applicable skills in the responsibility system in many fields, and these academic knowledge and practical skills Is essential to the sustainable development of a democratic society. (Rajani Naidoo and Joanna Williams 2014)

What broad fields of inquiry or ideas is the paper drawing on

 

The author used participant observation to identify that If it repeats endlessly what the students think they already know, then it can’t be a university education at all; in particular, the implementation of structures and procedures at all levels, constantly requiring and forcing faculty, staff and students to obey, directly undermining the goal of any university teaching is to cultivate and pursue the key factor of independent inquiry, which restricts the academic freedom of university institutions and students themselves, the development of knowledge and independent thinking within the university.

The author only briefly explained it in the literature and kept claiming that students are customers. This view is to change the process of basic education in universities.

What is the main contribution to knowledge that the paper is claiming?

 

According to Palya (1992) and the National Academy of Engineering (2003), the contribution of knowledge is not only based on previous literature, but also based on rationality and exploration to create new theories.

 

With this in mind, Professor Karín Lesnik-Oberstein (2017) has contributed a somewhat in-depth of research to the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 and the government’s introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), regarding the ‘double problem’. The first aspect of the “double problem”—students as consumers have essentially undermined university education—when considering how to define the “excellence” of university education is knowledge that can be identified and verified in research in various academic fields. The second aspect of “dual problems” is that the system’s working procedures are single and there are serious problems-relying on Microsoft data can only reflect the quality of teaching and cannot fundamentally solve the problems raised by the students themselves.

 

The author uses the literature about the harm caused by the concept of “students as consumers” to universities, faculty, and students as the basis for forming the article’s argument.

What is the core methodology that underpins the research

 

In this article, the abduction method is used to criticize, which can be seen as a mixed model of deduction and induction, which is displayed in surprising facts. (Ketokivi and Mantere 2010). This surprising fact is a conclusion, not a premise. The author uses facts to criticize the new insights of the impact of the concept of students as consumers. In abduction, the article puts forward logical conclusions that are acceptable but not necessary. Experience events are related to rules and provide new insights on issues (Kovács & Spens 2005).

 

.

This study uses qualitative research methods, using primary and secondary data. There are many reasons for using qualitative methods. First of all, the human factor in British universities is very important for academic research. Therefore, by contacting scholars who understand the “University Philosophy” to conduct investigations, obtain more accurate information and answer research questions. Second, since the purpose of this article is to criticize the hidden dangers and consequences caused by the concept of students as consumers, rather than confirming or rejecting hypotheses, qualitative methods are more appropriate. Third, this method has greater flexibility and adjustability, and is more suitable for authors who collect non-digital data text and written or spoken language. Fourth, qualitative research has been conducted. For example, a large amount of data on the academic freedom of European universities is published every year. Therefore, the author conducted identification data collection. Finally, the qualitative method can be completed in a relatively short time.

Does the evidence / argument presented substantiate the claims being made?

 

Although the author implement structures and procedures at every level that continuously demand and enforce staff were analyzed from three dimensions: assessment indicators, assessment methods and assessment methods discuss how to practice the aims of any university teaching to develop and the practice of obedience and compliance to pursue independent enquiry and knowledge, the author should also explain that students’ evaluation of teachers leads to teachers’ lowering of academic standards through surveys and interviews (Dennis E. Clayson and Debra A. Haley 2005.) For example, a Birnbaum’s survey found that more than 65% of teachers believed that holding scores to a high standard in the classroom would lower students’ evaluation of themselves. When asked if students’ assessment encouraged teachers to discount the course content, 72% of teachers gave the affirmative answers, and almost 49 percent said they provided less material in class than before. A third of teachers said they lowered standards to get students to pass exams. Only 7 percent of them raised the bar on their test scores. Seventy percent of students believe that grade scores affect a teacher’s ranking. (Birnbaum, M.H. 2000)

 

Furthermore, Michael Delucchi and Willian L. Smith provide research that agrees that the damage caused to universities, staff and students by the notion of the “student as consumer” is reflected in the relationship between teachers and students. Once it is determined that students are consumers, when students’ expectations are inconsistent with teachers’ educational purpose, based on the basic principle of satisfying consumers, the administrator will think that the fault lies with teachers, because they fail to satisfy consumers. Michael Delucchi and Willian L. Smith have pointed out this educational dilemma: “Teachers must avoid asking students to complete difficult tasks, because it may lead to students unpleasant or anger. We regard this approach to higher education as an obstacle to pedagogy.” (Michael Delucchi and William L. Smith. Satisfied Customers Versus Pedagogic Responsibility: Further Thoughts on Student Consumerism. Teaching Sociology, 1997(25):335) Which further supports the importance of the research Karín Lesnik-Oberstein (2017) carried out exploring the hidden dangers caused by the notion of student as consumer.

 

Does the author have a biased/prejudiced position?

 

The author carries out research to prove the argument, that the author does not fully understand what the link between the National Student Survey [NSS] and universities’ status and funding is, what these are used for and the meaning behind these feedback forms.

 

Although some of the author’s views in the article may be regarded as biased, the research does clearly confirm that the fatal impact of these radical measures can be used as an important reference for reserve scholars to solve similar problems. Mutual recommendation and research and a clear explanation of the critical thinking link in the article. Next, I will summarize and conduct in-depth research on the problems in my two blogs

 

 

Reference:

 

  1. Boden, R., and D. Epstein. 2006. “Managing the Research Imagination? Globalisation and Research in Higher Education.” Globalisation, Societies and Education 4 (2): 223–36
  2. Afolabi, F., and L. Stockwell. 2012. “Graduate View: We Are Not Customers.” The Guardian, November 7. Accessed December 14, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/nov/07/students-notcustomers-graduate-view
  3. Lynch, K. 2006. “Neo-liberalism and Marketisation: The Implications for Higher Education.” European Educational Research Journal 5 (1): 1–17
  4. Albanese, M. (1999). Students are not customers: A better model for medical education. Academic Medicine, 74, 1172–1186.
  5. Marginson, S. 1997. Markets in Education. Sydney: Allen and Unwin
  6. Naidoo, R., and J. Williams. 2015. “The Neoliberal Regime in English Higher Education: Charters, Consumers and the Erosion of the Public Good.” Critical Studies in Education 56 (2): 208–223.

Rajani Naidoo and Joanna Williams, professors, in Student Agreements and  Student Consumers: The Marketization of Learning and the Erosion of Higher Education as a Public Good, 2014

  1. Natale, S. M., and C. Doran. 2012. “Marketisation of Education: An Ethical Dilemma.” Journal of Business Ethics 105 (2): 187– 96.
  2. Potts, M. 2005. “The Consumerist Subversion of Education.” Academic Questions 18 (3): 54–64
  3. Ritzer, G. 1998. The McDonaldization Thesis. London: Sage
  4. Bay, D., & Daniel, H. (2001). The student is not the customer: An alternative perspective. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 11, 1–19.
  5. Birnbaum, M. H. (2000). A Survey of Faculty Opinions Concerning Student Evaluation of Teaching. Fullerton: California State University. Retrieved from http://psych.fullerton.edu/mbirnbaum/ faculty3.htm
  6. Terence Karran and Lucy Mallinson, Academic Freedom in the UK: Legal and Normative Protection in a Comparative
    Context, Report for the University and College Union, 2017. The report was also featured in an article in the Times Higher
    Magazine – see at: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/quarter-of-uk-academics-bullied-over-scholarly-
    (accessed on 14-06-2017) The UCU also issued a press release about it, at: https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/8805/UK-
    academics-warn-of-low-levels-of-protection-for-academic-freedom?list=1676 (accessed on 14-06-2017)
    The full UNESCO recommendation is available from UNESCO at http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-
    URL_ID=13144&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html (accessed on 14-06-2017)
  7. Two strategies for inductive reasoning in organizational research M Ketokivi, S Mantere – Academy of management review, 2010 – journals.aom.org
  8. Gyöngyi Kovács (Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki, Finland), Abductive Reasoning in Logistics Research (2005)
  9. Academic Freedom in the U.K.: Legal and Normative Protection in a Comparative Context Report for the University and College Union by Terence Karran and Lucy Mallinson (2017)
  10. Dennis E. Clayson and Debra A. Haley. Marketing Models in Education: Students as Customers, Products, or Partners. Marketing Education Review, 2005,15(1):5,4,6-8.
  11. Ostrom, A. L., Bitner, M. J., & Burkhard, K. A. (2011). Leveraging service blueprinting to rethink higher education: When students become ‘valued customers,’ everybody wins. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2011/10/31/ 10512/leveraging-service-blueprinting-to-rethink-higher-education/
  12. Mazzarol, T. (1998). Critical success factors for international education marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 12(4), 163–175
  13. Mark, E. (2013a). Student satisfaction and the customer focus in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 35(1), 2–10
  14. Cuthbert, R. (2010). Students as customer? Higher Education Review, 42(3), 3–25.
  15. Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2006). Universities in a competitive global marketplace: A systematic review of the literature on higher education marketing. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 19(4), 316–338.
  16. Caru, A., & Cova, B. (2003). Revisiting consumption experience: A more humble but complete view of the concept. Marketing Theory, 3(2), 267–286.

23. Michael Delucchi and William L. Smith.1997(25):335

Critical and contemporary essay issue

A brief critical review of Hopkins_2016

 

Focusing on how the digital devices challenge existing pedagogies and whether the Connectivism is a pedagogy for the digital age, the article speaks volumes about what could be considered as the The changing learning framework will be implemented in the future. In the article, do tablets cure the pedagogy headache? Firstly, Hopkins (2016) explores it from existing paradigmatic positions: two epistemological camps of objectivism and constructivism. On an objectivist approach to learning based on memory and testing, Hopkins (2016) discusses that he believes the tablet computer support this kind of pedagogy and advanced mobile devices and well-structured systems make teaching beneficial. Instead of being replaced by technology, teachers can use technology in a variety of ways to complement and expand on what good teachers already do. He discusses, tablet technologies can support these social constructivist pedagogies. The use of mobile devices not only promotes different situational learning and real three-dimensional learning inside and outside the classroom, but also promotes cooperative learning and collaborative learning. He concludes,. Although there are many benefits of technology and equipment in supporting existing teaching, we still need some new methods to develop the potential of technology equipment

 

Secondly, Hopkins (2016) explore whether the Connectivism is a pedagogy for the digital age to encounter the challenges brought by the digital devices for the existing pedagogies and the schooling of the future.

He explains the development of the definition and the core principles of Connectivism, he discusses the critics to assure whether the Connectivism fulfills the requirements for a learning theory. He explores the link with the ideas of communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and dialogic communication, simply using Self-Organised Learning Systems (SOLE)and school of cloud(Dolan, Leat, Smith, Mitra, Todd and Wall, 2013) advocated by Sugata Mitra who took the idea of distributed cognition.

 

He concludes, Connectionism poses challenges both in terms of teaching methods and teaching structure in the convenience and boundary constraints of time and comprehensive geographic environment.

Connectionism, which recognizes that the network is connected to each other with a more complex and complete teaching system

Finally, he identifies that the online-environment is important for the development of he introduces connectionism occurs in the interconnection of networks. He concluded: Connectionism will become a transformative learning model for contemporary students. The main reason for the change is that the current teaching method is under regulation and control, but it is incompatible with the connectionist teaching method.

Although he has some good points, he fails to express throughout the article how to redesign the mobile learning in schools via the “new” pedagogy of Connectivism, focusing more on moving from formal, rigid learning into an environment of informal, connection-based, network-creating learning (Siemens 2005b).

 

  • What ideas / papers have influenced this paper? 

 

Connectivism Learning Theory was proposed by George Siemens in 2005. In the information age when human society is increasingly open and complex, in the context of knowledge explosion and accelerated updating speed, the learning theory was proposed for how human learning should change in order to meet the challenges to human development in this era. According to this theory, knowledge is a network phenomenon (Downes, 2012), and learning is the establishment of connections and the formation of networks, including neural networks, conceptual networks and external/social networks (Siemens, 2005b). The goal of learning is knowledge growth based on creation, that is, knowledge circulation (Siemens, 2012; Downes, 2012).

 

 

What are the key areas / disciplines / ideas that are being explored?

 

The author of the article, Professor Hopkins, believes that these original principles indicate that they will bring about substantial changes to the learning environment of current schools, universities and world-wide learning organizations, and will be familiar to the majority of students and popular in learning in most parts of the world. It is difficult and challenging.

 

This is an understandable statement. As the product of the development of computer technology in the digital age, Connectionism reveals how we should learn in the digital age. Connectionism defines learning as the process of connecting and forming a network. It is a constantly developing process, and its purpose is for the circulation and growth of knowledge.

 

From the point of view of Kuhn, a science and technology philosopher, pedagogical research and educational practice must make a paradigm shift in accordance with the characteristics of the times (Thomas Sammual Kuhn, 1962). “The development trend of education is to shift from traditional education institutions, to a mixed, diversified and complex learning pattern, realize the formal learning, non-formal learning and informal learning, let the school education and normal education institutions to interact closely with other non-formal education experiences, and this interaction should start from early childhood, and last for a lifetime.”(UNESCO, 2017, P48) At the same time, with the development of artificial intelligence, we need to liberate students from outdated education models, so that they can control their own future, enable them to have a high degree of information screening ability to coexist with robots and defend against them in the workplace (Joseph E. Aoun, 2019).

 

Thanks to the development of MOOCs and various high-quality online education resources, universities are also opening up. Many universities are starting to offer online courses, establish university alliances and conduct mutual credit recognition. In the future, it is possible to form a global network system of multiple universities (Joseph E. Aoun, 2019).

 

What conceptual frameworks / theories are being quoted?

 

George Siemens was the first introduced the concept of Connectivism in 2005 (Siemens, 2005a, 2005b) and later Steven Downes put forward on his own blog (Downes, 2007), although the idea has been substantially criticqued as well,  Siemens and Downes are not only the core representatives of the theory of Connectivism, but also the core promoters of the practical form of the theory -cMOOCs.

 

 

What wider body of knowledge is the author drawing on?

 

The author has drawn on two epistemological camps those of objectivism and constructivism. Objectivism focuses on teaching, while constructivism focuses on learning.

 

The objectivist view of knowledge holds that knowledge is an objective truth,  which is manifested through natural and social phenomena. The function of teaching is to convey this knowledge correctly to the students, who should ultimately gain the same understanding from the knowledge transmitted. Teachers are the master of knowledge standards, so they should be in the central position.

 

There are controversies about the advantages and disadvantages of the objectivist teaching method. the objectivist teaching method is still the dominant teaching concept in today’s era, and most educators are still using it and have established a specific evaluation system around it. What is advocated in the newly promoted connectionist teaching method is that tablet computers and similar electronic devices can provide technical support for this leading teaching method.. Technology is not to replace the teacher but to supplement the efficiency and effectiveness of the combination of what the teacher does with the application software and improve the traditional objectivist teaching method. With the development of digital content, teachers can realize multiple teaching methods. The development of applications software (Apps) allow the ‘traditional’ objectivist pedagogic approach to be improved by ‘’efficiency’ and ‘effectiveness’ (McCormick and Scrimshaw, 2001).

 

 

Constructivism believes that “reality” is nothing more than the mind of the knower. It is the knower who constructs reality or at least explains reality based on his own experience. The knowledge of learners should be constructed by themselves in their interaction with the environment, rather than instilled. Constructivist theory is not a new point of view. As an epistemology, it can be traced back to ancient philosophers Socrates and Kant. As a learning theory, it can be connected with the theories of famous psychologists such as  Piaget.J , Vygotsky (L), and Bruner (J. Bruner).

A series of technological devices, such as tablet computers, provide information and media technology support for constructivist teaching methods, and promote students’ real-world learning experience inside and outside the classroom. Learners are encouraged to become active constructors of knowledge (Neiss 2005) and build knowledge exploration skills in conversation and collaboration with their peers, so as to meet the basic requirements of the new teaching method for students to cultivate their self-learning ability and learning efficiency.

Reference:

 

  1. UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Rethinking Education:Towards a global common good,2015)

  1. Thomas Sammual Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions1962)
  2. Joseph E. Aoun, Robot-Proof, Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,2018)
  3. Siemens, G. (2005a). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), January. Available at: http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm, accessed 24 April, 2016.
  4. Siemens, G. (2005b). Connectivism: Learning as network creation. Available at: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/networks.htm, accessed 1 May, 2016.
  5. Connectivism and connective knowledge essays on meaning and learning networks(pdf)(Siemens, Downes 2012)
  6. Downes, S. (2007) ‘An introduction to connective knowledge’. In T.Hug (Ed) Media,

knowledge and education – Exploring new spaces, relations and dynamics in digital media ecologies. Proceedings of the International Conference held on June 25-26. Innsbruck: Innsbruck University Press.

8  Piaget J (author), Duckworth E (translator). Genetic Epistemology. American Behavioral Scientist. 1970;13(3):459-480.

 

  • Vygotsky, L (1978). Interaction between learning and development. Cambridge, Harvard University Press.
  • Bruner, J. S. (1966).Toward a theory of instruction, Cambridge, Mass.: Belkapp Press.
  • Niess, M. L. (2005). Preparing Teachers to Teach Science and Mathematics with Technology: Developing a Technology Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21, 509-523.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.03.006
  • Joseph E. Aoun: Robot-proof: higher education at the age of artificial intelligence MIT Press, 2018, pp 216, ISBN: 978-0-262-53597-7 Rosa Leonor Ulloa-Cazarez Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines volume 21, pages265–267 (2020).08 October 2019
  • Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, CUP
  • McCormick, R. and Scrimshaw, P. (2001.) Information and communications technology, knowledge and pedagogy. Education, Communication and Information, 1(1).
  • Dolan, P., Leat, D., Smith, M., Mitra S., Todd, L. and Wall, K. (2013). Self-organised learning environment in an English school: An example of transformative pedagogy, Online Educational Research Journal. Available at: http://www.oerj.org/View?action=viewPDF&paper=109, accessed 7 June, 2016.

How to deal with procrastination in exercise

Have you ever tried to do exercise and then gave up due to procrastination? When we made an exercise plan and started to do it, many factors would disturb it. Procrastination could be a big hinder. We all know that regular exercising is an excellent way to keep fit and become more healthy, but most of us could not hold on straight to the end.

In general, procrastination is a behaviour that put the things which be done today to tomorrow. It always interrupts our training plan. We might think that we can delay for 15 minutes to browse Tiktoks or somethings else before exercising. Then, after day and day, the whole plan just collapses. How enthusiastic before we were making the plan, how guilty after we were giving it up.

There are some good methods that might help you conquer procrastination to pursue your dream of a good figure.


 

Motivate yourself

If you want to keep a good stature, like strong muscle or a beautiful curve, and you are difficult to start your first step. You need motivation, or you have to give yourself motivation.

All of the advantages of exercising could be your motivation, such as attracting isomerism, keeping healthy, and improving stamina. Also, exercising could be a good option for time killing. When you have a reason for doing something, you are more willing to do that than resist it.

 

Mostly, at the first stage of training, you might feel pain both in the body and mind. And then create a sense of fear before training. The best to conquer it is that remind the reasons for training again and again so that you could overcome your procrastination.

Moreover, listening to good music before and during the training could be a good method to improve your mood. You can also use other ways to relax, such as warming up.

 


 

Keep energy

Exercising is not mental but physical, which means you must have a good energy state before it. If you are exhausted before exercising, like after busy work overtime or stay up late, forced exercise is inadvisable.

However, this situation does interrupt your training plan. If you give up one day of training, it opens a bad precedent. Psychologically, you indulge your procrastination once. Thus, the best way is that as far as possible to avoid this situation. You have to make sure that you are vigorous at every predetermined training time. You have to keep a regular diet and timetable. If you decide to watch movies or play games all night, you have to make sure these will not affect your training.

Once you decide to give up one time of training, you must have a firm reason because procrastination is a mental barrier.


Good plan

Doing exercise needs a good plan. If you do not have a good training plan, you might take a weak result on your body. For procrastination, a good plan could form your daily behaviours as a habit.

Besides, the plan must be specific and achievable. Most people only have targets but none of the actions and plans. For example, you cannot say that I have to lose 10KG this year. It is not specific.

Your training plan must contain “how to do it”, “when to do it”, “how long to do it”, and “what is the target”. There is a good model of plan-making named “SMART goals”, and it might help you.

Additionally, how to carry out your plan persistently is also a big problem. In my advice, you could write the plan in your diary that you can easily see and remind yourself. Hiring a trainer to supervise your processes could be a good way. Also, you could let your friend overlook you. Having a training companion could also improve both of your insistence.


Share achievement

The human being is a social animal. We cannot survive without society. Sharing your achievement on social media, and let your friends know what are you doing now. For example, share a daily moment or sent a Twitter. So you can have a great number of public supervisors and take excellent feedback on your effort. Once you want to be lazy, the pressure from your social circle would remind you and push you to stick to the training.

However, what is most important is that you are training for yourself rather than your Internet expression. Sharing your achievement on social media aims to cure your procrastination, not pursue fame, following or something else. These could be a bonus but not your main target.

As we know, procrastination is a mental barrier. If you set fame or the number of following as your target, you might be persistent in your training. But actually, the problem of procrastination is not solved. It just is hidden. And you might be exhausted by social media, taking a worse influence on your life than procrastination.


Analyse your situation

Just like we told above, procrastination is not always negative. When you try to delay something, it might be an interruption from your subconscious.

When you start to make a training plan, you have to analyse your situation first. For example, if the city you live in is always raining and you do not have any plan for purchasing a treadmill or a gym membership, running could not be a good choice. If you do not have enough time in the day, you might have to move your exercise time to the evening.

Before you make your plan, you have to choose the best time and type of exercise according to your self-condition. So you could have the best experience of it, rather than resist and delay it.


Procrastination is a hot potato not only in exercise but also in our daily life. I hope my advice could help you go further on your fitness journey. But remember, exercising aims to improve our life quality, so do not be excessive.

Getting Your Healthy Takeaway Fix

Takeaways… the opportunity to have a night off the dirty dishes and decision making for whats for tea. Where once upon a time ordering a takeaway was a rare treat saved for the end of the week when the weekly shop had run bare, it is now an option that is more accessible than ever. With popular ordering apps making delivery times smaller and the options wider it is tempting to have more than one ‘cheat day’ a week.  The question is what is stopping you from recreating your favourite takeaways with fresh ingredients from your own kitchen? Here are some of the reasons to make the switch from takeaways to fakeaways. 

Homemade is Healthier…

It is no surprise that takeaways use ingredients that are higher in saturated fats, salts and calories which gives them there initial taste and fulfilment but later leaves you still feeling hungry. Homemade dishes can be just as tasty but with far fewer calories and salt making it a more beneficial and substantial meal whilst still feeling like a treat. Nutrition is just as important as exercising have a look at our nutrition section in our learn page to find out more.

Healthier body and bank balance… 

The ease of takeaways comes at a price and usually far more than a home cooked meal costs. Although certain takeaways may not seem to be expensive but spending the same amount on fresh food would allow you to make more than one meal. 

Here are some ideas for homemade takeaways… 

Fish and Chips Friday (serves 4)

A chippy dinner is an iconic British staple but their deep fat fryers are not known to be the healthiest choice, but swap it out for fresh fish and less oil and the results are delicious.

potatoes 4 (Cut into thick wedges)

sunflower oil

paprika 1/2 tsp

white breadcrumbs 100g

Lemon 1/2 zested 

Plain flour 2 tbsp

egg 1 (beaten)

thick white fillets 4

Step 1

Heat oven to 180C, Toss the potatoes with the oil, paprika and seasoning. Put on baking tray and cook for 30 minutes, turning once until they are golden on both sides. 

Step 2

Mix the breadcrumbs and lemon zest and put on a plate. Put the flour on a separate plate and the egg in a bowl.

Step 3

Flour the fish then dip in the egg, the coat in the breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a large pan then fry the fish for 2 minutes on each side until it is crisp and golden. Then transfer the fish into the oven with the chips for 10 minutes. 

Serve with chips and enjoy. 

Cals   Fat   Salts   Fibre  Proteins 

350    8.6g  0.74g  2g     30g

 

Homemade Pizza (serves 2)

Ditch the greasy pizzas for a fresh alternative with the choice for healthy toppings. 

 

For the dough…

strong wholemeal flour 100g

sachet died yeast 7g

warm water 125ml 

For the topping… 

Tomato puree 3 tbsp

mozzarella 25g 

cherry tomatos (handfull) 

courgette 1 large 

step 1 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Mix the flour and yeast with a pinch of salt. Then pour in the water and mix into a soft dough. Roll out on a floured worktop round to about 30cm across.

step 2 

Spread the tomato puree on the base, arrange the cherry tomatoes and courgettes on the puree and then scatter the mozzarella on top. Leave for 20 minutes then bake for 20minutes. 

Kcals  fat  carbs  salt

479     13g  78g    1.43g

 

Before starting any new exercising  or nutritional regime consult a professional . This is important for any individuals with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or property damage sustained by using our advice.

When exercising if you experience any dizziness, chest pain or any abnormal symptoms stop the workout immediately and contact a doctor.

Hula Hooping Your Way To Being Healthy 

You may think hula hooping is just for kids but think again. Hula hooping is a new craze sweeping the exercise world. When looking for motivation to exercise often a home work out is not inspiring enough to get up and active but this new craze is making a classic childhood activity a new and fun way to loose the inches off the waist and make 30 minutes of exercise fun again.  Find other ways to motivate yourself through our learn page

Here are some of the reasons why hula hooping is becoming an exercising sensation.

1. Picking the right hula hoop

Although hula hooping is fun on its own getting a weighted hula hoop is more beneficial for burning calories and inches off the waist. Starting with a bigger hoop is recommended for beginners to get into the swing of it. As you get stronger you can advance to a heavier hoop. It is recommend to start with a 1lb hoop and beginning with a 10 minute workout. 

2 . Burn those calories

Alongside making the appropriate changes to your diet hula hooping increases the chances of loosing the inches around your waist and hips. Recent studies found that 13 women over 6 weeks lost on average 3.4 cm around their waist and hips.

3.   Integrates your core muscles 

Hula hooping focuses on moving your hips and keeping a rhyme which increases the mobility in your hips and waist. Hula hooping regularly is an excellent way to target your abdominal area and build strength in your core.

4.  Inclusive Activity 

It can be hard to acquire all the gym equipment you need in a household or pay for an expensive gym membership. Hula hooping requires no commute nor an expensive piece of gym equipment to get fit and become healthier. It makes an inexpensive simple portable item the key to your workout routine which can be enjoyed by every member of the family.

 

5. Balance is included

Whilst hula hooping is beneficial for the core and weight loss it also helps with your general balance and mobility. Hula hooping as your regular exercise gives you better control over your body’s movement and posture. 

6. Get Creative 

Set yourself targets! Hula hooping is a way to increase cardiovascular activity in limited space, put a set timed playlist on and hula hoop until the end of the playlist. With the Mayo Clinic reporting that 30 minutes hula hooping can burn up to 165 calories in one session. A 30 minutes episode of your favourite TV show will be as beneficial as as a 2 hour run. 

Before starting any new exercising  or nutritional regime consult a professional . This is important for any individuals with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or property damage sustained by using our advice.

When exercising if you experience any dizziness, chest pain or any abnormal symptoms stop the workout immediately and contact a doctor.

5 Ways to Keep a Healthy Mind, Body and Attitude as a University Student

Having been a university student in Hull for the last 4 years, I’ve seen first hand that people can have ups and downs in their health. The new found independence that is discovered by lots of students can allow some people to harm their mental and physical health by making bad choices. These new lifestyle choices can stick and the longer someone is stuck in their ways the harder it is to have a positive mindset to regain a healthy way of living. I’m going to inform you of 5 ways in which you can achieve a healthy mind and body whilst being at/going to University.

  1. Exercise

Exercise is crucial in keeping a healthy body but it also has great effects on the mind as well. 150 minutes of exercise per week is generally recommended as this can help with feeling more positive, sleeping better and performing usual tasks much easier. Universities will normally have some form of gym on campus or have one near the Halls where the students live. The gym is a great way of getting into the mindset of exercising and has lots of equipment that would be too expensive to buy for the average student. Although, the gym will most likely have a monthly fee to use their facilities but budgeting this into your monthly spends is definitely worth it. If the gym is too expensive for you, it may be worth having a look at home work outs that can be done and downloading apps to help track and guide your fitness routine.

2. Societies and Sports

At university there are normally lots of ways to get involved in group exercise with team sports and societies that are focused on making sure students are out there enjoying themselves and staying fit. If team sports or sport in general isn’t your thing then joining a society of any kind can help you meet likeminded people and help with making friends and being confident.  Societies come in all different topic areas from Science groups to those who love Disney, so there is something out there for everyone and newcomers are normally welcomed in with open arms. Social isolation is a main cause of mental illness so to be in a group of friends which you meet up and chat with during the week can help to keep you in a positive mindset as well as having a better attitude towards university work.

3. Eating Habits

The independence that university can give you is a blessing for some people whereas, there are others who are less ready to take the step and need time to adjust. Cooking is a skill that not everyone has acquired when they get to university but it is vital that you keep a healthy diet and cook balanced meals unless you’re provided with them. Eating right will not only help keep your body in good shape but it will also help with working by keeping your heart and brain healthy for those long periods of lecture and study. It is said that in a days worth of food, a good balance should consist of around 40% of fruit and veg, as well as 40% of Carbohydrates (e.g Pasta and Rice). The other 20% of a balanced diet is split evenly between proteins, dairy and fat/sugar. For more help with focusing on creating a healthy meal plan and keeping to a healthy diet, Apps may be useful for tracking calories as well as other blog posts which go into more depth on this topic.

4. Sleep

The importance of sleep cannot be overlooked when trying to be healthy and keep up to date with deadlines and work that is being set. Students are likely to fall into the trap of having a more nocturnal sleeping schedule which may not only effect their work but also their mental health as sleeping during the day can lead to a cycle of negative health impacts. The charity ‘Mind’ suggests that a lack of sleep can lead to tiredness which then makes it difficult to complete normal daily tasks and gives you low self esteem. All of this coming together can make anyone worried and stressed which begins the cycle of a lack of quality sleep back to the start. Getting yourself into a routine, which includes getting up at a reasonable time, can help you to achieve your goals and leaves you with time to enjoy doing what you like to do in your free time. Not only will you be happier and more driven but the people around you will notice the change in you as well!

5.  Do what makes you happy!

Societal norms can be seen wherever you are, not just at university and it’s seen as ‘normal’ to follow the crowd and do as your peers do. University is a place to try new things and make new friends. Don’t be scared to join different groups and makes friends in lots of different places. When you let go of expectations and ideals that people expect of you and be who you want to be you are most likely going to become a happier, more positive version of yourself. University is a place for growth as lots of students have a new lease of life without restraints.  Keep your options open and do not let anyone tell you what you want to do, because in the end only you know what you want and there’s only one person that can get you where you want to go. Go out there and be yourself!

If you are planning on starting any form of rigorous physical exercise or new nutrition plan please see your doctor, especially if you are making a change like this and are over the age of 35, or have health conditions that may cause damage to your body from changes like this. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

 

 

 

 

Which Dieting method is for me?

Dieting. What is the best?

If you are here it is probably because you have tried dieting in the past and for some reason it has not worked for you. So here I will post about two different less commonly known diets and how each one works with details of the pros and cons of each to give you a more educated view on your next potential diet. Mainly this is because we all know that not everyone is the same, people have different tastes, different lifestyles and therefore not everyone’s diet will also be the same.

Atkins Diet.

The first diet is one which not everyone may have heard of but it is called the Atkins nutritional diet.  This diet focuses on the body’s insulin levels by trying to restrict the amount of carbohydrates entering the body.  With most people when the body takes in carbohydrates the bodies insulin levels increase and from this the amount of energy that is stored also increases. Therefore, by restricting the amount of carbs you take in this enables the body to not store excess energy which allows you to eat more foods containing protein and fats.

Pros.

By this diet only restricting one food group ( carbs) this allows you to eat all the other types of foods which are usually restricted in most diets such as cheese, meat and other high fat foods. Which we all can say is a big big bonus.

Another perk to using this diet is how you can eat whenever you want as long as the food is in the permitted group. This mean no more long breaks between food and you can just eat when your body is hungry. No more need to be Hangry.

If you are someone whose suffers from Type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that by having a more regulated insulin function this can help reduce and even sometimes reverse the effects of Type 2 diabetes by ” Controlling symptoms of metabolic syndrome.”

Cons.

Unfortunately like most things there can be drawbacks.

The first major thing which I will get out of the way first is the drop out level. Even for a diet which only removes one food group plenty of people choose not to stick to this diet and will move onto something new. Therefore if you are someone who struggles keeping your diet in check this might not be the best thing for you.

The Atkins diet is more of a  diet that is aimed at the short term. With the diet basically changing normal metabolic behaviour in the short term of less then 6 months this diet is one which shows the most weight lost. However if this is a diet you want to try for the long term understand that after 6 months the weight loss will be minimal and it may be best to slowly transition your way to another form of weight loss.

The Zone Diet.

This diet is one in which you might need your pen and paper out for this one.

So the Zone diet is one in which you need to calculate all the nutritional information of all the items you eat. 40% Carbs 30% fats and 30% protein. Now what this diet does is that it match’s your own bodily functions so like the Atkins diet it helps regulate your insulin levels in order to give you a more successful weight loss regime.

Pros.

This diet gives a better more ” balanced ” diet as there is not one specific food group that is restricted. This means that even though certain foods would have to be eaten in small less frequent occasions it is still possible to do so if done correctly. So if you are someone who will just not give up chocolate you do not have to.

This diet is more universal as you do not have to have any animal products to meet your protein level. Therefore if you are vegetarian or vegan or just don’t particularly like animal products you do not have to. However  word of warning some of the top brands in vegetarian food do have a very high carbohydrate level, and even some would have too high a level for this diet. Therefore this is something to look out for.

Cons.

Now I bet some of you have just scrolled past this bit as I have said it requires some tracking. Unfortunately this is one of them diets when you have to read all the packaging in order to correctly figure out your allowance for each meal. Even something as a snack will require calculations. So if you are someone who does not want to be reading and solving maths problems just to eat I would not recommend this diet.

Now If you don’t mind getting your calculator out from time to time another negative to this diet is how you are not restricted to a particular food group. However you are restricted to certain items within each category. For example with proteins you are more then welcome to eat chicken breasts and other lean pale meats, but if you are a big fan of steak or other organ meats ( yes not steak and kidney pies) then these are not foods which would help this diet.

Dieting as a whole.

I know some of you who have go to this bit may be sceptical about trying a new diet, or one which is not as common as some others. I would ALWAYS recommend that if one of these diets is something you are planning on going for please check with your doctor first as they would be able to give a more educated and personal recommendation rather then just a blog on a website.

Just think reading up on this is the first step on achieving your goal.

Stay safe everyone.

5 Healthy snacks you can eat on the Go.

 

A guide to well-being mentally and physically throughout lockdown.

When it comes to being healthy, looking after your mental health and well-being is just as vital as looking after your physical wellbeing. From nutritional advice to routines here are is our guide to looking after your wellbeing and mental health throughout lockdown.

With numerous lockdowns and restrictions, the world we live in today can feel quite strange, draining, and hard to grasp a routine of everyday life. With new social media tribes forming from fitness fanatics to self-care gods and goddesses, we can take one crucial observation from lockdown, self-care and wellbeing are vital. It’s completely normal to feel uneased and not yourself in this day and age of a global pandemic. Still, there are ways you can take care of your wellbeing and help manage your mental health. With clinically approved information from the NHS “Every Mind Matters” page, Mind, and expert advice we have put together some advice and tips on how to stay positive and manage your wellbeing all throughout lockdown.


Stay Connected
Staying connected to friends, family and people that help you stay positive can be a great help during lockdowns and can support others too. Talking about your feelings can help you reset your mind and lift that weight off your shoulders. Sometimes anxious thoughts can be changed from a simple conversation and getting out how you feel. Social contact is excellent for your mental health, whether through a phone/video call, voice note or little message. Social bonding and talking to others can release the hormone oxytocin, releasing a positive mental state.

There are many ways to stay in touch and talk about your feelings, from arranged group calls, quiz nights, and catch-ups. These are ideas that can help break up the day and help you stay connected. With lockdown along came the benefits of the internet and digital apps, keeping us connected. Streaming services such as Netflix now have watch parties where you watch films and shows with friends and family whilst talking. Social activities and talking can bring a positive impact on your well-being. Connecting with others can make a huge difference, be sure to check in on yourself and others as talking it out is always a good start.


Balanced Diet
We have all seen lockdown pasta and baking trends emerge from our time spent in isolation and as much as we agree on treating ourselves and listen to what our body wants we also believe in nurturing our bodies from a healthy and balanced diet. The way we eat can affect our wellbeing and even our mental health, a great way to eating a balanced diet and mindful eating is to plan meals and look through recipes that your body and mind can benefit from. Cooking from scratch and cutting or lowering your processed food intake can also be beneficial, learning to cook or making things at home is also a great hobby and activity to do during the lockdown. Here we have a few recommendations for mindful eating, from healthy breakfasts to mood-boosting recipes. Listen to what your body needs and keep your diet as colorful as possible. Hydration is also important, our bodies need water to stay healthy and hydrated.

By Victoria Soanes

Create A Lockdown Routine
With lockdowns and isolation changing your everyday life routines, it can be quite hard to adapt to a new schedule and change from the shift of motivation to working and studying. How can we stay motivated? With most of us now working from home, we may find it hard to concentrate or create a weekly schedule. Here are some ideas to help keep you motivated and build your lockdown schedule. 

– Tailor your schedule to your interests and priorities: We all have different preferences, whether it be work or fitness. It’s always good to note down things you find are essential in your life. 


– Follow a morning routine: When adapting to working from homework or education-based, it is essential to keep a morning routine that can help put you into a working mindset. Start with a time you are happy to wake up to every day, get ready for the day, make breakfast, arrange a workspace, and set out times that suit your work schedule. Always allocate breaks for yourself too!


–  Find moments for yourself: Whether this is through meditation, walking or exercising and self-care. Taking some time out of your schedule to tune into what you need is healthy.


– Start the day with a to-do list: If you don’t like to follow schedules, another great alternative is to start the day with a to-do list, you can add to it throughout the day. Alternatively, you can start your day off with a morning tea or coffee and write down what you want to achieve and do on that day.

 
– Give yourself breaks! : It is essential when trying to fill the day up, look after yourself. The pandemic doesn’t mean you have to stay productive and distracted, and it’s okay to switch off. Also, to take a breather, you’re doing great!


At Home Workouts & Exercise

When it comes to staying fit and healthy through lockdown it can seem like a struggle due to the closure of gyms and outdoors sports, however we can take this as an opportunity to discover at home workouts and local beauty spots outside our front door. From walking and running to home workouts and yoga, we’ve got all your fitness needs covered with our workout guides.

FITNESS APPS TO MAKE EXERCISING AT HOME EASIER
THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE FOR MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING


Make A Playlist

Sometimes creating playlists to suit a mood or feeling can really add some positivity to your day, creating a workout playlist can also be really beneficial to getting in the right mood to exercise.

How to make the best exercise playlist

Sleep Routine

Getting a good nights sleep and a healthy sleep routine is essential when it comes to wellbeing and mental health, we rely on sleep to reset us and get us prepared for the next day physically and mentally. Here are some guides to help aid sleep and get a healthy sleep schedule.

THE SLEEP AND EXERCISE RELATIONSHIP
THE IMPACT OF SLEEP ON HEALTH AND WELLBEING


Taking Time Out For Yourself


Taking a break is so important during lockdown, whether it is through a pamper night or catching up on your favorite show. Here are some ideas of self-care that can promote a healthy mindset and encourage wellbeing.

Journaling: The powers of journaling can help reduce stress, boosts our moods, and helps strengthen our emotional functions. You can start journaling with notes on your phone or you can get creative and by a journal and personalize it to your liking. We believe writing how you feel or what you got up to in the day is really therapeutic and can help guide us into a healthy mindset.

Self-care: Self-care can be whatever you want it to be, from a homemade spa night to meditation. Taking time out of your life to look after yourself can promote a balanced mindset and help keep a positive mental state.

Start a new hobby: Creative and interactive hobbies help us stay focused and also can distract us in a healthy way from any negative impact lockdowns have created. Hobbies such as writing, painting, cooking, or even gaming can help give us that escape we need.

Meditation & Yoga: Meditation and practicing yoga can help both your physical and mental state, encoring wellbeing and a healthy way to unwind. Yoga and meditation can even be practiced through reaching techniques, here are some of our yoga-based articles that may help.

YOGA EQUIPMENT ESSENTIALS

Overall, this is a tough time and we are all dealing with the impact of lockdown differently. You are doing great though, keep up the good work and stay strong!

The secret to get rid of your phone and keep motivated during the exercise

Do you suffer from phone addiction during your sport exercise? Do you check your phone a lot with  curiosity, afterwards you lose your motivation to continue? You answer a call from your friend or text messages and you don’t become ready to take more pressure when you return to exercise?  Is that what’s worrying you?

Already Realizing that you have a phone addiction problem is the first step to getting rid of it. Here are 5 tips for you to get a great workout:

  1. Spend your time with other useful things while you rest:

The dependent person usually suffers from a lot of emptiness and boredom when resting during exercise, so prolonged use of the smartphone negatively affects mental health and increases feelings of frustration and hopelessness, causing the nervous system to have periods of rest that exceed the required duration. The ideal is to keep busy with things that do not exceed the rest period, such as a small discussion with the coach or a colleague to fill the void and pass the time.

2.Use a phone armband during your exercise:

If you want to change a habit you first have to create obstacles that will block you, for example you have to block access to using the phone with simple things like a training armband to get rid of unnecessary uses that make you want to have more, such as social networking sites. Indeed, putting the phone back in the armband after each use is a tiring thing, so you will be lazy to do it and it is an ideal way to get rid of phone addiction. In addition, the cuff is the ideal choice for holding the phone when you exercise with freedom of movement, you need to find a flexible and very comfortable model. The most practical thing is to opt for a armband that does not squeeze too tightly in order to carry out the exercises correctly. It should not be an annoying accessory for you and should also have a sweat-absorbing capacity.

3.The gloves provide complete finger protection:

If you are wondering how to stop this addiction to the phone during your exercise, you must continue to create obstacles to break this bad habit, because getting rid of it starts in the mind before the body, so that you create obstacles, your brain will persuade the body to stop repeating the mistakes. In addition to empowerment, the gloves will also give you a reduction in tiredness, support and help you fight the sweat resulting from your exercise. Moreover, with gloves, it is practically impossible to operate your phone, it is very unpleasant to have to take off your gloves to pick up the phone or consult social networks for nothing. We recommend gloves with full finger protection
4.Keep the selfies until the end of the exercise:

If your addiction to the phone during your exercise is because of the selfies, because you take a lot of pictures and at the end you are not motivated, you shouldn’t blame and judge yourself because all these things seem normal and repeated in our daily life, in order to document happy moments and share them with those we love, to become a group of beautiful memories, but we just recommend that you learn how to take pictures at the end of the exercise and at the end of each exercise, try to give yourself the opportunity to feel the feeling of relaxation, leave everything, relax on the floor and feel the effect of the exercise on your body, and make sure that you only return to this exercise in order to feel this feeling again before you even think about taking a selfie.

5.Desactivate notifications

Application notifications on the smartphone are one of the most important reasons that make you look at your phone’s screen continuously and repeatedly throughout the exercise, which can be classified as addictive phone use, so to get rid of this problem, you need to set or disable all application notifications on your phone. Indeed, if your phone does not ring repeatedly for notifications and updates, it will be easy to ignore it. You can only set an alert for important notifications, such as text messages from your family. The ideal is to distract yourself with anything when playing sports, and in this case meditation exercises are very ideal, whatever sport you do, always try to distract your attention from the pain the exercise causes you, and kill two birds with one stone.

Addiction to the smartphone will not be eliminated between a session or two, but rather requires a bit of patience and will gradually reduce usage, so remember that you need to live your life outside the screen of your smartphone and enjoy the moment of sport, enjoy meeting people with you at the gym, make new friends and accomplish the tasks of the session to the fullest. We recommend that you bring a friend who trains with you, this will ensure that you never give up exercising, it will motivate you and push you to keep going, so we always advise you to choose the right friend, a friend who is a sports fan, to join you and exercise with you, and when we say it’s appropriate, anyone who is full of energy and vitality and loves to spend time with him or her, and in this way you will love to exercise and avoid using the phone at all times out of respect and to spend time with your chosen friend.

 

 

How Do Esports Athletes Stay in Shape? A Guide To Balancing Fitness & Competitive Gaming

It’s the roaring 20s and being a gamer is cooler than ever. Long gone are the days of video games being blamed for violence and laziness in modern society, now many professional gamers are influencers with large followings, fashion brand-deals and highly regimented training/fitness routines.

Cloud9’s 2016 CS:GO Roster

But how can you keep your body healthy when your livelihood involves sitting in front of a screen playing video games for multiple hours a day? Let’s explore the world of e-athletes and fitness.

As investment into the world of esports increases exponentially year on year, one of the areas that has emerged recently is esports performance analysis. By using sports psychology techniques seen in traditional sports, esports teams and players are chasing that edge to put them ahead of the competition. In esports, the difference between a won game and a lost one can come down to the finest details such as being a couple milliseconds faster to react than your opponent. Research has suggested there is a link between fitness and reaction times, staying true to the commonly thrown around idea of “healthy body, healthy mind”. The evidence is there to show that staying fit and healthy positively affects a person’s mental health and therefore improves their efficacy in whatever it is they may be doing.

Companies that specialise in esports performance have started popping up over the past couple years, most prominent of which are the Canadian based Adamas and Gscience, a UK based firm that offers athlete performance services on top of public resources designed to educate gamers on how to stay fit and ahead of the game.

Further to the resources available on their website, Gscience, much like Adamas, offer in-person and online performance coaching. The performance psychology techniques they employ are also seen in traditional sports, there is a lot of emphasis on teamwork, leadership and “developing a culture of excellence”. The agencies create bespoke training/fitness programmes for the esports teams they work with, Adamas operates out of a state-of-the-art facility near Vancouver that houses the same performance training equipment that you may find at a premier league football club.

Another topic that comes hand-in-hand with performance analysis is nutrition, gamers aren’t exactly famed for having good eating habits but is that changing? Getting a balanced diet is one of the key aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and everyone should give some thought to what they are putting in their bodies. By eating healthier food, you’re helping your body by function better by having a higher endurance and improved mental abilities.  On top of eating a healthy diet, now nutrition products for specific lifestyles exist, Nutrition21 has created “NooLVL”, a unique ingredient they claim increases cognitive performance in esports players.

One of the main health problems gamers face is a reliance on caffeine for performance, and while consuming a moderate amount of caffeine ought to be safe, consuming it at the rates that some gamers are infamous for can lead to serious health concerns. Replacing caffeine with healthy eating and exercise isn’t always easy but it is the best way to chase those often much needed endorphins.

So now you know how the pros stay on top of their game, what can we learn from them? And what should you be doing if you’re an aspiring esports athlete who is concerned their body may suffer as a result?

A good starting point would be creating a simple performance plan for yourself, this can be something as basic as allocating time slots for gaming sessions, in between mealtimes and physical exercise, making sure to take regular breaks when gaming. You should aim to do at least 20 minutes of active exercise most days to make up for intense competitive gaming sessions. Players’ heart rates can get up to as high as 160-180bpm when competing, this can cause serious complications as heart rates should not be so high while sedentary. Many gamers exert themselves mentally in a very similar way to high-performance athletes, those sorts of heart rates are typically seen in athletes exercising at full speed. https://readyesports.com/can-you-actually-train-for-esports/

When creating a plan, be sure to set goals for yourself. You could try to set yourself at least one fitness goal and one gaming goal each week.

Another thing to consider is physiotherapy and injury prevention, a great resource for this is Dr Levi Harrison on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiRC80FJbHU&ab_channel=DrLeviHarrison

Dr. Levi

He produces videos on specific exercises that gamers can do to stay ahead of the game and avoid injury, many professional gamers have suffered from wrist injuries which have lead to them having to take an extended break from competition. The wrist is the gamer’s hamstring.

Ultimately, getting/staying in shape is a mental battle as much as it is a physical one and everyone should dedicate a fair amount of thought to it and figure out what works best for them. This same mental battle applies to competitive gaming or sports, gaining a competitive advantage through lifestyle choices is the future of esports. Being an athlete is about so much more than being the best at whatever it is you do, it is a lifestyle. Up to now this has not translated fully to esports but as agencies like Gscience and Adamas continue breaking ground in the industry, we are likely going to see a major shift towards developing an e-athlete lifestyle centred around maximising performance.

So, now is as good of a time as any to start looking after your body and improve your gameplay whilst you’re at it. Start today by creating your plan, even if that simply involves taking more regular breaks and exercising for a few minutes each day, you will feel the mental and physical benefits.

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