Knowledge Does Not Mean Understanding

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I have written before about the horrible effects that concussions can have on any individual. The issue today though is that I have come to an understanding that concussions are simply not taken seriously with most of society. I came to this conclusion after having a discussion with my mother the other day about a conversation she had with a parent of a student athlete.

We were talking like we normally do each day, just discussing school and news of home. She brought to my attention a conversation she had that day about a parent who's child had recently received a concussion. Now my mother has seen what ill effects years of multiple concussions have had on me, and naturally she is quite concerned when she hears of someone else receiving them. The part of the conversation that concerned her the most was the parents lack of any sort of emotion regarding their child having a concussion. They simply just brushed off the thought, saying "children get them all the time, no big deal." After she told this to me I was quite upset, because in fact the younger an individual is when the receive a concussion, the longer it takes for them to recover. Most researchers believe this to be due to the lack of maturity that the brain has at the time of injury. Now I basically stopped growing at eighteen years of age, and when I received my last severe concussion I was twenty-one. Now my brain is fully matured, but it did take me a better part of a year to fully recovery. I still have residual effects like short term memory loss, difficulty processing words, vertigo, and headaches just to name a few. These I do not consider major compared to the issues that used to effect me. Now those "small side effects" may sound like a concern to some, correct? If the answer is yes, then the issue of concussions within children should be taken more seriously then it is, because with children these side effects could be even greater! They could in fact permanently damage a child's future! I have given great thought to trying to further people's understanding of how concussions can impact a life. My Grandfather and father always tell me, "You only get one mind, you only get one body. Take care of them, because they need to last you a lifetime." I feel as though my future as an educator is going to take on a larger role than just teaching students how to become physically educated individuals. I really want to be an advocate for making people aware about the harmful effects concussions can have, especially on children. This way parents like the one I described will understand the dangers, and how to be proactive against getting concussions. 

Knowledge about concussions is one thing, but understanding what they are and the impact that they can have a person is another! Understanding, and being proactive is the key to a brighter future!

Performance Enhancing Drugs in High School?

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Now when many people think of High School sports they think of it being as a time of development. This is a time in which young students are able to develop movement based skills, as well as create strong character, and social bonds. This though, I feel is starting to not become the main purpose of High School athletics. The pressure that is being put on these athletes at a such a young age is increasing drastically, in turn the length that some students athletes will go to in order to succeed is changing.

Believe it, or not performance enhancing drugs are becoming prevalent among High School athletes just for this very reason. These pressures to succeed have driven many athletes to drugs such as creatine, which is mild in comparison to anabolic steroids, and pro-hormones such as DHEA which are precursors to anabolic steroids. According to the MAYO Clinic other reasons as to why High School aged students may take these drugs is due to poor body image, a desire to gain muscle, and of course peer and parental expectations. When I was in High School steroids were in fact present, but I was brought up by my Step-Father to think of performance enhancing drugs as being as bad as other illegal substances, so I stayed away from them. I could see the dramatic effects that it had on some of my peers, increasing their size and strength tremendously within short periods of time. I always felt a pride in myself though, knowing that I was able to perform naturally, and never had to resort to that type of supplement. Some though are not genetically geared toward strength and size, and this they feel is their only route. As a parent and teacher one most educate their children on the ill effects steroids can have on their body and health. They must be held to a standard, and be accountable for their actions if they do in fact choose to go this route, (example, quitting the team). Also as a parent and teacher you must know what the warning signs look like for students who are using performance enhancing drugs, such as a drastic change in attitude, increased musculature, and "moon" face just to name a few. As a physical educator though you must educate your students about these risks, and stand as a role model so that students do not fall into groups that are using these performance enhancing drugs. 

Why Should I be a Role Model to My Students?

Developing The Program

Check out the blog I made for this program! http://www.liftingmadeeasy.blogspot.com/

Is ADHD Truly the Cause?

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ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a term that many people know. This popularity though has come about quite quickly, from what was once an unheard of label not too many years ago. Now this makes me wonder, is there something happening with our youth physically causing them to acquire this cognitive disorder, or is there another reason.
I believe that many of the children that have been diagnosed with ADHD have been in fact misdiagnosed, either not having the condition, or possibly having another underlying condition that mimics that of ADHD. Now for a student to truly be diagnosed with ADHD I believe that the characteristics must be shown not only within the schooling environment, but throughout the daily life of the individual. I feel this way because if a child in school shows disinterest, or are always acting out in class this may mean that either they do in fact have ADHD, or simply that the material that they are learning is not interesting to them, or too easy. Now this recent rise of students with ADHD may also reflect a teacher, or parents quest for perfection within the child. An intolerance of "child-like" behaviors on the adults part may be to blame. So in order for the parent or teacher to regain control of that child their first instinct is "give them a pill," "the quick fix." Now this relates more to a "Pill Based Society," which I will discuss in later articles, but I feel as though this mentality does play a large role in context of this subject. So if this plays a large role, what must change? Well the answer is the teacher, or the parent. As a teacher one must accommodate for that student, and their needs, making a more learning friendly environment. Even for the child that truly does have ADHD, it is not that they do not wish to learn, but it is their bodies that are hindering them from doing so. Teaching techniques must be employed during these types of situations. Allowing the student to move in class, or you moving with the student. As a teacher you must be versatile, do not allows be so quick to blame the child. In fact it may be you that is to blame. Be a reflective teacher, and always adapt, this is what must be done to be successful and influence as many students as possible for the better.

Can Diet Affect Autism?

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Autism which was once a lesser known type of cognitive impairment, only being present in 1 out of 1000 children is now seen in 1 out of 110 children. The cause for autism is still unknown, and is highly debated among individuals within the medical field. Now autism is a cognitive impairment that can never be cured, but the life and functioning of an individual living with autism can be changed for the better.

Now an article written by the "Discovery Health and Fit" website states that by altering the environment, and diet of an individual living with autism can actually cause ability within that individual to improve. They state that along with occupational therapy, and other types of treatment a proper diet and regulated environment can actually have a synergistic effect, building on one another to compound their effectiveness. They state that actual food, and not processed items are best, due to the susceptibility individuals living with autism have to gastrointestinal problems. They also state that a healthy environment is key, trying to take away as many chemicals that one may become in contact with as possible. Another, more invasive type of health procedure that they state may be beneficial to individuals living with autism would be "chelation therapy." This therapy helps to remove heavy metals from the body, in turn detoxifying the individual. 

I can speak from experience how a healthy diet, and clean environment can have a profound effect on cognitive functioning. When I was sick for the months after my concussion I found that a healthy diet was key in order to function regularly throughout the day. People cannot truly understand this effect until it becomes a direct presence in your life. This is why I thought it was necessary to share this article, because many people should be aware of how environmental and dietary factors can play a role in health and wellness. 

Tabata...What is That?

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Tabata, or what is commonly referred to as "High Intensity Interval Training" is what I believe to be the future of cardiovascular fitness techniques.Today within my 470 class this type of training was reintroduced to me by my professor, Dr. StephenYang. I had known about this type of trainingpreviously through research I had done for an in-depth exercise routine written months prior.
This type of training involves, as the name may lead to, a period of high intensity exercise followed by a short rest, this process repeats for as long as needed. HIIT is done in accordance with a 2:1 ratio, meaning for how ever long work is performed a rest of half the working time is given. This allows for a quick recovery to be had, but not so long of one that the the body gets out the target working zone for cardiovascular fitness. A term I have found that is correlated to HIIT is the "after burn" effect. This term describes how HIIT if done for prolonged periods actually keeps the metabolism of the body going throughout the day, essentially "burning" off fat when no exercise is being done. Rich and I performed these types of workouts with our wrestlers this past season. Rich is a "Team Beachbody" instructor, and his knowledge of HIIT is quite extensive. These high intensity cardiovascular, as well as muscular periods greatly mimic that of real life situations found in wrestling, and this is why we thought it was a great conditioning exercise for our wrestlers. The training did show on the mat, this year our cardiovascular endurance was greater then that of any opponent. I contribute this to the HIIT training performed by Rich.
HIIT is a great type of exercise that is valuable to all. As one can see its uses are almost limitless, from personal fitness all the way to benefits in the classroom as a type of mind and body stimuli. The knowledge is out there, all you have to do is be willing to accept, and apply it!