Friday 17 September 2010

Self-Help guide; How to boost your confidence!

These are a few simple tips you can follow, to merely help you gain confidence. Without it, we're practically nothing. More confidence means a better academic, social & mental state!

1: Posture; Stand up tall! Weirdly, this actually plays a big role in how confident we feel, but mainly how confident others portray us as. If you walk around like a hunch back, hiding your head away, you don't seem a very sociable or approachable person, so stand up straight and walk around confidently!

2: Smile! Even at the worst of times! More friends means more confidence, and nobody wants to be friends with someone that's dull and boring! Show the world how happy and eccentric you are!

3: Take care of your physical appearance, no matter what you look like! Look after yourself; You cannot necessarily change your body's natural features, however you can do many things in order for you to seem more 'attractive', ultimately boosting confidence!:
Dress nicely- invest in some new clothes, look at the latest fashions and see what you do to make a new you! You'll feel much more confident in your sleek new gear!
Get in shape- If you're overweight, losing some weight could be the solution for you. If you're underweight, then gaining some muscle might be for you. But no matter which boat you're in, increasing your physical capability by getting in shape will definitely make you feel more confident! (see some of my other blogs for excellent teen workouts!)

4: Make others happy! A large percentage of your own happiness comes from those around you's happiness. Make your friends happy, be kind and generous and you'll get it in return. This gives senses of achievement and positivity, boosting your confidence! :)

5: Be organised. This might seem a bit off-topic right? But if you're unorganised, then that feeling that you know you have to do something looms in the back of your head, and then you don't focus as well due to negative thoughts. If you stay on top of everything, it allows you to relax, and knowing you can relax and have a stress-free life, will NO DOUBT increase your confidence! :)

Thanks for reading, check out my other blogs, and share with your friends! :)

Thursday 16 September 2010

Advice for teens on how to help do better in your GCSE tests etc!

Right, I was in fast-track maths, and therefore had to do my Maths GCSE a year early, and looking back on it, I can spot all my flaws and needed improvements, and I want to share them on here for those of you about to do your GCSE courses.

Firstly, Make sure on all classwork you do, you include a title and date. Seriously, when It comes to revision you need to be able to scan through your books and find the relevant info. I am the worst at titling my work, and I literally had so much trouble revising due to my un-organised exercise book.

Pay attention in class, and make some notes even when not asked to-
Remember this; You can do all the revision in the world, and your grades won't be as good as if paid attention during lessons. Everything in the exam is covered in class, so make notes on everything, and then the revision you do from sites such as BBC bite-size etc will just be a bonus to help ensure you get that A/A*!
I cannot stress this enough, MAKE notes during class and keep your work neat and organised, and you're sorted!

If you don't understand something, see your teacher about it for one measly lunch time. You'll survive without 40minutes of banter. Think about it, one thing you don't understand would take around 5minutes to explain, so in a simple lunchtime where there are no friends to distract you, you could get a whole months worth done!

Keep it neat and organised. If you take pride in your work, it motivates you to do more work, and when using it to revise, it will be easier to navigate through and more efficient for your revision. Make sure it's all categorised etc so you know what to revise for in the exam.

Make sure you have a revision guide. They explain briefly about every topic you cover, so if there's something your unsure about, the revision guide can give you the boost you need for the tests etc.

And remember, eat breakfast and drink water! Your brain can't cope without them! :(

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Teen workouts - Getting protein into your diet. Guide to getting fitter and stronger and speeding up muscle growth!

This isn't going to be a very detailed post of mine, so I'll get straight to the point.

Muscle growth occurs due to muscles tearing, and then repairing. Protein basically speeds up the repair time, and also enhances the results slightly, and unlike any supplements such as creatine etc, it's completely natural!

To get more protein into your diet, here are foods you need to consume more of;

1: Milk- Whether it's Full-Fat, Semi-Skimmed or Skimmed milk, the protein intake is still large, and therefore a if a large amount of milk is consumed per day, muscle mass will increase significantly.

2: Fish- Even if it's fish fingers, the protein is still there, and quite a lot of it. Try and get as much fish as you can.

3: Meats (Chicken & Beef especially)- All meats are rich in protein, and beef/steak even has some naturally occurring creatine, which would largely increase muscle size and strength, without the use of any unnatural supplements!

4: Eggs- No need for explanation really, eggs are high in protein, especially raw egg whites!

5: Beans- This get's overlooked a lot this does, But a tin of beans has around 20grams of protein in it! That's alot!

6: Protein Shakes/Bars- Yes they are a supplement, however as it is merely extra protein, there is nothing unnatural about it, however it simply increases your ability to have a balanced diet. Have protein shakes pre and post workout, and with meals! :)



SIMPLES! Share with your friends, comment, follow, whateverr!:)

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Teen workouts - Upper Body exercises. Guide to getting fitter and stronger and achieving a bigger, broader you!

First things first, you're going to need some weights.


Now with that in mind, here are some exercises you can do to increase your upper-body muscle mass and strength!;


1. Shoulder Pressing- A very simple technique, and very effective for building up the shoulders, lats and traps. Simply hold the weights around your chest, and push upwards in a controlled manner until your arms are straight above your head. You want to be doing between 8-12 reps.


2. Bench Pressing- (If you don't have a bench, use the floor). Simply lie on the floor/bench, and hold the weights above your chest, and carefully push upwards, maintaining a controlled physique throughout. Once again, 8-12 reps is ideal.

3. Bicep Curls- Typical exercise that comes to mind when we think about exercising. Simply hold the weights down low around your waist area, and then curl the bar round to your chest so that you feel the burn in your bicep muscles and possibly your forearms. 8-12 reps.



4. Press/Push-Ups- The good old fashioned push-up. Do it correctly and it'll probably be your best exercise for building up general body strength. Keep your body straight, arms wide apart, and lower your body down until your face is almost at the floor, maintaining and completely straight physique from start to finish. 8-12 reps.


5. Shrugs- Hold the weights with your arms straight down, around your waist area. Then, slowly and controlled, shrug your shoulders up, keeping your arms straight. If done correctly you will feel a burn around your traps (between your two shoulders, around your neck).


There are MANY more exercises, however all they will do is focus the same muscle groups in different ways, so I'd work on perfecting these core exercises before trying anything fancy.



Monday 13 September 2010

Self-Help guide; How to cure Anxiety and/or Paranoia. Stop worrying, start thinking positive!

Let's cut to the chase;
Nobody likes living constantly in the fear of the future. Being a nervous wreck. Worrying, about nothing.
Here are some things you can do at home to help fight them feelings of paranoia and anxiety:


1. Whenever a worrying thought comes into your mind, argue with it, then focus your mind on something else. For example, if the worry was that you might have lost a certain someone, think to yourself quickly the reasons why you WON'T have lost that person, and come to terms with the fact that you're just being 'paranoid'. Then quickly block the thoughts out.


2. Slightly stronger minded? Don't even bother arguing with your thoughts and worries. They're not worth it. As soon as they arrive, yell Stop! in your head. Even shout it out if necessary ha! The second you've shouted stop, instantly go on to do something else to drown the thoughts. Thinking about your worries won't make them any better. The only way to recovery is to forget them. (Yes, it is hard, but be strong!)


3. Distract yourself! Whenever you have 'spare time', make sure you're always content with something. If you're sensible, do some coursework! However, if you're not so sensible, like the majority of us, then play a game like CoD or something, anything that requires concentration. We have to block the worrying thoughts until you overcome them. This means following techniques 1 & 2, and then following this technique in order to almost completely block out your thoughts.


4. Optimistic thinking, don't be pessimistic, don't even be realistic! When ever we worry, we think about the bad things that may happen... Think over the other thousands of positive possibilities. They're just as likely if not way more likely to occur than the negative thinking. So why worry? It's not going to change the outcome and you need to learn that.. You might as well think optimistically and then you can live happily.


Hope this helps :) Remember to share this with your friends, and to follow me!

Teen workouts - Ab exercises. Guide to getting fitter and stronger and achieving six-pack abs!

A "six-pack" is not something that comes easily, I can tell you that now. It takes a lot of patience and determination, and there is no exercise nor product that will get you six-pack abs in under a couple of months, so don't be fooled!


Now with that in mind, let's move onto the exercises;

1. Crunches- Quite obviously the crunch exercise is the exercise that first comes to mind when thinking about the Abs. However it can be a highly effective way to train them if done correctly. Remember to place your hands on your temples, and slowly lift up to about a 35degree angle, and stay looking up towards to ceiling. Take around 3 seconds per crunch, to ensure that you really feel the burn.



2. Reverse Crunches- An exercise which many people have their own take on how to do it, however the method I believe most effective is as follows; Get in a crunch position, however look forward at your legs. Bring your legs forwards towards your chest and then kick up into the air til' your legs are about straight, then pull them back down to your chest and kick out straight ahead of you. Repeat this motion. It is quite an intense and complex exercise for abs, however if done properly, will be very effective. Also, it is recommended that you put your hands under your waist/behind, for essential back support.

3. Bicycle Crunches- You probably hear about these a lot, and they are supposedly the best exercise for achieving six-pack abs, however I believe that they only work when fitted into a routine with other ab exercises included. However for these you bring your legs up to a 90degree angle, and face towards your knees. Put your hands on your temples, and then start moving your legs as if you were peddling a bicycle. When your left knee comes forward, take your right elbow towards your left knee, and so forth.



4. The Plank- A very simple technique for this exercise, and is also highly effective in toning your abdominal muscles, especially when used nearer the end of a workout. Simple get in a sort of Push-up position, but with your elbows on the floor. Face forward and keep your body in the air in an entirely straight line. Ideally this is done for 30seconds to 1minute. (Also try side-planks where you lean on one elbow with your body completely to the side)



There are many many other methods, however I personally have never found the need for them. Whenever you do a crunch/sit-up type exercise, for some sets it is crucial that you do alternative sides rather than going straight up to the centre each time. This way your whole set of abdominals should get trained evenly, giving more efficient results!



Remember; No abs will show if there is a layer of fat covering them. A solid 50% of achieving visible, strong abs, is undergoing often cardiovascular exercises such as Jogging/Running, Jumping Jacks, Burpees etc, and also maintaining a healthy balanced diet with a high amount of protein intake!


Thanks for reading, Please leave comments on your thoughts, and any other blogs you may like to see in the future. If you enjoyed, please take the time to share this with your friends and follow me :) <3