THE MIND AND BODY OF MAN

There have been many great thinkers of our time that have given great thought as to the nature of the human body.  Does the body itself think, or does it receive instruction and guidance to something else, what one might term, the mind? Does the mind exist, but is it one and the same as the human body? Is the mind simply the human brain, with each synapse representing a separate thought or emotion? Or is it something invisible, something divine, something that cannot yet be fully understood by current thinkers? Let us explore these theories and the philosophers behind them, beginning with one of the greatest thinkers of all time.

5 THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR GOING INTO 2011

I don't really have any New Year's Resolutions for 2011 (and I'll explain why in a little bit), so instead of creating a list comprised of that, I'm going to create a list of things that occurred for me in 2010 that I'm thankful for having going into 2011. The US has Thanksgiving for lists like this, but since we don't celebrate that in my country, I guess January 1st is the best place to have it.

1. I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions

HOW TO KEEP YOUR ENERGY LEVELS UP

Ever get down in the dumps and have a terrible energy crash in the middle of the afternoon and wonder why each day is regularly 24 hours long? I mean, how the heck can people stay up that long? There must be a mistake in the design of the universe! Well, instead of complaining about the metaphysical could-have-been’s in your head, why not instead take a look at the physical should-be’s in yourself:

1. QUIT COFFEE

What? Quit coffee? But that’s the only thing that’s actually keeping my energy levels up! Yeah .. about that. Caffeine – heavy drinks can be alright for some people as an easy pick-me-up at the start of the day, but when it wears off, it leaves (at least most people) with a terrible energy crash. Caffeine charges you up for hours on end about a half hour after consuming it, but then leaves you weak and lazy for almost the same amount of time. And, if you’re anything like me, it can cause annoying headaches during this period as well.

I actually bought into the whole “you need coffee to function” for a few years, but then wised up, and noticed that it was actually doing more harm than good. It can supercharge you for a while, but then it leaves you so devastated afterward, plus the fact that it can cause sleeplessness more often than not really doesn’t make a few hours of high energy activity worth it to me. Besides, I found that if you follow the rest of the tips in this article, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with those overpriced cups of hot liquid in the first place.

Oh, and yes, I realize that not all people get these sorts of reactions from drinking loads of caffeine. Good for them, but they should at least realize that caffeine is truly addicting, and that if they’re drinking too much on a regular basis, it could cause permanent damage to the digestive system. In that sense, I really don’t think coffee is all that worth it.

REQUIREMENTS TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT

Are you exercising all day and night and still feel look and feel like a weak, little kitten? Well, physical activity is definitely an important requirement to being physically fit, but it’s not the only requirement. If you’re constantly exercising but fail to see any noticeable results, then maybe it’s time to look at some other factors in your life:

1. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The human body is meant to move. It is not meant to just sit or lie around all day and be idle. If it used as such, its internal systems become weaker and weaker over time because of constant disuse. Muscles, bones, and so on become weaker and the body becomes more susceptible to various diseases.

2. PROPER NUTRITION 

Food is the fuel for the human body, and quality definitely counts. The better quality food, the better your body will react to it and the healthier it will become. Attaining a balanced amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats is key to healthy living. Feed the body junk and it will react accordingly. Attempt to stay from processed foods such as fast food and feed the body ingredients that are as natural as possible. Plenty of vegetables and good quality protein such as chicken breast and fish are what the body needs.

HOW TO MEMORIZE ANATOMY

As you can see via the “About Me” blurb on the right side of this page, I’m currently a graduate student at one of the major universities in my country, studying Human Movement Science. As such, I am required to memorize human anatomy in order to properly apply the theories and techniques that I pick up.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you have a VERY difficult time memorizing much of human anatomy, especially since, as professionals, we’re required to know details up to the cellular level. How the heck do you memorize all those weird Latin words that never stick to your head, no matter how many hours you spend trying to hammer them into your consciousness? Let’s say you do eventually manage to cram them all in, but forget at least 90% after taking your first long exam. Isn’t it frustrating to realize that you used up what probably amounted to several days’ hard work, only to waste it all away after a sixty minute test?

Yup, that was me a few months ago. But then, something rather interesting happened: I discovered Memory Master. I found it highly recommended through several sites in the web and I decided to try it out. After a few months of using it, I can absolutely say that it indeed does work. Not only will you be able to easily memorize pretty much any odd word attached to a plethora of difficult definitions, you’ll make them stick too.

The basic premise is that you need to come up with a silly, cartoon–like image for any word, phrase, or even number in order to retain it to memory. The image has to be so silly that you’ll pretty much have a difficult time forgetting it. I’ll give some very specific examples beginning in the next paragraph, but I highly recommend you read through the entire Memory Master system first. Otherwise, you can just check out the rest of this article to at least get a taste of what this technique’s all about.

HOW STREET FIGHTER CHANGED MY LIFE

Okay, I just bought Super Street Fighter IV, played a few matches to try it out and am really hyped over it! But, no, I’m not going to review it. I know that I really like to review stuff, but this isn’t a video game blog. What I will do is relate how the Street Fighter franchise relates to my personal views of fitness and well – being.

When I was a kid, I’d play pretty much only one type of video game: fighting. And most of the time, the Street Fighter franchise would, more often than not, fill my video gaming needs. What this instilled in me as a little boy is a sort of idol worship for the characters I played as. My favorite is, and always has been, the Ryu character. I’m not sure what it was about him, outside of the fact that he’s the male poster boy for the franchise and is the favored character of many players out there, but I believe it was because he always seemed the most human to me, and that made me relate to him more. Sure, he throws fireballs and flies vertically through the air, but he didn’t have green skin and fangs, or was bald, had an eye patch and stood nearly seven feet tall.