Exercise: Increasing Both Quality and Length of Life

Almost all of us know about the positive effects of regular exercising on our physical and mental fitness. It not only keeps us fit and active, it maintains a healthy lifestyle and keeps our metabolism at the optimum level. In addition to the well-known effects of exercise, it has been found as a result of a study at Erasmus Medical Center (Erasmus MC), Rotterdam, Netherlands, exercise has its proven positive effects on the life expectancy.

According to the study, your habit of regular exercise can increase the life expectancy by up to three years. Exercise can keep your heart healthy and this is how it can have a lengthening effect on the life expectancy of people who exercise on a daily basis. According to Dr. Oscar Franco, the consequences of a lethargic lifestyle can easily be compensated with a regular routine of exercising daily and it can your definitive step towards living a longer life with a quality lifestyle.

Among the several studies on the subject, one study involved a group of more than 4100 people who were grouped based on their habits of regular exercise, i.e. their levels of physical activities. Results of this study indicated that at the age of 50, the life expectancy of the group with medium physical activity was nearly 1.5 years more than that for the group with lower level of physical activity. On the other hand, the group of people under study with the highest levels of physical activity was shown to have an average of 3.5 years of additional life expectancy.

In an another study that was conducted to track people's daily activity levels and the workout they performed on a daily basis, it was found that the people who exercised regularly were of better health than those who did not. This study was conducted at the University of Florida, United States. Also, this study concluded that the people who aimed for daily exercise actually ended up performing exercise four or five days a week. So, basically the actual numbers of days you exercise are usually less than the intended number of days you aim for doing your exercises.

In a nutshell, all the studies conducted in order to identify the effects of exercises indicated that the optimum quality of life can be achieved by exercising daily. Not only for a health living, but also for a longer life, a habit of working out daily and maintaining the high level of physical activity can even result in a longer and disease-free life.

Social Studies Prepares Students for Society

How Social Studies Prepares Students for Society

Etymologically social studies refers to the different branches of study dealing with social sciences such as civics, economics, linguistics, management, history, geography and a host of others. It varies from natural sciences and affects human behavior and interpersonal relationships. Social studies is a crucial discipline in the school curriculum. Social sciences had their roots in the study of philosophy and theology in ancient times, gaining greater impetus during the medieval era. It prepares students to face life's challenges realistically, systematically and with a practical bent of mind. Yet, it is a sorry state of affairs that in a hurry to get ahead in life and career, students and even educational institutions lay poor, if any, attention to the richness of learning- teaching of social studies.

A few of the areas of social sciences that mould the personalities of students are discussed below:

Integrate education with life - This branch of learning helps pupils to analyze real life situations in their correct context. Students are drilled in the finer realms, such as oneness of mankind, cooperation, justice for all. The learners begin to appreciate the very essence of living in this world full of strife and everyday grind. A realistic viewpoint and a practical outlook are adopted by students of social studies.

Deeper understanding of human nature and behavior - Through the learning of social sciences, predictions can be made about how people will react under certain circumstances. This also implies that while dealing with people, the knowledge of his mental make-up can help in assessing the way he is likely to give an overt expression to his innermost, pent up emotions. Psycho-analysis has become an indispensable part of any organization's day-to-day functioning. All successful entrepreneurs have also been good psychologists. Teachers too need to understand educational psychology. In fact, professionals in all walks of life must have an insight into how and why people think and behave in the manner they do.

An air of authenticity has come to surround social studies since the percentage of students' participation is higher in the teaching-learning process. The child-focused curriculum makes each student singular, encouraging greater enthusiasm. In the context of social studies, cross curricular instructions proves ideal since each of the subjects falling under its broad head are, more or less, interwoven. To exemplify, geography has influenced history, which in turn had a tremendous impact upon the economy of a country. Furthermore, the society and political structure is affected by the financial system and psychology of people. It is this beauty of interdependence that instructing using cross curricular or thematic style adds much realism to social studies.