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In biological terms, energy is what keeps us going. On a base level, it’s what we need in order to live. But on a grander scale, energy is the product or result of our physical and mental efforts. But these efforts need fuel. And sometimes, just sometimes, we don’t need to rely on the sweet, tantalizing pull of coffee to get us there.*
3 Ways You Can Re-Energize Without Having to Drink More Coffee
1. Snack regularly.
Numerous scientific studies have been done on snacking and the prevailing sentiment is that snacking is an important activity for both health and energy. But this doesn’t mean that you should lay waste to an elephant-sized bag of potato chips in between breakfast, lunch and dinner. While that may be tempting, it won’t help with your energy. Stick to smaller snacks (200-300 calories or so) like almonds, fruit, cheese and crackers every couple of hours. Your body will thank you for it, and your studies will benefit from all the focus and energy you gained! Find out what else you can eat to boost your energy here.
2. Take short walks.
Exercise, generally speaking, is a wonderful thing and provides so many life-preserving benefits. But we don’t always have the time to drive to the gym or spend an hour being chased by the neighbor’s overconfident Yorkshire Terrier. But we do have time to take short walks. Ten, fifteen-minute walks, every so often throughout the day, can truly make a huge impact on your energy levels. If you live in an area where it’s too cold to go outside, try a simple 10 minutes of yoga or something along those lines. Your mind will be clearer for it. Plus, you’ll get the energy you need to finish your courses for the day.
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| Colorful Hiker in Calero County Park by donjd2 |
3. Get better sleep.
Sleep is probably the most important on this list, because without it, none of the other things are even in the realm of possibility. In other words, sleep is essential. There is an important distinction, however. Better sleep is not the same as more sleep. You may certainly need more sleep, but you need to know what’s right for you. You may need eight hours of sleep. You may need five. You may need to sleep on your side or on a firmer mattress or in a sleeping bag under the stars. The important thing is to know yourself, know your body, and make the decision that gives you the proper amount of sleep for optimal mental and physical health. If you can find that balance, your world will be chock-full of energy. Be more focused and effective with better sleep.
If you are able to snack regularly, take short walks and get better sleep, you will be a much more focused and efficient student. Adding on to that the happiness you can get from career training at Allied and you have a match made in heaven! Before we conclude, we’d love to hear from you. How do you bring yourself energy throughout the long work or school day?
For more information about Allied Schools, visit us at www.alliedschools.com, or call us at (888) 501-7686.
*We love coffee. But we also love a nice balance. :)Labels: college study tips, energy boosting, energy boosts, energy without caffeine, energy without coffee, school study tips, study tips, ways to energize
Since it’s Black History Month, and since we are educators, we thought we’d highlight one particular African American hero who made a positive impact on education. This particular individual is Booker T. Washington.
In Washington’s famous 1901 autobiography, Up From Slavery, he described how he felt when he first heard about the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia:
…it seemed to me that it must be the greatest place on earth, and not even Heaven presented more attractions for me at that time than did the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, about which these men were talking. I resolved at once to go to that school, although I had no idea where it was, or how many miles away, or how I was going to reach it; I remembered only that I was on fire constantly with one ambition, and that was to go to Hampton. This thought was with me day and night (Washington, Up From Slavery, 72).
Washington not only managed to become enrolled at Hampton by walking “about five hundred miles” to get to the school, he also graduated and eventually taught there (Washington 1901, Ch. 3). In 1881, Washington was selected to head a new normal school for African Americans at Tuskegee called the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, wherein he solidified his place as a genuine proponent of learning as a means for success. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, over the next 34 years Washington had established “more than 100 well-equipped buildings, some 1,500 students, a faculty of nearly 200 teaching 38 trades and professions, and an endowment of approximately $2 million.”
He believed so strongly in education that he urged his fellow African Americans to temporarily put aside their civil rights efforts to gain the industrial skills that would afford them economic security and eventual respect among the white community. He spoke about this in his autobiography:
Many white people who had had no contact with the school, and perhaps no sympathy with it, came to us to buy bricks because they found out that ours were good bricks. They discovered that we were supplying a real want in the community. The making of these bricks caused many of the white residents of the neighbourhood (sic) to begin to feel that the education of the Negro was not making him worthless, but that in educating our students we were adding something to the wealth and comfort of the community (Washington, Up From Slavery, 97).
That is so wonderfully stated. Washington had a very clear understanding of the importance, as well as the practical consequences, of education. Through education, they were able to acquire the skills they needed to attain the jobs and build the careers that were in demand at the time. They were able to create wealth, garner respect and exist as the important, contributing individuals they most assuredly were. For this we thank Mr. Booker T. Washington.
With Allied Schools, you can acquire the skills you need for today’s in-demand careers. Learn more about our career-specific, flexible and 100% online real estate programs, medical programs and business programs. Or call us at (888) 501-7686.
Sources:
- Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery: An Autobiography (New York: A.L. Burt, 1901).
- Encyclopedia Britannica Online, s. v. “Booker T. Washington”, accessed February 18, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636363/Booker-T-Washington.
- Encyclopedia Britannica Online, s.v. “Tuskegee University”, accessed February 19, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/610608/Tuskegee-University
Labels: African American education, Black History Month, Booker T. Washington, career training, career training programs, Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, vocational training
Read the Blog Post, Take Our Fun Presidents Day Quiz to Earn a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Did you know that President William Henry Harrison was the only president to attend medical school? Were you aware that President Jimmy Carter dropped out of college twice before earning his degree at USMA West Point? Yep, that’s right. Today, since it’s Presidents Day, we thought we’d make a fun, learning-focused blog post out of it. Plus, earn a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card in the U.S. Presidents Day Quiz and Giveaway! Some of the answers you can find in this blog post. For some you’ll have to do a little digging elsewhere. So, pay attention, and good luck!
Even though the U.S. Department of Education didn't begin operating until 1980, education has always been one of the more important focuses in presidential history. Rewind 15 years and we have the Higher Education Act of 1965, which was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson as part of his Great Society domestic agenda. The Higher Education Act of 1965 was created “to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education” (Pub. L. No. 89-329). Before that, we have the pivotal Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision, which was a major landmark in the fight for equal rights among races and important for the civil rights movement as a whole.
Education has, and will always be, an essential component in our development. We must learn and progress in order to live, to produce and to succeed—whether we’re learning in school or out of school. Suffice to say that our nation’s presidents, over the course of history, understood this. Not all of them earned college degrees (in fact, a total of nine U.S. presidents did not graduate from college), but all of them understood the value of education and learning as an important part of progress and success.
For instance, Abraham Lincoln, whose formal education consisted of one meager year, was very driven to learn through his own efforts. As described in a NY Times book review of Lincoln’s Virtue: An Ethical Biography by William Lee Miller, Lincoln had “embarked on a quest for learning and self-improvement. He read incessantly, beginning as a youth with the Bible and Shakespeare. During his single term in the House of Representatives, his colleagues considered it humorous that Lincoln spent his spare time poring over books in the Library of Congress.”
FUN PRESIDENTIAL EDUCATION FACTS:
- 7 U.S. presidents have earned law degrees
- President Theodore Roosevelt was mostly homeschooled until he went to Harvard College
- Harvard University (undergraduate) has produced the most presidents (5)
- President Barack Obama is the only president to earn a degree from Columbia University
- Famous writer Nathaniel Hawthorne was a friend to Franklin Pierce, who became the 14th President of the United States
At the other end of the educational spectrum, President Woodrow Wilson earned a PhD in history and political science from Johns Hopkins University. He’s the only president to earn a PhD. In 1902, he became the president of Princeton University, after serving as a professor there.
In between those two presidents, there are countless instances in which education has taken the main stage, whether it is within the personal life of a president, or within their presidential life. In regards to the latter, President John F. Kennedy (Harvard graduate) kicked off his presidency with the “New Frontier,” as he called it. The New Frontier was his plan for the country, which comprised legislation and programs for a more prosperous economy, equal rights for women, and education, which included The Vocational Education Act (1953), The Educational Television Facilities Act (1962), and countless other plans for the benefit of students and teachers across the nation.
Education and learning are simple, plain and simple. As educators, we see the value and the impact of this every single day. No matter where you end up in your career, whether it’s in the White House or elsewhere, find the path that is going to bring you the most challenging, productive and enriching learning experience. If you do this, you’ll find both personal and career happiness and success.
Don’t forget to take the U.S. Presidents Day Quiz and Giveaway for a chance at a $25 Amazon gift card! Oh, and happy Presidents Day!
For more information about the online degree programs at Allied Schools, call us at (888) 501-7686.
Read more »Labels: career training, career training classes, president education, presidents day, presidents day quiz, u.s. presidents
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