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Back in the day, only the most hard core weightlifters used kettlebells. Now, everyone’s catching on to their effectiveness and versatility. With just 3-4 sizes of kettlebells stashed away behind your sofa, you can do a full-body resistance workout that you feel the next day.

The free weights at the gym are great, but you don’t always have time to get there. Or maybe your gym is still closed. Investing in a few kettlebells will give you the means to emulate some of the more savage strength-building movements that you get with an expensive trainer, without having to leave your house or cough up a membership fee. You can even incorporate kettlebells into your microworkout regime.

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Why Kettlebells?

Until about 10 years ago, mainstream fitness favored barbells and dumbbells over kettlebells. More recently, people started understanding the benefits of kettlebell workouts:

• They work the body and mind. Because moves involve leverage and a little bit of balance to execute the moves, kettlebells engage several muscle groups at once, along with your concentration and coordination.
• Versatility. Their size and maneuverability make kettlebells incredible versatile. Because they are relatively small but incredibly dense, almost any natural movement – twisting your body, raising your hands above your head, swinging your arms – can be enhanced and turned into a serious exercise with the addition of a kettlebell.
• Portability. You can ramp up the intensity of a weekend hike by bringing along your kettlebells. Just think of yourself as a Primal huntsman stalking his prey with a skull-crushing rock, and you’ll be fine. Going out of town and need to maintain your exercise regimen? A couple nice-sized kettlebells on a road trip will take care of your fitness needs on the go and help you avoid paying outlandish single-use gym fees.
• They’re awkward – in a good way. Unlike dumbbell moves, kettlebell exercises usually involve momentum. A kettlebell swings. Working out with something that swings and has momentum means working out your entire body – stabilizer and primary muscles alike – to account for the added movement.
• Kettlebells feel Primal. The kettlebell is perhaps the most Primal piece of exercise equipment available. Its very appearance can be intimidating – a heavy metal ball with a handle. Using one tends to release the baser instincts that make for the best workouts.

3 Basic Kettlebell Exercises for a Full-body Workout

There are hundreds of kettlebell moves out there, and lots of combo moves to keep things interesting. Whether you’re just starting out or want to refine your kettlebell routine, here are three kettlebell exercises that everyone should know and be able to do well.

How to Do a Kettlebell Swing

The basic kettlebell exercise is the kettlebell swing.

1. To start, squat as low as you can. Maintain proper squat position – feet shoulder width apart, toes slightly out, slight curve in lower back, weight on your heels, chest out, shoulders back, eyes straight ahead – with the kettlebell resting between your legs.
2. Grab the bell and, as if in a deadlift, rise up while pushing your hips out. Drive the kettlebell up primarily with your lower body and core; your shoulders will help, of course, but they shouldn’t be the main agent of movement.
3. When you reach the top of the motion, actively pull the kettlebell down to the start position.

Tip: Try to resist pulling with your shoulders and instead actively engage your legs, hips, and stomach in the movement, and you’ll be able to handle higher weights sooner.

What Muscles Does a Kettlebell Swing Work?

Either performed with one or both hands, the kettlebell swing enlists your shoulders, core, and thighs. Such a compound movement leaves room for error, so be cautious of your form. Correct form is absolutely essential to avoid injury and maximize output.

Read next:

9 Worthy Alternatives to the Back Squat

Alternatives to Burpees for When You’re Tired of Doing Burpees

At-home No Equipment Arm Workout

How to Do a Clean and Press

These Olympic lifts aren’t only possible with a barbell; the kettlebell works as well. From the basic swing, you can transition into numerous other movements.

1. For the clean, start in the swing position. Still pushing with your hips and legs, swing the bell up while keeping your elbow in.
2. As the bell reaches your shoulder, dip your knees and get your elbow underneath the kettlebell. Hold it at your shoulder.
3. From the clean, you can move into the press. Simply push the kettlebell up over your head with your shoulder and slowly lower it.
4. Return to the squat/swing position and repeat.

Turkish Get Ups

Turkish get ups have long been a staple for Eastern European strongmen, and incorporating them into your workout will strengthen your body’s foundation and improve your core strength.  This is a fun one, but also a bit difficult to describe. For clarity’s sake, let’s use a specific hand.

1. Lie on your back while holding the kettlebell straight up in the air with your left hand. Keep your elbow locked and the kettlebell resting against your forearm. Keep the elbow locked throughout the exercise.
2. Prop yourself up on your right hand (obviously, not the one attached to the arm holding the kettlebell) while bringing your left foot toward your buttocks.
3. Put your right knee and left foot on the ground, so that you’re in a half-kneel.
4. Maintain the straight arm and stand up. Always keep your eyes on the kettlebell.

Any natural motion a Primal man might have made, from crushing animal thigh bones with a rock for the marrow, to hoisting up a prey’s carcass for transport, can be simulated with a kettleball. Have fun with it, and from here, branch out and find other moves to master.

What is your favorite kettlebell move or combo? Let me know in the comments below.

The post 3 Basic Moves for a Whole-body Kettlebell Workout (with Video) appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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What you eat is very important to your health, and as it turns out, when you eat can also have a dramatic influence. A just-released paper published in the Journal of Clinical Endrocrinology and Metabolism has found that eating a late dinner can significantly increase your risk of developing obesity and a number of serious […]

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Most people are somewhat familiar with the association between exercise reps ranges and their targeted effect on the body during resistance training. The heaviest load one can lift at a given weight correlates with maximal strength, while anything one can do above 20 times or more clearly signifies muscular endurance. 

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Whether you’re having friends over for dinner or you’re short on time on a weeknight, balsamic glazed chicken is a simple no-fuss meal that you can serve with virtually any side dish.

This recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes and will become your new go-to balsamic chicken recipe.

Quick tips:

• Ideally, you’ll pound the chicken breasts so they’re around ?” thick. This will make sure they cook quickly but will keep them super moist and juicy once cooked.
• Depending on the type of broth and coconut aminos you use, you may need to add a little additional salt at the end of cooking.
• Lightly crush your garlic before slicing to release its fragrant compounds.

Let’s get started.

Garlic Balsamic Chicken Recipe

Serves: 4

Time in the kitchen: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
• 3 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Olive Oil
• 5 clove sliced garlic
• 3.5 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Balsamic Vinegar
• 2-3 Tbsp. chicken broth
• 1.5 Tbsp. coconut aminos
• 2 Tbsp. basil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• salt and pepper
• More fresh basil

Directions

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment using a meat mallet until they are uniform in thickness. Season both sides of the breasts liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant. Place the chicken breasts in the pan and saute for 2 minutes on each side.

Add the balsamic vinegar and coconut aminos. Bring the mixture to a boil, then flip over the chicken again and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the broth and the tomatoes and give the pan a gentle shake. Continue cooking over medium heat over the stovetop, turning the chicken every minute or so to coat it in the balsamic mixture. Add a small amount of extra broth as needed.

Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the tomatoes are soft. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!

Nutrition Info (serves 4):

Calories: 446
Total Fat: 13g
Total Carbs: 6g
Net Carbs: 5.3g
Protein: 50g

The post Garlic Balsamic Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes Recipe appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Cinnamon is a warming spice that can be used in both sweet and savory cooking. But cinnamon is more than just a delicious additive to our favorite recipes, it has a wealth of health benefits that make is a star super spice. If you’re anxious to welcome fall a little early, these yummy drinks will […]

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Research of the Week

Insulin exemplifies “too much of a good thing.”

Sleep-induced memory consolidation is more pronounced in kids than adults.

Early sewing needles.

In older adults with obesity, a high-fat, low-carb diet burns a ton of visceral fat.

“Activating” your nuts doesn’t improve nutrient bioavailability.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 442: Drew Manning: Host Elle Russ welcomes Drew Manning back to the podcast to discuss his latest Fit2Fat2Forty experiment.

Media, Schmedia

Why has the Brazilian Amazon had such a good go with COVID-19?

One-night stands during a pandemic.

Interesting Blog Posts

Why are dietary guidelines still insisting we eat less saturated fat?

Are we all feeling acedia?

Social Notes

No tie.

I prefer dogs, but I have to hand it to cats on this one.

Everything Else

COVID-19 lockdowns killed pro cyclists’ performance. Indoor training wasn’t enough.

Parents: give your kids more salmon, less poultry.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Chat I really enjoyed: The with Tara Garrison about metabolic flexibility and how low-carb changes everything.

Research I found interesting: New review of the interplay between selenium and COVID-19.

Cool study: Can a carnivore diet provide all essential nutrients?

Sadly I’m not surprised (though I wonder if it’s purely causal): More BPA, higher long-term mortality.

Reminder: A gluten-free diet has the potential to be lower in micronutrients if you don’t base it on whole foods.

Question I’m Asking

What’s your favorite go-to meal right now?

Recipe Corner

• School lunch ideas (even though many kids aren’t going back to school yet).
• Paleo bulgogi.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Aug 22 – Aug 28)

• What’s TMAO, and What Does It Have to Do With My Health?   – Will it kill you or won’t it?
• Dear Mark: Is Fish Enough, Do Carnivores Really Need It, and More  – I answer a few of your burning questions.

Comment of the Week

“I have a B.A. in Interior Design, but no one ever taught me how to design my own life; I had to discover that years later on my own. I would like to see classes in finding your life purpose, goal setting and developing good habits. In other words, classes in personal transformation.”

-Great point, Michael. Ideally, changing schools to adhere more to a child’s nature would allow this ability to develop organically.

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When you go to bed at night, do you really go to bed, or do you sit there and scroll through your news feed, get caught up on emails, and dive down the rabbit hole of social media on your phone or tablet? How often do you take your computer to bed with you to […]

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Hi folks, in this week’s Ask a Health Coach post, Erin is answering your questions about the “keto flu”, what to do when you’re hungry all the time, and how to fulfill your need for human connection during the pandemic. Keep your questions coming here in the comments or over in our Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook Group.

Jared asked:

“I’ve been doing Mark’s Keto Reset for a few days. At first, I felt great, but now I’m achy and all I want to do is sleep. What happened to all that energy people talk about with Keto?”

Ah yes, the keto flu. There’s no mistaking it. Well, at least to those of us who have been through it and safely made our way to the metabolically flexible side (which you will Jared, trust me). As you might have read, eating lower-carb — especially if you’re transitioning from a Standard American Diet can cause all sorts of uncomfortable symptoms. Everything from headaches and fatigue to nausea. But don’t let that keep you from sticking with it.

When you’re faced with a challenge, it’s easy to give up. And even easier to convince yourself that whatever it is you’re attempting to do isn’t right for you. So, when the going gets tough you jump ship. No shame, that’s just how it rolls sometimes.

On the flip side, a lot of people decide that punishing themselves is their only course of action. They put on a brave face and decide that they must deserve every ounce of discomfort they have coming their way. That’s the price they have to pay to “get healthy.” As crazy as it sounds, they’ve actually done studies about this. In this one, researchers asked undergraduate students to remember a time when they felt guilty, sad, or (in contrast) did something boring and non-emotionally driven like grocery shopping. Then, they gave participants six mild electrical shocks (stay with me here), with the option to increase the voltage for each subsequent shock.

The students who recalled feeling guilty, chose to raise the voltage well into the mildly painful zone, while the other groups didn’t. The use of self-punishment to reduce feelings of guilt are, unfortunately, well-documented in research.

Now, let me offer you a third perspective. What if you took this opportunity to give your body what it needed — without guilt, shame, or judgement? It may sound simple, but if you’re extra tired, why not take a midday nap or go to bed earlier? If you’re feeling achy, how about taking a few rest days or doing more gentle workouts?

Also, think about positive steps you can take to make you transition more pleasant. Most of the time the low-carb flu is caused by an electrolyte imbalance. So, drink some bone broth, eat more leafy greens, or try this homemade electrolyte drink that Mark swears by. Hang in there Jared, your symptoms won’t last long and if you can get through this preliminary phase, you’ll be home free.

Sue asked:

“As a natural extrovert, I find that I actually require human connection. Not being able to give my friends a hug might just kill me. Am I the only one who feels this way?”

First of all, you’re not alone. In addition to things like love, understanding, and growth, the desire for connection is a fundamental human need. After six months of doing what we can to slow the spread of COVID, even introverts like me are missing a good hug.

Whether it’s hugging old friends or shaking hands with new ones, most of us are used to some level of physical connection on a daily basis. And while health officials are concerned with controlling the virus (as they should be), another major issue is becoming more prevalent — and that’s the quality of our mental health due to lack of physical touch.

According to Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, touch deprivation can impact people on a psychological and physical level. He says “positive touch activates nerves in the body that improve your immune system, regulate digestion, and helps you sleep well. It also activates parts of your brain that help you empathize.”

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University agree, citing that hugging is proven to make people less susceptible to the virus that causes the common cold. In the study, 404 healthy adults answered questions about their perceived daily social support and how often they received hugs. Then they were intentionally exposed to the cold virus. The participants who reported having more hugs (and more social support), were less likely to get sick.

But here we are in the middle of the pandemic. And although nothing beats a loving embrace – or even a platonic one, there are some things you can do to feel more connected:

• Be of service. Helping others reminds us that we’re all connected in some way. You might consider checking in on a neighbor, volunteering at a food bank, or donating to a cause you care about.
• Carve out one-on-one time. Whether it’s over a video call or in-person with social distancing parameters in place, engaging one-on-one creates an emotional connection that increases levels of the feel-good hormone, oxytocin.
• Take an online yoga class. Yoga studios might still be closed, but plenty offer live classes that create the feeling of being together. Watching others do the same movements and poses as you’re doing gives your brain a sense of connection, even though you’re apart.

And rest assured, we will get past this. It may be awhile, but there will be a time when we’re all hugging again like crazy.

Tracy asked:

“No matter what I try (Primal Blueprint, LCHF, intermittent fasting) I’m always starving! Aside from taping my mouth shut, what advice do you have for not shoving food in my face 24/7?”

Helping my clients achieve an effortless relationship with food is my specialty, so I’m glad I can answer this one for you. It’s different for everyone, but I find that a lot of people have become tuned out to their own hunger signals.

You might be so focused on what you can’t have that that’s all you can think about! Or maybe you were raised in the “clean plates club” where hunger had nothing to do with whether or not you took another bite.

My guess is though, that like most of today’s society, you’ve gotten so used to using food as a crutch — a way to cope with stress, boredom, sadness, happiness, or fill-in-the-blank emotion that you’ve forgotten how to listen to your own body.

Our bodies are miraculous, and they will give us the clear signs that they need fuel. That is, if you really listen. Be aware of things like:

• A growling stomach
• Feeling light-headed
• Less energy
• Less focus

Some of these signs can be subtle, especially if you’re avoiding foods like breakfast cereals, chips, cookies, and other processed foods that cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash. But there’s a great strategy you can use to determine if you’re physically hungry or just looking for something to quench your emotional hunger. To do this exercise, get in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and take a couple of slow deep breaths in and out, bringing your attention down to your stomach.

Imagine a scale from zero to ten, with zero being absolutely famished and ten being painfully full. Without judgement or deciding what number you should be, think about where on the scale describes how hungry or how full you are.

If you’re anywhere in the zero to four camp, you’re showing signs that you’re physically hungry. Five and up is an indicator that you’re not actually hungry, but instead craving something to self-soothe.

Did any of these tips resonate with you? Do you take time to listen to your body? Share your experience in the comments below.

The post Ask a Health Coach: Tuning in to What Your Body’s Telling You appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Almost no one’s happy with school these days. Kindergarteners are sitting in front of devices for 4-5 hours a day. Teens are dreading daily online meetings and getting prescriptions for “Zoom fatigue.” Some of this is growing pains—kids, teachers, and parents are being asked to completely change the way they do school on a moment’s notice, and change like that doesn’t come easily. But that’s not the only reason.

There just aren’t many great options left. Parents don’t want their kids stuck on the computer all day, nor do they want them in class masked up and unable to touch or play with their peers. There are big problems in every direction.

Change is in the air. People are fed up with the new way of doing things and realizing they don’t like the old way all that much either. I don’t have kids in school anymore, but I do have a grandkid who will be in school soon. Besides, everyone who lives in a country has a stake in the school system of that country. The schools shape the people who become the adults who shape the nation. That affects everyone. Something needs to change.

If I could wave a wand, how would I change school?

Here’s what I’d like to see:

Later start times

8:30, 9 AM. This would give kids extra sleep. Everyone needs sleep, but kids need it more than anyone. It helps them consolidate memories and recently learned skills.¹ Even the CDC has called for later start times² for schools. as kids especially need a lot of sleep. Kids are staying up later and later than ever before. Particularly in studies using teen subjects, delaying school start times by 25-60 minutes can increase total sleep duration by 25-75 minutes per weeknight.³ That’s up to more than an hour of extra sleep a night, five days a week. That’s a huge ROI.

There’s more beneficial fallout that the studies don’t address. When you push the start time back, the mornings are less stressful for everyone. Instead of giving your kid a ziploc bag full of dry cereal, you’re scrambling eggs, slicing apples, and frying bacon. You’re not worried about being late, you’re taking your time. Hell, maybe there’s even time to walk to school.

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Better food

Just go full whole food Primal with a macronutrient-agnostic bent:

• Full-fat dairy
• Real meat and eggs and seafood
• Fruit and vegetables
• Starchy tubers
• No seed oils or gluten or refined sugar

That may sound strict. You may think “kids would never go for that.” It may be overkill. And you couldn’t control what kids ate at home or brought for lunch, and not everyone would participate in the program. But just imagine: We’d finally see what could happen if you removed most of the processed seed oil-and-sugar-and gluten-laden junk from kids’ diets—on a national scale.

A nation of kids eating eggs and fruit and kefir and potatoes cooked in butter for breakfast, a burger patty and yam for lunch with a side of full-fat milk. You’ve seen what getting some good protein, fat, and clean carbs in your kids for breakfast and lunch can do. Imagine everyone else’s kids eating the same thing. That could change the world.

Walking to school

I used to run to school every single day. That’s actually how I got into cross country running at an early age: I realized I could beat the bus to school if I just ran. So I did. Those daily runs to and from school introduced little bouts of pure freedom and adventure into my life that made me who I am today. Until several years ago, kids weren’t even allowed to show up to school alone. They needed to be dropped off or accompanied by a parent or guardian. I’d go a step further. At my ideal grade school, the default would be arriving alone. If a parent wanted to drop their kid off, they’d need a permission slip and doctor’s note.

I’m kidding, of course. But kids these days need that freedom and adventure more than ever, however they can get it. There’s not as much to go around.

More and longer recess

Recess is shrinking. Most grade school kids are lucky to get a single 20 minute block of free outdoor play per day. Some schools don’t even give first graders any recess at all, and a disturbing number of them even hold recess hostage as a punishment for poor behavior or performance.⁴ This is a travesty, not only because recess (and PE) increase physical activity and step count, but because physical activity improves learning and reduces acting out. In one Texas grade school, implementing four 15-minute recesses a day reduced bullying and tattling, improved focus and eye-contact, and even stopped the neurotic pencil chewing teachers were noticing among their students. The kids are testing ahead of schedule despite less actual classroom time and test prep. Recess improves academic performance, and physical play improves subsequent learning capacity. Give a kid a 15 minute play break for every 45 minutes of book learning and he’ll learn more than the kid who studies an hour straight.

Recess needs to be longer. The absolute daily minimum is 45 minutes (spread across 1-3 sessions including lunch), though I’d like to see the entire day spent outside with movement interlaced with learning/lessons.

Hold classes outdoors

The benefits are immense and irrefutable:

• Kids with ADHD can focus better after exposure to green spaces.
• Kids who frequently spend time outdoors get sick less often and show better motor skills and physical coordination.⁵
• Kids with exposure (even just visual) to nature have better self-discipline.⁶
• For kids dealing with stress at home (who isn’t?), nature can act as a buffer.⁷
• Kids with consistent daily sun exposure have more vitamin D, better circadian rhythms, and stronger immune systems.
• The more outdoor time a kid gets, the lower his or her risk of myopia.

Add to those the general benefits of green space seen in all humans and the outdoor classroom setting looks more attractive.

Ideally, the entire school day takes place outdoors, but even a small daily nature excursion is better than nothing.

Walking classrooms

We’ve all heard of Socrates’ peripatetic school, where he’d lead his students on walks around Greece while lecturing and leading discussions. This is incredible. Who else loves going on hikes with friends not just for the nature, but for the incredible conversations you end up embroiled in? There’s something special about physical movement that stimulates mental movement. Physical flow promotes cognitive blood flow.

The kids could make stops to write and do some deeper work, but class discussions and lectures could easily happen on the move.

More deep work, one subject per day

This isn’t the only way, but I think many kids and teens would thrive on a “one subject a day” schedule that allowed them to really immerse themselves in a subject or project. Imagine reading an entire book from start to finish. Imagine working on an art project all day long. Imagine getting lost in history, going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, following whatever thread tugs on you.

Kids tend to obsess over things. Schools should take advantage of that.

Eliminate almost all rules at recess

Kids should be able to climb trees, roughhouse, leap fences, ride bikes, play tag, play dodgeball, play butts up, and all the other classic playground games that carry a modicum of danger. Kids shouldn’t be expelled for playing cops and robbers or making finger guns. Staff intervenes only if kids request it or injury is imminent. The whole point is to introduce kids to risk. Navigating relatively small risks (skinned knee, hurt feeling, short fall, wounded pride) builds mettle and prepares developing brains to deal with bigger risks. It makes them more anti-fragile. People talk about school as preparation for the meat grinder of “real life,” but most schools eliminate any real prep work because adults mediate every conflict, grievance, hogged sandbox, and stolen dinosaur toy.

Tons of climbable structures and trees

Kids (and adults) need to climb things. It’s fun, it builds strength, and introduces manageable risk and responsibility. You get stuck up in a tree, you get yourself unstuck. You can climb all the trees you want, but you’ll have to get yourself down.

I’m imagining networks of trees and structures all over the playground and campus to the point that a kid could get anywhere without touching the ground. There’s actually a great book about this: The Baron in the Trees, by Italo Calvino. It’s about a young Italian nobleman who runs away from home as a child to live in the trees surrounding his estate and stays there for the rest of his life, never touching the ground.

No busy homework

The evidence for homework is weak to nonexistent.⁸ Instead of giving five year olds an hour of paperwork to complete or 15 year olds four hours of work, give them open-ended suggestions.

“Read a book with your parents and tell the class about your favorite part of the story.”

“Find 7 leaves, each from a different tree, and bring them to class.”

“Start a business. Come up with a business plan, a product, and marketing materials.”

Enabling deep work and deep learning during the school day would make most “busy” homework pointless.

Bring back “tracks”

Only don’t limit these tracks to “academics.” It’s not that you split the kids up by “smart” or “dumb” or “advanced” and “behind.” You allow the kids to establish their own track based on interest and aptitude. You get more specific with the tracks.

Someone wants to just do math all day? Let them focus on that.

Someone shows promise as an artist? Let them draw and paint to their heart’s content.

Someone’s obsessed with video games? Let them learn to make their own.

Obviously, even a math-obsessed whiz kid should also read great literature, but I’m not sure the math whiz kid needs to be writing essays on “Brave New World.” Simply reading it is probably enough.

More doing and playing

Humans learn best by doing. Everyone accepts that we learn languages best by speaking it or being thrown into a foreign country, not by reading language lessons. But learning through doing works for everything. Learning the fundamentals matters, but only if you also practice them. I learned to write by reading and aping other writers. This even works in subjects like math. One American educator, Benezet, showed that children who delayed formal math instruction in favor of natural math instruction (doing) until 8th grade quickly caught up to and outperformed kids taught the traditional way.

You could very well teach simple arithmetic by playing card games like Blackjack or Addition War or Subtraction War.

You could teach (or reinforce) grammar by playing MadLibs. Or just giving kids cool things to read.

What else?

More trades

Don’t just bring back the old woodshop and metalshop. Introduce full-blown apprenticeship programs. Paid ones.

• Plumbing
• Masonry
• Carpentry
• Electrician
• Agriculture
• Automotive
• And so on

Name a profession and you can probably figure out an apprenticeship program. Heck, this already exists in many states. Check out the listings for California apprenticeships for an idea of what’s possible. Many high schools can even set this up. I bet there are guidance counselors who currently do it, or have. But is it the norm? No. It should be.

Lots of kids would really benefit.

Teach basic competencies

There are basic physical skills everyone should learn.

• Swimming
• Self defense
• First aid
• Physical fitness (running, sprinting, climbing, strength standards)

And other “non-physical” core competencies:

• Budgeting
• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Laundry
• Bill paying/taxes

Home economics, in other words.

Mixed ages

Segregation by age makes little evolutionary sense (until the public school system arose, children had historically hung out with other children of all ages). As a kid, whenever we weren’t in school I’d rove around my neighborhood in age-desegregated packs. It was all very fluid. We’d have the bigger kids leading the way, the smaller ones tagging along, and because everyone pretty much lived in the same place their whole lives, kids would graduate into different roles and new kids would always be coming up in the ranks. Without age mixing children miss out on many benefits:⁹

• Younger kids can’t learn from older kids.
• Older kids can’t learn how to teach younger kids.
• Younger kids can only do age appropriate activities. With an older kid’s help, a younger child can accomplish much more. Two 4-year olds throwing a frisbee around is an exercise in futility. Include a 7-year old and it gets a whole lot more productive for everyone.

If any of this sounds good to you, what are you waiting for? No politician is going to make this happen. The Department of Education certainly won’t make these changes. You have to make it happen, either by finding a school that does this or creating your own curriculum at home. If you have the option, consider gathering together with a few other families to form a “pod” to realize your vision.

If that’s not feasible, get together with other like-minded families and petition your district for incremental change.

No one school or parent can enact all these changes. Some conflict. Some are downright impossible in certain environments. But even if you just implemented one or two of these ideas, you could have a positive impact.

What do you think, readers? Parents, kids, non-parents, teens, teachers: what does your ideal vision of early education look like?

What would you change? What you add or take away to the current set up?

Thanks for reading.

References

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24329882
2. http://www.cdc.gov/features/school-start-times/
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26545246
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23834604
5. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1012576913074#page-1
6. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494401902415
7. http://eab.sagepub.com/content/35/3/311.abstract
8. http://rer.sagepub.com/content/76/1/1.abstract
9. http://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/3-4-article-gray-age-mixed-play.pdf

The post How I’d Change School appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

I get it. It hurts when you move, so you try to limit the amount you move so you don’t suffer as much. It’s a natural reaction. And it’s one your brain is counting on. Let’s chat about why your mind is banking on you doing that, and what’s the sneaky bugger doing?

The first thing you can do to increase your mobility is to look at pain as a warning.

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