School?

Why bother with school? Seriously, you have to spend a good eight hours a day trudging into some old building filled with obnoxious children of varying ages only to come home at the end of it with a stack of homework. It's annoying, it's boring, and you actually have to put in a lot of effort. However, school is still important; if it weren't, why would your parents push it down your throat so hard? If you don't go to school, then you'll be missing out on a lot in life, so before you get all bent out of shape over the negatives that come with school, consider the positives.

Firstly, knowledge is power. If you acquire information pertaining to people, literature, history, mathematics, or other subjects, then you're a more powerful person because you can use that information with (and against) other people. For example, you have a better chance of calculating your taxes properly if you take the time to learn math, and you have a better chance of being the center of attention at a party if you know what the other people are talking about. Learn as much as you can so you can get involved in as much as you can.

Additionally, going to school helps you get into college. Yes, this is a learn so you can learn sort of thing, but you probably won't get very far unless you have at least a high school diploma on your wall. But why go to college? Why, so you can succeed, of course. Going to college helps you get a job, which helps you provide a better life for you and a family, if you choose to have one. You need to use high school as a starting point for your academic career; without it, you won't be able to make much of a living for yourself unless you're one of the few exceptions.

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: Qīng Cháo; Wade-Giles: Ch'ing ch'ao; IPA: [t͡ɕʰíŋ t͡ʂʰɑ̌ʊ̯]; Manchu: , Von Möllendorff: Daicing gurun), also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 (with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917). It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China.

The dynasty was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro in what is today northeast China (also known as Manchuria). Starting in 1644 it expanded into China proper and its surrounding territories, establishing the Empire of the Great Qing (simplified Chinese: 大清国; traditional Chinese: 大清國; pinyin: Dà Qīng Guó; Wade-Giles: Ta Ch'ing Kuo, or simplified Chinese: 大清帝国; traditional Chinese: 大清帝國; pinyin: Dà Qīng Dì Guó; Wade-Giles: Ta Ch'ing Ti Kuo). Complete pacification of China was accomplished around 1683 under the Kangxi Emperor.

Originally established as the Later Jin Dynasty (simplified Chinese: 后金; traditional Chinese: 後金; pinyin: hòu jīn) Amaga Aisin Gurun () in 1616, it changed its name to "Qing", meaning "clear" or "pellucid" in 1636. In 1644 Beijing was sacked by a coalition of rebel forces led by Li Zicheng, a minor Ming official turned leader of the peasant revolt. The last Ming Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide when the city fell, marking the official end of the dynasty. The Manchus then allied with Ming Dynasty general Wu Sangui and seized control of Beijing and overthrew Li's short-lived Shun Dynasty.

During its reign the Qing Dynasty became highly integrated with Chinese culture. The dynasty reached its height in the 18th century, during which both territory and population were increased. However, its military power weakened hereafter and faced with massive rebellions and defeats in wars, the Qing Dynasty declined after the mid-19th century. The Qing Dynasty was overthrown following the Xinhai Revolution, when the Empress Dowager Longyu abdicated on behalf of the last emperor, Puyi, on February 12, 1912.

Voyages of Cheng Ho

Cheng Ho, or Zheng He, was born in Kunyang, Yunnan province, China, in 1371. Originally named Ma Sanpao, he was captured and sent to the Chinese army under Chu Ti in 1382. There he helped Chu Ti become Emperor Yonglo of the ming Dynasty. In thanks, he was made Grand Imperial Eunuch and his name was changed to Zheng He. Yonglo chose Zheng to head a series of naval expeditions to ports all over the Indian Ocean. Zheng had diplomatic, scientific, and commercial goals, while traveling farther than any other admiral in history at the time. He visited more than 35 countries during his voyages.

Zheng took more than 100 ships and about 28,000 men in his Grand Fleet. The largest vessels were the treasure ships, each 444 ft. in length - more than all of Columbus’ ships put end to end. The fleet visited most of southern Asia in the first voyage and, by the seventh and last voyage, Zheng had been to east Africa, the Persian Gulf, Egypt, and Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka). Almost 30 countries sent envoys back to China to give homage to the emperor, and all of the countries eagerly welcomed Zheng and traded for Chinese goods. He set up diplomatic relations in all the countries he visited and received tribute from most rulers that he met. When in Ceylon, Zheng helped restore the legitimate ruler to the throne. In Indonesia, the fleet defeated a powerful Chinese pirate who was later brought back to China for execution. Zheng’s voyages not only established Chinese trade routes throughout Asia and Africa, but also established China as the dominant power in the known world. China was far more technologically advanced than any other culture on the planet, even those in Europe. It had no contact with Europe, but none of the European fleets could have successfully challenged China’s authority.

Unfortunately, Emperor Yonglo died in 1424, ending all naval expeditions until 1431. Between two and five years after Yonglo’s death, Cheng Ho himself died during a trip home from India, ending the seventh and final voyage of the Grand Fleet. China again banned all naval expeditions, this time indefinitely. Future emperors practiced strict isolationism and burned all records of Cheng Ho’s voyages. Chinese influence on the world ceased, thus opening the door for the rise of European superpowers . By the year 1500, Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese sailor, had entered the Indian Ocean and laid the groundwork for an era of Asian colonization by European naval powers.

Legendary Of Ma Chao

Ma Chao is well known for his goal of a land of justice. When his family is destroyed by Cao Cao, he often leads a resistance against their killer at Tong Gate. After the conflict, he wanders and eventually meets Liu Bei at Cheng Du. Though they are enemies during their struggle, he is impressed by their valiant spirit and capable warriors. He joins Shu from then on and participates in their Southern or Northern Campaigns.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends happens after the battle at Jia Meng Gate. Ma Chao has just been recruited by Liu Bei, who accepts him as an equal. However, to appease disbelievers, Liu Bei asks him to undergo a short trial against his army. When the time limit ends, Ma Chao is fully accepted into Shu's ranks and is congratulated by the other Five Tiger Generals.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, Ma Chao is a warrior of Xi Liang who is trained by his father since his youth. He joins his father's campaign to drive Dong Zhuo away from their lands. After the battle, Ma Teng and his clansmen are invited to attend to the emperor and are executed for treason by Cao Cao. Enraged and vilifying Wei, Ma Chao pacifies Quanzhong for his clansmen and rallies with Han Sui at Tong Gate. In his story, he claims victory but loses many friends and comrades in his quest for vengeance. Left with nothing but hatred, his meeting with Liu Bei changes the youth's outlook with his vision of unity. Feeling in debt to his new liege and emphasizing with his loss, Ma Chao aids the front at Yi Ling. When Liu Bei dies, he believes in the hopes of his fallen comrades and defends their dreams at Jie Ting and Bai Di Castle. With Wei their only opposition remaining, he feels no spite for his enemies and only desires to deliver justice in the name of Shu. In his ending, he challenges Cao Pi and Sima Yi to an unknown conclusion.

He shares his Legend Mode in Xtreme Legends expansion with Pang De and the duo work together to reclaim Ji Castle. Driven to end Cao Cao's claim in his homeland, he leads his army to reclaim Liang. He leads a no-nonsense, frontal assault against many powered up Wei generals. Since he is influenced by revenge and hatred, he loses Pang De's trust and his comrade deserts him. Recruiting him for Shu is also one of the objectives in the Jia Meng Gate Legend Mode.

During the following title, Ma Chao appears in the battle of Cheng Du as a reinforcements for the defending army. In Zhao Yun's story, he is disgruntled when Liu Bei rides into battle in the name of vengeance, saying that his lord's choice is not one of justice. Zhao Yun restores his faith in Liu Bei by reasoning that, though their lord's delivery may be flawed, he is still staying true to his beliefs.

In Dynasty Warriors 6: Special, he begins his story by trying to avenge his father's death at Tong Gate. Once he's betrayed by Han Sui and many of his officers, Ma Chao realizes he was believing in a tainted justice and wanders to find a new life for himself. He successfully defends Cheng Du but once again suffers betrayal when Liu Zhang joins Cao Cao. Remembering his enemies' valor during battle, he joins Liu Bei and becomes a zealot for their army at Jing Province and Mt. Ding Jun. When Liu Bei loses Guan Yu, Ma Chao tries to convince his lord to avoid seeking vengeance since it will only repeat the cycle of hatred. Though Zhao Yun tells him that it is a honorable deed, his view of a virtuous Shu pales after they take Sun Quan's life at Yi Ling. Even so, he participates at the Battle of Jie Ting to aid Ma Su and to repay his debt to Shu. No longer clouded by anger, he takes Cao Cao's life. With the land united, Ma Chao sells his sword to purchase a new horse and rides freely towards the horizon.

Presented Zhuge Liang

Zhu Ge Liang (A.D.181 - A.D.234)

Zhu Ge Liang has another name “Kong Ming”. Zhu Ge Liang is a remarkable politician, strategist, diplomat, astrologer and inventor in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Zhu Ge Liang is a prime minister of Shu Kingdom. He is well-read and has miraculous intelligence. He assists the emperor of Shu Kingdom. In China, Zhu Ge Liang is widely known. It is said that Zhu Ge Liang is a versatile man, he masters Chinese handwriting, painting, music, astronomy, astrology, strategy, military science. Meanwhile, Zhu Ge Liang is a famous inventor too. There is much inventions in all his life.

1. Repeating Crossbow

This is a kind of fight weapon that Zhu Ge Liang invented. Generally speaking, the crossbow can only shoot an arrow once, it is very discommodious. However, the Repeating Crossbow can shoot ten arrows once that Zhu Ge Liang invented. The Repeating Crossbow is wider than the general crossbow, when the horizontal shooting, the range can reach 50 meters, lethality is extremely strong. The Repeating Crossbow’s arrow is arranged longitudinally in the arrow box, just like the modern pistol box magazine. Trigger once and shoot an arrow, this saves time, it can shoot the intensive arrow in a short period of time. Therefore, the lethality of the Repeating Crossbow is very great.

2. Battle Array of the Eight Diagrams

The historical data records, a kind of magical battle array which Zhu Ge Liang created, it is named the Battle Array of the Eight Diagrams. The soldiers arrange into shape of the Eight Diagrams. It is said that the Battle Array of the Eight Diagrams is changeable, the might is infinite, Once defeated 100,000 picked troops of the Wu Kingdom. But this tactics have already been lost now. Only drawing in now, but no one knows its meaning and tactics method.

3. Kong Ming Chess

In order to call away the soldier’s blues mood, Zhu Ge Liang has invented a kind of chess game — Kong Ming Chess. Kong Ming Chess rule is simple, it is a kind of intelligence game.

4. Kong Ming lamp

It is a kind of military transmission information’s lamp which Zhu Ge Liang invented. It can float in the sky. It utilizes the principle of the hot-air balloon. So, Zhu Ge Liang is the first man who finds the principle of the hot-air balloon in the world. Kong Ming lamp has been spreading till now, the purpose that the modern use Kong Ming lamp is that pray for blessing. People write down the wish of the blessing on Kong Ming lamp, and then let it fly away, symbolize the happiness, lucky and success.

Legendary Wukong Son

Sun Wukong, known in the West as the Monkey King, is the main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West (西遊記). In the novel, he accompanies the monk Xuanzang on the journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras from India.

Sun Wukong possesses an immense amount of strength, being able to lift his 13,500 jīn (8,100 kg or 17,881 lbs) Ruyi Jingu Bang with ease. He also has superb speed, traveling 108,000 li (54,000 kilometers or 33,554 mi) in one somersault. Sun knows 72 transformations, which allows him to transform into various animals and objects; he is, however, shown with slight problems transforming into other people, since he is unable to complete the transformation of his tail. He is a skilled fighter, capable of holding his own against the best generals of heaven. Each of his hairs possesses magical properties, and is capable of transforming into a clone of the Monkey King himself, or various weapons, animals, and other objects. He also knows various spells in order to command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, demons, and gods alike.^[

About Three Kingdom

Myths from the Three Kingdoms era existed as oral traditions before written compilations. With their focus on the history of Han Chinese, the stories grew in popularity during the reign of the foreign Mongol emperors of the Yuan Dynasty. During the succeeding Ming Dynasty, an interest in plays and novels resulted in further expansions and retelling of the stories.

The earliest attempt to combine these stories into a written work was Sanguozhi Pinghua (三國誌評話，三国志评话; Sānguózhì Pínghuà), literally "Story of Sanguozhi", published sometime between 1321 and 1323. This version combined themes of legend, magic, and morality to appeal to the peasant class. Elements of reincarnation and karma were woven into this version of the story.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong, who lived sometime between 1315 and 1400 (late Yuan to early Ming period). Some scholars argue for an origin from around the second half of the fifteenth century (mid-Ming) based on characteristics of the text. This theory is extensively developed in Andrew Plaks' Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel.^[3] It was written in partly vernacular and partly Classical Chinese and was considered the standard text for 300 years. The author made use of available historical records, including the Records of the Three Kingdoms compiled by Chen Shou, which covered events from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 up to the unification of the three kingdoms under the Jin Dynasty in AD 280. The novel also includes material from Tang Dynasty poetic works, Yuan Dynasty operas and his own personal interpretation of elements such as virtue and legitimacy. The author combined this historical knowledge with a gift for storytelling to create a rich tapestry of personalities, and initially published it in 24 volumes. It was copied by hand until first printed in 1522^[4] as Sanguozhi tongsu yanyi^[5] In the 1660s, during Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Mao Lun (毛綸; 毛纶)^[2] and his son Mao Zonggang (毛宗崗; 毛宗岗) significantly edited the text, fitting it into 120 chapters, and abbreviating the title to Sanguozhi yanyi^[5]. The text was reduced from 900,000 to 750,000 characters; significant editing was done for narrative flow; use of third party poems was reduced and shifted from conventional verse to finer pieces; and most passages praising Cao Cao's advisers and commanders were removed.^[6] Scholars have long debated whether Mao's viewpoint was anti-Qing (identifying Southern Ming remnants with Shu-Han) or pro-Qing.^[7] The previous version was almost completely supplanted by Mao's edition, which is considered to be the superior literary work.^[8]

This novel reflects the Confucian values that were prominent at the time it was written. According to Confucian moral standards, loyalty to one's family, friends, and superiors are important measures for distinguishing good and bad people.

Tranportation?

Transportation is one of the most determining factors for where economic activity can be. Industries need to have access to raw materials and the ability to see them while maintaining a profit. Residences have to have access to work in the city, and will develop wherever the transportation can get them there, traditionally around interstates, rail centers and around remote industries. Commercial areas require access to high volumes of people to have enough demand to make a store worthwhile, and prefer city centers or junctins where traffic is high. Improving access will make further development possible, and interrupting it will have to opposite effect, cutting out working areas from the economy. Traffic congestion, then, is a problem worth taking seriously.

Reputation?

The most successful prosthetic practices in our country today are staffed by prosthetists who enjoy outstanding reputations. These professionals have earned their reputations by providing exceptional patient care. They make patient service a high priority; they develop good working relationships with their patients; and they choose products based upon putting their patients' needs first.

In fact, prosthetists with the best reputations do not choose products based primarily on cost. They are willing to use products that they consider to be the most appropriate and will help the patient lead a better quality of life. They do not let reimbursement limit product selection. They help their patients gain access to those products by working with them through the insurance process. And some have even gone the extra mile to help them try to get alternative funding through local community resources.

So how can you go about building your practice and reputation? First, be sure you are providing good service. Ask every patient you see to fill out a "satisfaction survey" form. Be sure to ask specific questions about your service, your staff, as well as the componentry. Second, reach out to the local/professional community to develop a positive relationship with amputees, other prosthetists, orthopedic surgeons, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, and physical therapists.

And finally, retain control of your product decisions. Prosthetists need to play a primary role in the decision-making process. Although it is important to collaborate with your patients, the decision rests with you. After all, you have the professional training and expertise to decide what is appropriate for your patient. Otherwise, there is a greater risk of patient dissatisfaction, and you may lose that patient. It takes years and years to build a good reputation. It only takes a few episodes of patient dissatisfaction to ruin that reputation. Remember that the prosthetic marketplace is relatively small—there are a limited number of patients.

Movies influence children starts learn to smoke?

The studies show that movies deliver billions of smoking impressions to American teens; and that even teens outside the U.S. are affected by smoking images in films distributed internationally by American studios.

In a report published in today's Pediatrics, "Exposure to Movie Smoking Among US Adolescents Aged 10 to 14 Years: A Population Estimate," Dr. James Sargent and his co-authors, researchers at Norris Cotton Cancer Center, used a nationally representative sample of 6,522 U.S. adolescents aged 10-14 years, and assessed their exposure to 534 popular contemporary box-office hits. Three out of four movies (74%) studied contained smoking, for a total of 3,830 smoking images. Based on the number of U.S. adolescents seeing each movie and the smoking contained in each, the researchers estimated that these movies delivered 13.9 billion gross smoking impressions. Sixty one percent of these impressions were delivered by youth-rated movies. Of the group of movies surveyed, some 30 of the movies delivered more than 100 million smoking impressions each. Many of these high-impact movies were rated PG-13. "The apparently free delivery of star smoking to a young teen population is a tobacco marketer's dream," said Dr. Sargent.

Alchol?

A lot of research has been done to find and explore the reason why people drink alcohol. From research conducted in the Netherlands among 15 to 25 year-olds, the following answers came up:

Alcohol gets risky when you need more to feel good. If you can't do that anymore on your own, and you use the alcohol for it, at a certain point you run the risk of starting to drink more and more each time to still feel the effects. This can be the beginning of an addiction. If you drink to feel good, you should ask yourself if you can also feel at ease

Excessive alcohol use increases the risk of a number of diseases: fatty degeneration of the liver, infection of the liver, liver cirrhosis, sleeping disorders, sexual problems, infection of the esophagus, infection of the stomach, infection of the pancreas, premature dementia, varying from a reduction of memory to the serious syndrome of Korsakoff; cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, intestines and breasts; hypertension and heart problems. Alcohol is also damaging during pregnancy. Also alcohol takes its toll in traffic.

Alcohol plays an important role in aggression. 40% of all incidents involving aggression occur while under the influence of alcohol. The police spend 22% of their time on cases involving alcohol. Violence on the streets and domestic violence while under the influence of alcohol happen often.

Also at work, alcohol has big consequences. 13% of all employees on sick leave have alcohol problems. Employees with alcohol problems produce at least 10% less work than their colleagues.

Alcohol can make people irresponsible; for example, getting pregnant in circumstances where they are not able to care for a child.

without alcohol.

Smoking?

Most people start smoking when they are in their teens and are addicted by the time they reach adulthood. Some have tried to quit but have returned to cigarettes because smoking is such a strong addiction. It is a habit that is very difficult to break. There are many different reasons why people smoke.

Three of the main reasons that young people smoke are to look mature, to be like their friends, and to experiment. Since teens see older people all around them smoking, especially their parents and relatives, they smoke to act older. If their friends or peers smoke, they may feel pressured into doing the same to be accepted. The last reason is the excitement of experimenting with something that is forbidden. In Massachusetts it is against the law for anyone under 18 years old to smoke. Usually parents do not allow their under age teens to smoke. Therefore, smoking becomes very attractive. It is exciting to get cigarettes and sneak away to smoke without being caught.

Adults smoke for other reasons. They may have a lot of stress and pressures because of economic and personal problems. They may be unemployed or working but not making enough money to take care of themselves and their families. They may be homeless, or they may be dealing with alcohol or cocaine/heroin addictions. Some may be in bad marriages or relationships in which there is physical and/or verbal abuse. All these people may smoke to feel relaxed or to give them energy while going through a hard time.

Whether young or old, some people smoke to control their weight. Smokers, on the average, weigh seven pounds less than non-smokers. Smoking reduces a person's appetite. It lessens his/her sense of taste and smell. This could be why ex-smokers gain weight after quitting cigarettes. Food tastes and smells so much better.

Finally, there are people who say they love to smoke. Smoking gives them pleasure. It just makes them feel good.

Automotive History

China's auto industry will speed up its process of being merged with the economic globalization in the 21st century. At the same time, world-renowned automobile companies will accelerate the domestic production of motor vehicles in China.
The experts thought that the giant consumer market of Chinese automobile will provide an important stage for the development of world auto industry and the fierce competition of world auto industry will definitely take place here.

Chen Zutao, an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology and an expert in the study of automobile, said: "Under this situation, China's auto industry should set the development of future auto industry as its goal, accelerate the adjustment of industrial structure, push ahead the sustainable development of auto industry, carry out technical research and innovation, closely cooperate with world auto industry and participate in the globalization process of world auto industry."

Culture and Tourism

Cultural tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing global tourism markets. Culture and creative industries are increasingly being used to promote destinations and enhance their competitiveness and attractiveness. Many locations are now actively developing their tangible and intangible cultural assets as a means of developing comparative advantages in an increasingly competitive tourism marketplace, and to create local distinctiveness in the face of globalisation.While in Europe as a whole culture has always played a leading role to attract visitors, there are countries in other regions that have only recently incorporated culture in the development of tourism products and in their promotion strategy – and still others which have yet to start in this direction.
For this reason, in launching the OECD study in Mexico, several world class figures in the area of culture were invited to reflect along with tourism industry experts on the role culture is increasingly playing in the development of tourist destinations.
This event of 300 participants, included a study visit to Michoácan State, the subject of a Mexican case study on culture and tourism.

Governments improve the Competitiveness and Sustainability of Tourism.

17 February 2010 - Tourism plays a crucial role in supporting economic growth and development and in sustaining employment. What has been the impact of the crisis on tourism and what are the main challenges now facing the tourism industry?

A new OECD report, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2010, reviews the impact of the crisis on tourism, analyses trends and policies in 42 countries, including all OECD countries and selected non member economies such as Chile, Brazil, India or South Africa and makes a set of policy recommendations on how countries can make their tourism industries more innovative, competitive and sustainable. A detailed statistical profile is given for each country. All 264 tables in the report have OECD Stat Links and are fully downloadable as Excel tables.

OECD countries continue to play a predominant role in international tourism, representing about 60% of the global tourism market. They also benefit from a domestic tourism which is in many economies more important that international tourism. During the last 20 years, the growth rate of international tourism arrivals in OECD countries, whilst 1.6% below the worldwide rate, has averaged 2.8% per year, well ahead of the GDP growth rate of 2.4% for the zone, with OECD countries accounting for about 60% of the global tourism market. In the OECD area, tourism GDP accounts for up to 11% of GDP and even more in terms of employment.

Tourism has been hit by the financial and economic crisis that hit the world economy. Tourism flows started to decline in the second half of 2008. That decline deepened at the beginning of 2009 (–12.5% and –6.5% respectively in the first and second quarters). International tourism has been affected more than domestic tourism, business tourism more than leisure tourism, hotels more than other types of accommodation and air transport more than other types of transport. Paradoxically, certain forms of tourism have been impacted only slightly or have even experienced growth in this crisis period, for example, cruise tourism fared pretty well and the 2008-09 winter season in the Alps enjoyed a record year.

Among the report’s recommendations:

Secret Of Health

There’s a big secret that supplement companies and publishers in the fitness industry don’t want you to know. No it’s not a miracle supplement or formula for getting strong, and nor is it a great training programme that’s guaranteed to get you in great shape at once. There are no silver bullets when it comes to exercise and that’s part of the secret. To put it succinctly, the big secret regarding fitness, health and staying in shape in general is that it’s easy. That might sound like a bit of a sweeping statement or an over-generalisation, but 99% of the time it’s also completely accurate.

So what is meant by the term ‘easy’? That is to say that right now, with the information you know and the items in your fridge, you could easily start getting into shape. If you didn’t read another word on fitness or bodybuilding and never bought a supplement then whoever you are you could still have a six pack in a year’s time. Bodybuilding and fitness is so easy that you already know practically everything you need to know to have a basic and modestly impressive level of achievement not long from now.

Let’s look at the facts; what we know about staying in shape. First of all we know that repetitive motions in while experiencing resistance – holding a weight for example while performing curls – will cause our muscles to grow. Similarly we can achieve the same affect by using our own bodyweight as the resistance, performing press ups or pull ups. This works by tearing the fibres in the muscle which grow back thicker, but that’s not really important. In order to start gaining muscle we simply need to start doing these resistance movements.

At the same time we can feel when these repetitions are working as it should hurt. Basically while we might be looking for a way to gain strength without feeling the burn, we know deep down that the main way to build up our strength is by causing that burn purposefully. You then wait until that pain has gone away over the course of the week or a couple of days (depending on the intensity) to start working out that muscle group again.

We also know that we should eat a lot of protein in order to convert that hard work into muscle. This works by supplying our body with the amino acids it will use to rebuild the muscle fibres and make them thicker, but again – that’s not important. Finally we know about weight loss, and we know that all it takes is continuous aerobic/cardiovascular exercise such as running or swimming performed for an adequate amount of time which will cause our bodies to ‘burn’ fat. This coupled with a lower intake of calories will mean that we have a ‘calorie deficit’ so that more is going out than going in; and we will therefore lose weight.

Theory is find to a point, but not in the place of action, especially when working out which is completely dependent on you actually doing what you need to. The sad fact is that most people who make excuses or research without making any gains are actually just stalling. They don’t really want to put in the hard work involved in getting into shape and so they look for an easy route, or put off the start of their programme by reading up on every minute detail of the biology behind the gym. This then of course results in them getting nowhere and with only themselves to blame.

So you want to start getting into shape? Great! Then stop reading now and start lifting things, anything, until it hurts. Then do this five times a week for the next year. That’s what it takes, that’s all it takes. Stop deluding yourself or blaming outside factors and just get to work.