Friday, August 26, 2011

How to Improve: Mathematics

Mathematics is everywhere in our lives. Every day that passes by, we can find ourselves calculating mathematics even outside of school. Adding numbers, counting, or any other calculation is the basis of fundamental mathematics. And because we are so exposed to mathematics, it is essential for us to be adept in doing simple mathematical calculations in order to live an easier life. And beyond that, mathematics exist in competitions and careers that test the greatest minds of mathematicians to push themselves beyond even the most complex maths.

The main problem for many people though, is that they learned to hate mathematics from bad teachers who either couldn't teach or went too fast for their pace. To remedy this problem, mathematics can be taught through self pace from a more capable teacher. The site, Khan Academy, is a culmination of a vast variety of instructional videos that includes and focuses on math. The founder, Salman Khan, is an excellent teacher that explains each topic very thoroughly throughout all of his lessons, and has helped millions of people achieve greater success in both school and life through his videos.

One of the greatest things about Khan Academy is that you truly learn at your own pace. You no longer the need to worry about someone looking down on you when you don't understand something, or worrying about bothering your teacher when their busy. The videos are short 20 minute lectures, and you can repeat them whenever you need to, so you never feel overwhelmed. Along with the videos, there are complimentary exercises that allow you to practice what you've learned in each of the lessons you've watched, which will greatly increases proficiency in your math. Lastly, there is a large community of people and educators that can help you on Khan Academy. You can join discussions or ask for help whenever you need, making Khan Academy a great learning aid.

However, for those who are confident in their math skills and wish to improve further themselves in the path mathematics, there is another site of great value to you. While Khan Academy's videos stretch far to the difficult mathematical subjects such as trigonometry and calculus, The Art of Problem Solving is the best source for learning higher level maths. Designed specifically for mathematical aficionados, AoPS helps them achieve more by exposing many mathematical concepts and topics that are not taught in school.

There are many ways you can utilize this site to improve your math skills for free, such as exploring Alcumus, which has thousands of challenging math questions, For the Win, where you can challenge others to mini-competitions online, or join the community, which has thousands of people taking part in discussions on various topics about math. However, you can also take online courses that is available several times each year. These courses are taught by very capable teachers and will greatly accelerate your abilities in math. AoPS is an unique and powerful website dedicated to math, and is a definite choice for those who are truly interested in the field of mathematics.

With math in your toolbox of life, you can live more confidently and fully, knowing that you understand one of the fundamentals concepts of the universe.
This is how to improve mathematics.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

How to Improve: Your Sleep

Sleeping well is a key factor in living a healthy life. However, many of us are burdened with slight insomnia, and find it difficult to fall asleep each night. The result of this may be significant negative impact in one's lifestyle, where they would be easily fatigued during the day and have less energy and motivation to perform their daily tasks. Here are several ways that will help you possibly solve this issue:

1. Sleep at regular times each day.
You should always keep a regular sleep routine that lets you sleep the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning. This way, your brain and body are more accustomed to falling asleep and waking up each day, helping you sleep better and have more energy in the morning. With this being said, avoid sleeping in on weekends and taking naps during the day. This disrupts your sleep pattern, and will make it more difficult for your brain to fall asleep regularly at night.

2. Keep a clean and comfortable place to sleep.
A clean and comfortable place to sleep is essential for better sleep. Always keep the room where you're sleeping free of junk and clutter. Make sure that there is adequate ventilation and that the temperature is comfortable. Also block out bright lights until you are waking up, as light stimulates your internal clock and pushes you into a more awaken manner. Any small disturbances can affect the quality of your sleep.

3. Diet
Caffeine is a big catalyst that keeps you awake for a lot longer than you may think. Avoiding caffeine at all times is very favourable, but if unavoidable, then it should taken in the morning rather then later. You should definitely avoid caffeine before you go to sleep. Also, avoid big meals before you sleep, as your stomach will take its time digesting all of it, which may keep you up at night.

4. Exercise.
Exercise is very helpful for improving your sleep quality, given that it is done significantly before the time you sleep. As with a big meal, exercise will stimulate a part of your body that increases your energy level and keep you from sleep. However, this is fine if you do it earlier such as the morning, where exercise will help you feel greater exhaustion and help you fall asleep easier at night.

5. Seeking professional help.
These tips may help you get better quality of sleep, but if you are still having a hard time falling asleep, speak with your family doctor or another professional to help identify is you have a problem. At times, there may be more irregular factors that are affecting your sleep, which no one can identify except a professional. This should be the last step for you to take if you are having problems sleeping.

Getting better sleep will do wonders for your life. You will immediately experience an improvement in many of the things you do, simply because you have more energy and motivation to do them.

Monday, August 22, 2011

How to Improve: Posture

Simple things like good posture can greatly improve one's lifestyle. You may not be aware of your posture, but you may be unconsciously hunching your back in uncomfortable situations like a turtle would. In doing so, you appear to be less communicable, and it makes yourself feel worse in a situation than yo u really should.

Exercising good posture will help you gain more confidence in many aspects of life. In the workplace, your peers will view you with better respect and approach you more comfortably when you are in a tall, open position. In social events, you will show your confidence and become more popular with the people there and your friends. All of this can be easily achieved by just slightly changing the position of your spine.

Good posture is no more than a good habit. Even if your posture is terrible almost on par with the Hunchback of Notre Dame, you can still attain good posture in a relatively short time. Here are a few ways to improve your posture:

Look in a mirror often. Always look from the side and straighten your back to a point where you have a relatively straight back with a slight S-curve. You don't need to be as straight as an arrow to have good posture, just tall and comfortable is enough to make a difference. Now remember the feeling of this stance. Always remind yourself to return to this stance whenever you can.

Next, you can perform some back exercises. Put your hands on the back of your head and hold your elbows outwards. Hold this position for around 5 minutes or whenever you start to become too uncomfortable. Over a period of time, you will start to feel more comfortable with this position and holding good posture will become a habit.

Lastly, the most drastic action you might take is taping your back. Normally, you should get someone else to put tape (any kind) straight down your spine, from the top of the next to about 3/4 down your back. This way, whenever you have the urge to hunch, the tape will permanently remind you to straighten your back. This method is rather uncomfortable at first, but is very effective in producing proper posture fast.

With proper posture, you can live life with that much more confidence and satisfaction.
This is how you improve posture.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

How to Improve: Flexibility

Being flexible can protect your muscles from injury and gives you the ability to move your in difficult positions with greater ease and less pain. Flexibility can be a trait that someone inherits from their parents, but if you aren't flexible, you can still improve your flexibility by following these steps.


Stretches are one definitely one of the best ways to improve flexibility.
Doing full body stretches that include your upper body and complete shoulder, bicep, triceps, neck, chest and back will help you become more flexible steadily if you keep up the regulated routine.
Remember to hold each stretch for a period of time, somewhere between 45 seconds and a minute.
You should not be constantly reaching to stretch further, but rather hold a steady position for the entire time period. This prevents possible injuries and helps you get use to the level of stretch you are performing.
After you get use to your stretch, begin to intensify each session by stretching steadily more whenever you are ready to.


A proven way to improve flexibility is diet. It is known that mineral dense foods help improve flexibility, and should be well considered if you wish to improve your flexibility.
Dark green vegetables are very mineral dense, so they should definitely be in your diet.
Also, seeds such as millet and wild rice have good nutrition values for flexibility, and should be considered.
And lastly, plant fats that are in almonds, sesame seeds, and cold press oils are also helpful.

Greater flexibility means an easier life on you physically.
This is how to improve flexibility.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

How to Improve: Your Ping

The situation:

When playing online games, sometimes you notice the ping bar that states your ping. This indicates how well you are connecting to the server or to other people you are with. The lower the ping, the better and faster your connection is.

However, some users suffer from slower pings, which might affect gameplay and game experience. Problems that may result include lag, and even possible disconnection. You, as well as others playing with you, may get rather frustrated by unexpected turn of events caused by ping problems.

The problem and possible solutions:

Ping issues may result from a number of problems. When connecting to a server, make sure you are going to the CLOSEST server to your geographical location. This is usually the biggest factor in ping speed. Because the connection has a physical speed limit (theoretically the speed of light, but significantly slower due to noise and packet loss), the closer geographically you are to the server, the lower your ping will be. If you live in China, you don't want to be connecting to a server in North America.

ISPs and your Internet service may affect your ping. Budget plans that limit your download and upload speeds can cause slower times for you to send and receive packets from your server. The only real solution to this is to get a better Internet service. Nowadays, faster download speeds are offered at much lower prices than before, so now is a good time to upgrade if your Internet service is incapable of handling the minimal use of bandwidth that most games require.

Lastly, your ping may be funnelled for blocked partially by routers or firewalls. Make sure your firewall has unblocked the programs that you are using, so nothing is interfering at that end. Also, check to see if there are problems with your router if you are experiencing unnatural ping problems that you can't pinpoint. A defective router might slow your ping because it is routing your connection incorrectly.

With a quicker ping, you'll be able to enjoy your games and other online experiences more smoothly and comfortably.
This is how to improve your ping.