Exam Survival Tips

Being a former student myself, I have had a lot of trouble with exams growing up. This was either because of my  exam anxiety, poor preparation or just an overall case of stress. For all the students out there exams are now just around the corner, I have decided to make a list of survival tips that I have found quite helpful during my years as a student. Here goes :)

1.  Get some sleep

Everyone at some point or another has pulled an allnighter to cram for an exam, however believe it or not  this method simply does not work as effectively as most people think especially when it is the night before the exam.  Most health practitioners would recommend at least 8 hours of sleep in order to have a fully functional brain, I must admit that is not entirely true as different people will require different amounts of sleep depending on your dietary habits, exercise routine etc. However my personal recommendation is you will need at the very least 6 hours of sleep to function properly during an exam, 7 hours is more preferable. Pulling an allnighter for coursework is one thing, however an exam is a completely different ball game. If you are required to cram in a huge amount of material before the exam, I recommend you pull an all nighter a couple of nights before the exam.

This is so your body can have some time to recover before the exam and also in order for all your information to be imbedded in your short-term memory. 

2. Cramming

Although I should be technically here to advise against cramming, but because I have been there myself a few times, I know that most of us out there cannot really plan ahead for an exam as well we all happen to have more important things to do with our lives (NOT STUDYING). I am therefore here to advise you to cram accurately. So let's say you have to study 5 subjects for the exam and well you take a look at the exam papers and notice that some subjects seem to appear most often in the past few years. These are the subjects that you will spend most of your time on, as they are most likely to appear in the exam and by studying them I mean perfect them. Try your absolute best to be 100% confident in these subjects and just ignore the other ones, as all they will do is divide your time and it is better to be great at some subjects than be average at all of them.

3. Do not revise on the day of the EXAM!

"Most students 15 minutes before an exam"

This reminds me of my mathematics exam a couple of years ago, I remember meeting up with my buddy on the day of the exam to get some coffee and do our last minute preparations. I remember going into the classroom and seeing him surrounded by about 5 different books on  mathematics and looking absolutely wrecked. Like the guy in the image above, I was on the other hand very relaxed and I honestly did not give  a sh**t.

"Me on the day of the exam"

Now I am not saying that you should not care about your exams or that I am a flawless student however I always believed that on the day of the exam, you should just kick-back and relax. In fact wake up and listen to like your favourite laid back tunes and dress up really well, it does wonders for your mental state. Remember that you cannot really do much on the day of the exam, as any added information of the day will prove to be useless simply because it will create an interference with all that you have learned previously. So really all you are doing here is just shooting yourself in the foot. Instead ensure that you have done all your studying previously and even if there are topics that you have yet to cover just neglect them as it is simply too late now.

4. Relax, this is not the Hunger Games

I struggled really badly with this myself, as I always put myself under incredible stress for my exams and I only realised later in life how pointless that might have been. The truth of the matter is, an exam can only count that much and it does not define your destiny. Name the five most successful individuals in the world, most did not even have a university education or they were dropouts. Now I am not saying that you should just call it quits....

However do the best you can do and just always remember that one exam does not define who you are, and that goes for people with jobs too as only you can define who you are.

5. Study the easier subjects

This may not be applicable to everyone however it is usually the case when you have a number of exams and your result is then the average out of all of them. If your mathematics grade is dependent on a calculus and a statistics exam, make sure that you become absolutely amazing in statistics. This is simply the law of averages. It is a lot more impressive to come out with a good average and fail that complex numbers question, or get a much worse grade as you simply did poorly on the easier topics. Remember always to pick your questions smartly, it doesn't make you stupid if you picked the easier question to solve.


To conclude this post, I hope that these points can help you with your exam studies as I wish someone advised me during when I had my exams. So good luck and remember that whether you pass or fail, you are still freaking awesome.  Have a great day people and peace out.

"Don't be like this guy :)"

7 Reasons why kettlebells are so badass

Being a bit of a workout enthusiast, I simply could not resist being fascinated by the world of kettlebell training. Although kettlebells are still a  fairly new concept in the world of bodybuilding, it is constantly growing and has become one of the most popular ways to workout and these are the reasons why.

1. Have fun doing Cardio

Arguably one of the most boring yet effective things at the gym is the treadmill, although it is amazingly convenient for running long distances whilst well being stationary, it also happens to be one of the most boring things to do ever especially if your cardio workouts do not consist of a 10 minutes brisk walk.  So for all of us fitness enthusiasts cardio training in the gym is well not one of the exciting things to do, this is where kettlebells come in.

One of the most amazing things with kettlebell workouts is that unlike their free weight counterparts, a kettlebell workout will have a strength and cardio element. This aspect of kettlebell training will not just make you break more of a sweat but also gain some muscle in the process, making it a more complete workout.  This suggests that instead of you spending a huge amount of time contemplating your life whilst also looking like a sweaty dog at the treadmill, you can be equally as sweaty when swinging weights around. Personally, I just think that's just overall a better look.

The cardio found in the kettlebell routine will also help introduce cardio training to people who well, never ever do anything in the gym if it does not incorporate lifting weights. 

2. Get super strong

Unlike the fellow in the photo above, kettlebells will actually grant you functional strength. Oh yes, I said it, FUNCTIONAL!. That term is rarely if ever heard around the gym as every other guy is trying hard to look like Mr. Cloud guy (shown above) and have little to no functional strength.  This is mainly because Mr.Cloud spends most of his time training with machines, although machines will enable pretty much anyone to lift relatively heavy weights, they only focus on a single or a small group of muscles at a time. Kettlebells on the other hand works in a more natural fashion, let me give you an example. 

Let's take a look at the guy in the photo above, you can obviously note down that he is lifting a stone however you can also notice that he is using his entire body as a singular unit in order to lift that weight. He is not using only his back, or his chest muscles or his quads alone however his entire body thereby combining a number of muscle groups together to produce this result. 

This style of lifting is also portrayed in olympic style lifting as the only way to lift astonishingly heavy weights is the combination of using your body as a single unit in addition with enormous explosive strength. That is how kettlebells work, thereby making every single routine a functional one and thereby making your flashy muscles useful not just for show like Mr. Cloud. 

3. Sport Specific

Assuming we are not all bodybuilders or train just for staying healthy, a number of people incorporate gym workouts in order to improve their performance in a specific sport. This is where sport specific training comes in. If you take time to consider basically all different kinds of sports in the world, most of them will require the participant to have combination of functional strength and stamina in order to perform admirably.  Owing to the nature of kettlebells, they are able to easily compliment your sport specific routine. 

"Front squats are arguably one of the most beneficial and functional exercises out there"

The unique combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training makes kettlebells workouts found in the routines of a number of professional athletes. 

"Fedor Emelianenko a legend  in the world of  mixed martial arts used kettlebells in his routine to improve his striking power"

4.  Flexibility

Because of the dynamic movement associated with kettlebell training, it does not result in the same affect that usually comes with conventional free weights. This is mainly owing to the fact that kettlebell literally hit your muscles from head to toe and highly affects your stabilizing muscles unlike it's weightlifting counterparts. The movements associated with kettlebells also encourage a greater amount of flexibility, one of which is the turkish get up.

"The turkish get up is arguably one of the most difficult feats accomplished by a kettlebell practitioner, it requires a high level of stability in a number of muscle groups in addition to increased flexibility"

If you are sick of the stiffness associated with isolated muscle exercises and the overall lack of flexibility, then I suggest you give kettlebells a try.

5. No more shoulder pains!

Admittingly kettlebells tend to look quite intimidating at first, however according to recent discoveries in regards to kettlebells, they tend to be quite safe especially in comparison to weight lifting methods.  One of the three fundamental movements associated with kettlebells are the kettlebell swing, the turkish get up and the goblet squat. Let's examine each movement independently in order to see the effect of kettlebells in action.

"The Kettlebell Swing"

The kettlebell swing requires the user to swing the kettlebell with momentum from deadlift like position to about shoulder height. This exercise also hits various muscle groups including shoulders, quads and the core. Because of the dynamic nature of the exercise, it uses a number of stabilizing muscles thereby reducing the chance of injury if done with proper technique ( as seen above ).

"The Goblet Squat"

.The goblet squat is the  kettlebell equivalent to the front squat performed by dumbbells or a barbell.
With similar benefits to your tradition front squat such as the high stimulating of the core region, kettlebell squats are capable of effectively impacting the quads whilst doing little to no damage to your back,  The shape of the kettlebell allow for the goblets squats to also be performed easily as you can comfortable grab the kettlebell whilst performing the exercise, this is usually a drawback when performing a front squat with a barbell for instance as a  number of athletes employ the use of straps when lifting heavier weights.

"The Turkish get up"

The turkish get up also being a core exercise, mainly focuses on the shoulder area. A number of athletes report shoulder pain after free weights workouts such as the infamous shoulder press. Unlike the shoulder press, the turkish get up requires high muscle stability to be accurately performed thereby making it a relatively safe exercise when using the proper technique.

6. It's a time saver

Let's be honest now, we live a world were time is always of the essence. Whether you are busy at work, watching your favourite tv show or constantly updating your facebook status (you know who you are) there just is never enough time. The average kettlebell workout can be as little as 30 minutes  and will still achieve effective results. Unlike weightlifting and bodybuilding in general, workouts sessions do not have to be 2 hours long anymore for you to hit every single muscle group, kettlebells simply hits them all simultaneously. You can also do it anywhere, you do not need a squat rack to hit your quads or a bench press to work your chest, with kettlebells anything is possible with very little equipment involved.

7. It's easier on the wallet

Unlike your casual gym membership, kettlebell training does not require you to sign a rolling contract that can charge up to an excess of 75 pounds(118 dollars) monthly in order to access your gym membership that also happens to be about 20 minutes away.  Kettlebells can be purchased as cheap as 5 pounds ( 8 dollars ), you can also easily build your own kettlebell home gym over time and it will also result in saving a lot of money in addition to having unlimited accessibility.

I hope this post has taught you a thing or two about the different aspects involved with kettlebell training and perhaps inspired you to pick one up the next time you hit the gym .

Thank you for your time guys and have an awesome day, peace out.

Motivation for Success

If there is one thing that we can probably all admit to, that thing is undoubtedly going to be success. Success can be anything or everything, whether it is in relationships, popularity or earning a lot of money. It is there and we all want it but only a handful can truly call themselves successful. Growing up I have observed a number of highly successful people, these are both people in the media and in our day to day lives. These are the qualities that I have noticed every so often and I have compiled them in order to produce this post.

1. Relentless Work Ethic

Unfortunately we live in a world where most individual accredit talent as the singular reason of success. We all know those individuals that will comment on the talent of that famous soccer/football player or that musician or even actor, they will always claim that these individuals were extremely lucky to be so talented and that is why they are so successful. That cannot be further from the truth, talent is an important factor there is no doubt about that however talent can only take you that far.
One of my favorite actors Will Smith always suggested that the only reason why he has reached his worldly success is because of his relentless even sickening work ethic.

An interview with Will Smith on Focus and Work Ethic

This theory however is not just limited to the likes of Will Smith,  we can always note that talent alone is simply not enough. Another individual that comes to mind is Christiano Ronaldo, currently the highest payed football player in the world.

We can all complain about the way dresses or the number of times he gets his haircut during a football game but we cannot deny the fact that he has an incredible work ethic. A couple of years ago, Christiano starting out in Manchester United was easily outshined by his fellow team mate Wayne Rooney, however one can easily note that Christiano has truly managed to make a great of himself by the amount of distance he has moved in such a short period of time.  His work ethic was so incredible that he managed to compete with and beat the likes of Lionel Messi, a no doubt incredibly astonishing player.

2.  Planning

Planning is absolutely essential for any form of success, I simply cannot emphasize this point enough. 

                                          “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”- Benjamin Franklin

Envision yourself as a captain of a ship and you have decided to set sail across the seven seas,  the one thing that you need to know before even setting sail is to decide upon a destination, life  can be seen as the same way. We are all captains of our lives however most of us have unfortunately have not set a  destination for their voyage. That is also reflected later in life as most of us will end up lost at sea or if lucky end up on an Island. This metaphor was used previously in a very entertaining documentary that I looked up a while ago and it was all about the significance of planning your life. Statistics show that most young 20 year olds have an outstanding outlook on life, they all believe they will attain success and riches whilst only a handful actually reach their goals. A large number of them even end up receiving financial support from the government.  I do not believe that all of these individuals simply gave up on their hopes or dreams however it is likely that some of them did but the truth of the matter is that many of them did not have a plan to begin with therefore they all end it up lost in the sea of life.

Floyd Mayweather, the most successful but also the most hated boxer in the world.

3. Standards

Whilst listening to one of my favourite motivational speakers, a man by the name of Tony Robbins.In one of his famous speeches, Tony mentions a very interesting point about standards during his speech, he tells that the gap between good and great is a lot smaller than a lot of people think. You see, good workers will work and do their job to the best of their abilities however they will never get the credit they deserve for it. On the other  hand great workers only push the boundaries a little higher than good workers and they get all the credit possible. The reason why good workers are good whilst great workers are great is solely because of standards. I would like to use Floyd as an example, Floyd was originally one of  Bob Arum's fighters, a famous fight promoter in the world of boxing. However after a number of disputes, Floyd decided to start his own promotion company namely Mayweather promotions. The media always was highly critical of Floyd because of his flamboyant lifestyle however there is a reason that a number of people tend to overlook. The reason why Floyd is the why he is, is simply because he is true to himself. Bad boy or not, Floyd is as outspoken as they come. The reason why Floyd decided to leave Bob Arum is simply because he was sick of being the B-side in boxing whilst the famous Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya had all the prosperity. Floyd decided to become his own boss and take matters into his own hand, this is because Floyd always had standards and always believed he was simply the best fighter of his generation. Hate him or love him, his success speaks for itself and he has secured a  place for himself amongst the greats of boxing.

The lesson to be learned here is to set your standards high  and be true to yourself no matter the consequences.

“You're born an original, Don't die a Copy!”- John Mason

4. Tenacity

I was fortunate to grow up to all the Rocky movies, as it was back when movies had a well made message behind them. If there is one thing that i loved about Rocky, then  that is his incredible tenacity. Rocky took hits from incredible opponents on several occasions but always persisted even if the odds were clearly put against him. I have met a number of highly talented individuals, whether it was guys in my science class growing up, my martial arts club or at the workplace. Unfortunately most of them seemed to have largely unfulfilled potential, the truth is that you can be smartest guy on the planet but you may still fail your job interview. That does not make you less of who you are but life sometimes just decides to throw you a curveball that you simply cannot control.  You have to persist and keep moving forward, if you are push back then push forward and keep going until you reach your goals. Always remember that failure is a part of success.

“When you fall, fall forward”- Dr. Denzel Washington

5. Belief

“A man can change his stars and I won't spend the rest of my life as nothing”- William Thatcher"A Knight's Tale"

I firmly believe that we are all blessed in some way or another however unfortunately not all of us are born into an ideal home or live an ideal life. Some of us  have problems at home or were born from a poor background and sometimes having an optimistic outlook in life is truly challenging.  From all the points that I have mentioned earlier, this has to be the most essential one and one that I have witnessed over and over again in a number of highly successful individuals. Although the Knight's Tale was not exactly a blockbuster movie for me personally however I found it admirable that the protagonist although came from a poor background managed to become a highly successful individual later in life. I am quite aware that it is all fiction but I have personally witnessed this same quality in a number of people from all different walks of life. As I am a big boxing fan, I will have to take into consideration the 8 division world champion Manny Pacquiao.

Manny was brought up in a very humble home and had to at times gone days without any food. He had to pick up boxing in order to get food for his family. He always had the belief that he will get out of poverty and become an incredibly successful boxer, owing to his belief and work ethic he managed to become one of the most wealthy boxers of our generation. If he can do it, what is your excuse?.

Another person that have clearly defined her destiny is JK Rowling, mainly known for publishing arguably the most popular fictional story of our generation Harry Potter. Before Harry Potter hit the top reading lists and made it into world cinema, the book was originally rejected by not one or two but by 12 different publishers. Joanne however had belief in her book and the book was then published by the 13th publisher.  

To conclude this post, success is something we all can achieve and nothing but ourselves can truly stop us from achieving it. It is about the hard work we put in, our standards, our belief and our go-getter mind set that makes us successful individuals.  Stephen Covey mentioned in his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People " that a person must always concentrate on his/her circle of influence and improve himself/herself in the way that is available to him/her.  Do what you can do to be the best version of yourself, become a better person today than you were yesterday.

Note that I personally do not see myself to have truly fulfilled my full potential and attained my goals in life, however I am in the same boat as a lot of other people, I am simply working on myself and trying my best to make my dreams come true just like everybody else.

Thank you for taking your time and reading this post, I hope that it has somehow encouraged to you to work harder and achieve your success.

Thank you and God bless.

An amazing quote by an even  more amazing mentor.