Everyone always says that in the first year of Uni you don’t really have to do much! Well, that’s what it seemed like everyone was telling me.
‘oh you’ll be fine – you’ve done half of it before’
While I have been in and around the fitness industry for a number of years. I have also been out of education. During this time, I changed how I learnt new things, it all became visual or audio information.
Technology Has Changed
We live in a time where you can unlock your mobile phone, open ‘Podcasts’ or ‘Youtube’ and spend hours listening and watching professionals and experts discussing multiple topics. I personally think this is amazing, as I learn better from visual and audio content. I can find a subject I am interested in, or something someone has asked me about, and learn basically everything I need to know. I can even learn on the go, all this content is portable and accessible with a simple tap of my finger. Unfortunately, I can’t breeze my way through University stating ‘oh I heard it on a Podcast’.
I Need To Re Learn To Read
This is where being out of education for a number of years is a bit of an issue. I barely ever read anything, well I used not to. Now, all of a sudden I have 3 articles to read by this time next week (all in ‘scientific text’, which means I have to read everything a minimum of twice to understand it). To say it’s a shock to the system is a bit of an understatement. I know it has to be done, so I am approaching it with the understanding that I’m just going to have to keep practising and KEEP READING!
Reading vs Learning
So I’ve read something… That doesn’t mean I’ve actually learnt anything or taken it on board. I’ve discovered that if I feel there is something in the text is really worth remembering I need to physically write it down. This has made the whole process longer, but what’s the point in reading something if I don’t take anything away from it.
It is what it is. I am just going to have to read, read and read a bit more. I’m just out of practice, and that’s all it is, practice. I have found two ways that I can actually improve without just having to pour over multiple articles.
1 – Read something fictional. The last time I read a book was when I was away travelling and the time to do so. So I have started to read. I generally do this on the train to and from University, it passes the time and although I may not be learning something, I’m getting better at reading.
2 – Writing. Well blogging, writing these posts is helping a lot with my reading. I feel the more I write the more I understand when I read. There is probably something nice and scientific to explain why this is…. But I’ll let you guys find the literature for one.
What On Earth Does This Have to Do With Performance?!
Each and every one of us has weak spots, areas for improvement. There may be many reasons for these weaknesses. However, one thing I have found whilst Personal Training in Twickenham, London, is that people of neglect the things they can’t do. Maybe they had an injury and had some time away from certain movement, or maybe exercise for a whole. Essentially, they are just out of practice, they need to re learn a certain skill, habit or lifestyle!
Just like me and reading (along with a million other things), find out what works for you. You may be the kind of person who can just dive straight in, pick your weaknesses and crack on. In contrast, you may be like me, you may need to find different ways to solve the problem.
If you feel that one approach may be to hire a trainer, then great, give us a call! If you simple want to find out a bit more about weaknesses, goal setting or anything performance related, give us a call!
