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Marginal Gains. Jeremy Dry – Maximize Performance. Mr Anderson’s life view – no scientific evidence to prove it!.
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Marginal Gains Jeremy Dry – Maximize Performance
Mr Anderson’s life view – no scientific evidence to prove it! • I believe that we are all existing in some of comfort zone – trapped in our comfortable lives. Whether we are students with exams looming, an athlete, actor or a worker with job tasks and a professional remit we build a lifestyle and life rituals around us which comfort us and make us feel secure and worthy. We do not like to feel ‘uncomfortable’ in our lives – placing ourselves in a position of risk taking and uncertainty. It is as if since our early ancestors sought shelter in caves surrounded by the dangers of predators, human disasters and illness, humans in their journey to find safer existences have switched off the primal part of them – making risky decisions with a huge range of consequences both good and bad. As our lives are increasingly routinized and mapped out for us in very structured educational and professional cultures we simply ‘pull into the slipstream’ and only occasionally really exert ourselves or challenge our usual practices and habits e.g. public exam or university finals revision phases. • The aim of this assembly is to demonstrate how you can critically examine areas of your usual life and with some adjustments to these make ‘marginal gains’ which could across a number of areas lead to improved exam performance
Get 1%+ better – critically analyse everything you do when preparing for exams; planning, revision methods, nutrition , exercise and even washing and the pen you use in order to improve your exam performance! • Use an exam friendly pen – fine nib with ergonomic shape • Work hours strategically organised – revise for no more than 35-40 minute phases with 5 minute breaks added. Take a first break and lunch break similar to school timings! • In the break period it is good to rehydrate and exercise (stretching – pilates style) – do not stay seated! • Reflect on your revision methods and rituals – be self-critical! • Reflect and boost your sleeping habits in the revision and exam phase – ban any electronic devices from your bedroom/sleeping area. Blue light does not help students to relax or to enter decent sleep levels
Do not learn or revise with any Music or certainly not lyrical Music! • Professor Nick Perham has recently investigated and discovered the negative impact of Music on the ability to memorise; • You can listen to Music before revision to get emotionally aroused and ‘in the groove’ (arousal & mood effect) but do not listen to Music or only listen to melodically ‘calm’ music while revising to get maximum benefits. • Avoid Music with lyrics and seek out instrumental only as listening to Music with lyrics impairs your ability to do comprehension which is a core part of revision.
Sleep! • Professor Foster, Oxford University & ‘Teen sleep’ Project
Take cold showers! • There is growing evidence of a variety of physical and psychological benefits of taking cold showers in order to improve human performance; • Increases alertness • Improves the immune system • Eases stress • Relieves depression • Improves blood circulation • Improves sleep • Speeds up metabolism