Did you know that the physical exercise in the morning and long walks can affect your marks at university? Why are sports good for students? What is the connection? It is very solid and natural. Our habits affect the performance of memory and the brain.  People with an active lifestyle have a higher level of intellectual development. Why?

During physical activity, the brain absorbs blood with nutrients and oxygen. They are vitally important for the acumen. But this is not the only effect. Sports and academic performance are linked by more complex interactions. From this article, you will learn detailed information on how physical activity can influence your ability to study.

How sports affect students?

Moderate, non-destructive physical activity leads to the stimulation of many organs and tissues of the body, including the nerve cells of the brain. The acceleration of the development and branching of dendrites takes place.

Initially, it was assumed that this effect attaches only those areas of the brain which are responsible for motor functions. But over time, in the course of research, it turned out that this consequence extends to other abilities, including learning, thinking and memory.

That is, during physical activity, the branches of our nerve cells begin to form and grow intensively. Their development determines all intellectual processes and academic success.

Professional sports and the brain

It is quite natural to will ask “Do student athletes get better grades?” According to this logic, professional football players, boxers, skiers should be super intelligent. It is the absolute truth. The prospects of their development are indeed much higher than the possibilities of the person who lies on the couch all the time.

By the way, after reading the biographies of modern athletes you will see that these are versatile people who show outstanding talents in different areas. Many of them achieved significant successes outside of sports. Just no one knows about this.

But there are two reasons why not all the professional athletes have high intellectual successes. First, everyone has the development potential, but not all sportsmen use it. Personal qualities and values are no less important than the acquired skills.

If an athlete is accustomed to watching TV or playing computer games after training, is it possible to say that he uses his capabilities? Besides, there is not always time for studying, reading and classes in the training schedule. So, many sportsmen think that it’s more convenient to buy assignment than to do it on their own.

Secondly, workloads are not always moderate in professional sports. In some cases, the athlete regularly has to experience incredible effort and stress. This negatively affects the work of the nervous system. Therefore, not all physical activities are useful.

What are the consequences of good brain performance?

Qualitative and regular physical activity develops our body and brain. The consequence is faster and more qualitative thinking, clarity of thoughts, less fatigue and greater endurance of intellectual abilities.

This leads to the fact that a person becomes more successful in labor, educational tasks and projects with preservation of high quality of work, which ultimately has a positive impact on income and academic performance.

What types of physical activity are most useful?

Gymnastics

Even the easiest gymnastics performed regularly contributes to strengthening brain nutrition, improving blood circulation throughout the body.

Walking

Especially in the fresh air, walking is favorable for the enrichment of cells with oxygen. Oxygen starvation is tantamount to degradation for the brain. Fresh air is a factor which has an instant effect. If you worked on a difficult task for a long time, try to get out and take a walk slowly. As a rule, during such walks, the enlightenment happens and new thoughts appear.

Breathing exercises

Such exercises supply oxygen to the head, which in all respects benefits our memory. No extra time is required. Breathing gymnastics can be performed in any atmosphere between classes at the university. If you stand in the corridor and wait for the exam, this practice will clear your thoughts and help to focus.

Yoga

Static exercises with stretching and development of flexibility, additional breathing techniques ensure the perfection of both the body and the brain.

Dancing

Any kind of dance (paired and single) is an excellent activity. In addition to the all-round training of the body, dancing is supportive for posture, it develops coordination, control of all the muscles, the aesthetics of movements, often raises our mood.

Game sports

Football, GAA, volleyball, tennis, badminton deserve special attention because they combine several important features: physical activity, a lot of positive emotions, training of attention and reaction speed. Also, game sports often take place outdoors, which is extremely useful for the brain. So play with pleasure!

What should you avoid?

There should be no risk of injury (boxing, martial arts, extreme sports). If you care about your intellect and at the same time want to practice such activities, try to use means of protection as much as possible.

Training should be held in such a way that you do not feel utter exhaustion. A proper physical activity gives a slight fatigue, which is replaced by a surge of energy after some rest.

Also, there should be no frequent extreme activities. The regular release of stress hormones including adrenaline causes the reaction of our brain aimed at survival. Other intellectual resources that are important for work and study fall into the background. You probably know how hard it is to concentrate when you are nervous and afraid. A calm positive mood is necessary for a good work of attention and memory. Remember this if you often get into stressful situations.

Each student can find suitable physical activity. If you have enough health and time, confidently engage in any sport on an amateur or semi-professional level. Sports and intellectual work may be combined perfectly. Remember that any minimal activity is better than its absence. Even five-minute gymnastics in the morning gives a small but extremely valuable effect.

Just as we gear up to the 2020 All Ireland hurling championship over 100 of the world’s leading experts in climate change, agriculture and food security converged in NUI Galway.

The week-long International Conference on ‘Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security – Where is the cutting edge?’ The Conference was co-hosted by the NUI Galway Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Centre and the global research program.

The Conference delegates from around the globe identified portfolios of Climate Smart Agriculture practices and innovations for decarbonising agricultural systems to provide food and bioresources for an expanding global population. The delegates discussed approaches for improving the resilience of agriculture and smallholder livelihoods in developing countries to climate change.

With support from the GAA, the international delegation of climate change scientists were given a presentation on the history and development of Gaelic games. The presentation was hosted in Pearse Stadium by Galway football legend, and current Connacht Provincial Games Manager, John Tobin. The scientists were taught some of the skills involved in Ireland’s native sports by local athletes and took part in a poc fada competition.

NUI Galway agricultural economist, Kevin Kilcline explained how almost half a million hurleys are produced in Ireland each year. The delegation heard how hurley sticks have been made from ash trees by craftsmen since before the recorded history of Ireland. Due to the problems with sourcing healthy ash trees for hurleys, the GAA has approved a wood-free, synthetic carbon-fibre hurley, which the group compared on the pitch to the wooden versions made from ash. The GAA stars and NUI Galway scientists explained how the best hurleys can only be made from the ash tree, which is now threatened by the ash dieback fungal disease. As ash dieback is affected by temperature changes, it provided a good example of how our national sport can potentially be impacted by climate change.

In recent weeks, the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Research Observatory in Hawai’i recorded its first-ever carbon dioxide (CO2) reading in excess of 410 parts per million. NUI Galway’s Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station has also recently been recording CO2 readings over 410 parts per million. Dr Peter McKeown, coordinator of the inter-disciplinary Masters (MSc) degree in Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security associated with NUI Galway’s Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Centre, highlighted that children born today will likely never live in a world with CO2 levels below 400 parts per million.

The last time Earth had such levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide was about three million years ago. Back then, global average temperatures over long periods of time were estimated to be about 3.6 to 5.2 degrees warmer than it is today, and the planet may now be headed in that direction.

While the conference was focused on the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security, it also highlighted global warming and extreme weather effects due to climate change will impact on all sectors of society in the years ahead. For instance, climate change will affect the geographic distribution of pests and diseases (of humans, animals and plants), with some diseases becoming more widespread, while others may become less prevalent. Global temperature increases have also affected the spread of ash dieback disease and emerald ash borer beetles, both of which represent significant threats to the security of European ash woodlands and forestry.

Professor Charles Spillane, Head of the Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Centre at NUI Galway, said: The impacts of climate change on the predicted spread and distribution of ash dieback disease across Europe are being analysed, in conjunction with plant breeding efforts to identify naturally occurring genes that can be hybridised to make ash trees that are resistant to ash dieback.”

The last game involving Gaelic and Hurling was released in 2007.

The Irish GAA Banter Facebook page are calling for widespread signatures on a petition to release a GAA video game for 2017.

The movement is gaining strength by the day, and has actually already garnered over 2,000 signatures, with many more expected to give their backing over the coming weeks.

The official request on behalf of the GAA Banter Page is for ‘A Hurling & Football Ps4 & Xbox 1 Game made by EA Sports.’

The petition, with 2,000 signatures listed, has already been lodged to EA’s UK based offices, with the following message explaining their request in full:

‘We the Irish people would appreciate if you would consider making a GAA game, it would outsell the likes of Fifa 17 in Ireland on both Xbox and Playstation platforms and would also have a very strong market in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia.
Thanks for your time,
People of Ireland‘

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the entire effort, however, is the PS4 game cover which has been created:

Source: GAA Banter Page

While the initiative is spreading more out of hope than expectation, the likelihood of any form of reaction from EA seems hugely unlikely for a couple of reasons.

First of all, there have been a number of GAA games released in the past, the most notable of which was 2005’s aptly titled ‘Gaelic Games Football‘, a genuine contender for worst PlayStation game of all time.

Needless to say, the game flopped, and a concerted effort to revitalise the franchise fell flat in 2007.

Additionally, Rugby fans the world over have heard their pleas for an EA Sports-produced game fall on deaf ears for almost ten years now.

But, as they say, if you don’t ask…