Friday, January 23, 2009

reputation vs. character

Your reputation is what people think you are; your character is what you are.

You want your reputation and your character to match, but concentrate on your character. You may be able to fool others about the kind of person you really are for a time, but it seldom lasts for long. The surest way to make sure your character and your reputation are the same is to live your life in such a way that nothing you do would embarrass you if it were printed on the front page of the newspaper. Good character means not ever taking ethical shortcuts, even though everyone else may be doing so. You build good character by doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.

-Napoleon Hill

Thursday, January 8, 2009

What is the relationship of motor skill development and fitness levels in young kids?

A recent study found a link between object-control skills in childhood and fitness in adolescence. A study published in the December issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise put 276 elementary schoolchildren in New South Wales, Australia, through movement-skill tests. Three were related to object control (kicking, catching and overhand throwing), and four were focused on locomotor skills (hopping, side galloping, vertical jumping and sprinting). Six years later, 244 students had their cardio-respiratory fitness measured by running timed laps. Boys and girls who had good object-control skills ran, on average, six extra laps than those with poor object-control skills.

Researchers think that object-control skills are often connected with participation in sports and other activities. Students who are good at these skills might be more likely to engage in recreational or organized sports, upping their fitness levels.

If you would like access to the full study, please let me know!