Do you seriously want to build muscle without weights? This is something which some people will say is impossible, but it can definitely be done if you take the time to learn the right methods. Here are the basics you need to be able to build muscle without weights, from right now.

1-Basics
It is even possible to build muscle without weights with the traditional simple forms of exercise ? exercises which need no special equipment, and which can be done anywhere. These include such exercises as sit ups, press ups etc. These are no going to turn you from a weakling into a champion bodybuilder, but if you are not used to exercising your body, they can be a great way to start. As with any form of exercise, you need regular workouts to see results.

2-Arms
Although these general exercises are beneficial, to see real results you will need to concentrate on specific muscle groups. This is the best way to build muscle without weights. Building up the biceps, which is a common starting point amongst aspiring bodybuilders, is not easily done without weights. Probably the best way of going about this is just to use something in place of the weights, such as cans of food. Put the cans into a bag, and you have a makeshift weight to lift.

3-Chest
Every bodybuilder wants to work their chest, as this is what gives the appearance of a well built body. To effectively build muscle without weights for your chest, the muscles called the pectoral muscles, one of the simple possibilities is to make regular press ups harder to do. One easy way of accomplishing this is to put your feet up on a chair, making all the weight go in to your arms. You will find these a lot harder to do than the standard press up, so be prepared.

4-Shoulders
The shoulders will definitely benefit from basic exercises such as press ups, and even more so from inclined press ups. One way to go beyond this is to add pull ups. So many people find these exercises hard to perform, so they definitely have the potential to build muscle without weights. To get the very best results from your pull ups, you will need to widen your grips, so that the weight is concentrated in the shoulder area. This will make sure that the effort you are putting in gets the best possible result, by being directed to the right area. It is hard work, though.

It is certainly not difficult to start to build muscle without weights, and you can start this way without needing to invest in gym memberships or home equipment. Click the links below for some great extra resources.

December is well-known for Christmas but do you know how people in countries around the world celebrate it? Here are some customs from various parts of the world.

Australia

Greeting – Merry Christmas
Santa’s Name – Santa Claus. Children leave him a piece of cake or biscuits and a glass of milk or a bottle of beer.
Food – Many Christmas dinners include roasted meats and vegetables, special fruit cakes, and puddings with a coin baked inside. Since the temperature can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, people are starting to eat cold meats and salads, tropical fruits like mangoes, and stone fruits like plums. Often, the main meal is eaten for lunch.
Gifts – These are left under the Christmas tree and opened Christmas morning.
Decorations – Shops and homes are decorated with tinsel, Christmas trees, decorations for the holiday, and special lights.
Customs – Traditional and Australian carols are sung by candlelight on Christmas Eve and are broadcast on television. On Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, two sporting events take place:
The Boxing Day Test Match (cricket game) and the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Brazil

Greeting – Feliz Natal
Santa’s Name – Papai Noel (Father Noel), who is dressed in a red, silk suit with boots.
Food – Many people eat a traditional feast with roast turkey and vegetables, while others eat chicken and rice or beans. Beer and wine are also served. Some regions begin eating around 9 PM on Christmas Eve, while others eat around midnight.
Gifts – Local charities take in donations but do not seem to have enough presents for all the children.
Decorations – Brazil has a mixture of people so Christmas is celebrated in different ways. In the northeastern area, it is common to find Nativity Scenes; in the southern part, snow is simulated with little pieces of cotton on pine trees.
Customs – Brazilians sing a number of Christmas carols.

Greece

Greeting – Eftihismena Christougenna
Food – Special holiday cakes are baked.
Gifts – Most Greek people exchange gifts on Saint Basil’s Day, January 1.
Customs – To honor Saint Basil, the holiday cakes have gold coins hidden inside them. The cakes are cut at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Whoever has a gold coin in his piece of cake will have good luck the following year.

Hungary

Santa’s Name – Actually, the Baby Jesus is said to bring presents on Christmas Eve. A bell sounds signaling that the Angels have brought the tree and gifts.
Customs – On December 5, children leave out their shoes. During the night, Mikulas and Black Peter come to fill them with goodies for well-behaved children and switches for naughty children.

India

Decorations – Sometimes, houses are decorated with mango leaves; mango or banana trees are also decorated. Small, clay, oil-burning lamps are placed on the edges of flat roofs as decorations.

Israel

Greeting – Chag Semeach (Happy Chanukah)
Santa’s Name – Actually, parents, grandparents, and other family members give presents to the children.
Food – Because oil is an important part of the holiday, many foods are prepared with it. A favorite is potato latkes (pancakes).
Gifts – Since Chanukah lasts for eight days, children may receive one present each night.
Decorations – Jewish stars, blue or silver foil garlands,
dreidels (spinning tops), Chanukah gelt (chocolate coins), and pictures of the Macabees (Jewish army that recaptured the Holy Temple and Jerusalem from the Assyrian Greek King Antiochus) are found around the house.
Customs – The menorah (candelabra) is lit each night. On the first night, one candle is lit; on, the second night, two candles; and so on until all the candles are lit on the eighth night. After lighting the candles, families eat a festive meal, dance, play games, and open presents. They also attend Chanukah parties.

Japan

Greeting – Kurisumasu Omedeto
Santa’s Name – Santa Kurohsu. He does not appear in person but is pictured in advertisements as a kind old man with a round sack on his back.
Food – Depending upon the family’s custom, they eat turkey on Christmas Day or on Christmas Eve. Japanese families also eat Christmas cake.
Gifts – Stores sell merchandise for men, women, and children; and on Christmas Day, families exchange gifts.
Decorations – More and more artificial Christmas trees are beginning to appear. They are decorated with small toys, gold paper fans, dolls, lanterns, paper ornaments, and wind chimes. A popular ornament is the origami swan. Other decorations are mistletoe, evergreen, tinsel, and lights. An amulet is put on the front door for good luck and children exchange ‘birds of peace,’ pledging there must not be anymore war.
Customs – The daiku, or Great Nine, refers to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and is performed many places.

Mexico

Greeting – Feliz Navidad
Customs – Beginning on December 15, some families carry colorful lanterns and walk from house to house in their neighborhoods, each night, until Christmas Eve. This is called La Posada, which means ‘the procession.’ On each of the nights, the families are invited into different houses where they become guests at a party. There is plenty to eat and drink. Children play the pinata game, trying to break open the papier-mache figure with a stick while blindfolded; when it is cracked open, candies and small gifts fall out.

Netherlands

Greeting – Hartelijke Kerstroeten
Santa’s Name – Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas), who wears a red bishop’s hat and bishop’s cloak and has white hair and a white beard. He arrives on a white horse with his servant, Black Pete, to put small gifts in children’s wooden shoes.
Food – The Dutch people eat lots of marzipan, spiced ginger biscuits, tall chocolate letters, and ‘bankletter’ – initials made of pastry and filled with almond paste. When they are around the Christmas tree singing songs, they eat ‘Kerstkrans’ – a Christmas ring.
Gifts – On December 6, after hearing a knock at their door, children find a bag full of toys, nuts, and gifts.
Decorations – The Christmas tree is known as the Paradise Tree. Decorations of the season include dolls, musical instruments, fruit, candies, and lights.
Customs – The Dutch sing carols, the most popular one being “O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree.”

Sweden

Greeting – God Jul
Food – Coffee, cakes, and special buns are served on Santa Lucia Day, December 13.
Customs – Santa Lucia Day honors Saint Lucy, who helped blind people. The oldest daughter in each Swedish household dresses in a white gown with a red sash, wears a crown of evergreen
with seven candles in it, awakens the family with a song, and serves the coffee, cakes, and buns. Each town and city also chooses a young woman to be Lucia for the day. She then serves coffee and food to the townspeople at schools, hospitals, and other public buildings. From these women, a national Lucia is chosen; followed by a parade, feast, and dance.

Now that you have this data, let your children put the information in a comparison chart. Label the left side with the names of the countries and the bottom with the various information (ie: Greeting, Food, and so on). Then fill in the boxes!

Let your children do research to find out the information I left out.

Conduct research to find out the same customs for other countries, especially the heritage countries of students in your class or your own family.

However you celebrate the holidays, have a safe, wonderful season and a Happy New Year!

I hope these ideas are useful and inspire your own creative thinking.

And remember…Reading is FUNdamental!

The Arts for Academic Achievement Program

The Arts for Academic Achievement Program (AAA) has been bringing artists into Minneapolis Schools since 1997. While its outward focus is on teaching students to paint, dance, and express themselves artistically, its real mission is to make students love learning and use the arts to apply themselves to their academic subjects. Supported initially by an Annenberg Foundation educational reform grant and in partnership with the Perpich Center for Arts Education, AAA has expanded throughout Minnesota. Currently the Minneapolis School District has pledged to continue the program after the end of the initial grant, bringing the program to 120 classrooms in 40 schools in the Minneapolis School District.

How It Helps Students Learn

Students in the AAA Program develop a positive attitude toward school and learn the value of determination in finishing a project that has meaning for them. National research indicates that instruction through the arts is very effective in raising the achievement scores of at ? risk groups. The AAA Program has documented the substantial increase in student assessment scores when arts are integrated into the Minneapolis Public Schools. The ties between third grade reading scores and the level of arts instruction show a clear link between the two. The more arts education provided, the higher the scores, especially within groups that have shown greater barriers in learning.

AAA makes students work hard and feel pride in demonstrating their skills to the community. Students perform or present their projects to real audiences and strive to make those audiences proud of them. As a result, students put real effort into what they do and develop a strong positive attitude toward learning. At the high school level, attendance has jumped for students involved in the AAA program, as students desire to come to school and learn more.

How It Helps Teachers Teach

AAA brings teachers into the planning and implementation process. This builds a community of learning that cares most about helping students achieve through an atmosphere of cooperation and understanding. Minneapolis School District teacher teams develop curriculum and work together with local artists to present and enhance new learning experiences. This leads to changes in the way that individual teachers as well as whole schools view education.

AAA research shows that teachers involved in the AAA program change the way they teach. Minneapolis School District teachers see how students can learn, redirecting their efforts toward students that had otherwise been regarded as weaker. AAA gave teachers to understanding and experience to help develop more children in areas such as intelligence, leadership, and motivation. In addition, instruction by Minneapolis School District teachers participating in the AAA program created more child ? centered classrooms in which children can develop and explore at their own pace. Minneapolis School District teachers learned that the creation of independent student learning activities allowed students to develop their own skills in a different way from teacher ? led classroom instruction. Minneapolis School District teachers participating in AAA learned how to encourage students to take risks in order to increase their understanding.