The Aaron Jacobs Podcast

As I've moved from teacher of kids to coach of adults, I've noticed some common themes as I've been speaking with people about their health and fitness goals.

Many people just aren't aiming high enough with their health and fitness goals.

You wonder why so many people fall off track even if they try to start?

The journey isn't exciting enough.

Work towards something that you think is impossible.

Work on what lights you up.

Don't settle.

Cutting right to the chase this week.

Now that I've been out of the teaching world for a number of months, I've been able to step back and view the forest instead of the trees, so to speak.

My problem with schools these days, if we were to focus on fixing it, would fix student engagement, happiness, attendance, substance abuse, and a whole host of problems.

Today we are doing a little deep dive into how I have lived my life around money, and fighting temptations in the pursuit of greater goals.

A challenge to you: what is your vice? What do you go to consume or do when you are feeling tired/anxious/sad/hurt that isn't serving you?

I've only begun to express just how messed up I think the public school system is right now in America.

But today I'm just going to speak from the heart.

As much as I disagree with how schools are structured, as much as I dislike how addicted to phones kids can be, as much as I feel like culturally we've degraded and do not cooperate with one another...none of that is truly at the core of why I had to leave the classroom.

Former students: this one is a great listen for you, especially if you are still deciding on what you want to do with your life after high school!

Just coming right out and saying it...

Learning to play an instrument or sing is MORE important than other subjects in school.

The act of learning how to play an instrument or sing strengthens the brain in a way that no other subject comes close to. Music is a full brain workout.

And yet, it is often looked down upon, the first thing cut from schools, and colloquially viewed as a secondary activity to athletics.

I would contend that athletics and music combined are WAY more important than math, science, history or language arts.

How powerful would it be to emphasize the two classes in a school day that unequivocally strengthen the body and the brain?

Is it really a good idea for us to keep kids grinding away at tasks that do not ultimately "have a point" or point them toward meaningful work that they are truly passionate about?

I have always found it funny that kids always ask "why" you do something in a math class, and what the point of doing something was (and yeah I was that kid). And yet, in music class I rarely had kids ask this.

Because it is obvious that learning to physically manipulate the world around you through building skills and kinesthetic memory is not only fun, but beneficial to enriching your entire life.

We have gym and music classes already built into school schedules...now we just have to give kids MORE of them.

It's time to stop calling these classes "specials" and to stop referring to math/science/history/language arts as "core."

https://www.policymattersohio.org/blog/2022/05/04/why-the-arts-matter#:~:text=Students%20who%20have%20experiences%20with,peers%20with%20no%20arts%20education

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/the-benefits-of-arts-education-for-k-12-students

In this week’s episode, I want to challenge some of your long held beliefs about public schools. Especially what most people consider to be the most important subjects in schools. 

If I had my way, I would turn things completely upside down from how they are now.

Kids need to move, create and DO more. 

Less math problems, fewer science experiments, less Shakespeare. 

For the average kid, the amount of time they spend taking classes in high school that does not directly relate to the path in life that they may want to take is such a waste. And that waste continues into the University level (but that is a topic for another episode!).

Let's create kids who are prepared to take on challenges and the ability to learn and express new skills. The ability to DO is much more important than the ability to just acquire and regurgitate information.

Sources:

https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Physical-Education/Physical-Education-Resources#:~:text=Schools%20are%20required%20to%20offer,hours%20to%20meet%20graduation%20requirements. 

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/nutrition/02F.asp#:~:text=Public%20elementary%20schools%20reported%20averages,schedules%20that%20varied%20by%20week. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201497/ 

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-of-the-benefits-of-arts-education/ 

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/01/12/obesity-harms-brain-health-throughout-life-yet-scientists-dont-know-why#:~:text=Research%20shows%20obesity%20impacts%20brain,of%20excess%20weight%20are%20substantial. 

Teacher workforce retention and attrition have become hot topics in the field of education.

I myself experienced a severe burnout a year ago, and realized that I needed to make a change.

Since then, I've had a chance to think and reflect...could there have been anything done to keep me on the job?

Are there structural changes we can make to public education that would incentivize teachers to stay in the profession? And even MORE importantly...are there changes we can make to incentivize the best PEOPLE to become teachers?

This is just the first of many episodes geared toward improving America's education system.

There is a ton that is wrong with public education in my view, but that doesn't mean there are not solutions out there. The future of our country is worth fighting for.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/teachers-america-burn-out-b2cc2a51

https://epaa.asu.edu/index.php/epaa/article/view/3699/2230

https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/teacher-turnover-report

The last episode in the diet series (for now)!

This topic brought out some RAGE in me...maybe talking about a primal diet brought out the ancient man survival instinct energy lol

Regardless, this diet is overall the safest diet I've talked about on the series for the average person. However, there are still some glaring issues and a lack of long term research with this diet to back it up.

This week we take a dive into the Collective of Carb haters...the Ketogenic dieters!

As with carnivore and vegan, I do not recommend this as a protocol when you are just getting started in fitness and diet optimization.

However, there are some lessons we can learn from the Keto crowd.

And if you are a Keto dieter, I've got a couple tips for you towards the end of today's episode to make your keto journey a little smoother.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101#_noHeaderPrefixedContent

https://diet.mayoclinic.org/us/blog/2022/how-to-make-the-keto-diet-healthy/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=&gclid=CjwKCAjw59q2BhBOEiwAKc0ijaKaFws7TcW8yXAIzrH_300CFGNImJ8Bsw4FUmTPRB9imyGZjtW6ExoC6msQAvD_BwE

https://www.diabetes.ca/DiabetesCanadaWebsite/media/Managing-My-Diabetes/Tools%20and%20Resources/glycemic-index-food-guide.pdf?ext=.pdf

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-keto-flu-2018101815052

Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coursework

If you spend any time on social media in fitness and nutrition spaces, you know that the fear of seed oils is something just about everybody is talking about.

But are they really something you need to fear?

Yes, no, sort of...

The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

But most people are consuming too many seed oils.

In this episode we break down exactly why seed oils are something to be aware of, and how you can swap in other foods in their place!

Sources:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-olive-oil