While sports are frequently looked upon as an “extra” component of schools, Michael Lydiate, a former high school soccer coach and currently a professor of exercise science and sports fitness management, suggests that playing sports can help students excel in other areas.

As a high school soccer coach and assistant athletic director with the Muscogee County School District, Michael Lydiate saw firsthand the improvement of students, academically and personally, who played on his team and within the athletic department as a whole. Michael Lydiate, ranked Coach of the Year seven times by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association, recalls working with students who lacked the confidence to speak up in class, the self-esteem to flourish socially, or the focus to achieve good grades. Playing sports, according to Michael Lydiate, helped them learn the benefit of practice and dedication, and their athletic skills and success helped them find the confidence to perform better in school.

As a specialist in exercise science, Michael Lydiate also contends that regular physical activity can increase focus and overall wellbeing. Students who are physically active through sports have the benefit of better health and increased endorphin production, which can lead to calmness, focus, and a greater sense of happiness, and therefore, lead to better performance in school and in life. Michael Lydiate says that he has seen this effect in his own life as well, reporting that when he frequently plays soccer with his local team or makes a habit of going to the gym, he feels better able to handle the stresses of work and life.

For these reasons, Michael Lydiate suggests that students be encouraged to play sports if they are interested, or at least given the tools to independently work on health and fitness through education on the benefits of physical activity, through health or physical education classes.

Dr. Michael Lydiate has an impressive background of teaching and educational experience, focused around topics of health, exercise science, and physical education. University educated in exercise science and with a masters and doctorate degree, as well as additional trainings and certification, in education, Dr. Michael Lydiate has the training to back up his extensive experience.

Dr. Michael Lydiate began his teaching career in 1995 as an elementary school physical education teacher with the Muscogee County School District in Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Michael Lydiate quickly moved up the ranks within the school district. After his stint as a physical education teacher, Dr. Michael Lydiate began working with the district’s health improvement program, and taught in 35 elementary schools and 3 middle schools in the Columbus area, teaching health programs in grades 5 through 8. Eventually, Dr. Michael Lydiate became a health and fitness curriculum instructional specialist with the district, and trained teachers and staff in health departments throughout Columbus, and ensuring that teachers and curriculums were upholding the rigorous state standards for health instruction. At this time, Dr. Michael Lydiate also acted as assistant director of athletics for Muscogee County, working with schools and coaches to organize athletic programs, train coaches in regulations and safety precautions, and establish lines of communication among administrators and athletic staff.

After receiving higher degrees in education in the mid 2000s, Dr. Michael Lydiate shifted his focus from elementary and middle school education to teaching at the collegiate level. Dr. Michael Lydiate began working at Troy University as an adjunct professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Sports Fitness Management in 2004, and joined the academic staff at the University of Phoenix at the College of Arts and Sciences in 2010. As a university faculty member, Dr. Michael Lydiate has developed online course systems, and also advises students in course selection, classroom success, and the fulfillment of university requirements.

In an increasingly wired world, Michael Lydiate, a professor at Troy University and the University of Phoenix, utilizes technology to improve communication and learning in his classroom and the schools that he has worked with.

As part of the Department of Exercise Science and Sports Fitness Management at Troy University, Michael Lydiate helped develop and implement an online learning system through which students can take classes with the department from home, making courses accessible to students who work during normal class times, have young children, or lack transportation to the University. Earlier in his career, when he was assistant to the county-wide athletic director of Muscogee County school District, Michael Lydiate established a web-based communication system for administrators, coaches, parents, and players. This use of technology, designed and directed by Michael Lydiate, streamlined the submission of forms and other administrative concerns of the athletic department.

Throughout his educational experience, Michael Lydiate has found that technology can make learning processes and communication simpler and more effective. In his classes, Michael Lydiate frequently uses online resources to supplement his classroom teachings. The field of exercise science specifically offers significant content demonstrating the effects of exercise on the body that is based in improving technology in sensing reactions and recording bodily functions, which Michael Lydiate uses to his advantage to give students clear demonstrations of what they’re learning. Michael Lydiate also teaches online classes, and has developed methods of adapting real world classes to online ones in a way that engages students and creates a feeling of class participation through message boards and video lectures.

Michael Lydiate is certainly on the cutting edge of educational technology, and is excited about future prospects of integrating technology into the classroom to enhance learning, keep students engaged, and bring new and exciting resources into the classroom environment.

Michael Lydiate On the Importance of Emergency Response Preparedness

Michael Lydiate is a professor of exercise science and sports fitness management at the University of Phoenix and Troy University. He is also a certified CPR and First Aid instructor, accredited by the American Red Cross. For Michael Lydiate, emergency response preparedness is a key aspect of his fitness management classes, and he also believes it is an important set of trainings for any educator, regardless of their subject or place of employment.

According to Michael Lydiate, the best preparation to deal with emergencies is to expect the unexpected. For that reason, Michael Lydiate recommends that those employed in educational settings be trained in at least basic first aid and CPR. While schools are generally equipped with a nurse or other trained medical staff, Michael Lydiate says that the key to an ill or injured student or colleague’s positive outcome is the ability to assess a situation and quickly determine the best course of action. While most teachers will never encounter anything worse than a student with a nasty paper cut or perhaps a sudden attack of the stomach flu, Michael Lydiate cautions that medical problems can come up at any time, and that many teachers would not have the first idea of what to do if a student started choking, if a colleague exhibited signs of a stroke, or a child fell on the playground and hit their head. A school nurse might be a quick call away – but Michael Lydiate says that these types of emergencies can require quick thinking and immediate attention, and that training in recognizing the signs of serious medical situations can help save lives.

Michael Lydiate recommends that every teacher and professor be trained in CPR, basic first aid, and the symptoms of common, but serious, issues like stroke, heart attack, and choking, and learn what to do in case of sometimes panic-inducing events like fainting, seizure, or slips and falls.

For Michael Lydiate, an exercise science professor in Georgia, community service is a key part of life. When he’s not teaching at Troy University and the University of Phoenix, playing soccer, or performing as lead guitarist in the Columbus-based band No Promises, Michael Lydiate donates his time to local charities. In particular, Michael Lydiate works with Toys for Tots and Valley Rescue Mission, focusing on providing aid to individuals and families in Georgia.

With Toys for Tots, Michael Lydiate has helped organize clothing and toy drives for children in need, with a special focus on needy children in the Columbus, GA area, where he lives and teaches at Troy University. As a part of Valley Rescue Mission, Michael Lydiate has helped to provide clothing, shelter, and food to individuals struggling with homelessness or substance abuse. With Valley Rescue Mission, Micahel Lydiate has helped organize food drives, calling upon his neighbors and fellow Georgia community members to help out a population in need.

Michael Lydiate sees volunteering not just as a hobby or extracurricular activity, but an obligation as a member of community. As someone with the privilege and good fortune to have access to education and professional success, Michael Lydiate believes that he is obligated to give to those who need his assistance, and finds great personal fulfillment in working with charities to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves or their families.

A community minded individual, Michael Lydiate works specifically with charities in Georgia, and especially the Columbus area, wanting to develop relationships among people who live in the same community rather than relying on large national non-profits to understand the intricacies of a particular neighborhood or community. Michael Lydiate also works closely with schools, especially in health programs, to teach youth the importance of qualities like teamwork and dedication, emphasizing community service as an important aspect of civic duty.

When he gets done teaching for the day at Troy University, Michael Lydiate enjoys coming home and playing his guitar, independently and with his band, No Promises, or listening to music of any genre. For Michael Lydiate, music has always been a big part of life. Michael Lydiate began playing the guitar when he was young, and was also formally trained in drumming and percussion. Always the type of person to have music going at all times, as well as an extended music collection, Michael Lydiate began playing in groups while he was attending college in Columbus.

Michael Lydiate helped found the group No Promises, where he was a guitarist, in the early 1990s, when he was an undergraduate student at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. The band quickly became a large part of the Atlanta music scene, joining bands like Widespread Panic and Allgood on the musical circuit throughout Georgia. The band released a CD in 1997.

In addition to playing with No Promises, Michael Lydiate enjoys music on his own time, and uses guitar practice as a way to unwind after a long day of work. Michael Lydiate enjoys music of a wide range of genres. Although rock is his favorite, Michael Lydiate has an eclectic taste and particularly enjoys underground hiphop, indie electronic, and jazz music.

Michael Lydiate is a strong advocate for musical education within schools. In addition to physical education, which Michael Lydiate has taught in the past, musical education is a frequent cut in the face of shrinking school budgets, yet Michael Lydiate suggests that these two non-academic subjects are extraordinarily important in creating well-rounded students with cultural knowledge and a good relationship with health.

For Professor Michael Lydiate, hobbies are more than just pastimes – they’re a way to increase focus on tasks at hand, and improve his abilities in the classroom. When he’s not at work as a student adviser and adjunct professor at Troy University and the University of Phoenix, Michael Lydiate can be found engaging in one of his many personal hobbies. Outside of the classroom, Michael Lydiate enjoys sports and staying fit. Michael Lydiate plays soccer with the Columbus Adult Soccer Club, golfs recreationally, is an accomplished bodybuilder, and can also be found in the gym working on his power lifting technique. Music is also a favorite hobby of Michael Lydiate’s. A skillful guitarist, Michael Lydiate plays with the band No Promises, and is also trained in percussion. Michael Lydiate also enjoys listening to all genres of music. In addition to these hobbies, Michael Lydiate spends a considerable amount of time volunteering with local charities in his community.

Michael Lydiate says that engaging in these hobbies helps him focus more at work, and stay on top of his professional game. After a long day of work, Michael Lydiate likes to refresh his mind by working out, hitting the driving range, or playing his guitar. Having a relaxing activity to look forward to can help Michael Lydiate make it through a particularly stressful day, and after he’s spent an hour in the evening with one of his hobbies, Michael Lydiate says he feels more focused and able to take on tasks like grading papers or developing a syllabus for a new class.

While it can be difficult to find time to work on a personal hobby when facing a packed schedule, Michael Lydiate says that the key is to make time rather than find it. Michael Lydiate says that carving out even fifteen minutes or half an hour in a busy schedule for physical activity or another hobby like music can mean the difference between leaving stress at work and bringing it home.

Michael Lydiate is an extremely well-educated individual. Michael Lydiate possesses a bachelor of science degree in exercise science, a master’s degree in fundamentals of education, educational specialist certification, a doctorate in education, and education leadership training. Having taught various subjects at levels ranging from early elementary school to graduate university programs, Michael Lydiate is keenly aware of the importance of access to education, especially for teachers.

For students, Michael Lydiate has seen firsthand how education can lead to not only professional opportunities, but also personal growth. As a student advisor at the University of Phoenix, Michael Lydiate has watched students enter college lacking important skills like time management, and over time, grow to develop the dedication and drive, as well as the focus, to succeed. He has also seen adults come back to school who previously worked service jobs, and were unable to obtain better paying work due to their lack of education – through enrollment at a University, those adults were able to go on to achieve greater personal success in the professional world.

If anything, education is doubly important for teachers, according to Michael Lydiate. While many teachers in the United States have only teaching certifications or masters degrees, Michael Lydiate believes that a solid background in educational theory and the various methods of communicate material to students of all needs and abilities is the best way to ensure the best possible education for future generations. As the United States faces a lack of trained teachers, Michael Lydiate calls for improved teaching education programs, as well as more incentives for teachers to seek out higher educational training. With his own training, Michael Lydiate reports that he has been better able to work with students and construct curricula and classes that appeal to a broad base and use tested teaching techniques to engage students and help them excel.

Currently a professor of exercise science and sports management at Troy University and University at Phoenix, Michael Lydiate got his professional start as an extremely successful high school coach From 1999 to 2005, Coach Michael Lydiate lead his team to an extraordinary, nearly flawless record of 110 wins to 10 losses. As a result of his incredible coaching skills, Michael Lydiate was awarded the Coach of the Year name by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association all seven years that he was head coach, and was named All-Bi-City Coach of the Year by the Columbus Ledger Enquirer in 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2005.

How did Michael Lydiate come to be such an effective head coach? Michael Lydiate has been playing soccer since he was young, and has played professionally with the Savannah Booters and Columbus Comets. In addition to his own soccer prowess, Michael Lydiate has degrees in education and exercise science, giving him the theoretical background to coach effectively. Backed up by his educational training, Michael Lydiate focuses on fundamentals such as teamwork and trust building exercises, urging his team to work together rather than relying on the skills of a few especially talented players like many lesser coaches have a tendency to do. Coach Michael Lydiate also uses his knowledge of exercise science to improve the fitness of his players using strategic exercises, stretches, and practice drills.

Michael Lydiate has also used his incredible coaching skills to help other coaches become better teachers. While assistant to the athletic director of the Muscogee County School District, Michael Lydiate conducted trainings for coaches on communication, athletic conduct, and safety (including courses on CPR, First Aid, and heat management).

As a coach, Michael Lydiate has demonstrated that a combination of athletic knowledge and teaching background can be a boon to any team, and has emphasized the importance of education and theory in sports.