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Before I went to Canada as an International Student to do my M.A., I thought I was well-stocked. I’m not only talking about taking the GRE and all those things and fighting a village worth of people in my decision to go abroad to study. I thought I was fairly sure that this is what I wanted to do in my life, this is what I wanted to be in my life and that I had all the arsenals under my belt to lead an existence by myself in a foreign country on my own.I was wrong.Loneliness crept in.Loneliness crept in, in spite of having friendly roomies, in spite of having weird roomies to talk about with friendly roomies, in spite of having friendly roomies turning weird to talk about with online and long distance friends, in spite of submerging myself in extra R.A. (Research Assistant) work to keep up my sustenance, in spite of being over-zealous in obtaining straight A-s.Loneliness crept in, in spite of making wonderful friends.I realized the greater disconnect than I was ready to acquiesce to myself, because living in denial was allowing me to believe that I could do whatever it takes to finish my studies in Canada. I could sense a disconnect, in spite of my belief in being... quite an adaptive soul.That disconnect can be deafening; it could hit on you suddenly or it could dawn on you like slow descending clouds until you can no longer keep the wool over your eyes and keep yourself in denial.From that stage, I came upon to enjoy my alone time; loneliness became my alone time.I could tell you my story, and your story could very well be different than mine. But I feel like telling you my story ….hoping that at some point you could connect and/or someone somewhere could probably connect with it.The reason I’d feel lonely is...as I said... because I felt a disconnect. In spite of keeping myself busy and having friends, as an Indian, who had started to value her privacy and individuality, I was also missing the constant (and at times, overwhelming) feeling of connection, the rootedness you feel as long as you land in any airport in India, and the connection you feel from being understood without saying much.In Canada, I wouldn’t even have to say much and from what I’d say and hear, it wasn’t much to create connection. “Thank You-s” and “Sorry” and small talk about the weather-s had become second nature, smiling to strangers became involuntary, little self-deprecating jokes were perfect by enough practice.I was in a wonderful country (barring the weather and subtle racism), there was excellent infrastructure to come to my aid any moment, there was social justice, there were friends, yet while watching the relentless, soundless snow from a sixteenth floor, empty apartment, I felt like I was the only human on earth. From how the roads below would look, I felt like I had a valid anchoring bias (if such a thing ever existed).A very usual scene while looking out in Calgary, CanadaTalking with friends online? That meant you need to stay up on your nights or they need to stay up on their nights. You’d stay up on your nights, of course.Talking with home? Yes, you can call your endless relatives and hear things happening in their lives, their little pain on the knees and those incidents and hear people around those conversations. And then when you run out of things to say, you hang up and return to your song of loneliness.It was a new country, there were invisible but very concrete boundaries you weren’t let in, and I was living paycheque to paycheque, with all my savings depleted for that once-a-year trip back home.Feeling lonely because of moving to a new country could be overwhelming in itself. And when you throw in the grad student life in the mix, with limited financial resources, loneliness truly becomes a bottomless pit in which you stare back and the pit stares back at you.My advice would be to stop looking at that pit, and take a good look at yourself.(I don’t mean at the mirror).As females, we tend to over-think and over-analyze things. We keep things running on and on in our heads, and that doesn’t serve any purpose from any ballistic angle. We’d think we are doing something (yeah, we are thinking!) but if you’d have to think, think about these things:A. What are the reasons of your loneliness? List them down. List your Have-nots and your wishlist to have your ideal situation that would curb your loneliness.B. See how much of it is achievable. What can you do to achieve them? (Unlike India, where people do things for your happiness, in staying in a new country, you need to do things for yourself).C. If you can’t find anything achievable, find the essence of those reasons, and that wishlist as made in step A.For me, it was the disconnect.So I thought about what connected me in India. I thought about friends, a common history, a common culture, having people around me all the time with whom you could connect at all levels of which you could find only size charts in Canada; and then I also found the real reason—in all my connections and experiences in India, I was building on memories and concepts of what are termed as "pleasurable activities".It could be book-hunting and flapping through pages of different books in my favourite street in Calcutta, it could be arguing ferociously with my friends, it would be being wicked and engage in all kinds of leg pulling activities towards others, it could be just eating too many fuchka-s (Panipuri-s), and thanking the universe for the existence of that trusted and extremely beloved fuchkawallah.In all of these activities, I was having fun. I was growing as a person. I was forming good memories.It was that simple, really. But it was the core truth.If you want to curb your loneliness, you need to have fun, you need to grow as a person and you need to form good memories, so that you don’t feel the disconnect but you start to appreciate the space that’s around you to enable you to grow more.This might sound preposterous but hear me out for a bit.1. You don’t need more people of your sex to have friends. You can make friends with anyone. You can make friends with anyone who shares your wavelength, irrespective of sex, ethnicity, occupation, age.All you need to be is open to the possibility and toss away the tendency to pre-judge a person. You'll find you have quite a few things common with the person who looks so different than you and is probably also leading a lonely life.2. Look into the International student centre of your campus. Usually, they have loads of activities going on and they also have trips arranged in various places with quite a nominal fee. Sign up for these.There are countless students like you, who are trying to make a life in Canada without their familiar friends and relatives. You could make some space in your life for them.3. Put a greater emphasis on your own self, your own happiness, instead of trying to match schedules with people in India to connect with them and doing webcam chats.There's nothing wrong in connecting with your long distance friends, but they are not physically there to share your struggle, your happiness and your moments in real time.Therefore, make attempts to create real social networks around you.4. Volunteer in any activities that you please in your free time. Canada has ample volunteering opportunities and while these keep you busy, they are also an excellent way to network with people, as well as connect with people.5. Canadians make friends in activity areas—clubs, associations, bars, church, etc. They trust persons based on how they act around things, how similar people are perceived in the outlook towards their life, and how much unpacked (i.e. without baggage) a person is.Unlike Indians, who’d think friendship can happen just because you are classmates, in Canada you just don’t become friends with your classmates. Sure, they are friendly.But to be friends, you need to invest more of your time and energy. This needn’t be tough for introverts. If going to a bar is not your thing, if going to a nightclub is just not possible for you, then rest assured that there are people like you; though it would immensely help if you like have some peripheral knowledge about ice-hockey (sorry, hockey), or go to bars, or try skiing.Basically, looking outwards and being open to the idea of having fun the Canadian way could open a range of possibilities.6. If you think that would be a bit too hard for you, that you can’t change yourself that much, then find your hobbies. Revamp them.You like reading? Gardening? Drawing? Singing? There’s a club likely for each activity on your campus. If your campus doesn’t have it, there are Meet-ups (Find your people - Meetup ). Join them. You will meet people who share your similar interests. You will have different kind of relationships, you will have human interaction, and you will have a routine, that seems to get so lost in loneliness.7. Furthermore, invest in activities that will keep you busy even when you are alone.How about doing stained glass painting? Blogging? Learning to play a guitar (or any musical instrument)? Watching movies from different countries? Reading? Sketching?These are activities that don’t cost much. A poor International Student can easily indulge in these activities and be open to a window that is much pleasurable and that imparts meaning to your life. And you don’t even need to interact with people by engaging in these activities.Living in Canada taught me how to never experience the feeling of boredom. I am never bored. Many people who have never lived alone in their lives, can’t (and probably don’t) believe this when I tell them that I never feel bored as answer to their query of how to lessen boredom in our lives.That is because I’ve learnt to enjoy my “alone time”. I hope you find your way there very soon.All the very best.

Really it is all about, training, eating, hydration and mostly sleep. Here are a few articles with details.So just how hard do professional footballers really work?It's deep into injury time at Goodison on Saturday and Everton’s players are relentlessly pouring forward, desperate to grab the winner in a breathless derby .They’ve covered every blade of grass, competed for every ball, and still need to be sprinting as hard in the 96th minute as they did in the sixth.Still, they’re professional athletes so it goes with the territory?Maybe. But anyone who has ever kicked a ball on a Sunday morning, or legged it around a five-a-side pitch like a headless chicken (but Lionel Messi in their heads) has perhaps wondered about the fitness levels required to be a top-flight footballer.I know I had – and five days earlier, drenched in sweat, with lungs burning and muscles aching, I had my answer.I was at the Blues Finch Farm training ground being put through my paces by the club’s head of sports science and conditioning Steve Tashjian.VIEW GALLERYThe American might have seemed easy-going as he greeted the bunch of sports hacks who trooped into one of the indoor training areas at the £13m complex, but he quickly displayed the task-master authority which has the Toffees in top shape.Any hopes Steve was just going to give us desk-jockeys a gentle insight into the basics were quickly dashed when we were instructed to launch into the exact warm-up you see the players performing on the pitch before a Premier League game.By the end of that series of stretches and light runs we were already flushed – and that was just the beginning.The session had been organised by The Protein Works – Everton’s own bespoke sports nutrition supplier – and, just like the players, we had been handed bottles of energy-boosting pre-training drinks while we listened to Steven explain the schedule.With a speed I normally reserve for the first pint on a Friday evening I was finishing the last drop of my potent brew, just as Steve added that it would be wise to only take a few initial sips.Maybe that’s why I completed the first few shuttle-runs like I was being chased by a colony of wasps, but the lads who drank more sensibly also agreed it made them feel alert and ready to perform.Steve’s methods are not simply to test the players and push them to their limits. Everything he does is designed to mimic the specific movements they need to make on the pitch, while improving their speed, agility and stamina.We gradually built up the frequency of our sprints between cones, then he demanded we hop through a series of mini-hurdles before bursting into a run and twisting around metal dummies supposed to represent opposition players.Then we repeatedly darted through a course of cones before receiving a pass and shooting with alternate feet into a (mercifully) unguarded goal.If I needed any further motivation to concentrate and avoid my usually erratic pea-roller finishing, it was the sight of Duncan Ferguson in the background preparing for his coaching session with the U18s.After half an hour we were all feeling the strain – and we hadn’t even set foot in the gym and picked up a dumb-bell yet.The Echo's Everton reporter Greg O'Keefe training like a Pro footballer at Everton Football Club training ground,Finch Farm,Halewood,with other journalists. Greg training in the gym.“The players would typically carry on this part for longer,” explains Steve – but then a bit of balm for bruised egos. “They might do it on a bigger scale but it is one of our harder sessions.“We’ll do this early in the week, maybe a Tuesday or Wednesday after the players have a day off to recover from the previous game.”In the gym, Steve had set out a circuit of exercises to build power and strength, with other exercises more focused on balance and co-ordination.Again though, everything we did was designed with football in mind instead of simply body-building.“I usually work in the gym with smaller groups of players after training,” he says. “Sometimes maybe a couple of guys or maybe six.“It’s tailored around working with them as individuals to highlight their strengths and weaknesses and use the information to improve their performance on the field.”If Roberto Martinez asks Steve to improve the strength of a lithe, pacy winger he will work differently than if the goal is to improve the agility of a strapping, muscle-bound centre-back.So after a series of weighted squats, press-ups while balancing our body weight using straps, and agonising sets of pull-ups it was time to cool down.On cue, a tray of essential recovery drinks arrived, packed with protein and vitamins vital to help repair the players’ muscles after a tough session.And this time I sipped it – content in the belief that the fitness of Everton’s players is in safe hands.Formula gives Blues the edgeThe Echo's Everton reporter Greg O'Keefe training like a Pro footballer at Everton Football Club training ground,Finch Farm,Halewood,with other journalists. Greg(left),who was training under the guidance of Everton's Head of Fitness & Conditioning Steve Tashjian(right).Football has come a long way since the days of oranges at half-time and that’s firmly evident at Everton.The Blues have become the first club in the Premier League to develop a range of bespoke sports nutrition to enhance the team’s fitness and conditioning.Head of sport science and conditioning, Steve Tashjian, and nutritional advisor Professor Don MacLaren, have been working closely with the experts at The Protein Works over the summer to develop the very latest cutting-edge recovery formulas, tailor-made to meet the demanding needs of Roberto Martinez’s first team.Steve said: “We are looking at every area of the club to see how we can push the boundaries further. Footballers train harder and longer than ever before, and the conditioning that they undergo at Finch Farm is pretty intense.“One of the areas that we thought we could gain a real competitive edge was in the player’s fitness, conditioning and nutrition. With the new intensive training protocols we have put in place and the latest sports nutrition from The Protein Works, we’re confident that the players are in the best possible shape.“Sports nutrition plays a key role in the recovery process so we have to ensure the highest quality supplements are available.“The Protein Works are at the forefront of innovation right now and are able to provide products with bespoke formulations.“What is even more important to us is that every product we have developed with them is chemical free. They are totally ‘clean’ products free from preservatives.“The collaborative approach has worked really well and we now have two unique recovery drinks – one for the nutrient window after training and one for the nutrient window following a match,” he added.Protein Works co-founder Nick Smith, said: “The whole process has been very complex and technically demanding, but Everton’s conditioning team have demanded excellence.”Find out more at www.theproteinworks.com .Footballers' food: what do Premier League stars eat every day?Footballers’ food: what do Premier League stars eat every day?James Collins, head nutritionist at Arsenal and lead nutritionist for England at the last World Cup, tells Mark Bailey about the food that fuels Premier League footballers, from pre-match quinoa porridge to post-match sashimiArsenal'a Alexis Sanchez gives the thumbs up to another tasty and fuel-rich lunch Photo: GETTY IMAGESBy Mark Bailey8:30AM BST 20 Aug 2015Footballers don’t just eat pasta and chicken“Lunch and dinner for a footballer tends to involve a good variety of protein and carbohydrates. We like to offer a selection of proteins to choose from, such as one red meat and one white meat, plus a vegetarian source. Turkey, beef, salmon and mackerel are good protein sources.It’s not all about pasta and rice for carbs these days as the players get bored of them pretty quickly. We like to offer different sources of carbohydrates such as amaranth, which is popular with South American players, and farro, which the Italians and French enjoy.A wide variety of seasonal vegetables are available, which are crucial for players’ vitamin and mineral intake.”A quinoa and qmaranth salad Photo: AlamyBreakfast should have a fun or healthy twist“Breakfast is really important for making sure players are sufficiently fuelled for a match day or heavy training day. A popular option is porridge but we like the players to try different versions like quinoa porridge or porridges made from different grains which have a lighter consistency.We also enjoy different plays on eggs at breakfast, which might be combined in wraps or with different types of bread.”Snacks tend to be high in protein“Typically footballers can struggle to get enough protein. They have grown up knowing they need a carb-based diet for energy so they rarely lack carbs, but that’s not necessarily the case for protein, which is so important for muscle recovery – especially as training has become more explosive over the years.For that reason we tend to promote high-protein snacks, such as protein flapjacks or protein mousses. The snacks tend to be made from scratch so they don’t contain lots of sugar and fat.”Flapjacks are used as healthy snacks Photo: AlamyAthletes prepare their bodies for sports supplements“Players will only use carbohydrate or caffeine gels in a match if they have practiced using them in training. We know that getting this right at half-time can have a big impact on energy levels later in the second half.You have to train your gut to handle different products and if you don’t try them in training your body might not be used to them on match day. Players want to feel at their optimal throughout the whole game.”Every player needs to drink different fluids to match their sweat losses“Players drink fluids during the match which contain carbohydrates to refuel the muscles and electrolytes which are vital in helping your body absorb and retain fluid for hydration. We perform tests on players to understand their sweat losses and individualise their drinks accordingly.This becomes even more important when you are playing in hot conditions like at the World Cup or some Champions League matches.”Photo: REUTERSPost-match drinks are a lot healthier these days“Phase one of the recovery process involves recovery drinks that contain carbohydrates, protein and ideally antioxidants to help with muscle recovery.We like to make different juices and smoothies which are really convenient in the changing room.”Players recover faster with sushi“Phase two of the recovery process involves players eating from a recovery station in the changing room which features a selection of food served buffet–style. The theme is a healthy take on players’ favourite foods.The idea is that we are encouraging players to eat in order to help the recovery process, so they get food they will enjoy. A popular buffet food is sushi with a selection of temaki or hand rolls and some sashimi as well.At last summer’s World Cup, we had a chef with hot plates – like a kind of mobile kitchen - in the dressing room. Many other countries did the same thing to help start the recovery process with high-quality, nutrient-rich food.”Sushi: everyone's favourite post-game snack Photo: AlamyMeals undergo squad rotation too“Menu rotation is absolutely critical in sport. Innovation is encouraged here. The chef and I work very closely to come up with new snacks and meals, using functional ingredients, which may aid performance.We tend to run meals on a monthly rotation system as boredom sets in quickly. You won’t see the same dish on the menu twice within two weeks. That means players are always enjoying different food and automatically getting a good variety of nutrients in their diet.”Footballers’ kitchen cupboards are full of cereals and eggs“We encourage players to keep a selection of cereals, porridges, oats and granola in their kitchen cupboards. They can enjoy different combinations with a range of fruit yoghurts, milk or Greek yoghurt.Eggs are another good kitchen staple because players can always cook an omelette or some scrambled eggs when they’re tired. They might have the odd biscuit or sweet snack in the evening but most of the time they’re pretty good.”Nutritionist James Collins works with some of the country's top footballersJames Collins sees clients at his Harley Street clinic, the Centre for Health and Human Performance, in London. For more informationvisit jamescollinsnutrition.comStephen Hunt: GAA players would find life tough in Premier League - Independent.ieWhen I was at Reading, I lived half a mile from the training ground. Each day, I would get in my car, which was of the required status for a Premier League footballer, and drive 800 yards to the training ground.I wasn't being flash, I just felt I had to rest. My life was dedicated to rest and then more rest. I would never go out and when I say 'go out', I don't mean a night out, I mean out. I never left the house. All I did was train and rest, train and rest.That sense of responsibility has never left me, even if as you move on in life and have kids, you have to leave the sofa every now and then. They can't make their own way home from school.A couple of weeks ago, I drove from Ipswich to meet a friend at the airport hotel in Stansted. As we were leaving later that day, I said to him that I shouldn't really have made the 45-minute journey as it was important that I rested. He knows a bit about football, but he was surprised that I would need to rest that much. It is all about rest and if you want to make it as a footballer, you have to understand that.It's such a mundane thing in so many ways, but I would say that more players fail to break through because they don't understand that. Of course, some of them aren't resting because they're in the pub or in a nightclub, which brings in other factors. They aren't resting and they are as far away from resting as they can be.I see it with lads who come over from the League of Ireland and think they've got it made. They're out all the time, not necessarily in the pub, but not necessarily not in it either.I had natural talent, but I saw so many kids who were better than me and thought they were going to make it. They were picked for all the Irish teams while I struggled, in part I think because I wasn't from Dublin. It helps to realise at an early age that there are going to be setbacks.When I made my debut for Ireland's under 21s, 15 minutes as a sub in Kilkenny, I came back to Crystal Palace the next day and was called into the manager's office. I thought I was going to be congratulated, but the manager, Alan Smith, told me I could find another club.I remember going for a long walk around the pitches that day and thinking that I didn't want the players who I was in competition with for a place to grow in confidence because they would see me upset.That's the way it's always been for me. I knew it was the survival of the fittest and I couldn't let anything get in the way.There were times when I was younger when it was tough. I was released by Brentford when I was 24 and I hadn't made a penny from the game. Then I could have cut and run. I got an offer from Bradford and was going to sign a three-year contract. I arrived on a plane from Dublin and was ready to sign when I got a message from Steve Coppell, who was at Reading, and said he'd pay the same money for a one-year deal.The Bradford chairman was waiting for me in arrivals and I walked out and told him I want to sign for Reading.He persuaded me to come and do a medical anyway, but I knew I had to stay focused. After I did the medical, I told them I wanted to sign for Reading. Football is all about mental strength.These days, the game has gone so fast and they have all the stats, so there is nowhere to hide.Before Euro 2012, I was struggling with a groin injury, but I was convinced it was in my head. My wife used to watch a couple called the Speakmans on daytime TV, who dealt with phobias and anxieties and she told me about them. I headed up to see the Speakmans and spent five grand for an hour's consultation. I don't know if it helped, but they seemed happy.Sunday Indo SportHow Gareth Bale and Real Madrid sleep their way to the topAt 1pm every afternoon, the hustle and bustle of Real Madrid's Valdebebas training ground grinds to a halt and the facility resembles a ghost town.A silence descends over the complex for the following two hours as players and staff close their eyes and drift into a siesta before waking and resuming their day - but they're not sleeping on the job.The scene is a window into football's relentless pursuit of marginal gains as clubs across Europe turn to technology, purpose-built facilities and sleep experts to recharge their multi-million pound assets and gain a competitive advantage.You snooze, you winTennis great Roger Federer and basketball star LeBron James are both advocates of sleeping for upwards of 10 hours per night and research shows the performance benefits of proper rest for athletes.A study by Stanford University sleep expert Cheri Mah showed basketball players who increased their sleep duration to those levels improved shot accuracy by 9% in tests and recorded improved sprint and reaction times.Take recovery for granted and the risks are great. One restless night is enough to weaken the immune system and increase the risk of illness. Sleep poorly for 64 hours or more and strength and power is reduced.At clubs such as Real Madrid every aspect of a player's life - including sleep patterns - is monitoredFatigue, often brought on by a number of games in a short period of time, increases levels of the hormone cortisol. This can then see the body begin to eat into its own protein stores and reduce a player's muscle mass, heightening the risk of strains and tears.The brain's ability to send messages to and from different parts of the body to control movement also decreases, which impairs the sense of where limbs are positioned and the perception of strength of effort - making injuries such as ankle sprains more likely.Helping 'owl' Bale overcome morning phobiaThose factors prompted Real's sports scientist and conditioning coach, Englishman Jack Nayler, to invite elite sport sleep coach Nick Littlehales to the club in December 2013 to deliver a workshop to manager Carlo Ancelotti and his squad.Littlehales began his work in the field prescribing specific mattress types to Gary Pallister and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United in the mid-1990s in a bid to cure their respective back and hamstring problems.He has since gone on to work with the England football team, Team GB, 2012 Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins and a host of Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton.Real Madrid have 81 bedrooms at their training complex for players and staff to take a siestaAt Madrid, he inspected each of the 81, five-star, fingerprint-accessed bedrooms at the club's training complex to evaluate the 'sleep environment' - a term he's coined to represent the temperature, lighting, air quality, duvet-type and mattresses inside the rooms.After delivering his seminar to Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates, Littlehales was approached by Wales forward Gareth Bale, who requested a one-on-one consultation.With Nayler and the club's doctor also present, the former Tottenham forward went through an examination to establish his body characteristics (height, weight and any injury problems), daily routines (usual wake and sleep times), activities (types/intensity of training each day), sleep habits, chronotype (the natural time he sleeps and wakes), and formulate a sleep profile - an in-depth report covering the areas in the graphic below.The areas above will form part of a player's sleep profile"Gareth had only just joined the club and he had a lot of new stuff to deal with," Littlehales told BBC Sport. "He identifies with being an owl - he hates the mornings. He's also got a young child, which can have an effect on sleep."Get caught nappingBale's biological clock - or circadian rhythm to give it its proper title - means he naturally falls asleep and wakes up at later times, leaving his energy levels at their lowest early in the morning, before peaking in the afternoon.It's a problem Littlehales has encountered with countless athletes and in a bid to combat disruption to the body's preset patterns - which can also occur following European fixtures which finish late in the evening - he recommends naps.One player he worked with at Manchester City told him of his routine in the aftermath of Champions League games, which would see him stay up until 4am as he struggled to get to sleep with the adrenaline from the game still in his system.Wales and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale 'hates early mornings'"He'd stay downstairs on the Xbox until the early hours. He'd fall asleep on the sofa and wake up mid-morning because he didn't have training the following day - he was completely out of sync," Littlehales said."Your body has two in-built nap times when energy levels dip - the first between 1pm and 3pm and the second between 5pm and 7pm."Now he just works around the kick-off. Before and after the game he has a routine. If he's got a 7:45 kick off at home, his bed time is 2am. He gets up at 6:30 and has breakfast. If he's still tired, he'll have a 90-minute nap at those times and catch up with his sleep that way."'Stay off your phone at bedtime'At Southampton, no stone has been left unturned in the quest for a perfect night's sleep. Every morning, each member of the squad uses a bespoke wellbeing app to fill in a questionnaire on their own personal tablet given to them by the club.Players are asked to mark their quality of sleep, mood, muscle soreness and general level of fatigue out of 10. If the level of sleep is below an individual's threshold they will begin using devices to monitor them at night.The club's head of sports science, Alek Gross, told BBC Sport: "We do have players who have been prescribed individual sleep kits to aid their sleep throughout the week. They'll have a specific duvet and pillow thickness, perhaps blackout curtains that are specific to their needs.Nick Littlehales' top tips for a good night's sleepHumans sleep in five phases which repeat themselves every 90 minutes. Five cycles equates to seven-and-a-half hours which is enough for the average adult.Begin a pre-sleep routine 90 minutes before bed - start turning off televisions, mobile phones and other electrical devices which give off bright light.Have a shower prior to sleeping. Your body temperature will cool after coming out of the shower and ease you naturally into a state of sleep.Turn your radiator down - a cool 16-18C is ideal.Drink a glass of warm milk before bed. Dairy products are rich in tryptophan, which aids the production of sleep-inducing chemicals serotonin and melatonin."Temperature in hotel rooms is more of a problem. Ideally it needs to be 16-18 degrees. Players have their own room on trips now so we can really tailor to each individual."We advise the players against looking at mobile phones and television screens 90 minutes before bed - even the red light on your TV can affect your circadian rhythm and keep you awake."Players also have a list of prohibited foods and drinks they are warned against consuming in the evening. Caffeine and liquids high in sugar are off the menu, as are fat-laden meals, which take longer to digest and raise body temperature, which in turn slows the process of falling to sleep. All players are given a milk-based protein drink to aid recovery and induce sleepiness.Eat, train, sleep, repeatAttitudes towards sleep in football are changing. Manchester United installed sleep pods at the club's Carrington training ground for players to nap in between double sessions during the summer, while Manchester City's new £200m complex has 32 en-suite bedrooms each decorated with sleep-inducing wallpaper - a light green design with ever decreasing circles.At Liverpool, players use various types of monitoring technology to detect movement during sleep, including wrist devices and heart-rate straps.The club's sports science consultant, Barry Drust, said: "We've adopted a lifestyle-orientated approach. It isn't standard for all the players at Liverpool to have their sleep monitored but it does happen relatively frequently with individuals, depending on the situation."Football is a team sport, but it's a team sport made up of individual athletes, so the philosophy at Liverpool is much more about trying to create individual strategies for individual players."In October Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers applauded Raheem Sterling's maturity in complaining of tiredness to England boss Roy Hodgson and sitting out the 1-0 win over Estonia - it might just be a sign of things to come as players look to sleep their way to the top.Head of medical discusses Hornets' 'big brother' philosophyHead of medical Richard Collinge discusses Hornets' 'big brother' philosophyPicture: Action ImagesWatford want Premier League football. It is no secret. But it is only when you speak to Richard Collinge, the Hornets’ head of medical, that you discover the club have a “big brother philosophy” designed to help them reach the top flight.From cookery lessons to taking new signings to the supermarket to monitoring players’ sleep patterns, hydration and nutrition. No stone is left unturned.“Everything is done to create, as we call it, a 24/7 athlete,” Collinge said last month. “We want to know what the players are doing twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.“We want to know what their sleep patterns are like and what they are eating. If there are any social problems outside of the club then we need to know that. It is the big brother philosophy we have put in place.”And it is a process which begins on the first day of pre-season. Every player is screened “from top to toe” according to Collinge in order to ascertain what the medical staff can do to help a player avoid injury.“It is about detecting a small problem that could then lead to a big injury,” Collinge explained. “And during the season we have a traffic light system.“There is the red flag group. They are the players who have played a lot of games and have trained particularly hard. We need to make sure we focus on that group.“Then there is the amber group who will have issues that need addressing but they are not as high risk.“Then there is the green group. They are the guys who are training well and recovering well and are giving us the thumbs up.“Players in that group are probably not playing as much though. That may mean they need extra work. So we can’t treat everyone the same. Every player has different demands.” While Watford ensure the players receive all the help they need to perform on the pitch, the club also work hard to help new arrivals settle off it.Since the Pozzos’ takeover in 2012, a large number of foreign players have joined the club. The likes of Juan Carlos Paredes and Miguel Layun have moved over from Ecuador and Mexico respectively and Collinge appriciates life in England can be a culture shock.He said: “We have to make sure all the foreign players settle into life in Hertfordshire as quickly as possible.“So how can we make that happen? Well if it is their first move away from home we can offer them cookery lessons and we can take them to the supermarket so they are buying the right products.“It is all about integrating that player into the club and the community.”When Collinge rejoined the Hornets in February he knew the club was significantly different to the Watford he had left in 2011.Gone were the days of boardroom squabbles and worries over the Golden Boys’ future. That had been replaced by an ambitious foreign owner who wants his club in the Premier League.Vicarage Road has been improved, as has the club’s London Colney training ground. But, most importantly, expectations at Watford have changed.A mid-table finish in the Championship is no longer seen as an acceptable campaign for the Hornets.“Things have changed an awful lot in the time I was away,” Collinge explained.“But there were a lot of familiar faces still here when I returned. There have been lots of important improvements made but the ethos of injury prevention that was put in place during my first spell here still remains. So there is that familiarity.”Collinge originally joined Watford in 2002 as an Academy physio. It was a role he held for three years before a promotion to first-team physio in 2005 and then four years later he became head of medical.He worked under Ray Lewington, Aidy Boothroyd, Brendan Rodgers and Malky Mackay before following Mackay to Cardiff City in 2011.A two-and-a-half year spell in south Wales was followed by eight months at Wigan Athletic. But when Collinge had the chance to return to Watford – and his home in Barnet – he had no hesitation.“I had wonderful times here in my previous tenure and when the job was advertised it was a no-brainer to go for it,” he said.“I like to think I bring more experience back with me after being promoted to the Premier League with Cardiff.“Likewise I picked up some tips at Wigan because every club runs things differently. So it is good to bring snippets of information from those clubs to Watford because I have learnt along the way.”Collinge’s role as head of medical is one of the most important at the club. His usual day starts at 7.45am when he arrives at London Colney to prepare for the players’ arrival.He then discusses with his medical team who is fit to train and who needs treatment before relaying that information to the Hornets’ management team.The players are then prepared for training through a series of warm-up exercises and massages before Collinge works with the members of the squad who are injured. Training is followed by lunch in the canteen, something Collinge described as “refuelling the players”, before an additional afternoon session of yoga, pilates or exercises in the swimming pool at nearby Sopwell House is held.“Gone are the days that the players are only in for two hours a day,” Collinge said. “Now they have to arrive at nine o’clock in the morning and they are here until three or four o’clock in the afternoon.“We also have appointments we take the players to away from the training ground. We want to offer as wide a service as we can. Physically and mentally we want the players in the best condition.“We have had to educate the players over the years to understand that and the demands of the game have increased as well.“Our challenge as a medical team is to keep injury rates as low as possible, although you will always have something like a Joel Ekstrand-type injury (the defender damaged his cruciate knee ligament during a match) that you can’t account for.”Ekstand is unlikely to play again this year. He has undergone knee surgery and has started rehabilitation work at the club’s training ground.It is a long road to recovery but, fortunately, Collinge says that is where the greatest advancements have been made in recent years. The Hornets have embraced that belief.The Golden Boys fly to away fixtures, stay in hotels the night before home games and use a cryotherapy chamber to speed up their recovery the day after matches.“As soon as the players come off the pitch their recovery starts,” Collinge explained.“If you look at Welsh rugby they would take a portable cryotherapy unit with them to away matches and they would go from the dressing room straight into the chamber after matches.“That is something we need to strive towards to ensure the recovery starts immediately after the game.“It is still sensible here though. If a piece of machinery is too expensive we will be knocked back. Ultimately the infrastructure has improved here and that is down to the investment from Mr Pozzo,” he added.

south India has always boasted of its quality education system, and the city of Chennai has always been at the forefront when it comes to premier educational Institutions. According to an estimate, there are more than a hundred schools that are affiliated to CBSE in Chennai. Faced with such a wide variety of choice, it could get difficult to choose the right school for your children. To help you make an informed decision, we’ve put together the latest and most comprehensive information on the Top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai. So, read on.Please note that the following list is in no particular order and has been compiled after studying various surveys and taking into consideration many factors like the school infrastructure, quality of education, academic facilities, students’ performance, extra-curricular activities, and general public opinion.Top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai1. The Schram AcademyFounded in 2000, The Scram Academy (TSA) is a co-educational school offering classes from Kindergarten to Class XII. TSA currently has five campuses, which cater to the educational needs of over 3300 students through 207 staff members. The school offers both, CBSE as well as IGCSE curriculum to its students of varied nationalities. Students and faculty stay updated with international trends in the teaching-learning process through TSA’s Visiting International Faculty Program. The school organizes various club activities and field trips for the students to explore and expand the classroom knowledge. The school’s calendar is filled with various co-curricular activities like roller skating, swimming, taekwondo, dance, arts, dramatics, music, etc. making it one of the top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai.2. Chettinad VidyashramChettinad Vidyashram has established itself as one of the top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai. The school has classes from Kindergarten to Class XII with English as a compulsory language for all classes. The students can choose their second and third language from Hindi, Tamil, Sanskrit, French, German and Telugu. There are a wide variety of co-curricular activities for an all-round development of the students, some of them are Dance, Vocal Music, Arts, Crafts, Tanjore Arts, Games like cricket, football, Tennis, Basketball, etc. The school has all the modern educational facilities like Science, Math and language labs, Classrooms with smart boards, four AV rooms, a well-stocked modern library, etc. The school also operates a health centre for the physical well-being of students.3. DAV Boys Senior Secondary SchoolEstablished in 1970, Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) boys’ school is among the top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai. One of the most coveted schools in Chennai, DAV has not only won academic laurels but is also known for its exemplary discipline. Every year a good number of DAV students receive an invite to witness the Republic Day Parade from the Prime Minister’s Box as an honour for their academic excellence. The school has a teacher-student ratio of 1:40 and offers Science, Social Science, Mathematics, English and a choice of language from Tamil, Hindi and Sanskrit as main subjects. The school promotes sports, NCC and Boy Scouts and has the distinction of producing seven nationally top-ranked NCC Cadets. The school has the necessary modern educational infrastructure like well-equipped classrooms, a well-stocked library, labs for Physics, Chemistry and Biology, two computer science labs, mathematics lab, etc.4. Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan, GerugambakkamFounded in 2005, The PSBB School is a co-educational day Institute, with approximately 3300 students from Pre-Kindergarten to Class XII. The Institute is ISO 9001:2008 certified and is the only ‘Microsoft Mentor’ school in India. The school has a sprawling campus of 5-acres, which is divided into separate blocks. The campus is replete with facilities such as a library, science, math, language, social studies & computer labs, spacious technology enabled classrooms with smart classes, Separate rooms for yoga, dance, music, art, and craft, etc. The school also encourages students to take part in various sports and extra-curricular activities like cricket, basketball, karate, yoga, Indian vocal music, art & drawing, classical dance forms, roller skating, etc. The school has established itself among the top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai.5. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Rajaji VidyashramBharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Rajaji Viyashram is a co-educational school with its main office in Mumbai. Established in 1977, the school is a prestigious learning centre with approximately 3200 students from LKG to Class XII and faculty strength of 156 teachers. The school’s campus is housed in a three-storey structure, which is equipped with separate computer labs for primary, middle and senior secondary schools. The school also boasts of three AV rooms, an online testing centre with 40 computers, a primary science lab, three science labs for middle and senior secondary students, language and math labs, a well-stocked library, etc. The school has a huge playground with net practice for cricket, four volleyball courts, basketball court, two squash courts, badminton court and indoor games like chess and carom. The school offers many co-curricular activities like various clubs, camps, trekking activities, nature walks, etc. for the holistic development of the students’ personalities.6. SBOA School & Junior CollegeFounded in 1979, the SBOA School & Junior College is a co-educational school with classes from LKG to Class XII. The school offers Tamil, Hindi & French as second languages. Tamil and Hindi are third languages and students must study any of the two from Class VI to VIII. The school has modern infrastructure facilities like classrooms equipped with plasma TVs (Educomp Smart Class), computer labs, three multimedia labs, language labs, apart from maths, biology, and biotechnology labs. There is an open-air theatre and two auditoriums for cultural events and functions. The school also operates three health centres, stationery shop, a staff canteen, and tuck shop for students. The sports facilities include courts for basketball, throw ball and badminton, cricket practice nets, air-conditioned gym, etc. making it one of the top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai.7. Kendriya Vidyalaya, IITEstablished in 1964 with the patronage and assistance of the management of IIT-Chennai, the school has grown from 250 students and 10 teachers to 1607 and 64 respectively. The school is situated within the sprawling campus of IIT- Chennai and has 37 spacious classrooms. KV IIT has a bilingual medium of instruction with the aim to achieve proficiency in both English and Hindi language. Sanskrit is also taught from Class V to IX. The school is well equipped with all modern educational infrastructures like science labs, three computer labs, a well-stocked computerized library, an auditorium with LCD projectors, a resource room, AV room, art room, music room, etc. The campus also has all the major sporting facilities like volleyball, tennis, basketball courts, a cricket and football ground, etc. KV IIT encourages students to participate in various inter school, regional and national level sports competitions. Regular organization of co-curricular activities such as Math & Science Olympiad, drug awareness program, Scouts & Guides, Social Science & Science exhibitions makes KV IIT one of the top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai.8. Maharishi Vidya Mandir Public SchoolEstablished in 1983, Maharishi Vidya Mandir (MVM) School is a co-educational English Medium school with classes from pre-kindergarten to Class XII. MVM has been ranked among the top co-educational day schools in India by EducationWorld C-fore survey 2013. MVM offers all modern facilities like well ventilated and spacious classrooms, modern science and computer labs, a well-stocked library, AV room, etc. The school has a host of co-curricular activities like Meditation, Training in Classical dance forms, Carnatic Music, Karate, Sports, etc. MVM also has a variety of clubs including entrepreneurship club, fashion designing club, quiz club, literacy club, science & technology club, media club, etc. to promote teamwork among students.9. National Public SchoolLocated in the heart of the city, National Public School, Gopalapuram, NPS is one of the top CBSE schools in Chennai. The benchmark of its success has been its creditable record in academics as well as the personality development programs which makes the Alumnus of the institution a confident, well-guided individual ready to face the challenges of the world with ease. Founded in 1970, the school has a modern infrastructure with 36 spacious air-conditioned classrooms, computer lab, science lab, math lab, library, state-of-the-art auditorium, etc. to facilitate learning among students. The school organizes a host of co-curricular and sporting activities throughout the year to give students a platform to showcase their hidden talents.10. Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary SchoolFounded in 1956 as a kindergarten school, the Institute became co-educational in 1978 and offers education from LKG to Class XII. The school maintains a faculty-student ratio of 1:21, thereby guaranteeing individual attention to each student. The school’s infrastructure includes modern classrooms equipped with smart boards, AV facilities, LCD projectors, a well-stocked library, fully equipped Maths, Science and English language labs. The school also has a special learning centre for children with special needs. The school lays emphasis on holistic development of students’ personalities and examinations are not conducted at the primary level to make learning interesting and stress-free. The school has a host of co-curricular activities like scouts, yoga, dance, music and karate and has facilities for sports such as cricket, football, volleyball, basketball, athletics, etc.Almost all these schools take entrance tests for admissions. Remember to check out the eligibility criteria and know in advance what to expect in the entrance exam. Generally, the test is only to check the mental aptitude of the candidates.I hope this article helps in your hunt for the right school.