Many Chinese people believe that your actions truly speak louder than your words. It's likely that your loved one will gauge how much they mean to you by what you do for them rather than how often you say romantic things to them.  For example, you might do a chore for them that you know they particularly dislike or have a difficult time doing. You might also cook them their favorite meal, record their favorite TV show for them, or get them tickets to a concert you know they'll enjoy. You don't have to be particularly crafty or artistic to make something creative that the person you love will cherish. Just the fact that you made it with them in mind will warm their heart.  For example, you might print photos of the two of you together and make a scrapbook of your relationship and all the adventures you've been on. You might also make a sign or poster related to the person or something they enjoy. If you're musically inclined, you might consider writing a song that tells the person how much they mean to you. Chinese people express their love more often nonverbally. If you love someone, let them know by holding their hand frequently and putting your arm around them. Leaning next to them or cuddling while the two of you are engaged in something else lets them know that you're attached to them. For example, you might put your arms around your significant other's waist as they're cooking, or massage their shoulders as they're reading or working. Ornate, handwritten letters are cherished in Chinese culture, so if you write a love letter to your romantic interest in Chinese you'll be certain to capture their attention (and their heart). In this kind of letter, you can afford to be more serious without having to worry that you'll offend them.  For example, "wǒ ài nǐ" (我爱你) would be much more appropriate in a formal love letter than if you simply said it. If you're just starting to learn Chinese, you might want to have a native speaker look over your letter before you give it to your beloved.

Summary: Do something nice for the person you love. Make something special for the person you love. Demonstrate affection through gestures and touch. Write a love letter to your romantic interest.


Unlike most essays, a speech is written to be read out loud, and your audience will be more engaged if they feel like you’re having a conversation with them. As you’re writing your introduction, imagine you’re talking to someone and trying to convince them of your point as opposed to writing a research paper. Just make sure your introduction is still authoritative and professional.  To make your writing more conversational, try to use brief sentences, and avoid including jargon unless you need it to make your point. Using contractions, like “I’ll” instead of “I will,” “wouldn’t” instead of “would not,” and “they’re” instead of “they are,” can help make your writing sound more conversational. Being concise is especially important when you’re writing a speech since you want to hold your audience’s attention. Long, convoluted sentences will make your introduction hard to follow, and you risk people tuning out. Make sure you don’t include more sentences than necessary when you’re writing the different components of your speech. Being aware of your audience while you’re writing will help you craft a more persuasive message. As you’re writing the introduction to your speech, think about who will be listening when you deliver it, and use that to help you decide what information and strategy you’ll use. For example, if your audience will be made up of the other students in your college class, including a pop culture reference in your introduction might be an effective way to grab their attention and help them relate to your topic. However, if you’re giving your speech in a more formal setting, a pop culture reference might fall flat. It will be easier to persuade your audience if they feel like they’re having a conversation with you as opposed to listening to a lecture. To help them feel like they’re a part of the conversation, don’t be afraid to reference them or directly speak to them in your introduction.  For example, you could write something like, “I know a lot of you may strongly disagree with me on this. However, I think if you give me a chance and hear me out, we might end up finding some common ground.” Or, you could include a question like “How many of you here tonight have ever come across plastic that's washed up on the beach?” Then, you can have audience members raise their hands. Reading the introduction to your persuasive speech out loud is a great way to catch any awkward language and complicated sentences. If you find yourself stumbling over a certain section, stop and revise it. Keep practicing like this until you can confidently read through your introduction and everything flows together nicely. You can even record yourself reading your introduction to get a sense of how you'll look delivering the opening of your speech.

Summary: Write in a conversational tone. Be concise when you’re writing your introduction. Tailor your writing to your audience. Connect with your audience. Practice reading your introduction out loud.


Interval training is a type of workout that alternates short bouts of high-intensity aerobic exercise with short recovery intervals of low-intensity exercise. Each interval should only last a few minutes at a time. The high-intensity bouts should be done above your lactic threshold—in other words, you should feel like you are working very hard (17-18 on the Scale of Perceived Exertion), at around the highest level of activity you can sustain for longer than a few minutes at a time. At this level of exercise, you will feel your heart pounding very fast and may be breathing hard enough that it is difficult to speak. To get the most out of interval training, plan to do 1 session every week. However, to avoid injury and overwork, interval training should account for no more than 10% of your weekly cardiovascular activity.  For example, if you are doing 200 minutes of cardio each week, do no more than 20 minutes of interval training total per week. If you are also doing steady state exercises, like tempo runs, avoid scheduling this type of exercise close to your weekly interval training. Give yourself 2 days to recover between these types of training. There are many ways to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Work with your trainer or coach to choose a routine that works best for you. For example, you might try 4 rounds of the following routine, with 12-second periods of inactivity between each exercise:  35 seconds of drop lunges. 35 seconds of burpee crunches. 35 seconds of plank jack hops. 35 seconds of step to jump squats. 35 seconds of pop jacks. 35 seconds of triceps back presses.

Summary: Work out above your lactate threshold. Incorporate interval training into your weekly routine. Develop a high-intensity interval training routine.


. The natural flavor for a truffle is chocolate, so this is a good place to start! Variations on chocolate truffles include chocolate rum truffles and white chocolate truffles. There are many different choices possible, here are just a few suggestions:  Strawberry balsamic truffles Mint truffles Christmas pudding truffles Oreo truffles  Pumpkin truffles.
Summary: Make basic chocolate truffles Branch out into different varieties of truffles.