Set yourself free this merdeka!

 

Our Independence Day is tomorrow and I am sure most of you have something planned out. I plan to take my munchkin to the 53rd Merdeka Day Celebration and Parade at the Stadium Putra, National Sports Complex, Bukit Jalil.

It is also a good day to set yourself free from any negative mindset that tends to pull you away from reaching your health and fitness goals. Bear in mind that we all have the power to be positive with our actions and our mindset, unfortunately most us use weak and negative language while speaking. How many times have you said I Should when you can say I Could, or how often do you hear someone saying I hope to lose 2 kgs this month when they could be saying I will lose 2 kgs this month.

Realize that you and no one else has the power over your thinking. We all ultimately have the same amount of power, and that is the ability to think and do what we want. It is our choice to do a triathlon, our choice to eat as much as we want, and our choice on how we want to commit to a healthier lifestyle.

A negative mindset will ALWAYS compromise your ability to deal with any situations; be it a fatloss program or completing a marathon. You have the absolute power over your mindset, so don’t let it drag you down.

 

Set yourself free, and Happy Merdeka!

MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

 

Info on  Merdeka Day Celebration and Parade 2010

Date : 31st August 2010
Start : 7.30 AM
Location : Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil
Advance Booking : No

This year, the celebration will focus and honour the sacrifices made by the men and women in the security forces. There will be a special 60-minute performance by over 1500 security personnel showcasing the value of patriotism and the spirit of independence.

ways to intensify ‘workouts’

In a perfect fitness training universe, everybody would work hard, everybody would keep adding weight to the bar, everybody would dedicate time for training, everybody would progress and everybody would reach their natural strength limits.

But this is not the perfect fitness training universe. With limited time dedicated for fitness training, not everyone can or will work to their utmost intensity, and strength gains do not come in a linear progression. That does not mean, however, that a busy executive cannot succeed in fitness training.

Keeping ‘workouts’ short (and simple) and increasing the intensity are keys to long term health & fitness success. This applies to Corporate Athletes and people who just love to work hard and get stronger. Whether it is swimming, queuing to pay your groceries, family travel etc., you can really make full use of these activities by introducing a little workout and intensifying it for greater fitness and health benefits. Recently, I took a day off and took my family for an overnight stay at Sunway Hotel for our pre-Ramadhan family vacation. I spent hours in the pool with my munchkin. We swam and of course, this is how I intensified my swim.

Other ways that we can do to intensify our ‘fitness workout’ ;

• Forget about the pram, instead hold and carry your baby. This is great workout for your arms. For toddlers, carry them on your shoulder (I did this all the time).
• Don’t take the trolley when you do your grocery shopping, instead carry baskets. You can do some curls and shoulder shrugs.
• Don’t park your car near the entrance of the mall or elevator (in fact, it’s harder to find one as well), park somewhere far where it requires you to walk. Try it at Mid Valley Mall parking area, it can save you several minutes of waiting, plus can save your fuel too.
• While queuing to pay for your groceries, do calf raises.

Calf Raises In a standing position, keeping the body straight.

Keep your hands at your side and feet five inches apart for balance. Slowly rise up on the balls of your feet and lower again.

Try 10-20 of these.

 

Remember, workouts are not confined within the gym walls. Just be creative and you’ll get equal benefits. Try it, and live well & strong.

 

raya in the woods

Our Singaporean friends who are competing in The North Face 100 already started their own Progressive Runs to assist the athletes in the trainings. While fasting month makes it slightly trickier for us to train, we have very limited outdoor runners too.

Having said that, Corporate Athletes are inviting friends and athletes out there to trail-run together after the fasting month. There are no charges or fee for this run, and please bring your own hydration belt or bag (also as part of the training). As for me, I’m carrying my own 2-L hydration pack.

Due to time constraint, Corporate Athletes is proposing to have its first POR (Progressive Outddor Run) on the third day of Raya i.e. 12 September 2010 (Sunday). Take it as our raya ‘open-house’ pot-luck gathering Best of all, expect ketupat and rendang as your post-run meal . Since it will be our very first outdoor run for this season (plus people are still in the raya mood which means that we still need to attend open houses etc.), expect the run to be about 4 hrs long only. We should reach KL around 1230hr-1300hr, just in-time to attend any Raya Open Houses.

 

Please find below the details about CA’s POR no. 1:

Date : 12 September 2010 (Sunday)

Meeting place : Gunung Nuang Park Headquarters’ Carpark. Look out for Corporate Athletes bunting.

Registration (by Park Authority) : 6.30am. Warming-up to start at 6.40am.

Start : 0700hr (with 9.00am turn-back time, no matter where you are). We should be able to reach KEM PACAT in two hours if we run. To those are brisk-walking, you should reach KEM LOLO within this time.

Finish : 1100hr at Carpark – “raya-in-the-woods” potluck. I may be bringing Morrocan Lamb Harira serve with bread (my trademark dish for every raya …. hehehe)

Distance : 16 km

Also, please take note that this POR is not necessarily for those competing in the race only, but is also opened to those who want to venture into trail-running. However, you need to attest that you are physically fit to take part in trail-running. Do wear proper running attire.

Subsequent PORs are as follows. Do mark these dates on your calendar.

POR no. 02 – 18 September 2010 (Saturday) ~ 25km

POR no. 03 – 25 September 2010 (Saturday) ~ 30km

26 September 2010 (Sunday) – Newton 25km Run

POR no. 04 – 02 October 2010 (Saturday) ~ 35km (sorry folks, can’t afford to taper … hehe)

TNF – 09 October 2010

 

Note : The running locations will be decided later. We will start with easier trails and slowly progresses into more technical and longer trails.

Note #2 : Friends, I just lost my handphone. Appreciate if you can just email your contact no to trainer@corporateathletes.com.my thanks & regards.

Decide. Commit. Succeed.

Since the inception of Corporate Athletes, it always carry the tagline “DECIDE. COMMIT. SUCCEED.”

I strongly believe that the decision and commitment to become fit and healthy, needs to come within oneself. It’s not the trainer’s duty to force you to decide and commit to their programs. The success of a given training program can only be achieved once the client themselves decide to take up the challenge, and commit to it.

While it is so much easier to say than done, there are small percentages of my clients who just barely have the right commitment level to ensure success in their training program. As a trainer, I never push or force people to join the program although there are times where I just want them to do it for the betterment of their physical and mental well-being. Forcing by a second party will never work in fitness training, unless it is the money that the trainer is looking for. Corporate Athletes is all about lifestyle.

To make it beneficial and successful, it only works if the person has made the decision to become active and healthy by himself/herself and self-commit to it.Here are some tips on starting out and committing to a fitness routine:

• Set aside affixed time daily for your exercise e.g. lunchtime, before work, after work etc. I do my gym and fitness routine before work or during lunch breaks at least thrice a week.
• Link your exercise sessions to your daily activities e.g. jog before dinner, gym before heading home etc. This will make exercise a regular activity to you.
• Get an exercise partner and stick to a mutually agreed exercise schedule. Whoever fails to turn up for an exercise session buys lunch   As for me, I do have friends that share same passion for outdoor sports where we regularly organise our own training sessions. Look out for our upcoming Progressive Outdoor Runs (POR), scheduled to commence on the third day of Raya.
• Make exercise convenient e.g. use office gym, go to the park near your home, use stairs instead of elevator etc.
• ‘Spice’ up your exercise program. Exercise can be anything from swimming, dancing, mopping floors, climbing the stairs etc. and not just weights and running.
• If you miss an exercise session, make up for it – you owe yourself a session and needs to be paid back.
• Sign-up for charity walks or runs. Obviously, if you are in the Klang Valley, there are many organised runs; be it a 10k, 21k and Full Marathons.

As a trainer, I can give you the best of my experience, knowledge and encouragement but in the end, it is you, my client, who must decide and commit to living the life that I know is possible for you. I am living an active and healthy life. Are you?

There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

Pregnancy boosts Athletic Performance?

 

According to an article that I have just read at Sports Illustrated, I was surprised to learn that pregnancy can have an effect on a runner’s body. It will make  the mothers run faster. To quote the article;

“One of the many physical transformation that occur in a woman’s body to accommodate the new resident is an increase in blood volume, since there are suddenly two people in need of oxygenated blood. Once the baby is born, that extra blood hangs around. Extra red blood cells, as any athlete who has used EPO knows, means extra oxygen to the muscles. This super mom effect, however, is transient, lasting a few weeks or months. A 1991 study at the University of Vermont found that non-athlete women were still pumping slightly more blood than usual three months after giving birth“.

Wifey is almost 9-months pregnant now. She is all excited to start running again. I’m sure after reading this article, she’ll be inspired to start right away. Wifey used to run better than me, but after gave birth to munchkin, she gave up running entirely and concentrated on swimming instead. Currently at 38 weeks, she still swims regularly, doing laps after laps at our pool.  Swimming is great exercise because it uses both large muscle groups (arms and legs). Though low-impact, it provides good cardiovascular benefits and allows expectant women to feel weightless despite the extra pounds added by pregnancy. It also poses a very low risk of injury. I have to say that swimming is one of the safest forms of exercise.

If you swim regularly before pregnancy, you should be able to continue without much modification. Our dear friend Fong, at 4 mths pregnant now, used to join us for long-distance swim sessions (distances more than 4km) during her early pregnancy. She swam fast and strong. However, a word of caution to those who didn’t swim or exercise at all, you should still be able to swim, but check with your doctor first. You’ll need to start slowly, stretch well during a gradual warm-up and cooldown, and not to overexert yourself. Moderate physical activities not only burn calories, but pregnant ladies will feel less fatigued, sleep better, and cope better with pregnancy’s physical and emotional challenges.

To expectant women, have a safe and healthy pregnancy. And to my sweetie pie, you are doing great honey! Can’t wait for Ian Jr. to come out

Note : Our dear friend cum athlete Fong blogs about her experience and challenges in working out during her pregnancy. Read her blog here. However, bear in mind that Fong has always been active throughout her life. Her training regime is not meant for every one.

 

hill running over the weekend

Diket, Syah, Ziff, Syed, Irwan and I had another round of Long Slow Distance (LSD) training last Saturday. We met at Bukit Aman carpark at 6.30am. The route, suggested by Syah, was Bukit Aman – Komuter B.Negara – Matrade – Sri Hartamas - Petronas – Matrade – Double Hill - Bukit Aman; offering a 25km route of mixed terrain, mostly hilly.

 

 

Few years back, I hate the idea of running at hilly sections (uphill especially) but now, am enjoying every second of it.  This kind of training helps me to build confidence. The more hills I run, the less intimidating they’ll seem when I encounter them on a race course. The improved strength and technique on the hills have also given me the confidence boost when I am racing.

I’m not surprised that some runners don’t like hill running because it’s … well …. hard. But running hills provides a lot of benefits to runners, so don’t shy away from them. Based on the information gathered from websites, here are some of the ways you can benefit from hill running:

• You’ll build strength. Running inclines, either on a hill outdoors or on a treadmill, is a form of resistance training that builds up the muscles in your calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Hill running strengthens those areas more than running on flat ground. You’ll also strengthen your hip flexors and Achilles tendons.
• You’ll get faster. The muscles you’ll use to run up hills are the same ones used for sprinting, so the strength you build will improve your speed.
• You won’t get bored. If you’re used to running on mostly flat courses, adding hills to your routines can help prevent boredom.
• You’ll reduce your risk of injuries. As you strengthen your leg muscles through hill running, you considerably reduce the risk of suffering from running-related injuries.
• You’ll strengthen your upper body. Uphill running forces you to drive your arms harder than you do when running on flat ground, so you’ll improve your upper body strength.

To add more hill running to my weekend, CA’s The Wild Gym Coordinator; Che and myself went to Bukit Apek on Sunday to recce this trail. It was so much fun. Do have  a look at my next entry later today.

Have a good week ahead!

snacking your way thru World Cup

World Cup and Snacking … they go together like Siskel and Ebert … Burger and Coke … chocolate and peanut butter … vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce … uh, oh, I see where this is heading … I should stop with the food analogies, because I’m getting very hungry … the point is, for most us, they go hand in hand.

Truth is, television does not promote a healthy lifestyle. The whole “process” of watching World Cup on television or big screen at mamak shops is not an active one. And most likely, the diet accompanying TV-watching is high in sugar, fat and calories. Television is Teh Tarik, Roti Canai and Smoking. Television is sitting in a sofa and not moving. And obviously, there’s nothing more jovial than having a bag of potato chips. Not only do we have a habit of enjoying a snack while we tune in to World Cup matches … we don’t pay attention to how much we’re eating while we’re following the Brazilian’s game plan.

In fact, research has shown that we automatically overdo portions when we snack in front of the television, especially on the foods we tend to eat too much of anyway like straight-out-of-the-bag potato chips. So, we eat more than usual and we don’t even realize it.

Let’s take a look at some tips that will help your weight loss efforts survive your time during this whole month of World Cup;

• Eat a meal as close to TV time as possible.
• Divvy a portion of your snack like peanuts, into a single serving bag ahead of time or, always use serving bowls instead of eating straight out of the package.
• Don’t watch TV in a room next to the kitchen (well, I watch TV in my bedroom).
• Keep a large bottle of water at your side and sip, sip away.
• Snack … but only during commercial breaks.
• Chew flavorful sugar-free gum. Pop it in at the beginning of the match. Not only will it keep your jaws busy, but if you take it out to nosh, I guarantee you your chosen snack food won’t be so tasty and you probably won’t keep eating.
• Choose something that takes a long time to chew like an apple or dried guava, or something you have to work for like peeling an orange or shelling sunflower seeds.

Or, try these simple and healthy snacks:

• Dried fruits and nuts – again limit to a handful only … yikes
• Fresh fruits – well, you can have as many as you want.
• or try the simple Tuna Honey Mustard dip, served with fresh cut veggies, as shown in my Fitness Food Made Simple book. There are also more low fat low calorie recipes in the book. They are so easy to make and can be perfect snacks for your World Cup.

Enjoy your month-long of World Cup fever everyone! As for me, sou totalmente a favor do Brasil! Olaaa !!

TNF100 returns

 

macambagus is competing again in this year’s TNF run, scheduled on 9 October 2010. This year, you can witness macambagus competing in TNF100 duo category, a level higher than last year. We even set our target of 12 hours to complete the entire race course.

While the fasting month makes it slightly trickier for us to train, we also expect a bigger group of outdoor trail runners this time around. Having said that, Corporate Athletes are inviting friends and athletes out there to trail-run together in its Progressive Outdoor Run (POR) sessions. There are no charges/fees for this run. All you have to do is to bring along your own hydration belt or bag (this is also part of the training). Make sure that you have at least 1.5L supply of clean drinking-water.

Due to time constraint, Corporate Athletes is proposing to have its first POR on the third day of Raya i.e. 12 September 2010 (Sunday). Take it as our raya ‘open-house’ pot-luck gathering  Expect ketupat and rendang for your post-run meal . Since it will be our very first outdoor run for this season (plus people are still in the raya mood which means we still need to attend open houses etc.), expect the run to be abt 2-3 hrs long only. We should be back to home around noon.

Please find below the details about CA’s subsequent POR sessions:

• POR no. 02 – 18 September 2010 (Saturday) ~ 15km
• POR no. 03 – 25 September 2010 (Saturday) ~ 20km
• 26 September 2010 (Sunday) – Newton 25km Run
• POR no. 04 – 02 October 2010 (Saturday) ~ 35-40km
• TNF – 09 October 2010

Note : The running locations will be decided later. We will start with easier trails and slowly progresses into more technical and longer trails.

Things to bring / wear :

1. A hydration pack – can carry at least 1.5L of water. For those who do not have any hydration packs, pls. bring water bottles and place them in a daypack. The heavier the pack gets, the better the workout is.

2. A pair of trail/running shoes – you just have to make sure that the shoes have good sole as the trail can be rather slippery.

3. Oral Rehydration Salts (optional)

Please take note that this POR is not necessarily for those competing in the race only, but is also opened to those who want to venture into trail-running. However, you need to attest that you are physically fit to take part in trail-running. For those who are new to trail running, you can check out my previous post here.

p/s – do check out my blog entry on TNF 2009 here and to know how we conducted the previous POR sessions, do check it out here.

Seminar : How to Run Your First Race

Signed up for the upcoming KL Marathon but still feeling unprepared?

Your FIRST 5km/21km/Full Marathon race?

Don’t know how to get started with training?

 

 

Good news folks! Thrice Ironman Langkawi Finisher and Marathoner, Lim Ee-Van a.k.a. Stupe, shares the secrets to running your first race (for both men and women of all ages), in a special 90-minute presentation.

Organised by KL Fitness Events, the event details are as follows:

Date :  5th June 2010

Time :  11.00 AM

Venue :  Fitness Innovations (Malaysia) 2-8, 2nd Floor, D19 Business Centre, Jalan PJU 8/3,  Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

for a  super-low price of RM30 ONLY

The Speaker :

Lim Ee-Van (a.k.a Stupe) – with a humble beginning, his first 10km race was done in 90minutes – but that was almost 8 years ago. A father of two toddlers and an engineer by profession, Ee-Van has successfully mastered the art of juggling work, play and fitness, quickly rising to become one of the country’s most inspirational and motivating recreational athletes.

Get all your specific questions answered by him during the Q&A session! There’s very limited space. So, if you wish to attend, hurry up and do sign yourself up at www.kualalumpur-fitness.com or call them at 016 665 4206or to receive more information.

Note : Those who are attending will be provided with a registration code – instructions will be sent to you once you register.

Happy running, people!

set the priority right

It has been said that racing (be it tri, run, bike, swim, walk etc) is a sport that attracts people with obsessive personalities. It’s therefore not surprise that some people sometimes take things too far, myself included.

I love pushing myself to the limits. I love sports, particularly the friendships I’ve made over the 10 years of racing. I love how fit my body gets until it came to a point that I became a fitness model for ads. Sometimes, I do feel selfish, training so hard and so often. But I just can’t let go – it feels like a form of addiction. So, should we quit the sports?

Since I’m a fitness trainer now, I would say “hell no!”. It’s all about creating balance. Multi-sport, by name and by nature, means that time and effort is of a premium. It’s a balancing act that we have to contend in optimizing our performance. Well, this is also the goal that my Corporate Athletes is trying to achieve – a goal to get the most out of my clients in a world of variables. Sometimes, it is frustrating when someone misses a session that is important for his/her fitness goals because of a work/family-related function. On the other hand, I too believe that sport serves a purpose secondary to that of family, probably because I am a family-man too.

I think you can have the best of both worlds, and the satisfaction of a full life. Seriously, it wouldn’t be too hard to involve your spouse in the sport. Whether it means that the spouse actually competing as well, or in my case, just going away for weekend as a spectator or just a vacationer – these would be the incentives to let us race or train. Everyone wins if we get a weekend off to some nice locations like Desaru, JB, Singapore, Penang, Kota Kinabalu etc (Corporate Athlete Syah brought his family to Singapore Zoo right after his Singapore Marathon last year!)

Life’s all about compromise and with the amount of time we spend doing something we love such as racing, there has to be balance around us that don’t share the same interests. If we sit back and set little perspective and prioritize what matters in our lives, family would have to be on top.

Let’s set the priority right so that we can enjoy life thoughout.

Next Page »