Tag Archives: Singapore Fitness

Update

June 24, 2014

It has been half a year since I made my presence on my blog. I have been away from home for a couple of months early this year. Made the decision to get back to the flying industry, I was in Japan for training during the whole of the winter season this year. And since then, I have been jet-setting for a couple of months now.

Living in Japan for a while was interesting for me. Besides the difference in culture, surprisingly hard to get less-carb food choices, and the endless shopping temptations, trying to keep fit without a gym (none in where I put up at) was challenging. I had, for the first time, ran in the cold bitter winter. Rocking bodyweight workouts in the hotel room with limited space was hilariously difficult. I did all that for 3 months.

Develop Body Awareness to Reap Maximum Benefits from your Workouts

September 27, 2013

Fitness

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Do you workout with a mirror? How often do you check your form when exercising? Are you one who is aware of your bodily moves all the time? Or just one who needs to be constantly reminded to sit tall and relax your shoulders?

I had a chat with my Pilates instructor the other day, and we got onto the subject of body awareness. Both of us agree, that many people who workout, and workout hard, may not have good body awareness. Some of us work by figures (counting the number of reps each time to make sure we improve), or some of us by weight (pounding on extra weight each session to dictate an improvement).

What is Body Awareness?

Full body awareness simply means paying attention to your body, its every movement, every feeling and every process. To work it in simpler terms, channel your focus and attention and feel onto every inch of your body, especially on the benefiting muscles while doing certain exercises. A runner will feel his core engaged, shoulders straight and ‘relaxed’, glutes and calves working with each step of the run. A trainer will feel his glutes ‘harden’ and tighten, core muscles clenched when doing a hip raise. (picture below)

It’s simple, but requires much training to develop full awareness for your body. For those who work out really hard but lack full body awareness, you are missing out on the benefits of just simply paying attention to your body.

Imagine doing a certain move while working out, and to do it completely wrong. Probably working the wrong muscle groups, or worse inducing an injury.

Benefits of Full Body Awareness

If you are one of those truly motivated to keep fit, having body awareness will make you feel really good about yourself while you exercise. Feeling your muscles as they engage with your movements bring about a full mind and body partnership. When you are aware of your moves, the great precision performed with each action allows you to use your muscles more efficiently, and thus resulting in an overall improved performance. What we do not wish to have is to do multiple reps of each move, and to only reap the benefits of a few which are performed correctly.

Naturally having Body Awareness?

I believe body awareness has to be taught. It can be developed through practice. Some activities that help to cultivate this awareness include yoga, pilates, dancing, and any other sport that requires some sort of a ‘natural grace’.

Because of our high-stress jobs, emotional stress, fast paced living, environmental factors, or anything that gives our body discomfort make us lose the awareness to slow down, pay attention and rest our body. Women will tend to focus more on our appearance than how we actually feel. We want ‘visual results’, like forcing our bodies to lift heavier and heavier weights each time, pushing ourselves to achieve a highly difficult move, but in turn, we lost the awareness in the process.

How to develop Full Body Awareness?

I developed a strong sense of body awareness after practising Pilates. I have been at it for more than a year now. Before, I would always slouch on the couch, or in front of my laptop. I used to stand with my weight resting on one leg, sitting with my abdomen tucked in, shoulders collapsing to the front. Because I have reversed most of my bad postural habits, I am telling you now that it is possible to start somewhere to make the change.

Exercises like yoga, tai chi and pilates are excellent for helping develop body awareness, which in turn improves your balance and coordination. When we are at our neutral symmetrical balanced stance, the muscles on both sides of our body are working concurrently. A practice to include body awareness exercises into your training program will help you not just to achieve great results in your workouts, but also increases the quality of your daily life.

Body awareness takes time and practice to achieve. You should not be expecting to see results in a few lessons. Sign up for some classes, be patient and give yourself at least 10 lessons to learn how to awaken your senses to create such awareness. Speak to practicers of yoga or pilates, they will be able to provide good and positive advice and guidance that will help you in lessons. Learn, and you will find your way to a happier, more complete and more functional you.

The Life-Changing Transformation You Really Need to Start Looking at Now

September 5, 2013

Beauty, Diet & Nutrition, Fitness

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Are you comfortable in your own skin, by just being yourself? Do you need a lot of makeup before you step out in public? Do you need to put on your best outfit to feel empowered? Do you need lots of material stuff to make up for your feelings of personal inadequacy?

I was, before. Or probably worse. I could not feel comfortable with who I really was. Even with the newest outfit that I thought would make me look fabulous, didn’t give me that confidence. I was in the habit of constant denial and always worrying about how I think people would judge me.

If any of these sound like you, it’s time to relook into your life and make a total adjustment. Feelings of insufficiency will only give rise to growing materialistic craves, to make up for our ‘skin’ which we are not totally at ease with. I found my purpose, and I have reversed most of what had mattered to me before.

Read on, and follow these first few steps you need to start making that BIG transformation.

Have a vision of who and what you want to achieve. Do you want to break your bad eating habits? Or perhaps you want to look lean and strong. It could be as simple as wanting to look and feel younger. Set a target, and work towards it. Write it down somewhere where you can remind yourself everyday.

Identify your true character/personality. This is almost like creating an look for yourself. Are you sporty? Young and funky? Sophisticated and classy? Relaxed yet chic? Whichever it is, identify your true self. Know which look makes you feel the most comfortable in. Identify it and stick with that ‘theme’.

Make a list. In fact make two lists. One of your bad habits, and one of planned good habits you want to keep to. Brainstorm as many points as you can, and start by keeping off the bad, and keeping to two or three of the good a day. Slowly build up upon it. Try to focus on the positive!

Stop buying too many clothes. If you are a spendthrift, quit the habit of randomly buying fancy clothes. The true fact is when you are not feeling your best, nothing you wear will actually make you much (MUCH) better. Even if it does, the feeling is pretty short-lived. You will start to pinpoint your own flaws again. You get better value out of buying something that can inspire you to change for now.

Find a buddy. Or identify a goal. Look out for someone who can help to motivate you. Your best friend, your sister, or try some of the online fitness personalities. They look good, radiate goodness. This is what you need. You need a source of positive influence.

Identify your best asset. It could be your eyes, your arms, legs…Play it up. If it involves sifting through your wardrobe, pick only the best out of what’s available. Leave the rest out. You don’t want anything on you to deter your confidence and pull down your faith. You want to feel good today, and better tomorrow.

Book in for a good haircut. A fine haircut frames your face, and enhances your features. Get a cut that can be easily maintained, yet make you look a million bucks at any time of the day, without the fuss!

Invest in a pair of good kicks. A good pair of shoes give you the right support for a proper posture. A good posture is key to suggesting your level of confidence. Would you want to slouch if you can look hundred times better by standing tall and straight? Find shoes that can bring you walking around the globe yet not compromising on style and highly versatile to match any outfit that will bring out your true character.

Invest in one health product. Making transformational change is not easy if your health is working against you. Make an investment. Having spent money will create a sort of awareness for you. Trust me on this, buy a all-rounded nutrition powder, or herbal concentrates or cod-liver oil etc. Make it a habit to start on this product faithfully. It serves as a constant ‘reminder’ that you are on your way to rebuilding yourself. When you achieve discipline with one, you know you can start on others.

Eat healthy. Feeling good is tied largely to our diet. A well-balanced diet can actually alleviate our mood swings. A well nourished body reduces cravings, and cravings are not happy thoughts. You need to be well aware of what you put into your body and how they actually make you feel. If junk food makes you feel guilty after eating it, then it really isn’t worth it at all.

Get physically active. If you dislike exercising, you really should be starting it now. If you hate running, you really ought to be trying now. When I hate increasing the intensity on my treadmill or elliptical machine, all the more I go fiercer. Exercising helps release endorphins which not only help with moods of depression, it actually makes you feel happy and accomplished. The fact that you are putting in effort to work a change in your life is enough to make you feel fulfilled. You may be whining and screaming in pain and agony at the start but its worthwhile.

Adjust your mindset. Believe in yourself. Believe in your ability. Believe in your faith. Your brain tells your body what to expect so long you can get the message across to your brain. Nothing is unachievable if you are committed to make the change. Believe you can and you are halfway there.

Real transformation happens when we have emotional and mental shifts in ourselves and these shifts change us physically from the inside out.

Many of us live our lives day in and out doing what’s best for others. Whatever age you are at now, it is never too late to make a change. You only live a day in everyday of your life ONCE. Why not give it the best it deserves? Nothing is easy, but….. (read on)