Easy Push Up

If you think push ups are just for army buffs or men only, you might think again. Push up is very beneficial for women, especially to train your tricep and chest. Below are the pictures to do the easiest push up.


Position A : Place your palms flat, arms open as wide as your shoulder, including your legs.

Position B : Lower your body slowly without changing any position and pause for a moment.

Tips :

• To isolate your chest more during a push-up, widen the position of your hands a little bit. If you want to work out your triceps more, do the opposite and bring your hands closer together so that they're under your chest.

Kickstart New Year with New Workout Plan

It's that time of year again and what I've seen the number one New Year resolution is to lose weight, and it's not really that difficult. But many expect such thing to be done in overnight, and they tend to lose their motivation when it doesn't happen. You didn't gain weight overnight, so you won't lose weight in overnight either. Took me 6 months to lose weight and took me discipline to achieve that.

In order for a workout plan to succeed, a person must know that the weight scale won't go down by just first clutch of a dumbbell. Exercise must be part of regular routine than short term solution.

Joining a gym is one of many ways to start the fitness routine. But often motivation disappears after few weeks. According to the statistics, it is found that about half of the people who begin an exercise routine quit after six to nine months.

Personally, making a workout plan is very enjoyable, it is like making my own lesson plan. I type my workout plan in my laptop with cute fonts. Let me share the other tips :

1. Sit down with weekly calendar and determine how many days of the week you are willing to exercise.
2. Balance the cardiovascular exercise and weight training.
3. Commit yourself to follow your plan.
4. Follow your schedule at least one month.
5. If you are beginner, hire a personal trainer or find a buddy who is a fitness freak to motivate you and show you how to use the machines. Other alternative is browse the internet about exercises.
6. When you make your workout plan, make sure you put something you like.
7. Always vary your exercise to keep you stick with plan.

Hope my tips above will help you to attain your new year resolution and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

SMILE! and The Whole World Smiles With You

The title above it's another my favorite quote and when you see the picture above, don't you feel you want to smile too ? A smile is very related to our fitness. Why so? a smile can improve your health level, your stress level, and your attractiveness. But it's not just it. Smiling can boost your immune system, smiling also releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. If you have high blood pressure, try to smile and see the difference.

Or when you are on your weight loss program and it seems to fail, just smile..it will brings positive energy and give your spirit back.

As for me, it takes practice to smile and it wasn't easy task. At first, I was just faking it and I was even nervous just smiling, until I can actually smile even to my sorrow moments.

So, when the world brings you down, put a smile and the world will smile back at you. But before you smile, I have a little tip : don't forget to brush your teeth :)

Holiday Workout

Gym bag must items :gym outfit ( I'm a nike big fan ), shoes, hair straightener, body wash, body spray, make up kit, shower kit, ipod shuffle ( small but very convenient ), fitness gloves

Holiday is here and I have 4 weeks ( minus 3 days because of in house training ) to cheer about. Due to the financial limitation and global recession *still smiling though*, I will be devoting my holiday in the gym. New songs have been uploaded new songs into my ipod. I'm loving T.I feat Rihanna live your life and Beyonce Single Ladies.
Sounds pretty boring huh? But it's not, it's my best time to work out. I will have plenty of time to try new exercises, and classes that I can't joing during my working days and writing. I have set up a target : More toned body, especially in the triceps area.

So, here's the plan for tomorrow :
- Treadmill for 30 minutes
- Lunges, Squat and Abs ( since holiday I can have 5 sets of each exercise )
- Fat burn on treadmill for 15 mins
- Might join Body Combat
- Sauna
- Do my hair
- Lunch with my friends at Sushi Tei ( I love sushi )
- Plan exercise for the next day

Well I hope it will go as it planned....( it must be....I put my determination for this )

Basic Crunch Exercises

Tired of extra spare around your waist. Here are some basic crunches that you can do at home or even in swimming pool area. No equipment required.

First basic crunch is targeted for your middle area of your abs. This looks easy, but it's not and you need to do proper crunch for maximum result. Here's how you do it :


Position 1 :

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Your feet should be as wide as hip. I prefer to fold my arms across my chest, to avoid pulling my head forward .
  
• Lie on exercise mat or large towel to prevent back strain.

Position 2 :

• Curl up and forward so that your head, neck and shoulder blades lift off from the floor. If your chin makes contact with your chest, then the abdominal muscles aren't being used in the exercise.
• Pause for a moment ( at least 3 seconds ). Lift your head up enough so that your middle and your lower back stay on the floor. Keep locking your abdominals as you pause.
  
• Do the three sets of 15-20 repetitions whenever you exercise.
  

Second type of crunch exercise is side crunch or obelique crunch, which the targeted muscle is on the side of your abdominals.


Position 1 :

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Your feet should be little bit wider than your hip.
  
• Place your arms behind your head so your fingertips just touch each other as they remain rest behind your head.
  

Position 2 :

• Use your oblique muscles to bring your body up into a side crunch. Your side will bend as your shoulder lifts off the mat into the crunch.
• During the time that you are coming up into the crunch exhale the breath you took earlier. Be sure that your head remains in line with your neck the whole time you are performing the crunch to prevent neck strain.
• Lower yourself gently back down on the mat as you inhale to take another breath. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions and then switch sides to perform the side crunch using your other set of oblique muscles.
  

The last basic crunch exercises is hangin leg raise crunch, which you are targeting your lower abdominal.

Position 1 :

• Lie on the mat with your legs extended straight up to 90 degrees.
  
• Bring your arms side of your body.

Position 2 :

• From your starting position, slowly lower your legs down until they almost touching the floor.
• When your legs are almost touching the floor, reverse the motion and lift your legs back up to the starting position.
  
• During perform this exercise, focus on your lower abdominal muscle to lift and lower your legs.
  

There you go, my simple crunch exercises. Hope you enjoy it.

Wishes Flown Away

I might have to cross out my wishes from my wishlists for today and entering a phase which I don't want to do it, which I always refuse to do. As much as I want to weep or dwell about it or complain how bitchy the life is , I think I must force myself to think in different perspective and just getting ready what will come. I must be willing to let go life I have planned, so as to accept the life that waiting for me ( either good or bad ). Let's consider as my challenging times that I have to go through.

As long there's still gym where I can let my endorphine out, as long the sun stil shines, as long my salsa guru still hired by Celebrity Fitness, and as long there's still Body Combat and Dance Class and of course there will be something more to write.. I think I will be fine...

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure " -Oprah Winfrey-

Eating in Your 30's

As the new year approaching,I am approaching to the increased number of my age. Within 7 months, I will be 31 years old. It's never too late to anticipate what will come later.
Being 31 or in the 30's the first signs of heart disease or osteoporosis may become noticeable. You will find that your gain weight easily than when you were in the 20's.

You may not be able to avoid the wrinkles but you can certainly slowing down the aging process. Drink plenty of water, eat more vegetables and fruits they are packed with antioxidants which slow the aging process.

Another eating plan in your 30's is keeping your meals in low Glycemic Index. Glyceamic Index is numerical index given to a carbohydrate-rich food that is based on the average increase of blood glucose levels occurring after the food is eaten. It will keep you feeling full between meals and help to control the release of blood sugar.

Circuit Training Defined

Are you bored with your exercise routine or hitting plateau? or are you running of time ?Ever consider to try circuit training? Circuit training has been traditionally been used as an effective way to develop both strengh and cardiovascular fitness simultaneuosly. A circuit training consists of a series of exercises performed with minimal rest intervals.

First thing you have to do is pick six exercises you want to do, write them on a piece of paper. After that, you think how are you going to do your workout. You can do this at home. There are lots of options available for you, such as jumping over a phone book, going up and down the stairs or just running around the house.

Circuit training is great for beginners as well. Why? Because it allows you to build your muscle and work your endurance at the same time. Whatever your goals you want to achieve, circuit training can be a great workout because simply of the variety.

BTW here are the list my "normal" circuit training ( combination of legs and chest )
- 10 minutes warm up ( running or walking on the treadmill )
- Squat with ball
- Ball chest press
- 5 minutes running
- Lunges
- Chest fly
- 5 minutes cycling
- Plie squat
- Incline chest press
- 10 minutes walking on the incline

The freedom to make the variety is up to you, browse through the internet and combine the exercises.

Feeding Your Skin

Don't you know that whatever you eat or consume has the effect to your skin? Doing a balanced diet means you are taking care of your skin. Anti aging diet secrets the doctor revealed :
- Vitamin C : women with higher vitamin C intake, mostly from foods like orange juice, citrus fruits and tomatoes had significantly fewer wrinkles.
- Linoleic acid : this type can be easily found in green leafy vegetables, nuts and plant based oils.
- Excess carbohydrate and fat : women who consume more carbohydrates and fat usually have more wrinkles and less radiant skin.

So, basically you don't have to rely on expensive skin care products to stay young. It comes to basic again...eating right and ( again ) exercise.

Crazy About Muesli

A friend of mine suggested me to try muesli as replacement for rice or healthy snack. I was hesitated first and doubtful with the price. Since as Indonesian aka Asian the price of one pack of muesli is quite expensive.

But after I received my paycheck, I decided to give it a try by buying 1 box and see how it goes for 1 week. The result...I dont easily get hungry and if I want to munch just grab a handful of it.

On my curiousity, I looked further what's so good about muesli. Muesli is cereal made from toasted whole oats, nuts, fruit and white flakes. Since it uses whole grains, it is high in dietary fiber and because it relies on the natural sweetness of the fructose in fruit makes it low sucrose and the impact low carb too.

There are many varieties you can do with muesli. My favorite is muesli with plain yoghurt or cottage cheese or simple plain milk. Although I have little dirty secret...I like to mix my muesli with coffee ( not highly recommended :) ). For something fresh, muesli is good choice to mix with fruit salad or berries.

However, even muesli considered as healthy meal, you might want to consider what you put in. For example, mixing muesli with honey or brown sugar will simply put extra sugar in it. Having muesli in a muffin wont be not so good idea.

Well..I hope you like muesli too...

Lunges ( a sneak peek )

Position A : Stand up straight, widened your legs as wide as your shoulder, hands on hips

Position B : Without changing your position or move your body, push your other leg to the back

Position C : Slowly bend your knee to 90 degrees

Tips: To keep your balance, locking your core is a must and do not push your leg too far because your targeted muscles are your harmstring and glute

Finally!

After all this time waiting for this weekend to happen, I finally made it! Yes. I managed to aspire to my dreams and my optimism is restored. At least two of my dreams. It's still in editing process, hope to be published soon.

Deep November and Good Weekend

This month is the month where I put my deep thoughts and efforts pursuing my dreams or maybe to make my optimism come true. After one publisher cancel to publish my book, I soon made another option which I will be working on next week. More exercises will come to this blog.







"waiting my moment to come"

New Year is Coming

I was making my lesson plan when I realised that we are so close to the end of year 2008. This made me think and looked back what I have done and happened during this year. The way I would describe my 2008 is a roller coaster ride in the storm. The year commenced with tears and I thought I could never live again. In spite of this, I made a choice that I have to stand up and picking up the pieces. It kicked off in the good way. Well..I did it at least in a term of losing weight which brought lot of impacts. One of them are my self esteem escalate steadily and discovered many things in life,fitness, exercise, diet and living well. And then again, another storm came to hit me again and I was very close falling to the ground. Thanks to fitness and exercise..I could cope with it.

So am I busy making resolutions?hmmm..I havent figured out yet. At this point, I will be just continuing what I have been doing...attaining my goals, my passions, my dreams, and my wishes.
As matter of fact..I dont need to wait for new year to come to start making my one of dreams come true.

PS : Thanks to Elen who has been so patient dealing with my whinings and my sister who introduced to the world of blog.

GymWalking : Celebrity Fitness FX part 3

Alia + Everton

Went to FX today after absent for almost a week, spent more time at Pondok Indah Mall. The result a happy big smile after Latin Dance class...oh yeah..I found new love on this instructor, Everton Torres. Not of physical appearance but more to the way he teaches...He's the most most cheerful and energetic instructor I've ever seen! Look at his face! He always smiles, happy, "bouncy" and he plays really happy music. When I joined his Global Dance, I was almost died but looking at him and smiling my spirit raised again! And today, I was sulky, a bit sad ( you know..love life ) and he played that music and started smiling...wheww...Salsa all the way! He's quite bulky and I was hesitated if he could dance..but wow...he CAN DANCE! I mean he can shake his booty but still very manly.
Boy, I had fun today...no one could tell if I just brokenhearted. So..if you want to put a big smile on your face..pack up your bag and head to the gym or sign up to your nearest gym.

Hmm...this is my sweet and favorite spot in the Celebrity fitness FX, sort of my sanctuary. No interruption from bulky men ( they can be found in free weight area ) who often grunting and dropping weights.Thanks to my personal trainer who taught me how to use this machine.

Craving for Comfort

Experts believe that there is a strong association between food and emotion for many women, and this poses a serious challenge to healthy eating.
This research reinforces the idea that it's not the hunger for the particular food itself, but the feeling it provides that brings on a craving.
There are 5 things that trigger women to crave which are :
- Anger
- Hopelessness
- Lack of control
- Feeling unappreciated
- Boredom

If you fit into any one of these five profiles, try sitting down with a piece of paper and brainstorming to find alternative behaviors to eating.
Remember that healthy eating doesn't mean you can't indulge yourself. Cutting out certain foods entirely is a negative approach that will only set you up for failure.
Try to maintain a balanced diet that includes lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean sources of protein. Prepare healthy snack options instead of heading to the vending machine. And don't forget that healthy eating goes hand-in-hand with exercise.

Endorphin and BrokenHeart

It might be a silly love life that many women experienced and which I just have been through.. but let me relate it to health. What do you do when you brokenhearted? Crave for sweets? lock yourself in the room? go out and get drunk?

Here's one alternative ( which I always do ) where health takes part in your emotional issue. Go to the gym! Yes..instead of going to clubs, I prefer to go to the gym. Have Body Combat class, run on the treadmill or just join dance class or have outdoor sports, when you finish see yourself and be honest what you feel afterward?

Whats the relation between exercise and brokenhearted? By exercise your body releases a hormone called endorphin. This is a happy hormone..increases your self esteem, helps you to reduce the stress and enhances your immune system. Again..don't over exercise you will end up in injury.
Cheers

Obesity

According to Wikipedia obesity described where the body has excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be negatively affected It is commonly defined as a body mass index (BMI = weight divided by height squared) of 30 kg/m2 or higher. This distinguishes it from being overweight as defined by a BMI of between 25–29.9 kg/m2.

The research shown that the major cause of obesity are combination of excessive calorie consumption and sedentary lifestyle. There is little evidence to support the commonly expressed view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism. What has been found, however, is that some obese people underreport how much food they consume compared to those of normal weight.

Historically, overweight or obese is a sign of wealth and only rich people who is suffering with obese. Now, even the poor people can be obese or overweight. The reason is because they are malnourished. The food they eat are often cheap, industrialized, mass produced. These kinds of food usually contain high carbohydrates, high sodium, high sugar and high preservatives.

The health impact by being overweight or obese are lead you to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and astheorithritis ( I hope I get this right ). So how to fight the obesity? Again changing your diet by cutting down carb, sugar, bad fat, sodium and exercise. How about for the poor people? They may want to start exercise by walking which is no cost and easily done. For the food? Please avoid mass produced food and simply prepare your own meal.

Sunday Morning Wishes ( EDITED 16/11/08 )

There are so many wishes and dreams...or can I mix and dreams and wishes? Well either way here they are ( please be reminded they are not in order ) :
I wish and dream to live and work near my gym in FX Sudirman
Light weight laptop like Sony Vaio or Mac Air
Free Nike apparels and shoes every year
Have own professional website
Famous writer
Work from home or self employed
Free personal trainer
and....................( this is really personal ) :)
Hundreds of free voucher of face, body, hair and nail treatment from my salon in oakwood
Jakarta is like Singapore
Capability to put on make up
Visiting or pay my best friend to Jakarta ( since she's far away in US ) and hang out in Starbucks

Hmmm...come to think of there aren't many..hehehehehehe

Reading Nutrition Facts

Reading nutrition facts can help you make wise food choices and not relying on phrases like "low fat" or "fat free" or "healthy"

Start with the serving size. Serving sizes differ on each food label and may not the same as your serving size, which usually leads to misleading.If a package of cookies contains six cookies and a serving size is equal to two cookies, that means the entire package contains three servings, not one.

In the calories and calories from fat sections tell you the total number of calories in each serving of the food and the number of those calories which are derived from fat. Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from eating one serving of the food. If you are trying to manage (lose, gain or maintain) your weight, the number of calories you consume counts. For example, one serving of macaroni and cheese may provide 250 calories, with 110 calories from fat. If you ate 2 servings, you would consume 500 calories and 220 of those calories would be from fat.

Now, look out for sodium content. High sodium diet will lead you to high blood pressure. This sodium is usually hidden in processed food.

Identify the total carbohydrates, this number will tell you how many carbohydrates you consume in a package.
Be vigilant about the amount of "Sugar". This is the amount of sugar you consume if you consume one serving of the food. Some carbohydrates become sugar when digested in your body, so you may be consuming more sugar than what is on the label.

See the "Percent Daily Value". The asterisk (*) after this heading refers to the information at the bottom of the label, which states “% daily values (DVs) are based on a 2,000-calorie diet”.

Finally, don't forget to look at the "Information at the Bottom of the Label".This chart is based on a 2,000-calorie diet. This information must be on all food labels, although the chart that follows is not required on small packages if the label is too small. However, the information is dietary advice from public health experts for all Americans and is the same for all products. This is applicable also in many other countries, following dietary advice provided by individual an country's food advisory experts. It shows the upper and lower limits for each nutrient based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Let's use the macaroni and cheese example. One serving would provide 18% of the Daily Value of the possible 100% Daily Value for your total fat intake. That leaves 82% that you could consume from other sources for that day. If you ate two servings, you would consume 36% of your DV for fat, leaving 64% to be consumed from other sources.

Happy reading nutrition facts :)

Health Benefits

Health Benefits of exercise and physical activity :
- Reduce the risk of premature death
- Reduce the risk of developing of heart disease
- Reduce the risk of developing diabetes
- Improve psychological well being
- Reduce and/or maintain body weight and body fat
-Build and maintain healthy muscles,bones, and joints

High Carb Craving

After being hospitalized for 4 days because of gastric, I regain my appetite. This time I'm craving for high carb..yes people...as low carb dieter I'm craving for high carb and spicy foods. When I got home from work I had french fries with melted cheese on top..HOW DELICIOUS! To justify it...well I'm on recovery ( heheheeh ). Going to the gym tomorrow though, let's get back to the old routine..but tonight let me crave for the carbs.

What is your choice?

I didn't have plan to write a blog tonight but there's something tickle me. If you were obese or overweight what would you choose? Do you choose to stay being potato couch or tell yourself that you need to lose weight in order to be healthy ?

I respect whatever the people's choice but if you could think for a while what you want to become when you are old? You might not feel anything and you feel fine with potato couch lifestyle but.... do you want to have heart disease? do you want to get stroke and won't be able to do anything? do you want to have high cholesterol? or do you want to be healthy? live longer, see your grandchildren ?

My mum died at the age 53 because of stroke, some of my relatives and my grandmother died of the same cause...stroke. From that, I have chosen to live healthy and exercise. Yes we are all eventually will die but don't you think when you alive you look after your body and health so you can contribute something or make your life more meaningful?

Life is about choice, have you made your choice?

Gym Ethics : Are you familiar with them?

Celebrity Fitness FX free weight area

You have decided that going to the gym is part of your life and we have seen more and more people sign up to become a member. But are you familiar with rules? They might not written on the wall but these are you should follow when you workout.

Wipe Down
Some gyms provide towels as part of the service some don’t. If your gym does not provide towel, please ALWAYS bring your own towel. It is nothing worse than lying on a bench, sweaty from the previous user. Use your towel to wipe your sweat away and don’t forget to wipe out the bench or any fitness equipment after you use it.

No Grunting Please
Grunting is something unnecessary and does not sound cool. I have seen many men doing it, and frankly speaking, it is annoying to hear. When you lift heavy weights, stay on breathing properly, you might be exhaling when you muscles contracted and you do it loudly, that is acceptable. But no grunting, screaming or moaning!

Dropping Weights
This is still related with grunting as you drop the weights, the weights can make loud noise when you drop them. If you are not careful you might drop them on somebody’s else foot! There is better way to do it, place them on the ground quitely even if you can’t bend down.

Put the Weights Back
Finish with your sets and reps? Do always remember to them back. I have noticed that some people just leave the weights lying on the floor. Light weights are quite easy to put back, ( and I don’t really mind to put them back into the racks )but how about those big and heavy plates? Have responsibility after you use them.

Cable crunch

Bored with usual crunch? This is another variety of crunch using cable machine where you can add resistance


a. Lie on the bench without arching your lower back.
b. Bend your knees to 90 degrees
c. By gripping the handles, set your arms to 90 degrees



a. Slowly contract your abdominals, bringing your shoulder blades off from the bench
b. Exhale as you come up and keep your neck straight, chin up and pull the cable
c. Hold at the top of the movement for few seconds, keep breathing

BTW, since it is quite difficult, I can only do this crunch for 12 reps each set. But the result is better than 50 sit ups.

Low Carb Diet vs Low Fat Diet

In the term of the way to lose weight and nutrition , not everyone shares the same opinion. The old fashioned view is the diet should be low fat and high in carb. Fat, as we are told makes us fat, by eating less of it is the sure way to keep lean and healthy and we need carb as main fuel for daily activities.
These days to cater the demand of low fat diet, manufacturers now producing many items that can be advertised as low fat. Trouble is, when you look at the label you will find different types of sugars and rich in carbs

Personally speaking, I’m more comfortable with low carb diet although I’m not a follower of any popular low carb diets that already exist. I invented my own low carb diet by combining all the popular low carb diets.

My conclusion :
We all have different dietary requirements and the right balance between protein, fat and carbohydrate can vary from different people. For both plans ( either low carb or low fat ) you should make sensible choices. My own golden rules in dieting are : avoid junk foods, processed foods, limit sugar, don’t do any extreme diet, go natural and exercise.

Health is everything

Health is everything, I was reminded again how important being healthy. I was hospitalized for 4 days because severe gastric. Barely couldn't eat anything. Sad, because I had to miss my dancing classes, no spicy foods for while, no ice cream, no pastries, missed blogging and miss the celebrity fitness fx grand opening.

How did I get this gastric? I've been having it since high school when I lost weight with fad diet. This time is worse, I was so busy with my work, forgot to eat and my diet fell apart, last thing I know..I ended up in emergency room with infusion.

There's nothing good being healthy. Without health what can you do?

More About Sugar

In the last weeks, sugar has caught my attention and what I notice is most people don't realise that they actually consume lots of sugar everyday. I see many commercials who claim as healthy products and people just buy them without think further. For example, there's yoghurt commercial says it is good for your digestion. What it doesn't tell you is the yoghurt product contains bunch of added sugar. Sad to see that many people think they are eating something healthy but it's not.

Also, when you stress or tired you crave more for something sweet.

There are many types of sugars, some are added to foods and some occur naturally such as in fruits and milks. The main difference between added sugars and natural sugars are in the nutrient value. Natural sugars tend to be high nutrient and low calories, while processed foods or drinks are the largest sources for high calories and low nutrients.

So, how much sugar do you need in a day? Unfortunetely no recommendations have been made for total sugar intake in a day, therefore there is no daily reference value ( % Daily Value ).

If you are trying decrease your sugar intake, your focus should be in added sugars. These sugars are mainly found in processed foods and drinks such as candy, soda, cakes and, flavoured yoghurt, pastries, jam, canned fruit, even sport drinks.

Oh yeah, don't trap yourself with label "low fat", " fat free" or whatever, because they tend to be high in sugar as well.

Here are the tips that I've done and might work for you :

• Go natural with your meal or drink. Try to enjoy different taste instead of sweet.
  
• Read food labels. This is a must, at the end I usually put the food/drink back to the rack and go back to the fruit stalls.
  
• Drink water instead of sweetened juice,tea , juice or something like that.


• Choose plain yoghurt and mix with fresh fruits instead processed fruit yoghurt.


• Since I'm a commuter and often stuck in traffic, I always keep healthful snack like strawberries and nuts.
  
• Spare your time to prepare your own food.

Anyway, after reading this post, please don't make sugar as your enemy. Consume sugar moderately and sensibly and read the labels are the important key.

Weight Training Do's and Don'ts

DO's :
- Do use spotter when you try the major lifts : Take advantage of your gym buddy or personal trainer as your spotter. Having a spotter beside you, help you eliminate the injury.
- Do keep your back straight when lifting : This to protect your lower back from injury or lower back pain.
- Do use proper lifting technique.

- Do wear proper shoes.

- Do make sure the equipment is in good condition.

DONT's :

- Don't breathe in and out too fast. You may faint when you and lose control of your weight. Breathe out when you lift weight.

- Don't continue lifting when you feel pain.

- Don't exercise any set of muscles more than 3 times a week.

- Don't lift more than you know you can lift safely.

Bittersweet Sugar Facts

• Sugar is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable.
• Sugary foods provide lots of energy and can be used immediately after consume it.
• A sugary drinks and foods give you energy boost but the effect soon fades and soon you want another drink or food.
• Sugar doesn’t provide anything beside calories. That’s why it’s called empty calories.
• Too much sugar will end up having holes in your teeth.
• Sugar can be used as preservative ( e.g. jam ).
• Sugar releases energy quickly.
• According to the studies 33% of added sugar can be found in soft drinks.
• Extra sugar can be attained in low fat or fat free products ( make sure you read the labels ).
• The body actually uses all sugars the same way- it changes them to glucose, which is what our body uses for energy.
• Sugar has other names such as : glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, lactose and maltose.
• Skipping meals can lead to sugar craving.

Before Bed Blab

*this is not my bed, but even fitness chick can have her dream bed right?*

Hmmm...back to work again tomorrow. Back preparing my lunches, back to my students and back leave work early to catch the classes. Luckily, I managed to go to the gym and had Body Combat. Tomorrow, ( although, it's going to be a long ride from work and going back home wish......... ) I am going to try this new class at FX called MTV Style should be interesting to end the evening. My personal trainer is not happy with this. But I can always justify it that I need to dance! I love dancing and I was "born" in aerobic class.

Perhaps I should complain more because the branch in Pondok Indah Mall ( very strategic from work and home ) is lacking with "happy" classes and top instructors. They transfer the top instructors to FX ( not quite beneficial for me ) and place my Salsa Guru as manager there. Missed the moments when they have just opened.

I have no idea why I am still willing chase him all the way to FX (*sigh* things you do for love ).

Many ideas to write, let's see if I can write some for my blog during my break.

Well off to bed now...blabbing too much...

Healthy Grocery

After two weeks of holiday and little drama in life . Today is the right time to bring my old low carb habit back. Planned to go to the gym today but I feel so tired ( have bee exercising for 4 days in a row ). Instead I went to hypermart near my house and do grocery. The weather was nice and not too hot like usual so I decided to walk.

I thought of munching today and ice cream will be nice. Thank God, I could resist the temptation. So I bought plain youghurt and fresh strawberries ( at least I reduce 70% of sugar ) For snacking, from chips I switch to boiled edame ( japanesse soy bean ).

Bought food stocks as well for work : avocado, pears, brocolli, beef and oysters.

I think Im set for work..although to be honest it's back to the routine..chasing bus,waking up early and work...

Why Your Diet Fail

Learn these mistakes while you are dieting :

Never say never : So you've decided to diet and you swear to yourself that you will never ever again eat chocolate, sodas, pizza or cake. From what I experienced, that is the beginning of your failure. Because the more you swear the more the urge to eat those foods or drink. Instead of swearing or promising yourself never eat those fatty and favorite foods, why don't you promise yourself to eat moderately and reasonably.

Binges : This common mistake happen when you often skipping meals and still related with swearing that you will never eat those kinds of food again.

No purpose : Before you begin your diet,set a clear purpose why you want to diet. Once you have it, you are on your way to successful diet.

Lack of Patience : I keep saying over and over, dieting is not just a quick fix and is not a race of losing weight. It's about changing your eating habit for better health. So have a little patience, you will get use to it.

Unrealistic goals : Most people ( even happened to me ) want to lose weight quickly and end up by setting unrealistic goals say you want to lose 3kg in one week. Just set short term goal with more realist result. When you achieve, set another short term goal and so on until you reach the recommended weight.

Wrong diet : There are many diets in this world, even me create my own diet. Every diet promises weight loss. So which one you have to follow? You might want to see my post "Choosing The Right Diet". Everyone is different, everyone has different activity, different metabolism and different preference. What you have to do is listen to yourself. Take your time selecting diet that suits your lifestyle, your goals and your fitness.

No exercise : Diet and exercise is a soul mate, it is like Lois Lane and Superman, Batman and Robin etc. If you want to lose weight diet alone won't work, you need to stay active to burn the extra fats. Even if you just exercise without proper diet, don't be surprise if your scale doesn't go to the right.

GymWalking : Celebrity Fitness VIP in FX Sudirman Jakarta

This is the aerobic studio. Slightly smaller than in Pondok Indah Mall. Has very nice view if you join the evening classes and makes the lighting much better. This picture taken in the evening. During the day, the temperature in the studio is quite hot.

Some of the machines in the free weight area. This new gym has more selection of machines and quite spacious.
Cardio area is divided into 3 sections. This is one of the sections. All treadmills is equipped with TV cable. No more boredom running or walking on the treadmill.
Ahhh....this is me on the treadwall. The bottom is the treadwall. Very fascinating machine to burn calories, core exercise,strenghtened your harmstring and quadricep. It's only available in FX.

My favorite class

I love body combat, a good way to release the anger and good for adrenaline

Safe Start Exercise for Obese Women

I am writing this blog because I have seen many women who is suffering obesity doing rigorous cardio exercises. As a person who was overweight before I have done that kind exercises and it did not work at all. It will just cause you injury and over training. You will just get tired of it and stop exercise.

After did some researches and discussions with some trainers this is what I come out with: The appropriate exercise for obese should be minimizing the joint stress and remember to start slowly. As you get stronger, you can gradually increase your time and effort.

The simplest thing to do is walking. Try to walk with short distance and short period of time. Do not force yourself if you cant do it. Week by week add a little bit of your distance and time. It takes lot of patience whilst you want to lose weight RIGHT NOW. But hey, you are making new habit not a quick fix. You will see the result stick much longer if you train and eat sensibly than people who overtrain and go with fad diet. Believe me ladies...been there done that!

Another exercise you can do is swimming. Swimming is very excellent way to burn calories without stressing your joints. The water supports your weight and minimize the impact.

If you are a member of a gym, please avoid cross trainer machine because it involves twisting, no rowing or stepper machine. Do more floor based exercises to strenghtened your core,muscles and glutes.

Obese people have lot pressure on their heart, therefore watch closely to heart rate since exercise could be detrimental for their health.

Weight Training Introduction

As you know the importance of weight training and whether you want to do it at home or gym, you need some preparations.

No panic required, follow these steps and you will be fine.

First of all, if you are a newbie or never done any weight training before or suffering of an illness, you have to consult your doctor or do medical check up.
If you are hiring a personal trainer, tell all details about you, it will make his job easier and find suitable exercise for you.

Done with the medical check up, next thing you need to do is find the right shoes. They don't need to be expensive ones. Basically you'd need good solid platform shoes. Running shoes or cross training shoes should be fine.

You will also need proper clothing to move freely.

Dont forget to warm up before you lift weight, by doing this it helps your blood flowing and loose joints. This will only take 10-15 minutes before you start lifting weights.

You are all warmed up and ready to do some serious work. To avoid injury, pay attention with your posture. Your shoes should be facing to the front, chest up and lock your core.

Breathing plays important role to enhance your lifting and give oxygen to your body. Exhale when you lift up your weight and inhale when your weight down.

Core Exercise

From what I've seen many people do aerobics and weight training without involving their core to keep their balance. So what is core exercise ? Core exercises enable you to strengthen the core muscles including back,abs and pelvis. Having strong core make it easier to do physical activities, improve your posture, create body awareness, flexibility and flatten your stomach. Most importantly, avoiding lower back injury.

For me, core exercise is the toughest exercise ever. My personal trainer scheduled me to have different hour to train my core, since this type exercise you need to do it correctly. Took me 3 months of practice to be able do this exercise.
There are many core exercises, for beginners you may try bridge position. Beside train your core, this will help you to tone your glutes and harmstring.


a. Lie on the mat, put two fingers under your belly button and lock it. Open your feet as wide as your shoulder, your feet should facing to the front. Your palms facing up. Exhale and inhale through your nose. When you exhale feel your ribs widened and when you inhale feel your stomach getting smaller.




b. With same breathing, slowly lift your hips up and still locking your core. Do not arch your lower back.





c. When you are able to stabilize your body, lift one leg up ( without change the position ) and hold for 20 seconds then you switch with other leg.




Tips : Breathing is very essential. Breath slowly, you dont need to do many repetitions. If you can do it for 5 repetitions, you are fine.

Do Women Need Weight Training ?

Yeap. Men and women need to do weight training. Most women are only focusing to cardiovascular exercise such as aerobic,cycling and running which believed to lose fat.

To lose fat you can't just rely on the aerobic classes, weight training help us to build muscle muscle and strengthened our muscle. By having more muscle mass, your body easily burn fat which leads to weight loss. You must remember muscle is heavier than fat, so the scale might says you are heavier whilst you feel thinner.

Weight training helps your body become leaner, increase your bone density and minimized the risk for osteoporosis.

Another benefit of weight training is you can trim and create illusion of your body. You can have your buttocks pumped with squats or cable kickback. Eliminate your flabby arms with many exercises like tricep extension.

There are so many varieties for weight training. If you have extra money, do hire a personal trainer for better result.

New Gym Branch

Went to this new VIP gym today which located in the newest mall called FX in Jalan Sudirman. Man..it's very very good and awesome. Was like amazed when I entered it, very different than other Celebrity Fitness branches. Eye popping jaw dropping ( yeah..I am a bit exageratting here ).

You will not feel that you are in the gym. Although you feel that you are in the gym, it's very very posh. The layout reminds me of mid-eastern architecture. Touch screen cardio equipments and machines, spacious free weight area ( too bad I could not find the ab crunch machine (*hiks*).BUT..they do have TREADWALL. It's like wall climbing inside the gym. This thing will definitely make you sweat even if you are climbing for 5 minutes.

If you are a yoga person, you will die and wake up in heaven. Im not a yoga babe but when I entered and joined the class..wow..the sensation was amazing, very relaxing and comfy. Cant wait for another yoga class.

Took two pics but only the locker room with digital lock and the upper left picture is the manager ( who is my all time favorite instructor and my Salsa Guru ) . Sauna and steam room are smaller than the one in Pondok Indah Mall.
Next time I'll show you the amazing Treadwall and the yoga studio room.

Hitting the Plateau?

When I hit the plateau or just bored going to the gym these are what I do :

• Browsing YouTube to see the latest exercise
  
• Take unusual day to go to the gym
• Luckily Im an all club member, that way I can come to different club
• Write my blog
• Being lazy at home
• Read others blog, get inspired
  
• Find different type of exercise like swimming
  

Chest press with dumbbell

One of many varieties to work on your chest. This is the easiest chest press just using dumbbell. Lie on a bench, retract scapula muscle and always lock your core

cable kickback

Advance option for cable kickback.

cable kickback with ball

This is my favorite exercise to shape up my glutes (buttocks ). To challenge yourself and to benefit the core, you may not use the ball. Start with push up position, lock your core and start kicking your foot to the back. Another option is, put a plate on your hamstring.
PS: dont forget to switch with other leg.

Gym Diva

Gym might not a place for fashion show but hey, there's nothing wrong looking good and fabulous in the gym. Beside when you look you feel good and make you feel more motivated to exercise and being fit. For single ladies you dont know whom you might bump into..gym these days is great place to meet new people while you stay healthy.

Wearing comfortable outfit will be a great help. Invest some gym outfits from good brands such as Nike,Adidas or Reebok. My choice would go to Nike as it has fashionably gym outfit to keep you from over sweating and comes with big sizes. Stop raiding your boyfriend's or your husband's clothes. Over sized clothes unable you to move freely and it's a fashion faux pas.
Choose styles that show your best assets.

Secondly, you have to smell good. Nobody will go near you when you have bad odor when you are sweating. You dont need expensive perfume, just simple deodorant spray.

Being a diva doesn't mean putting on heavy make up. Make up contains chemical ingredients, when it mixes with the sweat you won't be happy with the result. Before you start exercise, it's better if you clean your face and put little moisturizer.

Shoes are another important item for looking good. Make sure you are comfortable with the shoes you are wearing. Another thing..keep them clean!

Choosing the right gym

Many people think gym is gym, there is no difference between the gym around the corner and the gym in the malls. However, according to my experience finding the right gym for myself, I notice that gym is like lot of people, each has personalities. Too many people make decision to join a gym, fitness center or health club without giving proper consideration.

Before you enroll to a gym, here are some things that you might want to think about :

• Determine your goal : What you want to achieve by joining a gym? you want to do more aerobics or just build muscle? Set a goal for your fitness, it helps you to narrow down your decision.
  

• Hours : When do you plan to workout ? Is the prospective gym open and how busy it is at that time
• Equipment : Equipment plays important role if your goal is to build muscle. Check if your prospective gym has the free weight equipment? does it has proper machines for your exercises?
• Cleanliness : Assess the cleanliness of the gym , the locker rooms and equipment. Frequenting a gym that doesn't provide a clean healthy environment is counter productive.

• Staff Visit with the staff. Make sure they are readily available and able to answer your fitness questions . If interested, inquire about personal trainers or special classes. Ask if the instructors are certified by a professional fitness organization.
• Price : You'll need a gym that fits your budget. So set a price limit and stay in that range. Be sure to ask about contract requirements. Find out about the payment plans.
  
• Location : Is it accessible? Is it far from your work or house ?
  
• Free trial : Some gyms offer free trial as marketing strategy, take the advantage of it. See if you like the gym and fits your needs.

I found the right gym for my own where I can do all 3 different exercises and it has equipments with a good price. Celebrity Fitness that is.

Happy Gym Hunting

Inspirational Diet Quotes

I love these diet quotes, very good to keep you stay positive.

• Simple diet is best--for many dishes bring many diseases; and rich sauces are worse than even heaping several meats upon each other.
  Pliny
• Let good digestion wait on appetite and health on both.
  William Shakespeare
• Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork. -English Proverb-
• Rich, fatty foods are like destiny: they too, shape our ends. ~Author Unknown
• Don't go out of your weigh to please anyone but yourself. ~Author Unknown
• The heart, like the stomach, wants a varied diet.
  Gustave Flaubert