Jakarta in Gridlock

Photo taken in Jl.Antasari at 4 PM, flood everywhere, we were stuck in the same street for 3 hours.


Yesterday, the traffic in Jakarta was like hell! Flood almost in the main streets and caused huge traffic jam until midnight. My plans to give tutorial, then gym, then meeting old friend at FX were all canceled.

The heavy rain didn't stop for 3 hours. The Mother Nature really cried, pouring all her sadness to Jakarta. I was still lucky that my sister came to my house and gave me ride to my student's house. On the way there, we thought the rain would be like 10-15 minutes tops. Because that's been happening recently. So we were positive, nothing to worry about. Well..it didn't.....

Traffic was totally a huge gridlock!! For 45 minutes we didn't move a single inch. Took us nearly 2 hours for distance just 1 km. Many sedan cars pull over, because of the flood.

In the car, we tried to make the best of it. We sang, we played games, and thought about positive things.

We didn't make it home, the traffic was so bad, my sister couldn't drive any further. We checked in to the nearest small hotel and checked out 4 am.

What a night and what an experience...surely unforgettable.

PS : When I read the newspaper this morning, there was an earthquake in Sumatra, a volcanic mountain in Jogjakarta is going to erupt soon,many have been evacuated and it happened yesterday the same time when almost all Jakartans stucked in traffic. And somehow...I'm grateful..I'm still luckier..

I Need Some Serious Dancing


Yeap, I need some dancing here. It has been too much weight training and just body combat. And this week was supposed to be "dance week" for me. But I only made it one, which was last Monday.
On Tuesday and Thursday when I usually have my dance classes, the instructors are covered with lame ones. So, I didn't bother to join. However, I used my time in the gym to do weight training.

Today is Sunday, I very often go to the gym on Sundays..but today is just so boring and I don't feel like carrying my heavy gym bag. It's been many weeks of Sunday I have never absent going to the gym and do Body Combat. Now, I get too fed up and I need dancing!!

My mood hasn't been good as well. I really need dancing. Dancing releases my stress, express myself, somehow dancing is the bond between me and friends. Dancing is always been good exercise for me.

Ohh..I need dancing, especially hip hop. I saw Step Up 3D the other day and how I want to dance.

Losing Weight and Weight Training

I see lots of people, especially women gone through a rigorous cardio exercise for hours and hours. Well, I was one of them too. My belief that time, in order to lose weight fast is join lots and lots of aerobic classes. Two years later, weight training came to my life and I lost weight by doing weight training.

You see, losing weight involves many aspects, not just hours on treadmill, counting your calories intake, or starving yourself.

Let's say you happen to be quite obese and you have a high percentage of body fat. I used to be in that situation; I know what it feels like. Underneath that body fat you actually have a very strong skeleton and strong muscles. Your body has built up those muscles in order to carry all of that extra body fat when you move your body. Just the very act of standing up, walking across a parking lot, going up a flight of stairs or lifting your arms requires more effort when you're overweight, especially if you're obese. So the heavier you are, the stronger your muscles have to be just to allow you to do basic, everyday things.

Now this can actually work to your advantage -- if you manage to keep all of that muscle mass and bone density in place while you are losing body fat, then you can maintain the high metabolism that's associated with that lean body mass even while you are dropping body fat. But if you starve yourself, you're going to lose all the muscle resources you already have. It's a mistake a lot of people make. They try to lose body fat by starving themselves, and as the body fat vanishes from their body, their muscle mass also disappears. Why would the body get rid of muscle mass? Because, frankly, it doesn't need it.

The solution to all of this, the strategy I want to focus on here, is to engage in strength training while you are losing body fat. If you do this, then you will be able to maintain the muscle mass that you already have underneath your body fat while you are in the process of losing the fat. This will leave you with a greater proportion of lean body mass to body fat, meaning that you will be slimmer, yet you'll have the muscles that you had when you were overweight.

If you get rid of enough body fat in this way, then those muscles may begin to show -- if you're a man. If you're a woman, don't worry. You're never going to bulk up. A lot of women are mistakenly afraid of strength training. They think that if they pump a few weights they're going to turn into Lou Ferrigno overnight. They think they're going to have this competition muscle-bound body from lifting a couple of weights. Believe me, that is not the case at all. Most of those bodybuilding women are using steroids, and they've trained for years, even decades, just to produce that kind of muscle mass. Women are not built to puts on lots of muscle mass, so don't be afraid that you'll bulk up. Women who are afraid of exercising because they think it's going to make them look bigger have it all wrong.

The benefit doing this is that strength training will greatly increase the speed of your weight loss effort. It will double the effectiveness of any weight loss program you're on. Losing weight by calorie restriction alone is very, very difficult. In fact, personally, I've never been able to do that. The only way I've been able to lose body fat is to engage in exercise that includes both a strength training component and a cardiovascular component. My belief is that you cannot keep weight off just by modifying your diet alone, unless you happen to be extremely gifted with just the right genes that don't ever turn on the hunger signal for you. If you're in that situation, good for you. But you should probably think about exercising anyway, because of the other cardiovascular health and brain chemistry benefits that are derived from frequent exercise.

Find a way to start strength training today, and your body will immediately start showing results

What To Do After Workout?


Many of us have a great workout routine. We drink plenty of water, warm up, stretch, work the entire body, and even get in some cardio. Then, after the last exercise, we promptly head back to the locker room, change, and journey home.

But it's not just that, what happen after minutes and hours after workout? The way you treat your body after workout might has direct effect on muscle soreness, strength, and growth and staying hydrated.

Here are what you have to do after workout :

Cool Down :
This brings your heart rate down at a slow and steady pace, which helps you avoid feeling sick after a workout. Walking on a treadmill for five minutes is a good and easy way to cool down.

Stretch: Stretching allows your muscles to rebuild, growing bigger and stronger, and thus allows you to get the full benefit from your efforts.

Drink Water
:
It's recommended that you drink another 2-3 cups within two hours after you have finished exercising.


Exercise Extra: The longer you cool down after a workout, the less sore you will be the following day. So before you head home, make you sure you do what suggested above for maximum result of your training.

To get maximum result of your exercise, keep in mind to do the things above before you head home.

How Can I Resist Burger King?


Call it as guilty pleasure. Last night, after 2 hours of exercise and 1 body combat class, the power of Burger King was calling me. My feet instantly moving to the restaurant.

Yep, I know..it should've been exercise first then have those junk food. But, I haven't have junk food for 2 months now. So I guess it's alright *justifying myself mode*

I know too that Burger King is not a healthy choice for dinner. It's high in sugar ( free flow of frozen coke, with same price ),high in simple carbohydrates, high in fat, high sodium. None of them are good for the body.

In my defense, now I go to the gym 5 times a week. So having guilty pleasure it's fine once and a while. As long not everyday or every week..make it like every month or so.