Certified Law of Attraction Facilitator / Trainer

Have you guys heard or read the book Law of Attraction? If you have read the book The Secret, then you will be familiar with this. I read the book about a year ago, and after reading it, i was an instant fan of Law of Attraction and finally understood how i was attracting certain "unwanted" things into my life and also learned how to start attracting the things i want into my life. From money, to friends, to relationships - you will be surprised. In fact, i use Law of Attraction all the time even for running Fitness Malaysia, and honestly, the results have been awesome. I have attracted so many clients into the business, just by using Law of Attraction. If you are looking for a good book to read which will help you improve your life, get this book. It only costs you RM 41 from MPH and its an easy read and a definite life changer.

As you may already know, besides running Fitness Malaysia, i am also a free lance Training Consultant and a lot of the corporate training programs i run, are based on Law of Attraction. So when i heard that the author of Law of Attraction, Michael J. Losier was coming down to Malaysia to run a series of seminars, i jumped at the opportunity. One of the seminars he was running in KL was the Law of Attraction Certified Facilitator Program, which i attended and i am proud to say, i am now a certified Law of Attraction facilitator / trainer, having being certified by Michael himself.

The 4 day program was absolutely wonderful and i learned so many little things to improve my skills as a trainer / facilitator / speaker. Before this, all i did was just plan my talk and then deliver it. I try to make it as funny as i can, and that was about all i knew in terms of engaging a crowd. But with the program, i learned so many other tips on how to engage your audience, how to get their buy in to your topic, using Accelerated Learning Techniques as well as many other secrets. He even thought us about room arrangement, crowd control, venue selection and many other tips. So before teaching us all this, he invited all of us for a public seminar where 300 people attended. So he did his magic of engaging the audience of over 300 people and we were all wondering how he did it. How did he get everyone so engaged? How did he get people to write down everything he wanted them to do? How did he get everyone to learn so much in 2 hours and then test them and they still remember everything. Well, thats what we learned after that. He showed us all his little secrets, hand gestures etc and how we can also do the same... and now i know the secrets of becoming a top notch speaker. It was like watching that show on TV, breaking the Magician's code... you see the magic trick first, and then they reveal everything to you.

In addition to that, he also shared with all of us, his life story and how he managed to make it big and be the famous author that he is today. He has appeared 4 times on Oprah and is constantly traveling the world to educate people about using Law of Attraction for their lives. My favourite quote from him during one of our chit chat sessions:

Me: Good Morning Michael, how are you doing today?
Michael: I am doing great, coz that's how i planned my life.

So what was Michael like in person? Very down to earth, loves sharing with people and has a true passion for life. He keeps telling us he is actually a shy person by nature, but honestly, when he walks on stage, he takes command of it. His biggest passion in life is touching people's life through his books & seminars.

The program also taught us how we could start marketing our very own seminars, or better still, how we can run our own Law of Attraction seminars. The whole idea is for us to start running seminars and make money from doing something we love. I love giving talks, and touching people's live and now i know how to make this into an income generating hobby. So all in all, it was one of the best courses i have been too.

Whats all this got to do with fitness? Well not much actually. Just wanted to share my excitement with everybody. One thing for sure, the next time i do a fitness talk, i am sure going to use all the techniques i learned to engage my audience and to get everyone's buy in. So you can expect my talks to be much better, more engaging and of course everyone will learn something that they will remember, even after the talk.

So, have you read the book Law of Attraction? What are your thoughts on it? As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Are Meal Replacements Really That Bad?

OK, i decided to tackle this topic because i have been reading some fitness blogs and other sites and the general consensus about meal replacement are that it is considered cheating, its for whimps etc etc. In short, most people have a very negative view with regards to using meal replacement shakes as a mode of weight loss. Now i used to feel the same way too until some time back i spoke to one of my clients and we decided to give meal replacements a try and it worked wonders for her... of course this is in addition to an exercise routine which i coached her on. So the big question is, are meal replacements really that bad? Is it really considered cheating? Well here is my opinion on it.

Meal Replacement are basically low calorie shakes which is consumed in place of a normal meal. So instead of eating your usual meal, you replace your meal with this low calorie shake. They usually taste very good and have anywhere from 80 to 100 calories... which is pretty low for a meal. It is also usually pretty thick and this is important as it needs to be able to fill you up. If its watery, then you are less likely to get full on it and will feel hungry and probably munch on other things because you feel hungry. Also, its important to note that most meal replacement products are still designed to give you all the nutrients you need from a normal meal, but just without the heavy calorie baggage. So all in all its actually a good product and i don't see any harm in people using this to lose weight.

Lets look at some of the arguments that usually arise with regards to this and my opinion on these.

Its Cheating
When it comes to weight loss, there are hundreds of products out there which promise weight loss without effort. From slimming centers to brain surgery to the swallowing worms, you name it some one has thought of it and is already marketing it. Hence even with Meal Replacements, its considered that you are taking the easy way out. This is true, its an easy way out, but if there are no harmful side effects, then whats wrong with it? Let me put it in a different way. If you are looking to build muscle mass, chances are you are consuming some kind of protein shake to ensure you get enough protein in your system. Isn't a protein shake cheating as well? Shouldn't you just tough it out and eat boiled chicken breasts and egg whites to get all the protein you need? The reason you drink the protein shake, is because you are not able to diligently eat that much protein. Hence you supplement it with a protein shake which is convenient. Same goes for taking vitamin supplements? We take it because we know our diet really lacks these minerals and hence why why do it. Same goes for meal replacement shakes. Its just a convenient way for people to ensure they don't over eat.

Its for whimps
OK, usually this comment is followed by because people don't want to exercise and depend on the meal replacement shakes all the way. Personally for me, i don't think anyone should replace all their meals with meal replacements. what i usually recommend is that you swap one meal per day with a meal replacement shake... ideally its the meal which you know you cannot control and will end up overeating. I am aware of some people who sell meal replacements tell you to drink ONLY the shake and nothing else 3 times a day and this is because your shake will finish faster and you will have to buy more and that person makes more profit from you. This is not effective because how long can you honestly go on without eating solid food? a week, maybe 2? then what? This is why i recommend exercise along with swapping of maybe one meal with the shake and the results i have seen are pretty good. And i know its healthy and safe, because it is only one meal a day. So yes, i agree with the rest that consuming this 100% is not the way to go, but at the same time, i think don't think it should be completely thrown out your plan.

Its Expensive
Yes it is expensive but so are protein shakes. My point is, if people are willing to spend that little extra to see better results, why not. Why should we stop them from this? I am not saying that meal replacements are mandatory for weight loss, but if you can afford it, why not? The usual comparison made here by others are that people are willing to spend so much money on these products rather than just jog outside for free. Point taken... but again, i like using meal replacements as a method to turbo boost your weight loss progress. If its works and its safe, why not? Again, not all your meals, just one meal a day.


So would i recommend meal replacements to people who want to lose weight? Absolutely. Would i recommend it with exercise... YES. Would i recommend meal replacements with no exercise? NO, but then you must understand that everyone has their own ideas and a hard headed sometimes. You can tell them what you want, but its up to them to decide after that. Honestly, just drinking meal replacements with no exercise is still better than no exercise and no meal replacement and just maintaining the status quo and continue being overwieght. Which do you think is healthier? So again... if it works and its safe, why not.

What do you guys think of meal replacements? YES or NO in your books? Do share your comments and as usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

TRX in Malaysia

Last Saturday, i was invited for the official launch of TRX in Malaysia. Before this, getting your own TRX unit in Malaysia was difficult and many people actually resorted to going to Singapore to order it or mail order it through the internet. Well now, you don't have to go through so much hassle, as TRX is now in Malaysia and can be purchased easily via a simple phone call to the distributor Eco Lifestyle Fitness Sdn. Bhd.

For those who are unfamiliar with the TRX, let me give you a little history on what the TRX is and how it was developed. TRX is a simple piece of exercise equipment consisting of a handle and adjustable straps that you latch on to a solid beam, tree or door. Once you strap it on, you can do hundreds of exercises and honestly, you are limited only with the creativity of your own brain. You can train your arms, chest, shoulders, back, legs, abs... you name it, you can train it. You use your own body weight as resistance and you can increase or decrease the resistance by simply changing the angle of your body. Go to youtube and type in TRX exercises and voila.... you will be able to easily create a workout routine. Each TRX unit you purchase, comes with a DVD set which gives you instructions on how to use your TRX as well as some exercises you can do. The TRX is also getting lots of publicity now as it is used a lot by The Biggest Loser Asia.

Whats my favourite feature about it. It weighs about 2 pounds and you can carry it anywhere. I travel a lot for holidays and now with this, i can have a quick intense workout anywhere at anytime. Now the TRX is great to tone your muscles and help you lose weight. But you are not going to be able to build much muscle mass by just using the TRX. With that being said, when i travel, i may not be able to get the same workout as i would in the gym with weights, but hey, it is still better than not working out at all, right? So in a sense, you would be doing some basic maintanence workouts, which is better than skipping and trying to rebuild once i return. I also like how it creates a lot of unstability which is great for your core muscles.

OK, down to its history. TRX ws born in the US Navy SEALS by a former US Navy SEALS Randy Hetrick. The idea came about when US Soldiers who were out in the battle field for long missions, needed a means to work out and stay fit. Being a soldier takes tremendous amount of fitness so you will need to stay at your best shape, escpecially when you are out in the field. Bringing heavy dumbbells and gym equipment to the field was out of the questions. So Randy and his team put together pieces of parachute webbing sewn together with a boat repair kit to form a crude version of the TRX we know today. This idea caught on quickly and soon other Navy SEALS began using it too. In short, the TRX was born out of necessity.

After retiring from active duty, Randy went on to get his MBA and soon realized the potential of the TRX when he took it down to a campus gym to workout. He got dozens of curious onlookers wanting to know how it worked and if they could have one. Hence he went on to develop it with industrial designers to develop the refined TRX which we have today.

Now i have known about the TRX for some time now and thought it was a decent piece of equipment. But after going for the launch and seeing the versatility of it, i am totally blown away and now i am a HUGE HUGE fan of it. Whats more, for attending the launch, they gave a free unit of the TRX to take home. YES, i cannot believe my luck. I actually got a TRX for FREE. My sincere thanks goes out to Danny G of Eco Lifestyle Fitness for his generosity in giving me a unit of the TRX. It will be put to good use, not only by me, but my PT clients as well.

So, if you are looking for an exercise equipment to invest in, which can be easily used at home, very very mobile and yet is able to train multiple muscles with varying resistance, i truly recommend you to invest in the TRX. The price is RM 1088 per unit, but compare that with say, an exercise bike. For a decent unit, you are going to spend well over RM 1,000... and all you can do is cardio. With the TRX you can do circuit training which provides you with great cardio benefits, strengthen your core and tone your muscles. So which would you rather invest in?

For those who are interested in knowing how they can purchase their very own unit of the TRX in Malaysia, you can log on to www.trxmalaysia.com for more details. One thing for sure, i am going to start using the TRX for all my PT clients. So if you like the TRX and not so sure about it, well you do have the option of signing up for some PT sessions with me and i will bring in the TRX for your sessions.

So what do you guys think of the TRX? As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Weight Loss Through Brain Surgery

Medical science - sometimes we are thrilled with the advancements that they make, but other times, you just shake your head and say "What the ....".

I was watching Oprah this morning and got the shock of my life at the topic that was being featured. She was having an interview with Dr. Oz and the topic of discussion... you guessed it. Weight Loss Through Brain Surgery. Now of course at first, many may not be able to see the connection here, but basically, our brain controls a lot of our bodily functions, including our appetite, which can lead to obesity.

So the surgery involves drilling a hole in your brain and placing 2 electrodes in there which discharges a small electrical pulse which is supposed to affect the part of your brain which is responsible for your appetite. This electrical pulse is supposed to suppress your appetite somewhat, hence making you eat less, which equals to weight loss. The electrical charges start with a very low voltage and is increased slowly in the months to come. According to doctors, it will take several months before the patient actually sees results.

These electrodes get their power from two pacemaker type devices which are implanted in the patients chest and has a wire running from your chest to the brain. The whole surgery takes about 3 hours to complete and supposedly they have been using the similar technology to treat Parkinson's disease.

So, has this revolutionary medical procedure been tested on an actual human subject? But of course. Carol Poe, the 2nd recipient of this procedure said she has tried everything from diets, to exercise, to stomach staples, but nothing ever worked. (really or you just didn't try hard enough) But now she claims that she can actually control her cravings thanks to this wonder..... whatever you want to call it.

According to Doctors there are no side effects from this procedure as they have been using it for many years on patients with Parkinson's Disease, and thus they are confident it is safe. The other point for adding to your feeling of security (just in case you had any doubts) is that the voltages start at a very low rate and can be manually adjusted, hence doctors are able to monitor their patients carefully before increasing the voltage.

So guys, what do you think about this procedure? Is it sane or insane? Is it really that hard to lose weight that you have to resort to such extreme measures? is exercise really that hard to do? Oprah said she would never attempt such a procedure. So what are your thoughts on this? As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Weight Lifting Myths

Time and time again, i meet people who have a fitness question or 2 to ask and i realize that many people have fallen victim to many weight lifting / fitness myths out there. Today, i want to de-bunk 3 of the most popular myths with relation to weight training and i hope.... i truly hope, that this will finally put these myths to rest.

Myth 1 - You will become short if you lift heavy weights over your head.
i don't know if this is just a Malaysian myth but many many Malaysians out there truly believe that if you lift heavy weights over your head you will become short - especially if you lift at a younger age when you are still growing up. I haven't heard this for the longest time and then just the other day i was having a chat with someone and he was telling me how he used to lift weights during his younger days and the reason he is short is because he started lifting when he was 16. This sounds as crazy as the myth i grew up with - eating Maggi Mee will cause you to lose your hair.

Weight training has absolutely no effect on your height. Your height is determined mainly by genetics. Diet plays an important role too, but not as much as genetics. Certain people have the ability to grow taller because of their genes and some people just can't grow taller because they have bad genes. You can eat all the protein and calcium you want from 8 years old, but you will still be short if your genes are bad. Lifting weights over your head has nothing to do with it. How do you explain Arnold? He started lifting weights at the age of 14 or 15 and he is still taller than most Malaysians who don't lift. So please, don't use this as an excuse not to lift weights.

Myth 2 - Your Muscles will turn to fat once you stop lifting
This one is real popular and i have heard this at least a 100 times. If only i got a dollar for every time i heard this. Best of all, i recently heard this from an uncle of mine who just joint Fitness First and he told me the PT he hired in Fitness First told him this. This is his reason for recommending a cardio workout, rather than a routine involving weights. Reality Check amigo... as a PT, aren't you supposed to ask your client what they want to achieve before recommending a program? Or do you just assume that everyone who walks in the door wants to do some running and lose weight? How do these people even become PTs? What if my unlce is interested in having broader shoulders or inprove his swing strength for golf. How does you cardio workout help?

I truly wonder what certification this PT has. Muscle fibers are muscle fibers and fat tissue are fat tissue. Just like your arm can't grow into a leg due to lack of use, your muscle cannot turn into fat. YES, you may put on weight once you stop lifting, but that is caused by the lack of activity. Your muscles CANNOT turn into fat. Can you turn an apple into an orange by keeping it in the fridge and not eating it for 2 months? NO? Well if you can't do that, then you can't do that with your muscle as well. They are 2 different tissues and cannot interchange from one form to the other. You gain fat, yes, but its not all that muscle which is going through a metamorphosis to achieve this.

Myth # 3 - Women who lift weights will become body builders
This is the favourite myth amongst most women i know. Most women generally belive that it is easy to gain muscle mass and hence even if they lift a little, they will bulk up. I need to get them to speak to Aizan of Fitness Junkie Wannabe. Gaining muscle mass is not easy. Ask her and she will tell ya. Firstly, most women will not be able to gain a lot of muscle mass, because they do not have enough testosterone in their body to facilitate this. Secondly, even if they did have more testosterone, you still need to lift a lot... i mean a real a lot before you can see this. The ONLY way for a woman to become like the women body builder below is through the use of steroids. No other way.

So even if your routine was 100% lifting heavy weights, you will not turn into a woman body builder as shown above. Its just not possible. There really isn't any worry about this.

There you go folks. 3 very common myths i am sure you will face out there, so i hope this post puts an end to these myths once and forever. What are some of the other weight lifting myths you hear out there? Do share with us. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments on this.

Zerobese Institute

Fitness Malaysia is proud to launch Zerobese Institute - the only weight loss program that empowers you to take control of your weight loss and keeps you motivated till you achieve your desired result. Zerobese is dedicated to 1 goal - that is to burn fat so you can look your best, and live life to the fullest. How does Zerobese work? Well check out the details below:

What is Zerobese Institute?
Zerobese Institute is a weight loss program that not only gives you the physical exercise you need to lose weight (in the form of group personal training) , but also gives you an education on nutrition, health, wellness, weight loss and fitness, so at the end of program, you are empowered to take on this lifestyle change yourself. Zerobese also aims to break the mindset that you need to have a gym membership to be healthy and fit. With Zerobese, our PTs come to you to train you at a location of your choice, so you don't have to buy expensive gym memberships, get stuck in traffic jams, go around in circles looking for parking. We save you money and trouble so you can give your full attention to losing weight and keeping it off forever.

We realized that the missing link in most weight loss programs out there today is that they either focus on exercise or focus on nutrition only. No one really focuses on both because most people are either an expert in nutrition or an expert in exercise. Zerobese combines both nutrition and exercise by bringing the various experts in various fields to you. so you come to one spot and we give you everything that you need without you having to shop around for the missing pieces.

Why is it called an institute?
For many reasons. For 1, the program is designed to run for 3 months or what we call a semester. There are classes 3 times per week (group personal training) as well as complimentary wellness talks from doctors, nutritionists and wellness consultants which will be held over the weekend. So you as the participant get to pick and choose which talks interest you the most. There is an exam, but don't worry - unlike your school and university exams, you don't have to study for this exam. When you join, a health and fitness assessment is done for you to determine your current fitness level, body fat % etc. At the end of the semester, the same assessment is done once again to gauge your progress over the semester. At the end of the day, we want everyone to achieve progress.

Why is it being done as group personal training sessions?
Where do we start. 1, it makes it affordable for everyone to get the training they need. PT sessions are expensive, and this way, you get to cut your cost dramatically. 2, it helps you to stay motivated for the entire semester. Most people fail to see results because they lose motivation over time and feel alone. With group personal training, you are always benchmarking yourself with others and everyone helps to keep everyone else motivated. 3 - its just much more fun when its done in a group compared to by yourself. We could go on and on with the benefits, but as you can see, this is the BEST way for you to lose weight quickly.

So how much are these sessions
well that depends on how many people are in the group. Below is the breakdown of the cost.

1 person - RM 120 per 1 hour session
2 people - RM 60 per person per 1 hour session
3 people - RM 40 per person per 1 hour session
4 people - RM 30 per person per 1 hour session
5 people - RM 25 per person per 1 hour session

No other hidden charges or costs. That's all you pay.

We recommend that you do the sessions 3 times per week but if possible, no less than twice per week. So if you were to sign up for twice a week with 4 of your friends or family members, this program will cost you only RM 400 per month. You get a PT which comes to your house twice per week. How great is that?

But purchasing a gym membership is cheaper, right?
If you were to purchase a gym membership, you will pay around RM 180 per month. This is just the gym membership with no personal training or any training direction for you. so you are basically left on your own to figure out what to do and whether you want to do it or not. Most people go diligently for about a month, maybe 2 months and then drop off - why? because there is no motivation for them to continue. the sad part is, you would have paid RM 180 x 12 months upfront to the gym, so even if you don't go, you will still be paying them.

With Zerobese Institute, we help to keep you motivated all the way so you don't drop off and waste your money for things you don't use. Plus you get a trainer who comes to you. If you were to get a PT in the gym, they would charge you RM 100 per session plus your RM 180 per month.

On top of that, with Zerobese, you get to learn about nutrition, health and wellness from our qualified speakers. Unlike in the gym, where the PT just trains you for an hour and then you are left alone again.

So let's do the math.

Gym Membership - RM 180
PT sessions - (RM 1oo) x (2 sessions per week) x (4 weeks)

If you were to join a gym, you would be forking out RM 980 (say ouch) a month to get the same benefits as you would with Zerobese Institute which would only cost you RM 200 per month. We still haven't factored in your joining fees, traveling cost, parking and time wasted... after all, they say time is precious. so which one seems better now?

What about these talks by nutritionists, doctors etc... do we have to pay for these?
No. Once you join Zerobese Institute, you will get to attend these talks for FREE. You don't have to pay for any of these talks. In fact, we encourage you to bring along your friends for these talks as well. Its open to everyone who is interested to learn more about health, nutrition and wellness. We will send you invites for these talks as well as post it up here in this blog.

Do i need to find my own group or will i be placed in a group
Well its totally up to you. If you have friends of your own, you could choose to form your own group. Alternatively, you could also opt to join a group of new people if you like. You also get to choose how big you want to keep your group. So this is all adjustable to your comfort level.

OK, this sounds awesome. How do i sign up?
Easy. You can call us at 03 8075 8621 or email us at info@fitnessmalaysia.com.my

There you go guys. If you have always wanted to be in a successful weight loss program and want to improve your health, here is your chance. Unlike other programs which give you 10% and expect you to do the other 90% yourself, we will be there every step of the way to help you reach your goals.

As usual, look forward to hearing your comments on this.

Hari Raya Guilt

Firstly, let me take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim friends, readers and clients Selamat Hari Raya.... or should i say Selamat Belated Hari Raya. Hope all of you had a wonderful break. I was right here in KL and sure as hell enjoyed zooming around everywhere... coz the roads were so empty. It still is a little empty... so enjoy it while it lasts. I am sure next week, the roads will be swinging back to normal and it will be totally crazy again.

Now, i am sure many of you out there have probably over-indulged during this holiday season. Guess what, so did I. Yes... on the first day of Raya i went to 3 houses back to back. My last stop was with fellow fitness blogger Arfian of Corporate Athletes and i think i finished a lot of his kuih & biskut Raya. Yes Yes, i know how unhealthy those things are, but i just couldn't resist and it tasted awesome. I am sure many of you out there fell for the same trap.

But now once you are coming back to your normal routine (if you have one), i am sure the feeling you are all feeling is guilt. You probably feel guilty for over indulging, went for that 2nd or 3rd helping when you should have said stop. Some of you might even look in the mirror and say "why, why did i do this?"

Oh well, don't feel guilty anymore. There is hope out there for everyone, not just those who indulged, but for people who want to make a difference in the way they look and feel. We are almost ready to launch our BIG group personal training project that everyone can participate in. Just to give you a little hint, this is unlike any other personal training or group personal training out there. Besides your regular training sessions at a lower price (see previous post), there will be classes and talks from Doctors, Nutritionists and many other qualified speakers who will teach you and educate you on how to stay fit and healthy. You get to choose which talk interests you the most and attend... of course we strongly recommend you to attend all of them. On top of that, we will do a fitness assessment for you before you start, a photo shoot and then at the end of the program, we will redo the fitness assessment to gauge your progress. This really is going to be an amazing initiative and i can't wait to launch it.

So hold on to your knickers for just a tad bit longer and in next weeks blog post, we will finally reveal everything and give you all the details you need to know on how you can join and start seeing fast results. We are currently just tying up some loose ends and then, voila, it shall be revealed.

Oh yes... one more thing. This BIG project kicks off on October 1st, 2010, and seats are limited, so once you read it, i recommend that you sign up quickly before all the seats are taken.

So how did you celebrate the recent Raya holiday and did any of you manage to stay within your plan? Or did you over indulge like me. Please do share and as usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Group Personal Training

Let's face it. Personal Training is not cheap. In Malaysia, a 1 hour personal training session can cost anywhere from RM 80 to RM 150 per hour. Why does it cost so much? That's because, there is an endless list of benefits to personal training. Here are some of them:
Full attention of your PT - for that 1 hour, your PT has to give you his full attention.
Customized Program - With a PT, he will custom design a workout program based on your needs, goals and of course your body type and fitness level
The PT is able to correct your form immediately - if you are doing the exercise wrongly, the PT will be able to see it and correct you immediately
Propose a personalized nutrition plan for you - Now most PTs don't do this, but you can ask them for advice. If you sign up for Fitness Malaysia's home based PT sessions, all our trainers are trained to give you a personalized nutrition plan that helps you to get optimum results. It comes with the package.

For those who can afford Personal training, then fantastic. But if you still want the benefits of personal training, but can't afford it, what do you do? Well this is where you can join something called Group Personal Training (GPT). GPT is an interesting way for you to get the benefits of personal training, but at a fraction of the cost. This is still a relatively new idea in Malaysia, and not many people are offering services such as this.

Group Personal Training is a 1 hour exercise session where the PT trains between 2 to 5 people in the same way that a PT does, but since there are more people, the cost per person is cheaper. So if you can't afford a full fledged PT session, then group personal training is great way for you to enjoy all the benefits of Personal Training at a lower cost. Now of course, one of the most important points to note is, the group has to be a small number - usually no more than 5 people, or else it loses the personal touch and becomes a group class. This way you still get a good level of personal attention without having to pay so much. The other benefit of Group Personal Training is, that you can sign up for it with your own friends and family members, and this makes the whole training session more fun and exciting. If you feel intimated to work with a PT yourself, now you have the option of doing it together with your friends... so its less intimidating.

Fitness Malaysia will be launching its very own brand of Group Personal Training soon, so do look out for it as we will post updates about it on this blog. We are really excited to embark on this project and get even more people to lead a healthier lifestyle. So what do you think of group personal training? Have any of you tried it? As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Ramadhan Bazaar Foods

Ramadhan Bazaar has become such a Malaysian icon and a huge part of our Malaysian culture, that it is no longer only visited by Muslims who are fasting during the month of Ramadhan, but also non-Muslims. As you know, Malaysians have a fascination for food, so the Ramadhan Bazaar is no exception and you will see all walks of Malaysians crowding these bazaars to sample the food.

I recently visited the Ramadhan Bazaar near my house and was fascinated with the selection of foods available. Unfortunately, i am looking at this from a fitness perspective and sorry to say but much of the selection in the Ramadhan bazaar is unhealthy, but i still managed to find some that were decently healthy.

Here are some of the things i found that were relatively healthy to eat or how you can make it into a healthier meal.

Roasted Chicken Wings - when i saw the stall selling this, i had to get it. The ones i got were spicy honey BBQ wings. It was absolutely delicious. Other roasted chicken available was of course the Ayam Percik. I also saw one stall roasting and selling whole chickens, but by the time i saw the stall, i already had too much food in my hands, so i said i will check it out next time.

Ikan Bakar - Marinated in spices and a chili paste and then wrapped with banana leaf and baked. This is another of my favourites and the one i got tasted wonderful. I always squeeze some lime over it before i eat it.



Satay - OK, satay can be unhealthy because of the satay sauce (which is usually loaded with sugar) and the little piece of fat in between. If you want to be healthy, be sure to remove that piece of fat in the middle of the satay and eat the saucce sparingly. If you can do that, you have a pretty healthy meal on your hands. If you are going to eat the entire thing, then its not so healthy. So eat wisely.

Roti John - technically this is a pretty healthy thing to eat. Its egg, chicken or beef, with onions and lettuce pasted onto a bun. Problem is, every time i have bought this in the Ramadhan Bazaar, all i could taste was Mayonaise. Thats because they drown the entire thing with maynaise and chilli sauce. So if you could tell the vendor to cut back on the Mayo and Chilli sauce, then this is a pretty decent meal to get. OR, tell him to put the Mayo and Chilli separately - this way, you choose how much you want to take. PLUS, i think it will taste a whole lot better this way.

Nasi Campur - Again, it is what you choose to put on your plate that makes it healthy or unhealthy. If you want to be healthy, choose more vegetables instead of the fried items. The one thing i saw in almost all stalls - ayam goreng with the "serbuk". OK, not sure what you call it, but this is the coating of the chicken that comes off from the chicken when you deep fry it and sinks to the bottom of the "kuali" and sits there. then these guys scrap it up and sprinkle it all over the chicken. Tasty? Absolutely. Healthy.... err.... maybe not. So just be careful once again with what you throw onto your plate.

Unfortunately, all the other things i saw were pretty unhealthy, so i stayed away from it. They had the usual selection of kuihs, dadih, drinks, nasi lemak and murtabak... which reminds me.. the one unhealthy thing i did indulge in was the the Murtabak... i really love Murtabak, so i decided to treat myself to it. Absolutely wonderful.


Overall Rating - Ramadhan bazaars aren't the healthiest place to get your meals, but you can still find some pretty decent food if you look carefuly and be careful with how you order it. I would not recommend it everyday, but hey, every once in awhile is OK. I understand that these bazaars have become so popular because most people are rushing back from work and don't have enough time to cook before its time to buka puasa. So if you go there frequently, try your best to make some smart choices as mentioned above. Its not impossible and these small steps will go a long way towards your health.

Anyway, what are your favourite foods at the Ramadhan Bazaar? Do share with us and as usual, look forward to hearing your comments

The War Against Machines

Daywalker is a term usually used in vampire movies, which refers to those we can walk outside in the sun while the rest are hiding indoors. Since i left my full time corporate job, i feel like i am a daywalker. I walk around shopping complexes during the day when they are empty (except for a few other daywalkers like myself), drive on the roads when there aren't many people when previously, i could only do all those things at night like a vampire would. Hence like the vampire, most of us only come out at night, due to our full time job. But now, as a day walker, i have so much more free time on my hands. The freedom of time is amazing. You do what you want to do, when you want to do it.

Anyway the reason i am talking about this, is that i am looking for people to join me in this lifestyle and become a daywalker like me and earn lots of money together. If you are guessing what this is all about, i am looking for people who are passionate about health, wellness and fitness and want to live the life of a "daywalker" and at the same time touch and make a difference in other people's lives. If you are interested in this offer or even remotely curious about this, send me an email at rajan@fitnessmalaysia.com.my and we can discuss further. So get those fingers typing and send me your emails.

OK. Just a little bit of marketing, now down to this weeks post... which is a little late. My apologies for that. I am still adapting to my new daywalker lifestyle. Anyway, this week, i want to talk about using free weights vs machines. Some time ago, i wrote a post on doing squats and mentioned that you should use a power rack instead of a smith machine. There seems to be a growing popularity of people doing squats and bench press on the smith machine these days and sorry to burst your bubble if you are one of them, but these machines are not as effective as free weights and not to mention dangerous as well. Here is why

Smith Machines & other machines in the gym only provide you with a fixed range of motion (ROM) which also means you only train to perform a limited movement. If we were to deviate even slightly from that ROM which you are used to, you will not be able to do the movement or worse, may even get injured. In the real world, muscles work together to accomplish everyday tasks. When you reach down to pick something up, the hamstrings, lower back, glutes, upper back, shoulders, and biceps all work in tandem. There is a symphony of agonist, antagonist, and stabilizers muscles that work together to complete the task.

Muscles must learn their roles as either prime movers or stabilizers. For example, in a free weight bench press, the shoulders and lats “learn” how to stabilize the chest and arms while lift is being executed. In a fixed ROM exercise like the smith machine bench press, none of this happens. As a result, these stabilizers don't get developed along with the prime movers.

When these stabilizing muscles are weak and under developed, or when they haven’t sufficiently learned their roles as stabilizers, the body will not be able to perform real world movements away from the fixed ROM machine. This is why people can leg press 600 pounds but are not able to squat even 100 pounds. I had a friend who routinely used the smith machine for squats in the gym. One day, the smith machine was being used by another gym user, so he opted to use the power rack instead. He loaded up the same amount of weights as he did on the smith machine and he actually fell down when he performed the squat in the power rack. Why? Because the stabilizers are under developed and were unable to compensate and balance him.

You may routinely lift heavy weights on a fixed ROM machines in the gym, then find yourself constantly getting injured at work or at home whenever you try to lift something that’s not nearly as heavy as you are used to in the gym. This is because the stabilizer muscles have remained untrained, and are therefore weak. Hence, machines in the gym which are usually applaud as being able to prevent injury, will actually cause more injury to you.

The same things above applies for the ever popular hammer strength machines available in many gyms these days. These are basically machines with a fixed ROM, except instead of plates and a pin to select your weight, you load up actual weight plates. Just because you are using weight plates, doesn't make it free weights. Now with all that being said, it doesn't mean that machines have absolutely no use at all and should be completely banished from the gym. You just need to ensure that a main portion of your routine should be on free weights and a smaller portion on machines - instead of the other way around. Me personally, I love using machines as finishers to my routine, to squeeze out everything i got at the end. So i do my free weights first and then finish up the routine with some machines. Eg. for my chest, i do bench press, incline bench press and then finish up with the fly machine or cable crossovers. Machines are great for giving you that pump, so i like finishing up with them.

So if you are using the smith machine and / or other machines in the gym, i hope this post will be an eye opener to you. Its never too late to change a routine, so why not start today. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

PS: Any ideas for the next poll? Anything related to fitness that you would like to find out about? If you have any ideas, please let me know. Thanx.