Moativational Medicine™

Have you ever heard of real life stories such as these:

• A guy who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink alcohol and is a vegetarian and exercises regularly, suddenly dies of a heart attack at age 40?
• People who seemingly live a "bad habit" lifestyle and is supposed to be at high risk does not get cancer, where else another person who has a healthy lifestyle and a much lower risk of cancer ends up getting it?
• People who have nagging ailments that have been going on for years, and despite all the drugs / treatments and medication can't seem to cure it?
• Why some people can recover from cancer while others are not able to.
  

There are many other puzzling scenarios like the ones above, and over this last weekend, i attended a 2 day seminar on Moativational Medicine™ (still pronounced as Motivational, in case you were wondering) which helped to answer the questions above. Now before i go on, i am sure the one question on all your minds is, what the heck is Moativational Medicine.

Moativational Medicine™ which was created by Richard Moat, PhD, which demonstrates the direct link between our emotions and our physical ailments. Doctors and respected members of the medical community are confirming that our physical health is directly linked to our thoughts and emotions. They admit to not having all the answers and are embracing complementary and allied approaches to getting people back on the road to wellness.

Below is an excerpt from http://www.moativationalmedicine.com/ website which gives a clearer picture on what Moativational Medicine™ is all about.

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The fundamental principle which underpins Moativational Medicine™ is that, of all the factors that can influence our state of physical health - diet, lifestyle, environment, thoughts, feelings and genetics - it is the realms of thoughts and feelings, the psycho-emotional aspect of our being, which is the most influential.

This also appears to be the least understood aspect, although over the last twenty years it's emergence as the most widely researched area of medicine - formally known as psycho-neuro-immunology, or PNI - suggests it is likely to prove both significant and revealing as we search for answers to questions such as 'What has caused my illness?' and 'How do I get better and stay well?

Since medicine was first recorded, the psycho-emotional make-up of an individual seems to have been a necessarily observed factor in assessing the cause of an illness. Study any number of health and healing philosophies and practises from around the world and you will find plenty of evidence to support this as being a critical area.

Over time, Western medicine seems to have lost sight of this aspect, preferring instead to create a pill for every ill rather than understand, explore and treat what might be at the root of those ills. Today the term stress is widely and loosely used to conveniently bundle together any number of possible causes, leaving much room and desire for specific answers and solutions.

When we look deeply and honestly at the major causes of stress today, it is wise to observe that it is the thoughts and feelings we generate in response to life's events that hold the key. Our beliefs, values, feelings and behaviours are all inter-twined to create an unconscious way of being and relating in the world, a combination which suffers from the distraction of suggesting that events, people or circumstances are the cause.

This distraction has been so successful that we exist in a time when more people have more unwanted physical conditions - and for longer - than at any other time in history. Moativational Medicine™ is the result of exploring the lesser-trodden paths for answers, re-discovering and re-presenting in an easy-to-understand-and-apply manner what has always been true.

Moativational Medicine™ explains and demonstrates as simply as possible the role our thoughts and emotions play in the on-set and maintenance of the illnesses, ailments, symptoms and dis-eases that can befall any one of us at any time.

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Through the 2 day seminar, i learned some of the techniques that Richard Moat uses in his treatment for ailments. No pills or injections, its a technique of discovering what emotions you have been holding on to and how do you dissolve these dis-empowering and damaging emotions once and for all. By dissolving these emotions from your system, you are able to almost immediately clear the physical ailment that you are suffering from. Over the years, Richard has successfully treated over 2,700 people. Now its important to note that Moativational Medicine™ does NOT deny that factors such as diet, lifestyle and habits do play a role in ailments. No one is denying that. But its also equally important to note that a bigger part of ailments is actually caused by emotions and not just external factors.

Below are some of the people that have been successfully cure by Richard:

Kevin Patton was in hospital on life support with terminal leukaemia. Doctors said that he had 5 days to live. A experiencing a "dose" of Moativational Medicine™, 2 weeks later kevin walked unaided out of the hospital.

Andy Whitfield, star of Spartacus: Blood & Sand was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma and his oncologist could not offer an explanation as to why he had contracted the disease. After one session with Richard, he was able to discover the cause and set about reversing the condition.

The list of testimonials go on and on, but i guess you get the picture. This stuff REALLY works and its highly effective. So if you are only concerned with being physically healthy and think that it is the end all to staying healthy, think again. Emotional well being plays a huge role in your health and heck even how long you live. So its extremely important to take care of that as well.

So what are your thoughts on this? As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

PS: As promised to some of my other blogger friends, i recently purchased a rare memorabilia and i am extremely proud of it. Many of you who are close to me will know that i am avid fan of the movie Troy and an avid fan of swords. Being in Malaysia where everything is banned, i really thought there was no way i could ever get my hands on this. But i did. Check it out, it is the Achilles's sword from the movie - ok i admit, its not a 100% replica but pretty damn close. Its made from 100& stainless steel (not plastic) and is full length and size.


So for all you movie buffs out there who like collecting replicas and collectibles from your movies, check out this site

http://www.toyrebels.com/

and get in touch with them. These guys specialize in rare movie / comic / TV collectibles that are extremely hard to find in Malaysia. Don't forget to mention my name so you can get some discounts on your purchase. This site sells everything from costumes to figurines to swords to whatever else you can think of so you can have a slice of Hollywood in your home. My next purchase is probably going to be the 300 sword, Highlander sword or.... i dunno. Check it out. You know you want it. Also look forward to hearing your comments on this.

Updates & Poll Results

Last Sunday, i ran my first ever public fitness talk and it was indeed a HUGE blast. We had over 60 people attending and i hope i managed to impart some useful tips to all who attended. A big thanks goes out to everyone who took time from their Sunday Afternoon to come for the talk. I also hope that this was an eye opener to many that staying fit and healthy is not that hard to do and anyone can do it.

Also, i want to take this opportunity to thank a few people who contributed a lot and made the whole event a great success.

1) Arfian of Corporate Athletes - He was a huge help with running the body fat % tests after the talk. Thanks again bro, i owe you a huge makan.
2) Veron - Who was my MC for the day and also helped to handle the PC and run the videos. Thanks again.
3) Syukran of Simple Wellness who let us use his wonderful facility in PJ and also helped a lot in the marketing.
4) Most importantly, wifey for helping me run lots of logistics, collecting payment and also helping with the body fat % scans. Without her tremendous help and support, this talk would surely have fallen flat.

Thanks again guys. I owe all of you one. So when is the next talk? Uhmmm.... i dunno, with the success of this one, i am itchy to run another soon. Well we will keep all of you posted on the next one. You want to see some pictures of the talk? ARGGHH!!!! unfortunately i was so busy running here and there, brought my camera, but completely forgot to snap pictures. Next time will be better... i promise.

Anyway, this weeks post i wanted to cover poll results of our recent poll. We had a total of 38 votes, and the number 1 winner is "Losing Weight on a Malaysian Diet" which had a whopping 21 votes. Honestly, my personal vote went for "Eat Crap & Lose Weight" coz i thought it was catchy, but unfortunately, that only got about 4 votes, of which, 1 was mine. The other titles also didn't do very well all fetching only about 2 to 4 votes each.

If you haven't already guessed, the reason i ran the poll this time is, i am seriously considering writing a book on weight loss, and the concept i had was, how to eat crap / junk and lose weight. Wouldn't that be something? Lots of people find it hard to stay true to a diet, so i wanted to share some tips on that. I did cover some of this in my talk last Sunday so for those who attended, you now know some secrets on how to indulge and lose weight. Seeing that "Losing Weight on a Malaysian Diet" is the number one pick, maybe i need to reconsider the topic. Maybe i should run a public talk titled "Losing Weight on a Malaysian Diet" and see how the response is before deciding. Hmmm.... i dunno. Lots of plans, not enough time. Anyway, thanks once again for all your votes, it gives me something tangible to work with. Do share which title caught your attention the most and why as this will give me a lot of useful feedback for my book project.

Before i sign off, just one last small announcement to make. Hope all of you will take the time to check out www.active.com.my which is an online fitness e-zine / portal / website which features loads of information about staying healthy. This project is being run by my good friend Arfian from Corporate Athletes. So do check it out when you have the time and i have also included a link to his page on the right hand column.

OK... that's about it for now, lots of updates and i am definitely looking forward to hearing your comments.

When Temptation Lurks: Tips on Eating Healthy in Any Situation

This week, we have a guest post from our friends from "An Apple A Day" blog which is an overseas blog featuring simple tips on how to stay healthy. I was contacted by one of their team members who was impressed with Fitness Malaysia's blog (ahem ahem) and asked if they could write a guest feature. I said sure thing, and so they were kind enough to email me a blog post. How kind of them? Thanks again Tara for organizing all this.

Anyway, enough ramblings from me, here is this weeks post from our friends at "An Apple A Day". Please do check out their blog as well as it is fun, simple and extremely informative. You can click here to check it out.

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When Temptation Lurks: Tips on Eating Healthy in Any Situation

Edward Stern is a guest blogger for An Apple a Day and a writer on earning your nursing degree for the Guide to Health Education.

When you cook for yourself at home and follow your own schedule, it is much easier to stick to a diet and eat healthy. Where many dieters trip up is outside the house. Parties, festivities, and road trips present all kinds of food temptation: snacks, desserts, chili cheese dogs, and other high-calorie food can sabotage healthy eating habits.

However, you don't need to be a hermit to keep eating healthy. There are compromises you can make to indulge a little during special occasions but also keep on track with your dieting goals. Oftentimes, the most successful dieters are the ones who know how to make these compromises. Read on for tips on eating healthy in some common situations that have the potential to wreak havoc on a diet.

Game Day

• When tailgating or huddling around the big screen with close friends, chips and dip are a staple of any pre-game spread. Having a couple handfuls of chips won't hurt a diet, but drowning them in dip will. Avoid nacho cheese and other processed dips, especially any containing ranch or sour cream. Instead, enjoy pico de gallo and other more natural salsas, and add a little homemade guacamole (store-bought brands tends to have a lot of added sugars.)
• Go easy on the beer—alcohol is full of empty calories that do nothing but expand your waistline and shrink your head. Nurse one or two light beers if you're going to drink, and leave it at that.
• If you're going to the game, don't eat the junk sold at the concession stands. Hot dogs are chock full of fat and calories and won't fill you up, and much of what else is sold is heavily processed. Eat beforehand at a tailgate and try chicken sausage, which tastes great and has a quarter of the fat of a bratwurst. It'll keep you thin and your wallet fat.

At a Party

• When you’re attending parties with appetizers, eat slowly. It's very tempting to overindulge in the cocktail weenies and other gourmet snacks offered by wolfing them down, but that leads to overeating and the intake of too many calories and too much fat. Pace yourself, eat one thing at a time, and you'll be amazed at how full you get off so little.
• If a buffet is offered, load up on healthy options like fruits, vegetables, rice, and pasta dishes. These healthy and high-carb foods are filling and will give you energy to be your most social. Just watch out for any pasta salads—creamy dressings are high in fat so eat sparingly.
• If dessert is offered, you don't need to deprive yourself. Try just a little bit of everything, and really watch your portions. Many diets are wrecked by cravings and binge eating, so if you treat yourself with a slice of cake occasionally, you'll stay on track. If you're being really good, scrape off the frosting—it's pure sugar and empty calories.

On the Road

• Road trips are notorious diet-wreckers for the constant snacking many partake in. Forget the Cheetos and Hostess desserts. Instead, buy fruit or trail mix. Nuts are a great source of protein and fiber which fills you up. If you have to have chips, try baked brands or the new Pop Chips—both use significantly less oil.
• It's inevitable that at some point you'll make a trip through the drive-thru. Order diet soda (or better, just water) and a grilled chicken sandwich and/or salad which many fast food chains now carry (sorry, no bacon or ranch sauce, and if you're being really good, no mayonnaise or cheese). Fries are very unhealthy, but if you have to have them, get only a small order.
• It's tempting to want to eat out every night, but restaurants are a drain on your funds and your dietary ambitions—the temptation on the menu is often too great. Make a couple trips to the grocery store along the way to your destination where you can stock up on sandwich fixings and fruit. Many grocery chains have food to go, such as hot soup and pre-made sandwiches, and these are a good way to go.

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There you go guys. Simple and useful tips for all situations. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

PS: Don't forget to keep yourself free for our talk "7 Habits of Healthy & Fit People" this coming Sunday (16 January 2011) at 2:30pm. Tickets are selling fast, so do email me if you want to book your seat before its too late.

Diet Vs Exercise

Welcome to 2011 everyone. Hope you are all geared up for a fantastic year and most importantly, i hope you achieve the goals you have set for yourself this year.

Before we jump into this weeks post, just got one small announcement to make.

To kick off 2011 with a bang, Fitness Malaysia is organizing its first ever public health and fitness talk titled:

7 Habits of Healthy & Fit People

What is it that healthy & fit people do differently that allows them to look good all the time.

Come for this 2 hour power packed seminar and learn the secrets that healthy and fit people have been using to:-

• Live a longer healthier life

• Lose weight quickly & look their best

• Never starve themselves and still stay slim and healthy

• Enjoy Life to the fullest

Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011

Time: 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Venue: DVI Studio, B05-02, Dataran 3 Two, Jalan 19/1, PJ

Ticket Prices:

RM 25 per person (normal Price RM 55)

1 FREE ticket for group buy of 5 tickets

RM 35 per person for walk ins on talk day

Seats are extremely limited, so book your tickets today to avoid disappointment. I usually charge RM 55 a person for this talk and have run it many times for many special groups. But i am giving a special discount as this is a public program which is open to all.

To book your seats, email me at rajanrj@hotmail.com

As an added bonus, all attendees will be entitled to a FREE body fat % test so that you can learn what your current health & fitness level is. Also, this will be a great opportunity for everyone to network and meet other fitness enthusiasts.

Do pass the word around to your friends and lets kick off 2011 with the right Habits.

OK, now that that piece of business is out of the way, lets get down to this weeks post. Over the holidays, i went to numerous friends houses for dinner parties and the conversation of losing weight naturally came up. Of course, with new years eve just around the corner (at that time), everyone was making resolutions to lose weight and live a healthier life. From my conversations, it suddenly dawned upon me that most people would prefer to starve themselves than to eat normally and exercise. Whenever i recommended doing some simple exercises, almost everyone told me that exercise is not their thing, no time to exercise, yadda dadda daadaa and the list goes on and on. But if you were to tell me to stop eating this and that, i would much prefer to do it and i think that is easier to manage.

So after hearing all this, i have a theory. Malaysians in general are not keen on exercising to lose weight, but would much rather starve themselves or drink shakes in replacement of meals to lose weight. Hmmm... no wonder there are so many diet programs out there which are a hit.

So today, i went for lunch with some friends and decided to put my observation / theory to the test. I asked a few friends. I have a way for you to lose 5kg in 1 month. But there are 2 options.

Option A: I will give you a specific food guide for every meal, and you must eat exactly like i tell you to for a full 1 month.

Option B: You can continue eating like you are eating right now, but you have to work out 3 to 4 times a week with a specific exercise routine.

Guess what the answer was... no surprise here. Everyone chose Option A. So i asked everyone why Option A and the response i got were

• It's a no brainer... just do as you are told and voila you see results.
• Little effort on my part.
• I don't have time to exercise these days.

Honestly, i am quite surprised with this, because i always thought that watching your diet strictly is far more challenging than exercise... at least for me it is. I will definitely be addressing this topic in my talk on January 16. But for most people, they would much rather watch their diet to lose weight compared to exercise.

So what do you guys think? Heard the same responses as i have? Which option would you choose? There is no right or wrong option, its just a matter of your preference i guess. So, as usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Tips to Stay Fit and Healthy during the Holidays

Firstly, before i forget, let me take this opportunity to wish everyone Happy New Year. This is the last post for 2010 and you can look forward to many more posts in 2011. What a year its been and it sure did zoom past at light speed.

With December being a festive month, where lots of people are on leave and traveling, the urge to eat more than our usual is always there. Almost everyday i meet someone who tells me how they have put on weight this month, or how its impossible to watch your figure in December. Well i admit that it is harder than other times, but definitely not impossible. So i decided to do a post on tips for staying healthy during the holidays.

1) Plan your meals
If you are going for that big dinner party tonight, then maybe you want to have smaller meals through out the day to save the additional calories for your big dinner party. The problem is, many people continue eating like normal and then pig in even more during the party. So if you are going for a dinner party and planning to go all out, reduce your intake for the rest of the day. This way you can enjoy your dinner party without guilt. So start planning your meals and you should do just fine.

2) Do some extra exercise
Now i am not sure how full your social calendar is going to look like, but if you can, try to fit in some time for a jog or walk in addition to your usual workout routine. If you could throw in an additional 20 minute jog every other day, it will go a long way in preventing your festive luncheons and dinners from going straight to your waist. So if you are going to eat more than usual, make sure you balance it off with some exercise. If you are traveling, make sure you bring along your running shoes. This way there is no excuse of why you can't squeeze in a quick 20 minute run somewhere.

3) Alcohol Consumption
OK, i am not going to say NO alcohol at all during the holidays, as i know sometimes we just want to relax and unwind. PLUS, when its festive season, its that much harder to say no. If you are consuming alcohol, do your best NOT to have a huge feast after your drinks at the end of the night. Also, your 20 minute jog the next day after your drinking session becomes extremely crucial. So once your hangover dies down, make sure you do some exercise. While our body is breaking down alcohol (which is toxic to our body), our fat burning system is turned down low. Which is why you want to avoid that post drinking feast. This is one of the main contributing factors to why people put on weight when they drink. One way to reboot our fat burning system is to exercise. So if possible, do some exercise the next day. It does not have to be as intense as your other days, but some exercise is way better than none.

4) Eat slowly
Whenever we eat a meal, it takes time for our brain to register that we are full and signal us to stop eating. So if you eat extremely fast, there is a high chance you are going to overshoot that stop signal, overeat and feel over-stuffed. So slow down your eating and ENJOY your food. After all, what's the hurry. This way you get to prevent yourself from overeating and passing your "stop when full" point and you will stop just at the right spot.

5) Reduce sweet drinks if possible
Sweet drinks are really just empty calories. they do very little to fill you up but it adds massive damage to your calorie intake. I know we all crave to have a sweet drink here and there, but be mindful of it and don't go overboard. For me personally, i would prefer to save those calories for food rather than sweet drinks. So yeah, have your sweet drinks if you must, but keep an eye on it. There is nothing worse than sipping sweet drinks and cola all night only to realize you consumed a good 1 liter of it through out the entire night.

There you go... some simple tips to help you stay fit during the festive holiday season. All these tips are so easy to do, so i really hope you guys try them out. As you would have noticed, these tips are not about don't eat this and don't drink that. You are allowed to enjoy yourself, but you just have to be a little more mindful of things if you are concerned about your waistline. At the end of the day, i personally believe that moderation is key. As long as you remember this rule and follow it, you will do just fine during the holidays.

Do you guys have any other tips to share on how to stay fit during the holidays? If you do, please do share. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Is running outdoors dangerous?

I recently gave a fitness talk and was asked many interesting questions. From what kinds of food we should eat pre & post workout to how to gain muscle mass. I rarely get asked about muscle gain during my talks, so it was refreshing that there were so many questions on it. Many also asked how they should exercise to see optimum weight loss. It really was an exciting and very interactive talk. One question which caught my attention the most was if running was bad for you? So i explained that its not, as long as you do it properly. So i wanted to cover this topic in this weeks post.

As many of you know, i am not too fond of running... but recently, i have kinda developed a small addiction for it. I think i just like challenging myself with something that i am not good at. and i am making great progress, which makes me want to do it anymore. I am actually looking at joining a 10km race sometime next year... maybe mid next year. Anyone care to join me?

Many people out there believe that running outdoors is extremely bad for your knees and that using a treadmill is safer. Well it is probably less risky than running outside, but running outside is far more superior in terms of building your cardiovascular endurance and burning calories. Why? Because when running on a treadmill, all you are doing is replacing your steps, while running outside requires you to actually pull your body weight through the distance. in short, running on a treadmill is like running on the spot. Secondly, the uneven terrain and speed makes it more challenging than a treadmill. For these reasons, it is far more difficult to run outdoors than it is to run on a treadmill. If you can run on a treadmill for 20 minutes non stop, it does not mean you can run run outdoors for 20 minutes non-stop as well.So is it recommended that we run on treadmills instead of running outdoors? Lets look back at history to our ancestors. Before there were cars, and horse carriages, mankind depended on their legs to get around everywhere. Because of this, people developed strong legs to carry out these duties. Today, in our sedentary lifestyle, we don't need to do such physical demanding tasks anymore, so in other words, our muscles and bones are kinda "pampered". Just because it is pampered does not mean that you shouldn't work at improving it. Law of use and disuse - If you don't use it, you will lose it. What i am trying to say is, we are NOT incapable of running outside. We just need to start developing this slowly.

Here are some tips to running outside without injury

Get a good pair of shoes - I can't emphasize this enough. If you like running outside, invest in a good pair of shoes. So far the best running shoes i have used are New Balance shoes. For about RM 300 to RM 500 you can get a decent pair which will take you far. A good pair of shoes is not necessarily the one with the most amount of padding and cushioning. Too much padding and cushioning can cause foot muscles to atrophy while shortening and stiffening our foot’s tendons. This over cushioning and pampering of our foot can lead to more injury.

Correct technique - Avoiding injury in any sports comes down to technique. If you run using the right technique, there is no reason why you should injure your knees or any other part of your body. There are various techniques to running safely which you can google easily. Try googling Pose running technique. If you can watch some You Tube videos on this, it will provide an excellent tutorial to you on the proper techniques of running. I will cover more tips on proper running techniques in one of my upcoming posts. Its too long to post here.

Do "them Squats" - Like mentioned earlier, because of our sedentary lifestyle, many of us probably have underdeveloped leg muscles which need to be strengthened before you can run a decent distance. So start doing those squats and other leg exercises and start strengthening your leg muscles, core and back. It will go a long way in protecting yourself from running related injuries

Stretching before and after your run - Stretching before your run and after your run is essential in preventing injuries. So take about 2 or 3 minutes to stretch out your muscles before you head out for your run and another 2 or 3 minutes after your run. I personally find that this also helps with the post workout pains. I usually take a slow walk for about 1km after my run to cool down and then stretch for about 2 to 3 minutes. To warm up, i walk for about 2 minutes and then start my jogging.

Start slow and progress at your own pace - I cannot emphasize this enough. I have seen too many people who get excited and force themselves to run 5km on their first run... then get injured and give up running altogether. Start slow and make it a point to progress, at your own pace. Just because someone you know could progress 1 km a week, does not mean you have to keep up with them. Progress at your own pace and based on the goals you have set for yourself. Everyone is different, so your development needs will be different too.

Running on grass vs concrete - Running on concrete / road will have more impact on your joints compared to running on grass. If you are really worried about injuring your knees, i highly recommend starting on a grass field first. Then as you gain confidence and perfect your running technique, you can attempt running on the road. Again, running on a grass field is still far more superior than the treadmill.

So there you have it. Some simple tips to help you prevent injury when you run outside. For me, running outside is not dangerous. It only becomes dangerous when done wrongly, and done without the right precautions. Just like driving. It can be dangerous if not done properly, but that does not mean we should avoid driving because of the potential risk. With the right precautions, you can avoid injury.

If you follow the simple tips above, running outdoors does not have to be dangerous or harmful to you. Running on a treadmill may be safer, but can be dangerous if done wrongly as well. So go ahead. Try these tips and enjoy you runs outside. Running outside does not have to be dangerous. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

How Many Calories Should Each of My Meals Be?

I was recently asked this very interesting question from a friend of mine and i decided that this will make an excellent blog post. he asked me how many calories should each meal have? Meaning would a 600 calorie meal be considered too much or is it OK?

Well i thought about his question for awhile and then i told him, well that truly depends on a lot of things and its hard for me to just say if that is too much or not.

Firstly, it would depend on what your goals are. If you are looking to gain weight, then your calorie per meal would be different than that of someone who is trying to lose weight. Secondly, it would depend on how much activity are doing for that day. If all you are doing is sitting at home and watching the CSI marathon, then you are not going to need much. Thirdly, it would depend on what you are going to be doing for the next 3 - 4 hours after your meal. if you are just going to watch TV, then you won't need as much as someone who is heading to the gym or going for a jog. It would also matter how many meals per day you are eating.

With a puzzled look, he asked me. OK, lets just say i am an average Joe who just wants to lose weight and eats about 3 meals a day. Then how many calories should i be looking at for each meal. He says he always goes to a restaurant and is not too sure how much to eat because he just doesn't know how many calories he should be eating for each meal.

Well again it would really depend on how many calories you need to eat in a day (based on your body and activity level) and you need to eat less than that to see weight loss. So for example, if your Daily Calorie Requirement is 1,500kCals a day and you eat 3 meals a day, then roughly, each meal should be around 500kCals. To find out how many calories you need in a day, you can check out one of my previous posts by clicking here. Now to lose weight, you want to eat less than 1,500kCals a day. So in this case, lets say you want to reduce it to 1,200kCals per day... this would mean that each meal should be roughly around 400kCals.

So i told him though it is OK, to follow this rough calculation of just dividing, its still better to eat as per your activity level. So i offered him some tips as below which help to make his calorie decision for weight loss more effective:-

1) Eat lower calorie meals when you know you are going to be inactive after the meal. Like dinner. You don't need to as much calories for dinner as you would for other meals.

2) Eat higher calorie meals before or after a workout or when you are going to do intense activity. So if you are going to laze around, eat less calories. If you are going to spend those calories soon, you can eat more

3) If one meal is higher than what you should be eating, make sure you adjust it for the next meal. Let's say you are aiming for an average of 400 calories per meal and end up eating a 600 calorie meal. Then be sure to subtract 200 calories from another meal to ensure you don't go above your target.

4) If your target us weight loss, then its always better to eat less than more. Meaning if you are deciding between foods and trying to justify that the higher calorie food is still OK, but you are not too sure, then go for the choice which has less calories.

5) It is also important to consider what i like to call the fill up factor of the food. A bag of Twisties has about 500 calories but does little to fill you up. A Fillet-O-Fish in McDs will be about 450 calories. Eating 5 apples will be around 250 calories. Which one is more satisfying to your hunger?So how many calories should each meal have? Well firstly you need to calculate how many calories you need in a day and then start doing the math. Its OK to just divide evenly and have each meal have the same number of calories but its far more effective to eat according to the tips i presented. If your goal is weight loss, then following the tips above will make a huge difference in the results you. From there you will be able to make a better decision on how much each of your meals should be. Try it out and see. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Weight Room Ethics

One of the main reasons why i get up so early in the morning to go to the gym, is because the weight room is not over crowded at 6:30am. There are usually only 3 or 4 people in the weight room at this time, and that's how i like it. This way, i get to go in, do my work out quickly with minimal interference and be out of there. Secondly, i realized that here in Malaysia, a lot of people are unfamiliar with what i like to call weight room ethics. These are just simple unwritten rules that everyone should know when stepping into a weight room. Now i know these are unwritten rules and not legally binding. But at the same time, i think following these rules (if you want to call it that) is just plain courtesy to the others. But sadly not many people are aware of this and don't follow it and it really irks me sometimes. So here are some of the things that should be followed when you are in a weight room.

1) Re-Racking your weights
If you are done with the weights you are using, please put them back. The reason for this is, 1) it keeps the weight room looking neat and not to mention safer so no one trips on your dumbbell 2) it lets people know that you are done with it. Just this morning i saw a guy jump from the decline bench press, to the incline bench press and then the bench press. As he went a long, he just left the weights there and moved on. Come on buddy... you can recycle the weights. Meaning that you can transfer the weights you were using on your decline for your incline and so on. This is one method of clearing of the weights while re-racking your new bench. It takes the same amount of effort and time as pulling new weights from weight rack. So please... the next time you are done with something, put it back. I have seen incidences where i walk into the weight room at 6:30 am (i am the first use of the weight room for that day) and i see all the dumbbells scattered all over the floor and all over the weight room. It makes it difficult to walk around and a chore to find the dumbbell you are looking for. Situations like these should not be happening



2) Sharing your bench
Now it is OK to share your bench with someone else between sets. After all, you are not doing 3 sets of bench press back to back without any rest. So while you are resting, whats wrong with sharing it someone else. I usually get 2 responses when i walk up to someone and say "Hey buddy, you mind if i work in with you?". 1) some of them just say OK and then take everything and run away. This has happened to me many times. I am not kidding. 2) OH i still got 5 more sets. YES, i know you have 5 more sets, but can i jump in for a few sets between your sets. I don't understand why people just can't share it. What irks me the most, is he tells you he has 5 more sets and then he is busy chatting with his friend who is hogging the incline bench press. Jeez dude... if you want to chat, why don't you let someone else use it while you are chatting. You get this a lot when you go in the evenings when the gym is crowded. I have experienced this so many times when i attempted going to the gym in the evening after work. This is one of my main motivation factors to stay away from overcrowded weight rooms in Malaysia. When i was in the States, it was a general understanding that people jump in between sets. In fact, that's how i made so many friends. It just makes everything better. Plus, you now have a spot.

3) PT's can't share equipment with normal folk.
Personally, this has never happened to me. The PTs that train their clients in the morning are really cool and i have loads of respect for them. They usually ask me if they can share the bench with me and similarly i have also asked them if i could jump in for sets while their client is resting between sets and they are OK with it. But i know friends who have experienced snobbish PTs who won't share and worst still, being shoo-ed away by the PT, because they want to use the bench you are using. Well they don't literally shoo you away with words, but they ask you in a nasty way and then just stand about and look at you hoping to intimidate you. This should not be happening. As a PT, you should not be setting the wrong example in the weight room. Or maybe PTs are resorting to this because of reason number 2. Hmmm.... makes me wonder.

4) Don't stand in fron of the mirror and block someone else
If a guy is using the power rack to do squats, please don't stand right in front of him and do bicep curls and block the mirror. This is just plain rude. Whenever you are doing an exercise, take a look and see if someone else is using the mirror first. If there is someone else behind is using the mirror, find another spot to do it. Don't plant yourself right in front and block that person. Its just rude. This has happened to me enough times and i really feel disgusted with this.

5) Spotting someone correctly
Maybe i should write a post on how to spot someone properly, because generally, most people don't know how to spot properly. Over and over again, i have seen one person doing bench press, while his spotter is doing bicep curls at the same time. Group workout???? When you spot someone, you are not supposed to lift as much weight as you can so that the other person doesn't have to do much. I understand when you are helping someone move houses, you would like to help as much as you can, but when it comes to lifting weights, its not the same.

You are supposed to stand by just in case of an emergency and offer minimal help to get them through their sticking point. That's it. Please don't attempt to do bicep curls while i am doing my bench press. When you are spotting someone, ask them how many reps they are going for and ask them how many reps they think they can get on their own. This way you have a better picture of how much help to offer and when to offer it. If i am aiming for 8 reps and say i can do 6 on my own, try not to touch the bar before 6 reps... unless i really get stuck, then yes, do jump in. But otherwise, please don't start your bicep curls from the first rep.

So here are just some weight room ethics which is at the top of my list. What about you guys? Have you experienced any other "irk-ing" scenarios that you wish to share? Or did i miss out any other weight room ethics worth sharing. Do share your thoughts and as usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

What Colour is Your Food?

I was watching Oprah the other day where she was featuring celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has a new show in the US called Food Revolution - not sure if this show will hit our shores any time soon. This show aims to help people understand the importance of eating healthy and staying healthy and he goes around educating people how to make simple yet healthy foods in their own homes. Food Revolution is a spin off from Jamie's previous show in UK which aimed at getting school cafeterias to start serving healthier foods to the school children in UK. After all, a healthy lifestyle is best cultivated when you are younger.

I honestly think Food Revolution is such a brilliant idea and i hope someone in Malaysia will do the same. Anyway, from watching some of the little snippets of the show, i picked up this really cool and important tip from Jamie, which i want to share with all of you.

During one of the snippets, he visits this family which is already obese. The father, the mother the kids, everyone is just way overweight. So Jamie Oliver goes in to find out what their diet is like and its mainly frozen foods such as fries, corn dogs, TV Dinners, Frozen pizza, fried chicken etc. The reason for this poor choice in nutrition is the usual excuse - we have no time to prepare proper food. Basically, their children have been brought up eating nothing but frozen food. Yikes.

So then Jamie heads to their freezer and takes out everything they have stored in there. He opens up the boxes / packets and starts pouring everything out onto the dining table (see picture below). He then asked the mother, what colour do you see in all these foods. With tears in her eyes, the mother answers "golden brown". Which is so true. Everything on the table is just one colour. Golden brown.This is when Jamie Oliver tells her that their family is seriously missing out on many essential nutrients which is vital for a healthy life. Ideally, the food they eat should be multi coloured. You need to have your greens, your oranges, reds and purples. The different colours in fruits and vegetables gives us different nutrients that we need which also has different functions, so its best to eat foods which have as many different colours as possible. Yes, golden brown is permitted, but it should not be golden brown all the way.

So what are you putting on your plate? Just take a quick glance and see if you have many colours or is all just predominantly one colour. Lets take a look at some of our local favourites and see if it is multi coloured or just one colour.

Hmmm....As you can see, its quite easy to fall into the same trap as the family i mentioned above. If you eat out most of the time, then its quite easy to miss out on all the different colours that we need and just eat one colour. If i were to eat without thinking and just follow my taste buds, yeah, i would do the same. Its called eating on auto pilot.

So how do we prevent this from happening? Simple. The next meal you have, just a take a quick glance and see what colours you are eating. If you are pre-dominantly only eating one colour for all your meals, then you know you know you need to throw in some vegetables here and there. If your meal already looks colourful, then, bravo... you are doing good. Keep it up. I am not a big fan of vegetables and have a limited choice of veges that i do like to eat. So i make it a point to prepare meals that uses these vegetables as much as possible. Or sometimes i make it a point to gulp down a good serving of the veges i do like first, before indulging into my main meal. I also eat lot of fruits to balance out my diet. So again, there are ways to work around this to ensure that you do get in all the various nutrients that you need. The overused excuse of no time has no place here. If you can't be diligent with your meals, then make it a point to eat the different colours during your snack time.

So, what colour is your food? Golden brown or multi coloured. Take a glance at your next meal and see what you are eating. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.

Is Snacking Healthy For You?

I am often asked this question by people trying to lose weight - "Is Snacking healthy for you?" Well my answer is always, "it depends what you are snacking on." Many so called weight loss experts always preach that in order to lose weight, you should avoid snacking. Well this is kinda true if you look at snacking from the traditional aspect - which is chips, goreng pisang and other tasty yet unhealthy choice of foods. But what if you were snacking on healthier stuff? Would that be OK?
Lets look at some basic principles of weight loss. When it comes to weight loss, a huge part of it is calories in vs calories out. As long as your total calories in is less than your total calories out, then you will lose weight. Its just simple science and mathematics. On top of that we also know that starvation diets don't work. In other words, depriving your body of nutrition for long periods of time is counter productive. Why? Because when you starve yourself, your body kicks in into survival mode. In this mode, your body decides to build up its reserve, should there suddenly be a situation when there is no food coming in. This way your body can survive as long as possible. How does your body build up its reserves? By storing whatever you eat as fat. So in order to avoid this situation, you need to eat regularly. With that being said, it does not mean you have a free hand to eat continuously. Remember what i said earlier... it all comes down to calories in vs calories out. So you still have a limit / quota of how much you can eat and still see weight loss. Your job is to spread it out smartly so your body does not go into survival mode.

One of the best techniques to reduce fat storage in your body is to eat every 3 hours that you are awake. This way, your body knows that there is a continuous stream of nutrition coming in, so it does not have to kick in its survival mode sub-routine. So if you traditionally eat 3 meals a day and you are awake for about 18 hours a day, you know for a fact that your body is going through long stretches without food, which is not good for your waist line. So in between those meals, it best to snack in between so there is food going in every 3 hours.

The big question is, what can you eat in between those normal meals of yours. You could eat your chips and goreng pisang, if you were a construction worker using about 4000 calories a day. Sure thing. For the amount of physical labour you are doing, you will need all those extra calories. But for most of us reading this, the most activity we get is when we work out or for some who don't work out, then your total activity for the day is very little. This also means that the total calories your body needs is very little too. So this means you will have to be careful with what you choose to eat so you don't burst your budget.

Ideally you should snack on low calories foods like fresh fruits (also a great way to get in heaps of micro nutrients like vitamins and minerals), muesli or maybe even a protein shake if you are taking one. This way you get to ensure you don't totally bust your daily calorie intake because you are eating every 3 hours.I know its difficult for those in the working world to try and abide by this rule diligently. With meetings and rushing off reports, sometimes even having a regular lunch hour seems impossible. But with a bit of planning, you should be able to do just fine. The idea here, is for you to go to work prepared. The problem why most people can't seem to do it, is because they go to work without being prepared for this.

I personally like recommending simple fruits like apples, bananas, grapes etc, because they are easy to eat on the go and you can store them just about anywhere. You don't need to prepare them before eating, so this removes a lot of the fuss. Buying loose muesli to munch on is great too, but i personally find it a little more cumbersome. Protein shakes are awesome because you can even bring it with you for a meeting. Just put it into a thermos and everyone will think you are sipping down a cup of coffee and won't even know you are drinking a protein shake. Got a long meeting? No problem... if you have your protein shake handy, you won't have to worry about it.


So the big question now is, what are you snacking on? Just because a colleague buys some curry puffs at 4 pm, doesn't mean you have to gulp those down. The problem arises when we don't plan and don't have any other healthy foods to consume. But if you came prepared, then you don't have to snack on that curry puff. Of course its ok for you to chow down that curry puff every once in awhile ( i love curry puffs), but if you are serious about your weight loss, then you know what you need to do to burn off those additional calories because of the curry puff. You will need to work it off somewhere. So do the math and decide which is more important to you - temptation of the curry puff or your figure.


Being prepared is the best way to avoid eating unnecessary unhealthy foods. Carrying some fruits with you takes no time at all to prepare, so there is no excuse as to why you can't do it. Same goes with protein shakes. Its easy, convenient and takes no time at all to prepare. So plan your snacking properly and watch the fat melt off. Its that simple. As usual, look forward to hearing your comments.