Keeping fit and staying healthy whilst always on the move has always been my way of life.

I'm so glad that many of you have told me how you were influenced by my daily routines. Being able to positively influence my readers towards my goals of staying fit & healthy is yet another achievement altogether!

My recent stint at Fitology in Bangsar!

As a health junkie & a fitness advocate, I'm always sharing my healthy bites from my very own kitchen or wherever I dine at as well as sharing my gym activities & progress on my Facebook feeds & Twitter

Today, imma share my complete 360° fitness programme at Fitology, which is located in Bangsar.

Fitology. Designed to give us a 360° fitness experience

Take my hand, and let me bring you on a visual tour of Fitology through my eyes!

I arrived the vicinity at 4pm and guess what's the 1st thing I did? 😛

Check-in on Foursquare! 😛 😛

I checked out the place before I began my session.

Fitology boasts a very spacious, brightly lit and most importantly, well-equipped training zones.

The first wealth is health!

Always remember that, dearies 

Just some of the machines you will need for your 30 minute cross-fit training!

I shall introduce you to them later and how they will help you work your body 😀

This is another zone where the training is conducted.

As you can see from the mats and wall mirrors, floor exercises, core muscle workout,

free weights, flexibility & stretching are conducted here!

Prior to the session, I was given a short Q&A form to fill in.

This is important so your trainer can gauge your fitness level and target certain areas 

1. FITNESS

Roaring with enthusiasm, I couldn't wait to begin right away! Let it roll! 

I was given a short briefing & overview of my training before I began. 

This is my trainer for today. 

Meet Jason. He's sucha nice and patient dude!

Jason pointed to the iPod on the counter and asked me if I wanted music to accompany my workout.

But of course! Music gets me going; especially in a fitness routine 

I turned the volume up and selected Laidback Luke's tracks.

I'm ready for this! Hey ho.. let's go! 

Let's get our body pumping more oxygen to our muscles & heart rate up first, shall we? 😀

WARM UP SESSION!

Warm ups are very important to make sure our bodies are gradually coordinated and ready for increased demands of exercise and it reduces the risk of pain & injuries too. 

So never, EVER skip out on your warm up session for it helps you to prepare your body physically & mentally for workouts!

First up! Jason instructed me to the…

Rope Machine

This machine targets the biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest and back muscles!

It requires a certain amount of constant strength.

But nothing you can't do, I'm sure of it 

Once you pick up the momentum, it's pretty easy

Imagine you're falling off a cliff, okay? So just keep pulling the never-ending rope! 

Jason very patiently guided me to straighten my back & keep my head up whilst working out

He kept me going at a regular pace, not forgetting to inhale & exhale too!

Once that's done, I drained the waterbottle provided at the counter and proceeded with the next workout.

The JACOB'S LADDER

Jason showing me the correct way of fastening the belt on to your waist

You will need to strap & buckle yourself up to ensure the ladder keeps coming at a certain rate (depending on how fast you climb or how high you climb till) and for reading on the machine to stay correct.

I'm all strapped up!

Climb! Climb! Climb the ladder with never-ending steps! 

Just keep going. Don't look back.

If you start to feel tired, imagine you're trying to climb away from a vicious monster behind you LOL

This machine wore me out pretty quickly. 

Phew! I felt like a hamster on a hamster wheel

Throughout the workout, Jason was right by my side to keep me going!

Throughout all my years of working out at the gym, I never believed in having a Personal Trainer

I've picked up some skills along the way & have always worked out efficiently myself.

But at Fitology, it isn't like the usual gym routines of 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 nor sets and reps.

This is where you actually NEED a personal trainer by your side to ensure your workout is tailor-made for you and your body's needs. Your trainer is there to give each and every individual different workouts according to their fitness level or their goals.

On to the Water Rower

I've seen these equipments in the gym but never bothered to use it. 

Probably 'cos I don't know the correct way. But now I do 😀

The rowing strokes uses a vast majority of muscles!  Here, let me show you :

We're putting all these muscles to good use! 😀

Row row row away!

Bumped into buddy Joanne while she was on the Water Rower too

Keep it up, hun! 

I took a good gulp of water and continued taking Jason's lead.

We proceeded to the Ab Coaster!

Why hello there, Ab Coaster. You and I shall be fast friends.

Jason showed me how I should 

pull my lower torso up using my abdominal muscles slowly but steadily

With every pull, I feel the burn. 

Loving it to the maximum! 

Yup, that's right.

Focus. Focus. Focus.

And keep it going. That is key! 

Just a few more crunches! Mad love for the sweat trickling down my forehead

The final equipment on my programme today. The Arc Trainer!

It may look like the usual elliptical machines in the gym but there's a huge difference, if you didn't know.

This is the Cybex Arc Trainer; similar but yet very different from a elliptical machine

Although both the machines work for cardio and the lower body, the Arc Trainer's foot plates move in a very different path compared to the elliptical machine.

Take a look at this :

According to Dr. Paul Juris of Cybex International, which developed the first arc trainer, 

the difference between the machine and an elliptical is that the arc trainer's footplates move in an arc pattern. 

An elliptical machine's foot plates rotate in an ellipse pattern. 

The idea behind the arc pattern is that the movement is comparable with the 

elliptical's but requires less movement.

This allows for less stress in the knees and hips, while increasing cardiovascular endurance.

 

 

Tiring! But so worth the panting and perspiration!

Keep it going at a regular pace. 

This machine works not just your lower body but your upper body as well.

Now that I'm pretty much acquainted with all the machines in the room, it's time for Round #2

Are we ready? What's left of my energy was fueled by the zest I have to keep going. 

So.. let's do it! 

Rope Machine… PULL PULL PULL until Jason says stop!

With the sheer determination and the drive to finish it till the end… this proves no problem.

Ab Coaster! Crunchtime baby! 

My favorite (and also the toughest)… the Jacobs Ladder! 

Climb the highest mountain… and be proud of it, for the steps never stop coming down

After a few rounds of cross-fit fitness training for 30 minutes in total, it was time to proceed to the 2nd part of the Fitology 360° experience.

2. Detox.

This is how you burn calories passively!

I was ushered to my own private room where the Far-Infrared (FIR) Sauna machine was

Me inside the FIR Sauna. I've never sweat this much whilst practically not doing anything!

See the giant bottle of water? I was told to finish every last drop for water replenishment 🙂

The FIR sauna machine doesn't only rid your body of excess toxins and stimulates the body's metabolic process to burn calories!

Apart from that, it strengthens your immune system and rejuvenates your skin 

I sat inside the FIR Sauna machine and read a few fitness magazines that were provided and even had time to surf around on my phone. I was sweating buckets from doing…. nothing. LOL.

What a great way to burn calories, ey? 😀

Third stage!!

3. Nourishment

I was given a choice of smoothies and I chose the fat-burning one!

So delicious! It tasted of strawberries. 

This step is crucial to replenish the lost nutrients & fluids, as well as refuel the body with antioxidants

It aids digestion and gives our immune system a boost too! 

Final stage (and should I say the best part? 😛 )

4. Sports Therapy

One hour full body massage! Just exactly what I need after a good, powerful workout.

I totally live for massages 

I frequent massage parlours pretty often, but hardly any target the right muscles like Fitology's masseuse does

She was just THAT good… and friendly too! 

We befriended each other and I had some good laughter through the funny stories we exchanged whilst having a kick-ass massage that aids in post-exercise recovery. What could be better? 

Kneading all my tired muscles. Thank you so much, it feels great!

I expected to be sluggish after today but nope, I got right back on my feet and felt so refreshed

After less than 3 hours, I was done with my complete 360° Fitology experience!

I'm dead sure I've burnt more calories than I ever did in my regular 3 hour session at the gym each time.

It's a wholesome workout! 

For someone who has been actively working out for the past few years, my advice to you is to NEVER look at your workouts as a chore. 

I want you to enjoy it, feel it and reap the benefits from all that discipline.

How do you get a trim, lean, firm & fit body? 

Simple. It's pure hard work and determination.

And no starving required 

You could join Fitology for an overall fitness experience, while you're at it. 

For non-members (walk in customers), you pay RM200

But if you sign up as a member, you only pay RM110 for the full experience!

I find this concept extremely unique and a one-stop all-in-one fitness center.

30 minutes of professional fitness training + 30 minutes of FIR sauna + health smoothie + sports massage. Is all you need to achieve your health & fitness goals! The calories burnt in one short, compact Fitology 360° session outweighs any others 

Also, one more important thing. I believe wholeheartedly that fitness routines and working out should not be limited to plump, fat, overweight or obese (whichever is the politically/socially correct term LOL).

Why must one wait to grow that big before deciding to turn up their fitness dial?

I for one, definitely advocate maintaining fitness and keeping an active, healthy lifestyle despite being fat or thin.

I can safely say that I'm probably not fat NOW, but I COULD be, if I do not start being fit now, right?

As a fitness junkie, I strongly recommend Fitology to be incorporated in your fitness routines! 

Check them out & contact them to undergo a complete 360° fitness experience at Fitology! 

Website : www.fitology.my

Facebook page : www.facebook.com/Fitology

Twitter : twitter.com/fitology360

In all my 6 years of consistant fitness routines, working out & busting it out at the gym, I'm glad (and very touched!) that many of you readers and Twitter followers have thanked me for influencing yall do the same as well. 

So proud of you guys!!

If you're on Twitter with me, you would know how often I hit the gym and how much I try to keep to my healthy diet. Well, of course I admit that I do indulge once in a while, but the key is always moderation.

My bowl of salad for breakfast

What should I cook today?

Steamed veggies for lunch!

Popping in my baked fish & pumpkins into the oven for dinner!

Last week, I was asked to share a brilliant article on my blog and without hesitation, I willingly agreed 🙂

Why? Good things – and useful information! – ought to be shared, especially with all of you!

Today, I'm going to be talking about losing fat & feeling better.

Imma share with you some important facts & how-tos which has become part of my daily life.

Then you're doing it wrong, sweetheart 🙂

Before waging a never-ending war on losing weight & cutting the fat, there are several things you need to understand:

Weight gain occurs when :

the amount of calories we consume IS MORE

than the amount of calories we burn. 

So burn more calories to lose weight!

If you eat more than what your body needs (overeating) and don't exercise it away, be prepared for weight-gain!

But remember, crash diets & useless weight-loss techniques won't do you any good because they disrupt the body metabolism in burning away your fat. So technically, you're not helping.

Bottom line is: 

EAT LESS (calories) or EXERCISE!

If so, those cookies you stole from the cookie jar wont make you fat.

Yes, Cookie Monster, you heard me 🙂

Things you need to know about fat loss 

You cannot 'spot reduce'

Exercise routines such as sit-ups, leg-raises or dumbbell raising only target the muscle underneath your layers of fat. Although these exercises help you burn calories, strengthen your body and tone up, it does not magically make you lose fat at a specific part of your body.

You can't lose fat in specific areas, fat-loss happens overall in all areas of your body!

Unlike my male gym buddies, I aim to tone up and train my lean muscle, not to build muscular mass

So I carry lighter weights, about 4KG ones and do more reps instead

This is a really old picture LOL

I hardly take any photos of myself while gyming but I found a rare few

So always remember, lose the fat first before your weight training!

If not, you'll only end up looking bigger and bulkier. Unless that's what you want 🙂

Lighter is NOT better.

This is what I always tell newbie-gym members or whoever I train.

The weighing scale isn't everything. You can be 70-80kg but that doesn't mean you're fat.

Did you know that muscle weighs 4 times more than fat? So does bone structures & bone densities.

When I started my intense workout of strength training, circuit training, core muscle training & weight-lifts religiously, I gained weight. 

See? The weight I gained was all attributed to muscle and mass gain, not fat 🙂

Carbohydrates do not make you fat

Consuming carbs doesn't make you fat, excess calories in sugar & fat does.

In fact, eating healthy carbs helps you stay in shape by filling you up & keeping you full for longer.

However, if you indulge too much in unhealthy, unrefined flour (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, white rice, potato chips, jelly) without exercising, then yes, it will not be burned off but instead stored as fat.

Pro-tip : Don't eat white bread or white rice. I swear by that!

My alternative is always wholemeal bread, brown rice & oatmeal

Start burning!

Increase your activity levels

If you're not a member at any gym, build your fitness with a 30minute walk or a jog everyday to burn calories & increase cardiovascular activity.

For me, I hit the gym every alternate day and part of my workout includes a 5KM run with a speed of 8km/h.

I go running/jogging often

Hiking & jungle trekking sessions!

For indoor activities, I DDR (dance dance revolution) a lot.

Helps you sweat it all out and it's an excellent cardio activity!

Reduce your calorie intake

Losing weight (fat) is all about losing the calories. Count calories if you may.

My targeted daily calorie intake is at 1200 calories, with exercise.

The recommended calorie intake for men is 2000 calories per day & 1500 calories per day for women

Take a look at this, to help you estimate :

And fellow Malaysians, you might wanna know this *giggles*

CRAZY AMOUNT OF CALORIES, EY? 😛

Avoid second helpings.

You're just greedy, not hungry. Your body doesn't need that extra junk 🙂

But if you insist, then double your vegetable intake and halve your meat intake.

Swap sweetened/carbonated/sugary drinks like cola, soda water, cordial and syrup to plain water

If you drink milk, like me, opt for low-fat milk.

Stop being sucha fatty dessert person. Cut the ice-cream, cakes, candies & sweets.

I'd love to have yummy desserts too, but I'd want a yummy body more 😉

Cut down on your alcohol intake.

You're not only doing your liver a favour but your body will thank you for not forcing down mad calories in it.

Haha! I love my alcohol, trust me. But then again, I love my body more so I try to ensure I drink no more than 3 glasses when I go to events or clubbing/partying.

Let me be the bad guy and show you how much calories you consume at a party:

Never skip meals

You might think it helps, but it doesn't. Your body goes into starvation mode & sugar levels drop.

Skipping meals disrupts your body's metabolism & you'll be tempted to snack/overeat later.

For me, I strictly eat every 4 hours. Don't ask me why, it's how I've trained my body calorie intake cycle.

All those I've said above are sure-ways to be healthier and trimmer.

Take my word. Give it a go (with determination & discipline!) and you can say hello to a healthier and fitter new you in no time! 

This article is brought to you by TheJessicat and Great Eastern life 🙂

For more information, visit Great Eastern Life's wellness 'Live Great' website here on how to live life healthier and better!

After sucha loooooonnngg journey, we've finally arrived in Bali!
 

What came as a pleasant surprise was that we were greeted by our chauffeur with a garland of pretty and sweet smelling Frangipani flowers hung around our necks 🙂

Thanks for a great start to our island getaway already!

Checked in to our accommodation for our holiday, Hard Rock Hotel Bali!

As we speak, it's already our 2nd day here. As expected, an amazing stay so far, 3 more days to go 😀

At the signature photowall just outside the hotel lobby

Today was crazy, they brought us around for a full day tour around Kintamani, Ubud, Tampak Siring and so many other places with foreign names I don't remember! 😀 Also, if you've been reading my tweets, you would know that we drank some coffee made out of Civet Cat faeces. (Yes, I meant shit)
 

Hehe. So catch ya later! Will blog soon 🙂

It's so freakin' rare to get any internet around here so I've just parked my arse in Starbucks Coffee at our hotel for a bit.

Enjoy your weekend loves!
 

Edit!

CONGRATULATIONS MALAYSIA!!

HARIMAU MUDA MALAYA BEATS GARUDA INDONESIA

4 – 2 ON AGGREGATE AND BRINGS HOME THE TROPHY!

😀 😀 😀 😀

WELCOME HOME CHAMPIONS OF THE SUZUKI CUP

You've done us proud. Good game too, Indonesians!

——————————–

So alright, I was never a fan of fighting publicly on Twitter.

Reason being, fights should remain private and not put up on the World Wide Web to see.

Hence, I never ever chose to do it.

Closest I've ever been was some very subtle yet snide remarks or sarcasm but nothing too substantial to warrant a fight.

UNTIL. Last night. This was no personal affair.

Malaysia played against Indonesia in the AFF Suzuki Cup during the 1st leg final in our National Stadium, Bukit Jalil and beat them to a beautiful score of 3 – 0. Just like my fellow Malaysian citizens, I was rooting for my country all the way for our victory and cheering for them on Twitter despite the bitter accusations that our neighbouring country threw at us.

They made #malaysiacheatlaser a worldwide trending topic even.

What started it was when someone replied me on Twitter so childishly and not only insulted me, but my nation as well

and many other tweets which I can't seem to find now.

They've probably deleted it -___-

Thanks very much to some of my tweeples on Twitter for the support and those who backed up my responses.

Here are tweets from other people –

Allow me to reiterate that our Malaysian footballers scored 3 goals while playing fair and square ON THE FIELD.

They had nothing to do with some childish, dimwitted and juvenile Malaysian fans at the stadium playing with laser lights. In fact, our goals gradually scored one after another AFTER half time.

CLEARLY, after the lasers have already stopped by then.

However, I am ashamed of those handful of Malaysian fans who played with laser pointers. It was a distracting and ignorant thing to do.

BUT

Also for your kind information, an Indonesian news source, Tribunnews, has reported that the Indonesian fans also did use and point their laser lights at our Malaysian goalkeeper. Looks like we're equal now.

Ramli Mohammad Sharbinee being pointed at by the laser beam

Check it out here, if you can read Bahasa Indonesia.

Oh and here are some of my tweets from last night as well –

Just for the record and to all my Indonesian readers out there, I have nothing against Indonesia nor Indonesians at all. 🙂 In fact, I've many Indonesian friends in university and have an Indonesian maid at home whom I love dearly

Football is a competitive sport, but not meant to cause such a ruckus 🙁

See you in Jakarta, at the 2nd leg held in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. All the best to Harimau Malaya and Garuda Indonesia

Here's to hoping that fans of both nations drop their lightsabers! 😛

May the best team win.

Yes Yes! Watch football with me and a whole buncha peeps LIVE through the largest TV screen in Southeast Asia this weekend!

Haha yup, this is coming from a newly turned footie fan

Honestly, prior to 2010, I wasn't exactly a huge fan of football of any sort. Be it FIFA World Cup, Barclay's Premier League, English Premier League or anything related to it at all.

UNTIL…

I was invited to the FIFA 2010 World Cup trophy tour!

Only then I understood what the whole hype was about! 😀

I could clearly remember being all eggcited during the FIFA World Cup and even betting on which teams are gonna win or lose!

Here's some memories of my homies and I in the spirit and gathering together to watch the finale!!

Clearly, we're all rooting for Spain!

Sometime last year, I too had an encounter with football – this time, a Manchester United party held in Quattro.

Lots and lots of MUFC fans in the haus!

Can't see me here, but I was wearing red too btw! 😀

So naturally, I'm psyched for this Sunday's LIVE viewing party!

In the meantime, you can catch up with latest Man Utd news before the match day at "The Stadium" in this very funky The World of Everyone Connects website! Walk around and check the "place" out! It's so cute and virtual – like The Sims haha!

You can also chat and comment about the match or during the game at the "Kopitiam" with other people, in real time!

So if you can't make it and watching the game at home instead, you can still comment and chat LIVE with us at the party

Hey, that's me in fronta the "Kopitiam"! 😀

One more thing! Just FYI, you can get exclusive TM Manchester Utd merchandise and FAN ZONE seats when you sign up for any TM products or services this Sunday at the party.

No wonder TM's so involved, Telekom Malaysia (TM) is the official integrated telecommunications partner of Manchester Utd in Malaysia!

You can check out the website yourself 

They're on Facebook too! Go "LIKE" the Everyone Connects Facebook page and get a cool EveryoneConnects wristband at the TM booth this Sunday during the party!

So, are you ready for the showdown!!?

Where Chelsea takes on Manchester United at Stamford Bridge all the way in London!!

I know I am!

Lemme bet your bottom dollar that the Red Devils will trash Chelsea all the way!

Make Alex Ferguson and the rest of the world proud

Popping down to Nike too, to buy my 1st ever Manchester Utd football jersey 😀

I shall be waving this "flag" proudly until the end of time!

Sorry Chelsea, you won't stand a chance 😛

Can't wait for the LIVE viewing party!

See you at Padang Timur, PJ this Sunday (19th Dec 2010) at 12PM or see you virtually at the "Kopitiam"!