Another shocking news..

The scientist now have developed a pill that makes the body fit without the need for exercise. The drug fools the muscles into thinking they have worked out long and hard, which means they rapidly burn fat and boost fitness.

Basically, the drugs target muscle, boosting its ability to burn fat and allowing it to do more work without tiring. That is the principles on how it works.

Number of trials were halted over concerns about safety and its effectiveness over human body. So, expect the arrival on pharmacy shelves in couple of year later. Someone is making money on this drugs.

Whether it's a great news or bad news, it's up to you to decide..

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Once upon a time, somewhere in a public park....

First round: everything was quite well....




Second round: still catching my breath...




Final round: I need some rest..




but this boy looks so steady as he's not doing anything..

lesson from the story: Do not underestimate a kid, they are super-active with high level of metabolism..

p/s: I will beat you next time :)

Image credit: Obi-Akpere

I've heard about "Drink more water" in every health website, health magazine, etc. I know we’ve heard this too many times. But yet, many people still ignoring the advice. Ever wonder why God created our planet with 2/3 of water? Of course it's because water is needed. Every living organism on earth needs water, and everything your body does, it does better with a healthy supply of water, every system in your body depends on water. More than 70% of our body system is made from water.

So here I summarize why we should make drinking water part of your daily routine:

1. Get Healthy Skin
Nothing will improve the appearance of your skin better than consuming enough water. It’s a pity women spend so much money on skin products, while neglecting the cheapest and most effective one - water. Water is the single most important element for cellular integrity. Drinking water moisturizes your skin from the inside out. Water is also essential to maintaining elasticity and suppleness and helps prevent dryness. The real fountain of youth can be found in a glass of water.

2. Flush Toxins
Water helps remove toxins from the body, in particular from the digestive tract. Our kidney system is unique in its filtering capabilities and totally dependent upon water in order for it to work. Daily fluid intake is essential to its efficient operation, particularly because there is some decrease in function with age. Water helps get rid of excess nitrogen, urea, and ketones, so it is particularly important when following a high protein diet. You need even more water to help your kidneys do their work if you’re eating big to gain weight.

3. Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Attack
Researchers at Loma Linda University in California studied more than 20,000 healthy men and women and found that people who drink more than five glasses of water a day were less likely to die from a heart attack or heart disease than those who drank fewer than two glasses a day.

4. Cushion And Lube Your Joints And Muscles
Water makes up a large part of the fluid that lubricates and cushions your joints and muscles. And although not the only element associated with muscle cramps, athletes have long recognized that even mild dehydration can produce cramps. So drinking water before, during and after exercise can also help reduce muscle cramping and premature fatigue.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, adequate fluid replacement helps to maintain hydration therefore optimizing and enhancing performance of those participating in regular exercise. They suggest flavored waters to promote hydration and to increase palatability. Products such as Gatorade’s Propel Fitness Water are, therefore, terrific substitutes for plain water to increase fluid intake and meet the optimum consumption of water per day, thus enhancing performance and lessening the possibility of dehydration.

5. Get Energized And Be Alert
On average, most adults lose about 10 cups of fluid a day through sweating, exhaling, urinating, and bowel movements. Even minor dehydration can cause impaired concentration, headaches, irritability and fatigue.
Water is also essential for proper circulation in the body. The levels of oxygen in the bloodstream are greater when the body is well hydrated. The more oxygen the body has readily available the more fat it will burn for energy without the presence of oxygen the body cannot utilize stored fat for energy efficiently. Not only will the body burn more fat when well hydrated but because there are increased oxygen levels you will also have more energy.
Drinking more water everyday will help your think more clearly. Research has repeatedly shown that staying hydrated is necessary for the human brain, which is 85 percent water, to function at optimal levels. That is why many school systems throughout the country now encourage students to keep a bottle of water at their desks and to drink it throughout the day.

6. Stay Regular
Water helps prevent constipation by adding fluid to the colon and bulk to stools. Something as simple as fluid plays a major role in preventing constipation. Not only does the liquid encourage bowel movement, but it also softens the stools.
Water is essential for proper digestion, nutrient absorption and chemical reactions. The carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food are metabolized and transported by water in the bloodstream. But no less important is the ability of water to transport waste material out of our bodies.

7. Reduce Your Risk Of Disease And Infection
Consistent failure to drink enough water can lead to Chronic Cellular Dehydration. This condition where the body’s cell are never quite hydrated enough leave them in a weakened state, vulnerable to attack from disease. It weakens the body’s overall immune system and leads to chemical, nutritional and pH imbalances that can cause a host of diseases.
When you don’t have enough water in your body, your cells start to draw water from the bloodstream. Your heart has to work harder because your blood gets sludgy, and your body starts to redirect blood away from less vital areas. Dehydration can set in even before you start to feel thirsty. This is a great strain on the body because it impairs the kidneys in their vital function of purifying the blood and helping the body get rid of toxins.
Also Michaud and coworkers found that the incidence of cancer in the urinary bladder was reduced significantly by a high fluid intake in a ten-year study involving nearly 48,000 men. The top 20% of subjects who participated in the study drank 2500 ml per day or more, while the bottom 20% drank 1200 ml or less. The authors concluded that within this range, the risk of bladder cancer decreased by 7% for every 240 ml of fluid added.

8. Regulate Your Body Temperature
Water regulates the body’s cooling system. Sports drinks are useful when consumed after or during vigorous and prolonged exercise in high heat. But most experts agree that water works better than carbohydrates or sugared beverages for moderate exercise. For instance, if you drink 12 ounces of plain water, your body will absorb 8 ounces of it within 15 minutes. If you drink 12 ounces of a 10% sugar solution, less than 1 ounce will be absorbed in the same period. The typical soft drink is a 10 to 12% sugar solution.
Water is the nutrient your body needs the most. Between 55 and 75 percent of adult body weight is water, and it is critical in regulating all body organs and temperature.

9. Burn More Fat And Build More Muscle
It has been shown that dehydration decreases protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is what builds muscle. It is an energy costly process. When you suppress protein synthesis, fewer calories end up building proteins and more calories end up in your fat stores. It’s elementary: calories have two possible fates - they either get burned, or they get stored. When more of the calories you eat get burned, less will get stored.
Increased water consumption can help you control weight by preventing you from confusing hunger with thirst. Water will also keep your body systems, including metabolism and digestion, working properly and give you the energy (and hydration) necessary for exercise.

10. Get Well
The traditional prescription to ‛drink plenty of fluids‛ when you’re sick still holds strong. Water can help control a fever, replace lost fluids, and thin out mucus. Water plays a vital role in nearly every bodily function. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
Water is the substance of life. Life can not exist without water. We must constantly be adding fresh water to our body in order to keep it properly hydrated. Water can be a miracle cure for many common ailments such as headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and much more.

Early Death Comes from Drinking Distilled Water

However not all water is created equally. I read the article written by Dr. Rona in chetday.com about the bad effect of drinking distilled water. Putting distilled water to our daily consumption in the long term could cause an early death to us.

The ideal water for the human body should be slightly alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Distilled water tends to be acidic and can only be recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of distilled water is a bad idea.

Water filtered through reverse osmosis tends to be neutral and is acceptable for regular use provided minerals are supplemented.

Water filtered through a solid charcoal filter is slightly alkaline. Ozonation of this charcoal filtered water is ideal for daily drinking. Longevity is associated with the regular consumption of hard water (high in minerals). Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with the long term drinking of distilled water. Avoid it except in special circumstances.

source: RirianProject, Chetday.com, Health-in-Motion

I've been waiting for MensHealth July's issue for almost a week, and finally yesterday I found them in bookstore nearby my office. So I grabbed one..

The most interesting part on this issue, they are going to have 10K run on August 24th at Lake Gardens, maybe to celebrate our Malaysian Independence Day on August 31st. If you're amateur and season runner, join this race..

Now here is another reason for you to join, and you would probably love to hear this.. The race is only open for Malaysian, Singaporean and PR, so expect no African runners will be participating, which mean higher chance of winning. Haha. Actually I hate endurance running, but 10K is not distance enough for me to hate.

I don't expect to win the race, but just hope I can train this month and break my personal record on 10K. I put as my mini goal this Quarter. Chasing numbers begin.

Hopefully my new pair of Brooks will bring me luck..

Details of event ==>http://www.mens-health.com.my/index_run08.asp

Here is simple switch on how I make my workout more fun. Use this variety when you feel boring..

Car pushing
Looks simple? but wait until you push and move the car 20 meters forward. I don't know how to describe this workout, but each step you take to push the car forward, you'll feel the muscles is firing from your calves, then up to your thighs, moving up to your shoulder and upper back via your core, especially the lower back in one single fluid motion. Guess what? It's a perfect total body workout ever. It could be more taxing than a Deadlift, or maybe on par with..

If you're advance lifter and fit enough to handle this drill, find a fit partner and drive to an empty parking space. Place the transmission to neutral, push the car 15 to 20 meters (depend on your stamina) while your friend take the wheel job. Then switch.

It's fun, but are you sure to complete the 3rd round?



Stair climbing
Climbing those steps required effort and deep determination, but the effort paid off. Turns out there are few approaches to training that we can learn from a pro-boxer's workout routine - think Sylvester Stallone in Rocky screen movie? One simple approach is stair climbing. This is somewhat brutal workout, which is designed to increase muscle definition, power and stamina in the thighs, hamstrings and calves.

To try this workout, select a 5 or 10 pounds om dumbbell for each hand. This may seem light at first, but after starting the exercise, I'm sure you won't be to wait to put them down. Locate a stair set that has a least 5 flight with around 10 steps/flight. Grab the dumbbells and explode all the way up. Don't rest at the top; turn around and come down the steps with controlled pace. Then active rest once you hit the bottom. Repeat for 4-5 sets. Don't forget to warm up your knees thoroughly and do some stretching before climbing.

Swimming
Enough said. One of the great low impact fat burner cardiovascular and a total body workout, if you know how to. Swimming does burn calories at a rate of about 3 calories a mile per pound of bodyweight. It can serve as a cross-training element to your regular workouts.

If you to lose fat faster, and we're not talking about swimming for a leisure activity, think interval training, or superset with Pushup each time after crossing the pool? It could be great workout.


Wall climbing
Fears of falling motivates us. Hence, it's a great adrenalin workout. And, if you think climbing only works your upper body, you're wrong. Actually wall climbing gym's expert claims, climbing emphasize your lower body more than the upper body. That's why I choose this activity sometimes during my weekend. Find wall climbing gym nearby and try this. Thank me later if you get addicted.

If you're staying around Subang Jaya, there is Indoor climbing gym called Nomad Adventure. Pay per entry and rent all safety equipment at very cheap rate, is a good option for first timer. Logon to their website for more info at http://www.nomadadventure.com


p/s: Tarzan's lean and athletic physique is made in the jungle. So, for those who don't have access to this gym, you might want to try climb up any tree, but make sure to take safety measures - and at your own risk, of course..

more information about indoor climbing here.

If there is any new thing to try, I would love to hear from you.

One of the common method used to measure our success of weight loss program is by judging how much weight you lose over a certain period of time. Say, a guy lost 40 pounds of his weight over 5 months of period, sounds quite successful to us, right?

Now, have you ever heard about ROI? It's a short form of Return-of-Investment, a common term for business decision makers to evaluate their investment by comparing the magnitude and timing of expected gains to the investment costs. I use this term very often throughout my prospecting and marketing program.

If let say, there are two guys, "A" and "B" started their weight loss program, with the same starting weight, and then they lost the same amount of 40 pounds fat over 5 months. Guy "A" invested 100 dollars for running shoes for his initial investment, and the other one, guy "B" invested 1000 dollars for his running shoes and treadmill machine. Now, which one is more successful?

If money is one of your concern, then I think you'll need to understand a bit about ROI and payback period, but don't worry: you don't need to be a math expert. Here I will outline the simple way to calculate ROI,

Fat Loss ROI = (Fat Loss - Investment Costs) / Investment Costs

Before that, we have to convert fat into term of dollars. If let say, to lose just one pound of fat you will have to burn up 3500 calories. How much is that? Well if you are on a diet such as the 2000 calories weight loss diet, you are eating 2000 calories a day. So, 3500 calories is about nearly two full days worth of food. Convert 3500 calories in term of dollars spent of two days of food.

Let's do the math based on my weight loss experience and payback period is one year..

Initial weight = 194 pounds (30% Body Fat)
Initial fat mass = 58.2 pounds
Current weight = 151 pounds (13% Body Fat)
Current fat mass = 19.6 pounds
Total fat loss = 58.2 - 19.6 = 38.6 pounds

Gross investment costs so far..
Dumbbell set = $90
Chin-up bar = $50
Running shoes = $140
Gym ball = $60
Flex tube = $25
Gym fee costs (accumulated - 3 months) = $120
Total investment costs = $485

Converting pound into dollar...

If 1 pound = 3500 calories,
then, 38.6 pounds = 135,100 calories

If 2000 calories = one day worth of food,
then, 135,100 calories = 67.55 days worth of food (Let's take it as 68 days)
If 1 day food spent = $20,
then, 68 days = $1,360

Fat loss ROI = ( Fat Loss $$$ - Investment Costs ) / Investment Costs * 100(%)
= (1,360 - 485) / 485 * 100 (%)
= 180 %

From the calculation, I think the best way to getting better ROI is creating exercise plan using bodyweight training eg: Turbulence Training, and next is Dumbbell home-gym training, followed by commercial fitness gym and so forth.

The dumbest ever solution to your fat loss, which yield to worst ROI is liposuction method - If you think you will go for this method, you better stop reading this. Try googling the nearest clinic that have such expertise and call their hotline number for appointment. We're not talking about "Extreme Makeover" TV program, aren't we?

Personally, I don't recommend such surgery as it does not adding value to your inner self. Exercise hard, you'll learn how to love yourself more.

The above calculation is a very basic calculation ROI over your fat loss. But, I understand that some of us will probably don't agree with the calculation. No matter how much you saved (or gained), how much direct or indirect costs involved in detail, by stripping away the excessive fat, you will get a lot of health benefits that help you live longer, which is indirect.

And don't forget the fat dominoes, by reducing your body fat percentage, you will significantly cut the risk factors associated with many diseases, not just diabetes, heart disease etc. Certainly, it doesn't guarantee you a get-out-of-the-hospital free license, but you will save thousand bucks for your medical bills...

I've been subsribing newsletter from Men's Health mag since April 2007, to keep me updated about latest health news, research, workout, etc.

Somewhere on January this year, I received a great article that changed my perspective on weight training. The America's top strength & conditioning coach shares his golden rules to gain explosive strength, and it works for everyone.

Before you step in to any gym in town, I really recommend you to read this article first. This is fundamentals of what does it mean to train hard. Watch the video clip below, or view the articles about strength training principles from Mens Health here.



If you understand these golden rules, I bet you will find bodybuilding exercise which targets on specific muscle group using isolation movement is not really applicable to real world's life.

Think about the legendary Bruce Lee, small, hard and lean physique, but his punch? Could send you to hospital for days. That's the strength I'm talking about. Anyway, we don't have to be like him, but certainly, other than in sports, the strength and functional fitness could benefit us in our real life.

As for me, a non-athlete nor martial arts practitioner, just an average Joe, I'm now building my strength and functional fitness, so that I could be well prepared in the event of emergencies, if any.. What does it feel if there is a critical situation, say about saving one's life, but you don't have that capability to take right action over the situation? Think about it..