3 Too easy

Yesterday I fell to the temptation of having two Hungry Jacks meals with some uni-friends after our lecture. It felt amazing. But at the same time I was terribly guilty and wished I had resisted. 
As I went home after my guilty meal I decided to take my bike out for a ride back into the city to soak up the beautiful spring weather and burn off the burgers...

A lot has changed on the trails and routes since my last ride out to the city in Autumn. There were a few more picnic areas erected around the Yarra Bend and some more benches and facilities for families. But this isn't what I want to talk about today.

What I really want to talk about is this new climbing wall under Monash Freeway, near Burnley Tunnel. Open to public and built in space that is normally left empty.

It's far too easy for many places like under a bridge or behind a parking lot to build a few walls to climb for the public. It's even easier for us Potatoes to be active and engage in active activities with our friends and family with the many facilities readily available in the community.

Many cities like Melbourne are full of nature trails and tracks shared between pedestrians, furry little family members and cyclists. These trails are great for having a walk, run or cycle with family or friends. Not to mention the musculoskeletal developing facilities located along some of these tracks and trails.

Various community events catered for young children to seniors hold various yoga, tai-chi, and other exercise classes in parks, community centers and other open areas free of charge to the community. There are also cycling groups where you can join free of charge with no commitment on set dates of the month or week.

Isn't it easy to be engaged in active activity?

Too easy.

Kwongie

0 Stay focused. Take your time.

I went home early today after a assignment submission.
On the way home I decided to pay my friend a visit, like myself, my buddy here also works out in the garage. I went in from the side door and sat on the bench waiting for him to finish his sets. He was doing power cleans on a free bar at the time. I noticed he was forcing his lower back a lot, not to mention he was rushing his set. In the past he had complained about back pain and lack of muscle development no matter how much he works out.

In this post I'd like to briefly talk about staying focused and taking your time.

When i mentioned that my buddy had rushed his workout and complained of a lack of muscle development and body aches. It was simply because he doesn't focus in his workout and has a tendency to rush things. To fix these two issues we sat down and redefined two little things that can make every workout count.

Focus. When we focus and think about what we are doing and concentrate on defining our technique our gains will be more eminent and our body will be under less pressure. Chances of injuring yourself is also lower as you will be focussing in correcting your workout and technique.

Whilst you're focused and concentrating on implementing the perfect technique and workout. Taking your time is just as vital. When you slow down and refocus and refresh, your next set or rep will benefit. Gains and reduced chances of injury will be more eminent too. Not to mention a more effective workout as you will be pacing yourself and not rushing through each workout. 

Quality over quantity.

Remember to FOCUS and TAKE YOUR TIME

I hope this helped you Potatoes!

Kwongie

2 Take a leap.

In the past few weeks I have discussed various ways to identify what type of body you have, who you are and little tricks on how to start your journey to a healthier you. This week I'd like to share a bit about my routine in the past and present and how I changed my routine to better build my health. 


During my final year as a year 12 VCE student. I wanted to maintain my health to have a stronger immune system, with higher levels of energy and better concentration in my studies. I took my first step In February, I began to get back onto my bike and have 20km rides everyday, recording each statistic with the free application, mapmyride.com seen in my previous post "I need it!". A month after cycling on a daily basis, I incorporated weight training into my routine after each cycling session. I used a full body workout each time instead of a muscle group specific workout, this was an attempt for me to increase my metabolism and muscle v fat ratio equality. I continued this routine until May when I realised I don't have a solid direction and I wasn't eating right to maintain energy levels and nutrients for muscle development.

During mid May I happened to mention my routine and diet with a patient at the chiropractic medical clinic I was employed in. Having discussed my situation to him, he provided me with his expert advice as personal trainer and dietitian. I started off by addressing my diet and snacking on nuts and berries to maintain a stable metabolism and appetite, later on addressing my somatotype in the process I defined what my goal was.

All that said, he helped me devise a workout on his next visit which consisted of morning cardio, optional cardio after school and one muscle group specific training in the evening. This was followed by a six meal diet to cater for my Mesomporph x Endomporph somatotype to have a higher muscle v fat ratio.

This six meal diet was a protein based diet with minimal carbohydrates to help me have a higher muscle v fat ratio.

This consisted of:

Morning
Morning Sprint
Two Eggs and/or Muesli and Yoghurt and/or Fresh Fruit (with flaxseed and chia seed)
Followed with a glass of minimal process fresh milk.

Morning Tea/Recess
Nuts and Berries and/or Fresh Fruit and/or One Can of Tuna

During Class / Study (Snack)
Nuts and Berries or Fresh Fruit

Lunch
A wrap or wholemeal sandwich with a variety of filling
Regularly consists of plain roast turkey, avocado, tomato, onions and greens
No spread was used except for cottage cheese, which is high in casein; a slow burning protein that is low in fat, great for muscle recovery.

After school
A salad with tuna or chicken (steamed)

After evening cardio or pre-workout
Nuts and Berries and/or fresh fruits
Followed by a glass of fresh milk

Dinner
Dinner meals normally consist of red rice or black rice with fresh steamed asian greens and some fresh meat. Occasional stir fry with minimal to no oil used.

Followed by sufficient amounts of water and fluids to keep me hydrated.


The result? From 55 kilograms at 5'1 with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 22.3 I cut my weight down to 52 kilograms and a BMI of 21.1. Was I happy? Yes! OF COURSE I WAS. Higher levels of energy and concentration not to mention a more defined stomach. It was a large difference.

I still follow this workout very closely, largely focussing on muscle gains, sadly due to studies and other commitments my muscle v ratio is just hanging in there.

Are you willing to take the leap?