I'm glad we finally decided to roll out the first of our series of free fitness clinics today at the Botanic Gardens. It was an idea my team & I came up with late last year in our attempt to help spread the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through exercise.


Lush greenery awaits visitors to the Singapore Botanic Gardens

Comprising 2 stations with each one manned by our trainers, the first free fitness clinic of the year saw our clients and friends turn up to support our efforts.

The first station saw participants do 2 simple yet effective bodyweight exercises, namely pushups and lunges. These exercises were selected as they worked 2 of the largest muscles groups of the body. More importantly, the aim was to show that exercise could be done anytime, anywhere...without the need for any gym nor equipment. Take a leaf from my own My Body My Gym group classes and you will be inspired further!


Pushups

An excellent form of training one's endurance, pushups have long been regarded as the main staple to assess a person's strength. In fact, this is more than true. A properly executed pushup works the main pectoral muscle and also works the synergist tricep muscles. 


Stationary Lunges


The more we lunge together, together...

While it is important to train the upper body, it is equally of paramount importance to train the lower body. As the main support of our weight, our leg muscles need to be strong so as to support our entire body frame. I don't think anyone loves chicken, stick-thin eggs which are truly an eyesore. One of the most effective lower body exercises is lunges. Click here for more simple body weight exercises you can do at your own leisure time.

The second station witnesses participants learning about the proper sprinting techniques. These included how one should propel the feet off the ground, the correct striding methods and the proper landing so as not to hurt the feet.


If you run like this for your shuttle run or 2.4km, you will strike gold...guaranteed!


The exhilaration after the sprint...smiles all around :)


Me with the standee which I designed

For the others who wanted to come but could not make it either because it was deemed too early (0730hrs on a Sunday) or the timing clashed with their schedules, I say worry not as the free fitness clinic will become a monthly event. We are scheduling one at the end of each month. So if you can't catch us at Jan's event, catch us again in Feb or Mar. The most important thing is to record the date and simply turn up and have fun. 

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We all need something we can relate to, something we can hold on to, something we can draw hope from, something we can motivate and inspire us. This is to ensure we enjoy long-term success in our health & fitness journey.

As Sun Tze, the famed fourth-century general and author of The Art Of War once remarked, "every battle is won before it is fought." There is indeed much truth in this.

In anything we do, we need to be clear of the purpose, of why we are embarking on this mission. Similarly, before anyone starts a workout regime, he needs to know what are the forces that motivate him....what are the forces that will propel him forward to the next league which is where he wants to be. Simply following the Joneses or being led blindly by the nose is not going to turn him into a hunk or lean, toned guy-next-door. In fact, he is just going to hang up his workout gear and banish his running shoes to the cold palace cabinet faster than you can say 'run'.

Feeling motivated is easy for all of us. We just need to be hyped up for that moment by someone we know who has a better body than us or flip the pages of a health magazine to be inspired. Staying motivated is a completely different ballgame altogether. It involves sustaining the motivation for the long-term until we attain our goal. Now that is the difficult part.

In order to make our job less difficult, the very first step is to obtain clarity in why we wish to work out. When you are able to pinpoint with utmost clarity, then not even the strongest wind or mind chatter will sway your conviction. 

Many of us mistake ends motivation with means motivation. Yes, that's the means to an end. To lose weight is primarily a means motivation. Yes, we want to lose weight. But why? If we can answer the 'why' question, we would have resonated well with the ends motivation. I want to lose weight so that I will look younger, feel sexier and fit into that bikini. Ah...now that is the primary factor why we embark on a weight loss programme. 

Being able to relate directly to our ends motivation is the primary key to long-term success. It provides us with the sustenance to carry on till the very end and achieve our goals. 

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It is an open secret that all of us want to look good. Who does not look his or her best in a society that places such a high premium on the first impression?

For those of us who are in the midst of a fitness regime or designed mealplan, I congratulate you as you are one step closer to your dreams. As the footsteps of Chinese New Year draw closer, I'm very sure my Chinese clients will be eager to shed that extra kilo or pump harder so as to impress their relatives and friends during the customary house-visits.

It was based on this premise that I teased one of my long-term male client that he would be able to flaunt his hard earned muscles again when he returns to his hometown. He smiled sheepishly initially, then added that he was content with the glow of admiration he received last year. Whatever extra reaction he received this year would be a bonus. I'm genuinely happy for him as he's now savoring the fruits of his hard labour at the gym.

Today when I checked my facebook, one of my clients wrote that he somehow felt slimmer and attributed to an invisible force behind him looking good. Another one of my female clients joined in the discussion and proclaimed that I was the reason behind his feel slim effect. She further enthused that I had this mysterious power to make her feel slim somehow...even talking to me makes her feel slimmer.

As I read their discussions, I begin to ponder if they have given me too much credit for what I have helped them achieve. My start and end points are the same - to make you look good, both inside out and outside in.

What I basically do for all my clients is to prescribe a proven set of training methodology comprising a sensible workout routine and delectable mealplan. More importantly, I believe in strong personal support. 



It is vital for both trainer and client to maintain close communication at all times so that the results will be maximised in the shortest possible time. I believe in training smart, not hard. This is a maxim I have followed all my life, especially through varsity days.

Yet credit must be given to all my clients who have chosen to believe in me and stick with me. It is through their own hard work, efforts & sweat that they have begun to see the physical transformations happening right before their eyes. 

If there's any mysterious force behind all this positive buzz, it's the individual's innate ability to shift into high gear each time trainer and client meet. I love this energy as it is infectious in a good sense :)

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