Nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing my clients improve week after week. The feeling transcends everything as it makes me feel so blessed to be able to be encouraging them on their fitness journey. 

Although today's Vesak Day, but I'm still working! In fact, I choose to work, work is also part of play for me.

And what a day it turned out to be...what a transformation I've witnessed for myself ever since Nandini started personal training and resistance band training with me.

From frumpy housewife combating post-natal weight gain to the persona and confidence of the hot, sexy mama she showed during the photoshoot, I am really proud of her. No wonder she turns heads at school gatherings and has garnered praises from her circle of friends. 

This is her story. Feel inspired and take action too...! If she can do it, you can do it.

 

I could only find 20 minutes spare time in between training sessions yesterday afternoon as my schedule was packed. Faced with this challenge, it was either I skipped my gym workout or did a super-quick one. In other words, if I decided to hit the gym, I would be relegated to a quickie workout. 

And a quickie workout was what I challenged myself to do today. It was at least better than having no workout. As its name suggests, I had to fully utilise my time and effort in getting maximum results. Not wanting to waste time training minor muscles such as biceps and triceps, I decided to train my major muscles instead.

Running through my mind quickly, I shortlisted my options. Finally, I decided to just zero in on two exercises - namely chin-ups and cable reverse flyes.

Chin-ups are an excellent exercise especially when one is hard pressed for time. By executing it in perfect form without any swinging and using a wide grip with palms facing away from me, I could feel my lats, rhomboids, shoulders, biceps, forearms and core being worked on. Next up was the cable reverse flyes. Interestingly, I felt myself lifting heavier today! Breaking through my usual plateau, I made significant progress when previously I was always stuck at a particular weight. This time, I worked my deltoids and lats.

Looking at the clock and the minutes that ticked away, two exercises were all I could accomplish. 

<Fast forward to today>

When I woke up this morning, I felt the instant yet all so familiar delayed muscle soreness syndrome. If you asked me, the workout yesterday was ultra-short but I felt really good. 

Many a times, it's not how hard you train. Rather, it's all about how smart you train. Ganbate everyone!!

Following up from yesterday's dining etiquette portion, today's topics zooms in specifically on social etiquette and grooming tips for the students.

Not wanting to just be a one-way transfer of information, I got the students to participate in the social etiquette portion by standing, sitting, squatting and walking. Almost everyone in the class had a chance to practise. While we may stand or sit or walk in our normal manner on a daily basis, getting scrutinised by 30 plus pairs of eyes is certainly a new experience in itself.

When standing, do a quick check on feet placement and whether student is slouching or not. On the issue of slouching, I think maybe it's because of the weight of the heavy schoolbag but most kids nowadays tend to slouch at a young age. Slouching is extremely bad for the back as it does not help support your body posture at all. If I see a slouching person, the first impression I get from him/her is that of laziness. If you do have a slouching challenge, it can be improved upon. Simply visit the gym and work on your back muscles, otherwise known technically as your latissimus dorsi. A strong back will thank you for many many years to come as you can bid farewell to stiffness, aches and pains. 

And boys will forever be boys. When discussing the topic of shaking hands, the boys were all too excited to shake each other's hand. Well, I could tell from the expressions on some faces that they were more keen to treat their classmate to a knuckle grinder handshake. See, I was right. This picture below is evidence :)

The right way to shake someone's hand is to match the other person's grip strength. Always look the person in the eye and show sincerity when shaking someone's hand, especially when you are meeting someone for the first time.

I will also not forget the joke of the day. When sharing with the class that men should not allow the hairs on their shins to show when they cross their legs sitting down, one student suggested that all male species should henceforth wear stockings so as to solve this problem. I couldn't help but laugh. 



Summing up my observations, it was clear that the students particularly liked two segments - skincare and dressing tips. Perhaps they are so so right as these two topics "strike" straight at the heart, the seat of all emotions. Look good, look good, everyone wants to look good. Plus everyone's at the teenage years, where looking good is not just of paramount importance to oneself as it helps boost self-confidence but also looking good helps one attract the opposite sex as well!

Hmm...looking good is everyone's right and it's not a myth that it is difficult to get good skin. As long as you cleanse, tone and moisturise daily (both day and light), you will be able to get better skin! Try it today...and if you do encounter any challenges along the way, just drop me a mail :)

After two months of recceing, liaising, shortlisting and preparation, the dining etiquette workshop for Greenview Secondary School is finally here! I'm doubly excited because this marks my first foray as a vendor for grooming workshops in Singapore. This is definitely an added responsibility besides just being a trainer. 

Grateful to be awarded the project by the school management, the dining etiquette is part of Greenview Secondary School's Learning Festival for all its 331 Secondary Three students. As the appointed vendor, I had to liaise with both the school teacher as well as the restaurant manager to ensure the dining portion was executed flawlessly.

As this was a large group of students, I had to break the classes up into two groups - with five classes on the first day and four classes on the second day. 

Head down to Swensen's Tampines Mall we did in the chartered buses for each class. The senior restaurant manager Eric was obliging enough to cordon off the restaurant for our purpose and get his staff to report for duty earlier than the norm. Well, this was because our dining etiquette portion was to commence from 1000hrs and end by 1115hrs before the lunch-time crowd reaches.



From the happy faces on the students, it was evident that all of them enjoyed this food excursion to Swensen's. More importantly, it gave them the opportunity to put into practice what they had just been taught - proper dining which includes how to order their food, using the right cutlery, creating small talk while waiting for the food to come, and the art of dining. 



If you thought it was just one standard item for the students, you would have been mistaken. For the record, the students were treated to a sumptuous four-course meal comprising soup of the day, main entree (choose from breaded chicken or fish & chips), soft drink (choose from Coke and Fanta Grape) and dessert in the form of a single scoop of chocolate ice cream. Students who were vegetarian could choose from aglio olio spaghetti and arcata penne for their main entree.





During my school days, dining etiquette was something only the upper class society could engage in, much less to mention getting schooled in the finer details of it. But it is now considered the norm for students to learn and be equipped with such finer lifeskills.

Bon appetite everybody!

It is easier to move beyond problems in life when you learn to associate them with unwanted results. When you look back and see things you did that made you unhappy, reflect on the connection between your choices and the results of those choices. Remember you are not a victim of circumstance. You have the right to choose. You can choose differently from what you chose in the past. You can take pitfalls and turn them into avenues for growth.

Take my cue, it’s important to designate at least one day in a week as your rest day. The reason is simple as your muscles don’t become stronger and leaner when you work out. In fact, the contrary happens as working out actually breaks them down. Your muscles only improve when given the right amount of rest (typically 48 to 72 hours). Therefore, it is so crucial to schedule in recovery periods. Never work the same muscle groups on consecutive days less you run the risk of injury.

As you enjoy your rest day, so too do your muscles and they will thank you for it. This is when your muscles have enough time to recuperate, rebuild and recharge between each and every workout. 

Do not feel bad when you take a day or two off per week. You truly deserve it as you have given your best during your workouts and worked hard. Go catch up with your friends, watch a movie, walk around town or simply spend quality time with your family!

Such is the case of one of my male clients. Comparing the first time when he started training and the training he just completed today (his 15th lesson), the results are just phenomenal. 

A working professional with his daily schedule laden with meetings and schedules, coupled with a host of health problems, led him to explore personal training. From day one, he did not give up even though he huffed, puffed and barely made it through the first few trainings. I could see he labored through his runs breathlessly, often having to stop intermittently and was intimidated by the weight machines. After all, he was a novice just starting out. But if the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And that was his approach. He did not give up. Instead, he kept coming back for training and that’s the key to success in life – consistency. 

It does not matter if you cannot do a standard push-up or complete 15 reps of an overhead press. All I ask of you is for you to give your best. Once you have given your best and you know it yourself, you will improve. Your body will thank you for it. Have faith and trust yourself. You will get there one day.

I salute him for the marked increase in strength, endurance and good form. Watching him train was akin to seeing a transformed man completing his run with better stamina and overcoming the weights with full confidence. Was this the same guy I knew barely one and a half months ago? 

Let the truth be spoken and that is he really did his homework as he was asked to. As a lifestyle coach, I can motivate and push you beyond your comfort zone in the gym. But I cannot be doing your cardio and eating clean for you. Busy as his schedule is, he makes it a point to schedule in at least three runs a week either during lunchtime or after work. This is on top of the once/twice weekly personal training sessions and a 10-minute run that precedes each training. 

Departmental runs at Marina Barrage with his colleagues are now becoming more of a breeze than a pain as he is able to keep pace with the fitter ones without them having to wait for him while they surge forward. More importantly, his pants are getting looser and he has to resort to tightening it by using the other extreme end of his belt. 

At the movie preview of Robin Hood last week, I was awed by a particular quote in the movie. I think my male client truly deserves it. “Rise and rise again…until lambs become lions”. He has done it and is on his way to a fitter and healthier lifestyle. Will you like to come on board too? 

If you've always loved cheese cakes, here's definitely news for you to cheer! Forget about the normal run-of-the-mill cheese cakes like New York cheese cakes, walnut cheese cakes, blueberry cheese cakes and the Japanese cheese cakes. These cheese cakes are notorious for being fattening diet-wreckers. After all, all cheese cakes contain cream cheese and it is this ingredient that helps us pile on the calories and put on weight.

Hanging out with my friend in town today, I decided to have a cheat day and indulge in dessert. And that was how i discovered the newest cheese cake cousin in town. Presenting the high fibre cheese cake from Secret Recipe.



From its very name, one can instantly guess that it is not the normal cheese cake one is used to eating. This is the healthy version that contains fat-free or low-fat cream cheese. Sinking my teeth into the cheese cake, I could pick out the ingredients that went into making it. I tasted the high-fibre grains, seeds and nuts. In particular, I was munching on the sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, oats, wheat, almonds, bran flakes, pistachio and raisins. All these are low in trans-fatty acids. It was delightful, without being too rich on the taste. Best of all, the flavour wasn't comprised. Absolutely a perfect treat for the hot afternoon.

This is indeed a wholesome high fibre and healthy choice for cheese cake lovers. Now you can have your cake, eat it and not feel guilty at all. Bon appetite!