endorphin February 15th, 2010
In our fast paced society, everything is instant. It is about pressing a button & you get it. It is a culture sold by America through Holywood. And today, we loose our life literally. We become a slave of commercialization & reap the result of PROCESSED, ie. Obessity & all sort of diet related sickness, not to mention, terminal disease. Jamie Oliver delivered brilliant speech about it. Check it out.
endorphin January 28th, 2010
If there is one population subgroup that doesn’t need to worry about weight, it’s endurance athletes, right?These dedicated cyclists and runners, swimmers and rowers burn calories like human furnaces. Carbohydrates fuel their fire and, if they worry at all, it’s about running on empty during training. It’s become a cliché for a marathoner to answer the inevitable why-do-you-run question with a flippant, “So I can eat what I want.”
But here’s the reality: Endurance athletes do fret about weight. They count calories. They chart body fat percentage. They’re on a quest for leanness.
They don’t talk about it much, for fear others may suspect them of having eating disorders, which truly is a problem for some (especially female) athletes. But it’s there. A 2009 survey of endurance athletes, published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, reported that 74 percent were “concerned” about weight, 54 percent “dissatisfied.”
A new book, “Racing Weight: How To Get Lean for Peak Performance” (Velo Press, $18.95, 224 pages) by certified sports nutritionist and runner Matt Fitzgerald, has brought the issue of body weight among even the most fit into the open.
When Fitzgerald, the author of 17 fitness books and a senior editor at Triathlete magazine, made his pitch to publishers for what he jokingly calls “a diet book for skinny people,” he encountered much head-scratching, even skittishness.
Eventually, Velo Press bought the rights. In December, when “Racing Weight” was first published, it cracked Amazon.com’s top 100 best-sellers.
The book’s thesis is simple: “Excess body fat is the enemy of performance. … As body-fat levels go down, aerobic capacity goes up, because muscle has less competition from fat tissue for oxygen and fuel.”
Studies support that notion. University of Georgia researchers found that a 5 percent weight gain decreased performance by 5 percent in 12-minute test runs. In another study, it was determined that a 160-pound runner needs to exert 6.5 percent more effort to run the same pace as a 150-pound runner.
“Let’s face it,” Fitzgerald said in a recent phone interview, “even a few pounds can make a difference.”
The concern among nutritionists and some athletes is that people will interpret the findings as a dangerous “can never be too thin” prescription.
But Fitzgerald is not advocating anything as severe as calorie restriction. He stresses “body composition” (percentage of body fat) more than weight and acknowledges that the “lighter is better” mind-set is simplistic and sometimes hurts performance.
Rather, he advocates boosting the nutrition-per-calorie ratio. In other words, eating higher-quality foods: grains, legumes, lean meat, vegetables and fruit. He says the accepted nutrient ratio – 60 percent carbs, 20 percent protein, 20 percent fat – can be tweaked depending on training load.
In fact, Fitzgerald says, endurance athletes can consume more fat – provided it is made up of “essential fats” such as omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids – and less protein than the 20 percent commonly recommended.
“There has been some research where, when you bump protein intake way up, it can harm performance,” he says. “An analysis of elite Kenyan runners shows they’re right at 10 percent (protein intake), and they are the best runners in the world. So there you go.”
Fitzgerald acknowledges that an athlete’s leanness can reach a point of diminishing returns – but few ever reach that point. He says athletes should aim for “ideal weight” for big competitions and “limit your off-season weight gain to no more than 8 percent of your optimal performance weight.”
He uses the example of Olympic distance runner Ryan Hall, who routinely gains 5 to 7 pounds during recovery periods after marathons. Another test case is cyclist Lance Armstrong, who after battling cancer in the mid-1990s transformed his “linebacker genes” body to one featuring leaner muscle mass and lower body fat to become a better climber. Armstrong still has a bigger frame than most elite cyclists but compensated for it with a strict diet regimen.
Article link : For the endurance athlete, calories do matter
endorphin October 22nd, 2009
The convenient of “moden society”. We are all guilty of it, I am sure. Most of us take it for granted that anywhere we go, we can buy drinking water if we are thirsty. However, has anyone question the “integrity” of all the bottled water ? Maybe we go by the brand, eg. we probably think Sprintzer is quality ensured & safe; or maybe some go by the Sirim thingy. However, looking at the amount of brands and the quantity that flood the market, I have doubt. I have heard from some ex-bottled water industry people mentioned that it is not as we think. It is bottled water = tapped water. Of course, these informants won’t be shouting out loud on the street to declare that. So, here is a piece of someting for your own judgement call.
endorphin August 31st, 2009
I am never a supporter of “on diet” to loose weight. What people do not understand is when one goes into cutting meals, the body will kick in to conserving mode and therefore the result is one won’t loose weight, infact, one may even gain weight.
Nowadays, there are many “meal replacements” drinks out there. And I must say they are expensive. I know of a specific brand, it cost RM500/mth. This can be at least my 1/2 month nutritious meals money.
Among the people I know, some have good results. However, my question to them is, “Can you totally go off your replacement meal and back on your usual eating habit or lifestyle and still maintain your new weight ?” So far, I have never had a yes. Of course not. That is what the companies out to get you for. You can’t get off the replacement program thus their streams of revenue ! In other words, they are making you to be their income provider and they your dependent ! A dependent which you do not have tax deduction.
Let put things in perspective. So, what if you loose weight with it ? Let me ask you this :
I can go on asking you a long chain of questions but it is not necessary because the answer is most certainly NO. Achieveing weight lost is only addressing a very surface issue. It never address the root, it never nip the issue at the bud.
Looking for the Ultimate Weight Lost Solution ? Here you go, check it out :
A teacher who only learned to swim front crawl 18 months ago has been selected to represent Great Britain - in the World Triathlon Championships.
Not content with simply running on a treadmill, super-fit Melanie Ryding, 37, was inspired to lose weight when she realised she could no longer fit into her size 16 jeans.
Although she hated sports at school, 5ft 10ins Melanie took up running and lost four stone in four months.
Before 
After 
Road to fitness: Melanie Ryding got fed up with her size 16 figure (left), started triathlon training and has since lost four stone (right)
She went on to lose over a quarter of her body weight and started looking for something ‘more interesting’ to challenge her.
Melanie joined a triathlon club and started learning front crawl from scratch at a nearby swimming pool, before moving on to practice in the freezing cold waters of local lakes.
She laughed in disbelief when her coach suggested she try out for the world championships - but has now secured a place in the 35-39 age group.
Now she is training hard to compete against thousands of other triathletes in the Gold Coast World Triathlon Championships in Australia in September.
Melanie, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, said she was ‘flabbergasted’ when she qualified for the event.
She said: ‘When I qualified it felt amazing. I’ve come from Mrs Jo Normal, completely unhealthy, to where I am now.
‘I was a beanpole teenager but unfortunately after puberty I didn’t stay that way. Eventually I just wasn’t prepared to be a size 16 anymore.
‘I hated PE and PE hated me. I was the forlorn-looking one stuck in the hockey goal because I wasn’t interested in doing anything else.
‘So if you’d have said to me then that I would be doing something like this now I would have thought that was completely ludicrous.’
(Don’t you think she looks so much prettier, happier and alive here then the before pic above ?)
Although she could not swim before embarking on her exercise regime, Melanie will now compete in the Gold Coast World Triathlon Championships in Australia
In preparation for the event in September, Melanie trains for 14 hours a week, often getting up 5am to fit in cycling and running sessions before work.
Her coach Steve Casson, from Wellingborough and District Athletics Club and Northants Triathlon Club, has been masterminding her schedule throughout.
Melanie said her greatest inspiration was the cancer sufferer Jane Tomlinson CBE who raised £1.5million for charity through running and cycling challenges despite suffering from the disease.
Tomlinson completed the London Marathon three times, the London Triathlon twice, the New York Marathon once, and cycled across Europe, America and Africa, all within six years. She died aged 43 in 2007.
Melanie said: ‘When I read she had managed to do an Iron Man triathlon while she was on chemotherapy I thought “Good grief, if she can do that then I’m sure I can put a triathlon together”.
‘There are times when it can be exhausting, especially considering I have a full-time job too, but I am good at self discipline and me and my coach work well together.
‘I get some funny looks from my neighbours when they see me cycling up and down and a little while later running up and down the same stretch of road.’
Melanie also said her husband Mark, 45, had been a huge motivator.
She said: ‘Mark is really proud of me, he’s my number one superstar. Without him I couldn’t be where I am now.
Jodie Bayes, general manager of Bannatyne’s Health Club in Wellingborough where Melanie learned to swim, said they were all very proud of her.
She said: ‘It has been a pleasure to work with Melanie and the progress she made from being a novice swimmer into an international athlete is amazing and testament to her hard work.
‘Mel is a real inspiration and since joining she has made a massive lifestyle change, not only in her sporting exploits, but to her overall wellbeing.
endorphin June 4th, 2009
I came across this word more than a week ago from an rpmer. At first, I thought is some…….:p
Poor gal, she was infected. Apparently, it takes a good 3-6 month to fully recovered and for the muscles & joints to be abck to normal again. Serious matter. Here are some facts :
Chikungunya fever is a viral disease spread by mosquitoes. The symptoms include severe and persistent joint pain and fever similar to dengue fever. It is usually NOT life threatening. But the joint pains can last for a long time and hence full recovery may take months.
Chikungunya(pronounced as chik?-en-GUN-yah) disease was first detected in 1952 in africa at a place called Makonde Plateau. This is a border area between Tanzania and Mozambique. The name “chikungunya” is from the Makonde language and its meaning is “that which bends up”. This is a reference to the Chikungunya symptom where patients walk in a stooped posture due to joint pain. Chikungunya is also known as Chicken guinea, Chicken gunaya and Chickengunya. The presence of the word Chicken has also lead to a lot of misconceptions about the disease. Click here for more details on Chikungunya history…
Chikungunya disease is a viral disease transmitted in humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Aedes aegypti mosquito (also called yellow fever mosquito) is the primary transmission agent of Chikungunya Virus. This is usually found in tropics and hence the reason why Chikungunya is predominantly seen in asian countries. In recent cases, another mosquito species named Aedes albopictus is found to be a carrier. Aedes aegypti bites during day time and hence day time mosquito bite is the main reason for transmission. Click here for more details on what causes Chikungunya disease…
Chikungunya typically starts with one or more of the following symptoms - chills, fever, vomiting, nausea, head ache and joint pain. The attack is sudden and sometimes it is accompanied with rashes. Severe joint pain is the main and the most problematic symptom of Chikungunya. Click here for more details on chikungunya symptoms…
There is no antiviral drug or medicine specifically for Chikungunya. But since chikungunya is cured by immune system in almost all cases there is no need to worry. Treatment usually is for the symptoms and include taking sufficient rest, taking more fluid food and medicines to relieve pain (paracetamol for example). Aspirin should be avoided. Click here for more details on the treatment options for Chikungunya…
We are yet to find a vaccine for Chikungunya. Hence the only way to prevent Chikungunya disease to avoid mosquito bites! (Huh ? How Brilliant !!?!?!) Chikungunya virus spreads from human to human only through mosquito carrier. Hence mosquito breeding control is the best way to fight Chikungunya. Click here for details on the prevention of Chikungunya…
How Chikungunya affects pregnancy? Is Chikungunya fatal? Are there any alternate medicines for treatment?. Click here for a collection of frequently asked questions and answers on Chikungunya disease…
Research is ongoing to find a vaccine for Chikungunya. The disease is spreading outside Asia and it is suspected that new strains of Chikungunya virus are out there. Click here latest news and updates on Chikungunya fever…
Since the advice to prevent the disease is to avoid mossie bite, lets kill them all, leaving NON at all J …Too bad for those who doesn’t believe in killing. Then you can help us prevent the disease by offering yourself up for the bites….kekekeke
endorphin January 19th, 2009
Coming back from dinner, I had my favourite channel, Discovery Home & Health, switched on at the same time as my Comp. The programme on was a mobidly obese woman. 653.8 pounds and a BMI was 103. The guiding BMI range should be within 18-25. She went through Gastric bypass. Needed 4 strong big size male & 1 female paramedics to move her from hospital bed into the ambulance to send her home. At the end of one moving exercise, the paramedics was obviously breaking sweat just like after real weight workout.
Each time the doctor sent her home only to have her back the next day due to complication. 2 months after the bypass, she lost 200 pounds but facing serious complication due to mulnutrition because she can’t hold down food, She can’t even fit into the CAT Scan machine to scan her no matter which way the medical staff adjusted her into.
After so so much of complication and tube feeding, she finally went home after 6 months. She finally able to hold down solid food after 6 months and 3 weeks. By this time, she lost 230 pounds and able to do simple exercise like biceps curl WITHOUT weights, able to walk better with aids. Her biggest challenge was still Nutrition.
It was such a pitiful state, such a pitiful life. Immobility, no functional use of her body parts but only a MASS. (It truly reflects the fitness statement of ”if you don’t use it, you loose it”.) Her challenge with nutrition reflects how she got to where she is. Look at the trouble she has to go through, the number of people to help her do a simple task such as to move from the bed to the chair (wheelchair in her case)…I must say, I am thankful, so so thankful of having the wee bit understanding of nutrition & fitness. I am so glad that I have efficient functional use of my muscles. Most of all, I thank God for the physical state that I am. Free to move, to run, jump, ride……… Commit to regular serious regular exercise & workout regime, maintaining a healthy diet is worth it all coz it give me LIFE.
endorphin December 17th, 2008
A little discussion after RPM class went into the topic of same workout regime but slightly different results for different people and why. My 2 cents worth of opinion was, apart from life style, workout regime & diet, body types has an influence on the result too. That obviously sparked off a series of questions…..to share a little on my puny knowledge, here is some info for you.
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People come in all shapes, but most can be placed into a particular category of body type, mesomorph, ectomorph, or endomorph. These body types have different characteristics. Here’s the skinny on the different types of bodies:
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Info extract from Dummies and Bodybuilding.
endorphin October 27th, 2008
Two weeks ago, I had an appendicitis scare episod. As a result, I brought myself to this clinic, Klinik Holistic Healthcare & this doctor, Dr Lee, which my staff has recommended.
The 1st impression was ok. My 1st thought was doctor, Dr Lee, doesn’t look like a doctor at all. He certainly doesn’t look experience like my GP. But anyway, my purpose is to confirm if I have appendicitis. If yes, what would be the best solution, ie. least disruption to my RPM teaching schedule. If no, what is the cause of the discomfort.
After explaining to Dr Lee the reason of being there, he asked a series of questions followed by several simple physical test. With that, he concluded that it’s very unlikely I am having appendicitis. But my question remain why I had the discomfort for days. So, I was subjected to more checks by ultrasound by another doctor, Dr Irwan, who is a specialist.
Blood & Urine sample was also taken. At the end of day, I have done 1/5 of the tests of their medical check package. I thought, what the heck, might as well take this as a yearly complete medical check. Yes, I paid RM1,299 for :
It has so many tests that I’ll need to do it in 2-3 seperate sessions. So, the 2nd round of tests was tentatively set for Oct 24 morning.
On Thurs, Oct 23, the clinic’s admin staff called to confirm the appointment. Then only I was made to understand that I can only do the tests in the afternoon. Why ? Because Dr Irwan only come in the afternoon on weekdays and he is the only one to perform the Ultra Sound & Stress tests. Also, I’ll need to fast for at least 6 hours for the ultrasound then go for my meal before returning to do the stress test. I was certainly not a happy camper for not being inform accurately earlier. Fri is a work day and I certainly don’t want to miss too much of work. Also, the clinic should have had a proper procedure taking its patient through the process, making them understand what is need to done in preparation and how much time will be needed for each phase.
Since I only have the morning allocated but Dr Irwan only available in the afternoon, I decided to do all the other tests and re-schedule another time with Dr Irwan. The appointment was confirm for Fri, 10.30am.
10.30am to the dot, I stepped into the clinic. 1st thing the front desk girl asked was if I have fasted. I said no and quickly pointed to her that this info has been confirmed by admin guy. Guess What ? 5 minutes later, Dr Lee came out & asked the same question. I was getting uphappy about the lack of proper info flow in the clinic. And I made my unhappiness known to Dr Lee.
Fine, now, the message gone across. The test starts. 1st station, Blood Pressure, HR, Body Mass Composition. Smoothly done. Next, ECG. Done. Next, Lung Function Test, it took a little time because the nurses ain’t very sure of how to operate the systems. The process was prolong waiting for Dr Richard as well as he took the chance to give the nurses OJT. Fine, Done. Then come the Bone Density test. Again, the nurses didn’t know how to operate the machine & the computer. So, they needed the guidance of Dr Richard again. But at that time, PowerBar guys were there pitching to them to retail powerbar products in the clinic. And the Head Dr, whom i don’t know his name but I shall find out, actually summoned everyone to test all the products and that including Dr Richard !! The nurses were passing the powerbar nudgets infront of client in the pretext of Head Dr want them to try. (roll my eyes !!!) Duhh..In the present of client / patient ? How unprofessional & stupid can that be ?
Worse, Dr Richard was like starting the machine then rushed to join the happening commotion then return and say machine is not ready yet, have to wait. Harlo !!! Who are you trying to kid ? The machine already powered up, the selection screen was already up !! He was just wanting to be part of the commotion & to test the products. By the 3rd time he came around, I lost my patient, didn’t give him the chance to say wait for the machine. I told him off, “Dr Richard, you have a client here and you actually go over there to lepak & leave your client waiting ?” He suddenly zipped up & do the test.
The next test was Two Way Therapeutic test. The nurses set up the machine but again, the same thing is repeating. Nurses weren’t sure how to operate the machine and yet no one is helping. Finally, technician Chin took over. By the time I completed Iridology test, My parking hours of 2.5 hours was expiring. But then, I still needed to wait for more tests & Dr Lee consultation on all the reports. The worse part is, no one can tell me how long more I need. All they can say is WAIT. F%^& !!!
By the time I was 1/2 way through with Dr Lee with the my reports & tests, his next scheduled patient (1.30pm) was already waiting. Best of all, by the time I finished, it was 5 minutes to 3pm !! The next patient has waited for 1.5 hrs. Mind you, it is not a walk-in. It is a scheduled appointment.
A prolong 4.5 hours (10.30am - 3pm) for 7 tests which can be completed in 1.5 hr max. With the consultation, all can be completed within 2.5 hrs. But becasue of the clinic ill professionlism, no respect for patient’s time, ill time management, lack of established proper & professional process & procedure, patients have endure the unnecessary wait & waste unnecessary time.
I still have a few more tests to do. It has been tentatively scheduled for next Sat morning. I have already given them the warning that I don’t want my info not flow through properly and have to be waiting the same way again. Lets see what will happen next.
For now, my conclusion of this clinic & the test :
The test :
I think the test is excellent because it gives up a very clear picture of where your health is at right now. It gives you a clear idea of any possible pre-warning of any crucial or terminal illness. It shows you what you need to do to fine-tune your body via proper diet, supplements & exercise which is super. I would recommend anyone & everyone of any age to do this sort of complete test every year.
The Clinic / the doctors :
The only good thing I like is Dr Lee & Dr Irwan are not the typical doctor who only believes in drugs & medication. They are the believer of Holistic & natural and have good understanding of daily holistic nutrition & diet. This kind of doctors are hard to find in the medical circle.
So, please do not go to Klinik Holistic Healthcare if you can find a better clinic which can offer you the same kind of complete test & consultation. But if you can’t and really need to do the thorough tests and have a holistic interpretation of your health status, then yes, do go to Klinik Holistic Healthcare & ask for Dr Lee. But be sure you ask & confirm every appointment, procedure & process to avoid the unnecessary wait, be critical, clear & firm with them.
endorphin October 2nd, 2008
I had a brief conversation with a few members before class two days ago. We were talking about how some members were overweight, how they overcame their weight issue (BRAVO !!) and got themselves into regular workout regime and enjoying the routine now. Then the conversation went into food & nutrition, about antioxidant & free radicals. Obviously, with these two topic, the conversation went in to the source of free radicals - fried food like KFC / McD and SMOKING.
I realised many people do not understand that our body is an alkaline environment (not that I know a lot) and we should feed it to with Alkaline base food / nutrition to keep it healthy. In other words, there are 2 broad categories of food, alkaline & acidic. We are to consume more alkaline food than the acidic. Here is a chart for reference
Generally, the guideline is, greens & fruits are alkaline & meat & dairy are acidic. Raw plant base food are antioxidizing while meat, processed, particularly fried food are producing free radicals.
What is antioxidant ? It is a substance that inhibits oxidation and can guard the body from the damaging effects of free radicals.
What is free radicals ? It is molecules with one or more unpaired electrons. free radicals can destroy cells and play a role in many diseases. Antioxidants may help prevent macular degeneration and other serious diseases.
How does antioxidant & free radicals work in our blood ? Some close example :
This is a very good condition life blood sample where blood is free flowing, good blood cell shape, very minimal free radical & bacteria.
This is a seriously free radicals invaded life blood sample with bacteria, probably from a smoker, plenty of free radicals, bacteria, don’t seem to see the present of white blood cell.
It always amazes me how many gym goers or cyclists, at the end of the gym or cycling routine, will have a cigge. I always wonder if they know what it does to them having that cigge. Cigge is biggest supplier of free radicals on top of all fried food. With the influx of the free radicals, the situation of the 2nd clips above happened. It is basically an suicidal act.
On top of that, it has irreversible results on ones lungs as each inhale of the cigge. In our lung, there is “thing” called Alveoli. Its allows the transporting of oxigen from the air we breathe into our red blood cell.
So, when you smoke, you break down those barriers and pop them, turning them into these big sacs that no longer can exchange air with the outside world. Then when these coalesce and come together, they form these large blebs on the outside of the lung. That air is not helping you because it can’t get into your body and exchange with your blood. So literally as these blebs get larger, they push the normal lung away and you suffocate yourself. Tell me this is not suicidal ? Of course there is will lead to emphasema & more.
Here is a comparison of a healthy non smoker & a smoker’s lungs :
You have embarked on a plausable effort & journey to be fit & healthy, so learn the right thing & do the right thing. All the best 
endorphin September 23rd, 2008
I would like to share this. A closed friend in S’pore has sent me this list. The list of products which S’pore Govt (AVA) has instructed stores to recall them. So, if you have these stuff at home, please trash them.
