Friday, January 27, 2012

An Adventure Ride to Pengerang

What a long time I didn't involved in camping trip. My last camping trip was at Pahang National Park in Kuala Tahan together with my sports science students as their final projects last year, a journey by a taxi, buses, trains, and foot that we will not forget. Then during October last year, I got to stay outside in wilderness & beaches during my Survival  Course in Kota Belud for 5 days without any tent and ration.

Great weekend! After suffering on bike and get camping for a night

This weekend, an epic journey to Tg Balau, Pengerang, Johor by bicycle really make me feel great again. Two days back to back cycling with a distance nearly 120km per way will teach me the art of day ride- the feel that I experienced during Trans Selatan last Dicember 2010.

Jiha & me will start our journey in the morning together with others cycling from Kolej Perdana who're will joining Trans 1Malaysia 2012 this 5-15 February. Then we will camping there, and have some fun with bbq dinner, fire, sea breeze, morning sun rise and perhaps clear water (I don't think so at this season). The next morning will cycle back to starting point in UTM JB.

As the bottom line, sometime I need a reward as simple as great adventure outing on weekend after got pushed for a week. Plus my next week will be the 9am to 11pm torturing task to completing within four consecutive days starts on Tuesday to Friday. I have Saturday as a rest day, and next Sunday (5 Feb) the Trans 1Malaysia program will begin!!!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

ISN Lecture Series is Back!

I love it so much when Institut Sukan Negara (National Sports Institute) organizing a Lecture Series to share latest findings & knowledge to sports enthusiast & practitioner nation wide. This effort is part of community contribution by ISN to Malaysian. So don't miss it or turn down your staff inquiry to go there.

Below is the describtion about the ISN Lecture Series 1/2012

Integrating Sports Science into Preparation Towards London 2012: The Malaysian Cycling High Performance Team Approach
Title:ISN LECTURE SERIES 1/2012
Number:1/12
Status:Not exceeded
Begin:Wednesday, February 08, 2012 at 08:00AM
End:Wednesday, February 08, 2012 at 12:30PM
Location:PERDANA HALL, ISN BUKIT JALIL
Bookable:215

The Speakers:

i.    John Beasley, Head Coach for Malaysian Cycling Team
ii.    David Williams, University of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
iii.    Martyn Girvan, Apollo Gym, Australia

Tentative Programme

Theme: Integrating Sports Science into Preparation Towards London 2012:
The Malaysian Cycling High Performance Team Approach

08:00 am    Registration

08:30 am    Welcoming Speech

8:45 am    An Overview of Preparation Towards London 2012: Cycling
by John Beasley

09:15 am    Psychology in Track Sprint Cycling by David Williams

10:15 am    Training for Olympic Games by Martyn Girvan

11:15 am    Morning Break

11:30 am    Panel Session:

Integration Between Sports Science and Training: How It Works in Melbourne?
David Williams and Martyn Girvan
Moderator: Mohd Nizar Ahmad Padzi

12:30 noon    End

Who can participate? 
• Everyone in the sports field, i.e. sports scientists / officers / practitioners / physicians, academicians, administrators, students, coaches, athletes

How do I register?
• Do register online at www.isn.gov.my NOW

How much do I have to pay?
• Payment not required.

When is the closing date?
• Before/on 2 February 2012.

For enquiry :
Ms . Chiang Su Ping  suping@isn.gov.my
Mdm. Vasagie Ganapathy  vasagie@isn.gov.my
Tel : 03 8992 9759 / 9790 | Fax : 03 8996 4984

Thanks Lee Ming for gave me this info, so that I can share with my friends out there.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Trans 1Malaysia: The Together Gather Training

Last Sunday was the day Jiha & me training together with the organizer guys from Kolej Perdana, UTM. The wheels rolled at nearly 9am, we cycled at the steady pace to Puteri Harbor, Nusajaya. The sky was clear with the sunshine seems like we will facing a sunny & hot day. But the breeze played a role as air conditioner for us.

After we were riding consistently, within an hour we reached Kota Iskandar and took a break at Puteri Harbor. We chit-chat each others and some discussion happen.

Before the afternoon, we already arrived at Kolej Perdana, UTM and a couple cups of tea really chilled my increased core-temperature due to sunny day. I still can believe there were only seven riders from the organizing team were able to rode on last Sunday morning.

Perhaps this weekend the trip to Teluk Ramunia, Pengerang will be more riders cycling together, because our body need to acclimatize with current weather and to push our muscles & cardio ability as the date to 5th February is closer and closer.

May this weekend long distance ride from UTM to Teluk Ramunia and Teluk Ramunia to UTM on the second day with teach us what is the real meaning of "Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever" quote by Lance Armstrong.

website: http://transmalaysia2012.blogspot.com/

Friday, January 20, 2012

Rise of Dragon


To all my friends, my cyber friends, my blog's followers who're celebrating Chinese New Year, 
I'm wishing you Happy Chinese New Year

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Obesity & Associates

Sound like a lawyer firm huh? A lawyer firm full of overweight lawyers working together without caring their healthy life style, busy to sue & fight each other for the money. Haa, that is not main issue here, there is many more jobs out there requiring or sucking our quality time to pampering our own body & the time to loving our family in real time. That is why our Malaysian tend to pass Obesity Gateway as early as their marriage, after deliver a baby, after got a job or after passed 40 years old, which ever come first.

The obesity epidemic among Malaysian is on everyone's mind lately, as it should, given that the number of people battling the bulge has doubled in the last 30 years. Unfortunately, most of us are more concerned with how those extra kilos make us look instead of what those extra kilos are doing to the health of our bodies. In fact, scientists are consistently discovering new facts linking obesity to many different health problems. Generally speaking, men whose waist circumference exceeds 40 inches, and women whose waist circumference exceeds 36 inches (and mine still 29 at my age nearly get 30) are at increased risk of getting these diseases:

Heart Disease and Stroke
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a symptom of developing heart disease, and is a risk factor for having a stroke. One-third to one-half of all individuals with high blood pressure are overweight. Your blood pressure rises as you gain weight, and usually begins to drop as you start losing weight. Once you reach the ideal weight for you height, your blood pressure usually stabilizes at a normal range..

Breast, Endometrial, Gallbladder and Colon Cancer
Post menopausal women who are obese have a 50% higher risk of getting breast cancer, and obese men have a 40% higher risk of colon cancer. Men and women have five times the risk of getting endometrial or gallbladder cancer if they are obese. Most recent research is beginning to indicate a higher risk of kidney, pancreas, rectum, esophagus, and liver cancer also.

Type 2 Diabetes
Although the exact mechanism behind it is not yet known, it is known that over 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Reduce your risk of this chronic illness, which can cause blindness, amputation, kidney and nerve disease, by walking at least 30 minutes everyday. Daily exercise has been proven to decrease the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Osteoarthritis
The most common form of joint disease in the United States (with over 21 million people suffering), osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability in people over 55. Obesity is one of the top ten causes of osteoarthritis, and makes healing more difficult should joint replacement surgery be required.

Sleep Apnea and Respiratory Problems
Sleep apnea (also known as obstructive sleep apnea) is a diagnosis that within the last 10 years has been link to obesity or being overweight. In the past, many patients who snored loudly and stopped breathing during the night were simply considered to have nasal irregularities. It has been shown that many of these actually have a condition called obstructive sleep apnea and are therefore at a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, insomnia and mood disorders. They also usually have high blood pressure. Most people diagnosed with sleep apnea are overweight, and in many cases, losing weight reverses the condition.

Unfortunately, knowing about the risks of being overweight Malaysian may give impetus to the decision to lose weight, but it does not make losing weight any easier. There is good news though; research shows that losing just 10% of your body weight reduces the risk of these diseases significantly. So whether you are 10 kilos overweight or 50 kilos, losing just 10% of your total body weight is enough to decrease the risk of these top five diseases. Keep that 10% goal in mind for whenever you begin to feel discouraged about how slowly the pounds are coming off. In the end, it is not what you look like that counts, it is how healthy you are, and it only takes a 10% weight loss to significantly increase the odds your future will be a healthier one.

Original article cited from: Kerry-Ann Crawford
http://www.deliciousdieting.com

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Drinks More Water to Lose More Weight

I have been questioned by one of the my own designed as my UN Humanitarian Mission called "Claim Your Supposed Body Program", about the relation of drinking more water to aid burning more calories and lose their weight. Since that, I keep on researching the articles and also reading a forum regarding this matters. After a few reading, finally I found an idea to elaborate and to explain from the 'scientific' side for public readers. 

Substitute your 'favorite' drinks with plain water
If you replace soft drinks with water, guess what, less calories.  There is no more coke, carbonated drinks, dispenser drink, 'air ceduk', the drinks from vendor machine, the drinks from late night supper at mamak's stall etc. But who is from us can replace all that 'flavorful' drinks with only plain water? I'm suggesting you replace with a tea, the leaves/herbs that can be your antioxidant as well as a good natural 'radiator fluid'. This recommendation can be more beneficial if you to take Herbalife Tea Concentrate product, which are playing as antioxidant and thermogenic to an optimum level.

                                     NONONONONONONO                                        YES! YES! YES! YES!


Water as essential for an effective weight-loss regimen


In fact, water speeds the metabolism causing the body to burn calories faster, it helps breaks down food enabling it to digest better, it cleases the colon of built-up waste allowing it to digest fats adequately and promote regular bowel movements. This combination of attributes directly aid weight loss making water essential for an effective weight-loss regimen.


If you are trying to lose weight, chances are you’ve read or heard that drinking more water is a great way to kick off your weight loss attempt. You may know all the benefits of drinking more water: your metabolism shuts down if you aren’t drinking enough water; drinking water aids in digestion; you’ll feel fuller if you drink more water; and your body will retain less water (therefore weigh less) the more you drink. But no matter how much you know about the weight loss benefits of drinking more water, you struggle to guzzle it down. These tips will help make it easier for you to get enough water in your day and shed those pounds!

How much is enough?

A good place to start is by figuring out just how much water you should be drinking each day in order to boost your weight loss. A good rule of thumb is to divide your current weight in half and then drink that many ounces of water per day. For example, let’s say your current weight is 180 pounds. 180 divided by 2 is 90. Therefore you would want to try and reach a goal of 90 ounces of water each day (this formula I found it from overseas article, so as a metric unit users, we need to convert Kilos to Pounds, from the result please convert Ounces to Liters). Don’t worry if your number is high and seems unattainable! By following these simple steps you’ll soon find you are drinking all the water you need and your weight loss efforts will be that much easier.

Keep it close

If you buy bottled water by the case, pop one in the fridge every time you take one out so that you always have a chilled water bottle at the ready. Keep a bottle or glass of water at your desk while you work. If you have a water cooler in your office, try keeping a small Styrofoam cup on your desk and refill every time you drink the contents. You will be surprised how that little bit adds up to help the weight come off! Bring a big bottle or travel mug full of ice water with you in the car, and sip away at every stoplight. The point is, if you always have a bottle, mug, or glass of water to drink nearby you’ll begin to reach for it without even realizing it.

Sip it up

How many times have you mindlessly sipped a drink through a straw, not realizing you were finished until you heard that obnoxious slurping sound? Keep a package of drinking straws at the ready, or get hold of a fun mug with a straw built into the lid. You will be amazed at how easy it is to get those water ounces in once you’re sipping away. 

Make it fun

As with all your weight loss efforts, the more drinking your water feels like work, the less likely you are to do it, so do whatever you can to make it more fun! Pick up a travel mug with a bright design or humorous phrase. Start a friendly competition with fellow weight watchers: challenge a coworker to see who can drink the most water throughout the day; make a house rule that whenever a certain word is used, everyone has to drink up; race a friend to the bottom of a (water) bottle!

Good taste

Although certainly nothing tastes as good as a crisp, cold glass of ice water on a steamy day, sometimes you are simply in the mood for something different. Add flavor without adding inches to your waistline by flavoring the water. Try low or no calorie additives such as slices of fresh citrus fruit, sugar free drink mixes (many come in single serving sizes), or a small amount of fruit juice.

Set short term goals

Just like with your other weight loss efforts, the task of drinking more water will be less daunting if you set small, easy-to-reach goals. See if you can drink 20 ounces during your morning commute. Set out to drink a certain amount of water by lunchtime.

Keep Track

If you are guessing at how much water you’re drinking each day you may be underestimating and hindering your own weight loss! Don’t let that happen. Find an easy way to record how much you drink each day. Get a large mug that holds 30-40 ounces and fill it two or three times a day, depending on your daily goal. If you refill the same water bottle several times throughout the day, wrap an appropriate number of rubber bands around the bottle and each time you empty it remove a band. Who knows, you may be drinking more water than you imagined!

Watch for results

Once you have begun to incorporate some of these ideas you will find that it is easier than you thought to drink enough water. Get ready to watch those extra kilos melt away like ice cubes on a summer day! 

As a bottom line, to lose weight drastically, you must get an extra liter(s) of fluid in addiction from your daily fluid intake and tea leaves is the best to add on a flavor to your drinks.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Trans 1Malaysia: The Electrifying



I was electrifying again to be part of cycling tours organized by UTM's students. This year we will traversing from the bottom of Malaya to the northernmost part of Malaya this February.

The Trans 1 Malaysia 2012 is a continuity from Trans-Johor 2008 (Kayuhan Amal Anak Merdeka Jelajah Johor) and Trans-Selatan 2009 (Kayuhan Amal Anak Merdeka Jelajah Selatan) programs. This cycling event will be held from 5 February 2012 until 17 February 2012. Trans 1 Malaysia 2012 will start from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Skudai and end at Kuala Perlis, Perlis. For the first time ever, the organizer will be opening the participation to non-UTM riders. Do grab this chance as this will be the worthwhile journey.



Again, my gf & I will be playing our unofficial role as a pacemaker in this tour. The volunteerism attitude inside both of us encourage us to decide we must ride stronger than others in helping the organizer achieve their daily distance within stipulated time given.

Our preparation for this year tour, is not started yet till today. We just did our cardio workout without a bike. We realize we need to start the crank rotating.

Perhaps, this year Trans 1 Malaysia tour, will attract more cyclist from other universities in enhancing the cycling culture among Malaysian.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Cycling Tours with Y.Bhg. Dato. Vice Chancellor

Blessing to all of you a good health, cheerful and happiness.

I would to inform you that Cycling Tours with Y.Bhg. Dato. Vice Chancellor to be held on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 will be started at 5.00pm at Foyer Sultan Ibrahim Chancellery Building.

All of you are invited to join to this program.

We are encourage you to bring your owned bicycle.

Happy New Year 2012!.

Locations/Routes: Foyer BCSI --> F. of Mechanical Engineering --> Kolej Ghafar Baba