Week 3

Here are the current rankings for the top 6 teams based on only the attendance points as at end of Week 3: 21 Nov 2008:

1. Fantastic 4+1
2.The Killerzs
3. Dave’s Angels
4. Mamma Mia
5. Fitness Animals
6. Victorious Secret

Who'll win this years fitness challenge

You've seen the ratings, currently leading the pack:
1. Fitness Animals and The Killerzs (joint #1)
2. Fantastic 4+1
3. Dave’s Angels
4. Mamma Mia
5. Victorious Secret

But seriously, who do you think will win it?

View Poll View Results

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Getting to the Core of Exercise

Core conditioning is a fitness buzz word these days but few are actually doing it correctly. Many confuse itwith abdominal training when in fact the core covers your body from your groin to your shoulders (front, side,back and inside-out). Your core offers stability, balance and flexibility to all your movements. An improperlyconditioned core will limit movement capabilities and predispose you to injury whether you are performingeverday activities or complex sports movements.

The aim of working the core muscles is primarly one of stabilization and coordination versus strengthening.There are many muscles in the core including the lower back, superficial front and side abdominals, deepabdominals, deep back muscles, and the hip and pelvic muscles. It is the deep muscles that usualy getnegleted. The ultimate aim of core conditioning is to insure the deep trunk muscles are working correctly tocontrol the lumbar spine during dynamic movements such as lifting a box. The deep muscles act as stabiliizersand are isometrically contracted (contraction with no movement). Thus when training your core you shouldstart with the inside and work outwards.

Exercises and products intended to train the core do so by creating resistance and instability so the coremuscles must respond to maintain balance. Core exercises often imitate moves we employ in daily life orsports, reducing the strain we put on our limbs daily. Some popular core exercises come from Pilates whichuses both the bodies own resistance as well as balance deivices such as foam rollers. The swiss ball providesan unstable platform to perform a variety of core strengthening moves on. Another newer balance and coredeveloping device is the half domed shaped Bosu. Whatever type of exercises and equipment you choosestart slowly. Even if you are a finely tuned athlete chances are you do not have a well developed core. Corestrength is important for all ages and fitness abilities. Incorporating core training into your exercise routinecan reduce muscular fatigue, avoid muscle strain and injury, improve posture and improve strength andmobility.

About the Author:

Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The International Fitness Academy. For more cutting edge fitness information go to http://www.aerobic-exercise-coach.com.

Ready for a higher, faster, stronger you?

Of course if you come across any interesting fitness facts to share, share it! This also includes those photos/interesting stories that you have during your fitness session. Just route it to me for the world to see.

Samuel

No more excuses

• It is well documented that for every mile you jog, you add 1 minute to your life. This enables you at 95 years old...to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $5,000 per month.
• My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 now and we don’t know where she is.
• The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.
• I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Have NOT lost a pound. Apparently you have to show up.
• I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing.
• I don’t exercise at all. If God meant us to touch our toes, he would have put them further up our body.
• I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
• I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.
• The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier.
• If you are going to try cross-county skiing, start with a small country.
• I don’t jog, it makes the ice jump right out of my glass.
• I am already thin so if I exercise I will waste away
• I do not need to exercise because my favourite TV show is “Celebrity Fit Club”
• I already get my daily exercise by walking to the donut shop
• I exercise in the office by swiveling on my computer chair, typing and clicking my mouse.
• I cannot exercise because the Nike Air Trainers I need cost $350
• Running shorts make me giggle like a schoolgirl.
• All my wheezing and gasping for air frightens the neighbor kids.
• Stretching and warming up puts me right to sleep… before the workout starts.
• Fed up with the neighbors hollering, “Hey mister, do you need an ambulance?!”
• I don't need to run, that's what the horses are for.

Fitness Challenge 2008 - Meet a new you

All set for the final push ?

Congrats to all of you ! You've really done well in terms of improving your overall fitness age.. I hope that each and everyone of you had an great life changing experience and of course, hope that it'll continue on even after the fitness challenge !

I've added some additional links to the site that you may find pretty useful...this will help you continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle post the event ! Have fun surfing these sites and please do feel free to share your learnings with the rest of the organization !

Here are some of the things that I've learned since joining the fitness challenge!

1) Overall fitness is important vs. selective fitness
As an individual, I've been pretty much focusing on cardio and what I eat, little do I realise that fitness is about other areas as well - flexibility, strength ! It all goes hand in hand in ensuring a healthier you ! A good practice is to focus on cardio and strength on alternate days, and of course, do flex training every single day !

2) Eat 5 times a day !
Not only it helps you maintain a healthy body, I found that it keeps my energy level high ! this is something that I've learned from corporate athlete training.. so how do i do this ? morning - take breakfast, normally cereals with glass of milk.. around 1030-11am, I take some nuts (cashew) about 1/4 of a cup.. then lunch (don't skip).. around 3pm i'll have a granola bar and then dinner at 7pm... that's 5 meals a day.. if you feel like snacking, no issues, just take some nuts, or even fruits

3) Drink loads of water !
Have a bottle of water with you in the office, 1 litre is good for me.. i drink it quite often.. it keeps you from dehydrating especially in our office which is normally dry.. also ! drink while you're exercising heavily ...it keeps you hydrated

4) Get some tools if you're into it seriously !
Bought a Polar Heart Monitor watch (~RM300+).. since having it, it has help me monitor my heart rate whenever I'm exercising thus giving me guidance on how much to exert myself to the extent that it helps me..a good running shoe is also important to ensure that you don't get injured. from what i was told by a shoe expert -- each pair of running shoes last ~800km. per my own calculation, if u run 5km for 3 times a day, you should change ur shoes after 1 year.

5)do activities that u enjoy that also keeps u fit
i love sports and recently running in marathons ! some of us are just not gym fans and if you force urself, it'll die soon enough. but if u do something that u like, chances r you'll do it more!!!

6) join a group or create one
it's more fun to do such activities in groups as u may realise in the recent fitness challenge..you can then hvae more laughs and also encouragement, not to forget healthy peer pressure and competition !!

7) read and always have a curious mind towards healthy living
i've thought i knew everthing i need to know to be healthy ! i was wrong when i git my first assessment results =) i've learned a lot from my fitness instructor plus read a lot from relevant sites .. as a result, i'm much more equipped to better stay healthy !!


those are my personal tips, wld love to hear from you folks! time for the final push ..all the best to all