Yoga is another big trend in Malaysia and I’ve been meaning to talk about yoga for a while now…and yes, some of you have been asking about yoga and stuff related to it. Following is a summary of questions I terima daripada En Zaidi and others on yoga:

• Is it OK kalau kita workout after yoga class?
• How to put YOGA in our workout schedule?
• OK, can we do YOGA masa our rest day?
• Can yoga help me lose weight atau kurangkan berat badan?
• Apakah kelebihan yoga?

Is it OK kalau kita workout after yoga class?

I’m gonna say yes and no here. Say you are weight training, yes a little stretching is advisable to help the muscles relax and cool down but kalau anda ingin go through an intense 60min yoga session, then I would say no. If you do it after a cardio workout than yup…go ahead.

How to put YOGA in our workout schedule?

Saya akan assume that we are talking about beginner or intermediate yoga. If you can allocate satu sessi berasingan untuk yoga, than that obviously is ideal. Kalau tak boleh, than anytime will do. I personally would rather place towards the end of the workout supaya I can go home feeling relaxed and easy.

I personally would rather place towards the end of the workout supaya I can go home feeling relaxed and easy

OK, can we do YOGA masa our rest day?

Sure boleh but that it would be a rest day la kan. ;) Rest day supposed to be relaxing for you both mentally and physically..that means no physical activity to allow the joints and muscles to recuperate and rehat.

Can yoga help me lose weight atau kurangkan berat badan?

Lets just say its better than doing nothing at all but berbanding conventional cardio exercises like jogging or aerobics, yoga kurang berkesan dari segi mengurankan berat badan. Yoga is a great form of exercise with the following benefits:

Benefits of Yoga?

Apakah kelebihan dan kebaikan yoga?

• Great to relieve stress, depression, anxiety and fear.
• Various physiological, psychological and biochemical benefits
• Helps to improve body posture.
• Improves blood flow, good to prevent heart diseases.
• Improves flexibility, strengthen joints
• Can help you lose weight.

I personally wouldn’t do yoga for weight loss but mainly for its physiological, psychological and biochemical benefits. Again exercise is a personal thing….so should yoga. Some people swear by it others don’t. Same goes for any exercise really.

…I personally wouldn’t do yoga for weight loss but mainly for its physiological, psychological and biochemical benefits….

Question from Mas

Ok since I’m in the mood today (after changing my website’s layout alil…nice or not?), here a question from Mas:

1. Q

   Hi…saya nak beli treadmill tapi tak tahu yang mana yang sesuai untuk kegunaan di rumah..pls kevin help me..target utama untuk fat burner dan cardio.

2. A

   Thanks for the question Mas. Ok treadmills memang are the most popular cardio equipment around. Probably coz running is the easiest form of exercise and kita semua tahu caranya.

   So here for some practical buying tips

   • Make sure you have enough space kat rumah so that tak menyusahkan nanti.
   • Don’t go for the cheapest and don’t go for the paling mahal…choose the one that you are most comfortable with.
   • Make sure you get a motorized treadmill. Jangan2 the ones where you need to drive it pulak
   • Brandwise, I’d go for any US based brand like Reebok, NordicTrack or Life Fitness. All you can get in Malaysia from any Fitness Concept outlet. The Reebok RBK-T885 is their best selling treadmill.
   • Before buying, cuba test and run on the treadmill terlebih dahulu.
   • Saiz ukuran: Carilah yang panjang 115 cm dan 40 cm lebar.
   • Optional things to look out for: side railing, computerized programs, heart rate monitor, downloadable tracks/programs, MP3 dan lain2

kevin cmne nak betulkan postur badan? ramai kata saya bongkok..?

Ini soalan daripada salah seorang yang email saya baru2 ini. Jawapannya partially lies in weight training (with proper posture). Why?Latihan weight training untuk bahagian belakang forces you to strengthen the back muscles, bringing your shoulders back and secara tidak langsung, helps you to look more confident and berdiri lebih tegak.

But lets look at some asas-asas postur:

Apakah ayng menyebabkan postur yang tidak betul

• Poor habits (slouching etc)
• Obese
• Otot yang lemak (tidak dapat menakung your weight)
• Mengandung
• Kasut timut tinggi (yes for you girls out there)
• Otot tegang (lack of flexbility)
• Banyak duduk depan PC

Keperluan untuk mendapatkan postur yang baik?

Jadi what do you need for good body posture?

• Kekuatan asas otot
• Flexiblity in your muscles
• Core balance (not just strong abs but strong lower back also)
• Kesedaran..supaya you have the awareness to make changes, jika perlu

What exercise?

Well sudah tentu, semua otot besar memainkan peranan yang postur (daripada kaki hinggi ke leher) but yang penting adalah your core muscles. Kekuatan otot “core” adalah bahagian depan (iaitu abs) dan bahagian bawah belakang (your lower back). So my advice is generally:

• Latihan abs
• Latihan untuk bahagian bawah belakang seperti (hyperextensions)
• Overall back exercise seperti lat pulldown to promote an erect upper body

Well not that my five tips would’ve menghalang the injury, but its better to be safe than sorry.

What happened to Eduardo?

Following is a video that shows the extend of the injury suffered by Eduardo. Be warned, images are very graphic!

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=tvs3RkSwXhw[/youtube]

Five Reasons That Cause Sports Injuries

1. 1.

   Jangan skip meals. Cheating and forced reps can overstrain your biomechanical capabilities.

2. 2.

   No stretching/warm-up: Cold muscles tear like rubber – overstretched and muscles are most injury prone when they are cold.

3. 3.

   Lack of focus: Just like driving a car, you ought to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. If you are lackadaisical, accidents are bound to happen sooner or later!

4. 4.

   Improper diet and dehydration: Lack of energy weakens the body. Dehydration causes cramps, dizziness and exhaustion.

5. 5.

   Over-training: Training causes wear and tear. These need time to heal. If you train too much, your muscle and joints can’t heal properly, making them more injury prone.

Be careful everyone :)

How did I lose it?

I lost the weight by exercising LESS! Yes less :)

I’ve been so busy with my book and setting up my web company that I hardly had time to go to the gym, so instead of going to the gym 3-4 kali semingu, I only managed 1-2 kali. Also I obviously tak guna any fat burners, wasn’t trying to lose weight pun but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain my weight (muscles) without latihan berat.

If I don’t exercise much, I have to jaga my food more.

The result: I lose 6kgs……mainly muscles and am I bit leaner now. Am I happy? Not really, I’d rather be a bit bigger around 68kg but dengan takde masa and no weight training…I expected to lose weight :)

…dengan takde masa and no weight training…I expected to lose weight…

Lepas raya, once kurang sibuk…I’ll hit the gym macam biasa and get back to 68kg :)

The lesson:

1. Yes you can lose weight without exercise. Its all about the food intake.
2. Losing or gaining weight is all about know how :)

1. 1.

   “He must be a health freak”. Not at all….people that know tahu that sebenarnya I live a very normal life….I go to the mamak, makan nasi lemak dan makan just what others eat 2.

2. 2.

   “Dia sure diet gile-gile”. Like I kata tadi..not at all. FYI I head to the mamak about 4-5 times a week 2. My secret? If there was one its about balancing the food you take….if I have nasi lemak in the morning, I pastikan lunch and dinner are better choices.

3. 3.

   “Pergi Gym hari-hari”. Actually tak….dengan my busy schedule…kalau dapat pergi 3 kali seminggu pun dah kira satu kejayaan :) Its all about quality trainin..bukan quantiti. Nanti ya’ll can buy my book and find out how :)

4. 4.

   “Macam Sombong Je”. Haahaha this one I get a lot la. I dunno why…maybe my air muka kot. But i always tell people takkan I nak jalan and senyum sokmo! Nanti orang kata I gile pulak :)

5. 5.

   “Kevin ni sure tak bole cakap melayu”. Hmmmm well since I tak lahir kat sini, BM I tak sehebat orang yang lahir di Malaysia. But dengan my family melayu, sekolah menengah melayu….i rasa its good :D just sounds a lil funny.

6. 6.

   “Dia nie mesti ramai perempuan”. Nope…I believe in loyalty and am a 1-girl kind of guy.

7. 7.

   “Hidup senang kerana his looks”. Easy to say that la kot. But people that know me….tahu that I probably work as hard and dedicatedly as anyone. I rasa we all have to make the most out of what is given to us.

8. 8.

   “Mesti hidup macam mat salleh”. Pun tak :) I have been “Malaysianized”. So my life is really sama dengan all of you..not just dari segi lifestyle but secara keseluruhan la. I love my Malaysian ways ;)

9. 9.

   “Sure Tak pandai mana”. I’m not going to be say much here. Takkan nak bangga diri :)

10. 10.

    Hmmmm thats it kot…..can’t think of anything else.