Secret to Sporting Success!

1) Consistency is the Key to Success

-being able to perform at the highest level on a consistent basis is the mark of a true champion. Be consistent with you training and challenge yourself to improve all the time. Take part in competitions.

 2) Hard Work, Perseverance and Determination

-spend hours training until you are good like Michael Jordan, David Beckham & Cristiano Ronaldo.

-and then continue to maintain and improve

3)  Loving What you do

-passion for the sport-Golf, Running, Swimming, Soccer, Cycling, etc

-things will come naturally to you because of your passion in your chosen field. Sports or Work.

4)  Believe in Yourself

-if you do not believe in yourself that you can make it, nobody else will have faith in you. Be Positive.

  5) Having a Good Coach Helps

-Tiger Woods had his father to guide him when he was growing up. Manchester United had Alex Ferguson who guides his players on and off the pitch.

 6) Have a Target in Mind

-set a goal to motivate yourself. The target must be specific and must have a timeline to achieve the targets.

The "Secret to Sporting Success" is simple but to implement it requires a lot of effort, dedication and focus. Do the hard work now and you will enjoy the fruits of your labor later. When you achieve your goals you will feel energized.

Good Luck!

Cheers,

Mark

Exercise Is Medicine!- Part 2

Dear Friends,

I hope you have embarked on your journey to healthy living by exercising. It has been proven that with light to moderate intensity about 3x to 5x a week helps alleviate a number of serious illness. You have to start somewhere. I recently read on Facebook about a friend's friend who lost 25 Kg in three months by dieting and exercising. You should aim to lose about 1 to 2 kg a week. If you can reduce your food intake and increase your output by exercising, you will definitely start to see your weight go down.

Plan you week so that you can slot in some exercise time. The ideal recommended time for exercising is 150 minutes per week. You should incorporate cardio as part of your workout. Example:

1) Jogging
2) Walking
3) Stationary Bike or Cycling
4) Swimming
5) Zumba
6) Tennis
7) Soccer
8) Golf (only if you are Walking)
9) Squash

Incorporate some light weight training to this regimen and eat  healthy meals and you are on your way to living a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is the best medicine and you may not have to see your Doctor as frequently as you used to.

Have a Great Week!

Best Regards.
Mark
http://helpyourselfnhelpothers.blogspot.sg/

Exercise Is Medicine!- Part 1.

Dear Friends,

I was reminded how important exercise is this week when I was talking to a Fitness Expert. We all should engage in some form of exercise 3 to 5 times a week. Just walking for half an hour to one hour does wonders to your health. If you have underlying health issues, see a doctor and get some guidance on exercise. Join a gym or exercise in groups.

Inactivity will make you gain weight and will lead to other problems like muscle weakness and illness. Diet alone will only get you so far in terms of weight management. Healthy Diet and Exercise together will help you achieve your goals faster.

So, get up and start moving. You will feel better, happier and healthier. Exercise within your limit and listen to your body. Start with light to moderate exercise. Exercise is the best medicine as it will prevent onset of diseases and it will help individuals reduce dependence on medication to solve heath issues.

Have a Great Week!

Best Regards.
Mark
http://helpyourselfnhelpothers.blogspot.sg/

Secrets of Ageing Well!

Dear Friends,

This topic - Secrets of Ageing Well!, keeps cropping up quite a bit recently at least from what I have been reading. It even appeared in the magazine Aesthetics and Beauty which my friend passed me. So, I thought I will write about this instead of something specific to exercise. A little philosophical but I am sure you will agree with me.

Here are some tips that will help with ageing:

1. Live a Happy Life- Enjoy Life's Gifts-your family, your children, your friends, etc
2. Smile & Laugh-every day. Have fun!
3. Do the things you love-travel, read books, help the less fortunate, etc.
4. Look forward not back. Forget the past and live in the present.
5. Take Care of your Health-Exercise and Eat Healthy Food. Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! And Eat Healthily.
6.Treat Yourself once in a while with your favorite food. But not everyday or every week. Once or twice a month is enough in my humble opinion.
7. Instead of being angry, learn to be calm. Meditate.
8. Sleep at least for 6 to 8 hours. your body needs to Recharge.
If you do not like your job quit and do something you like provided it pays for your lifestyle and bills.What are you passionate about? Maybe, do that for a career!
9. Read continuously to keep your mind alert. There so much you have yet to learn. Learn how to cook, bake, play the guitar, paint, swim, golf, dance, sing, teach, etc.
10. Be Grateful for the gifts you constantly receive and never be jealous of success of others.

"Secrets of Aging Well" is a process. It is important to start very early in life but it is never too late to start. It is in your hands. Live the Good Life!

Please feel free to send in your opinions and thoughts.

Don't Worry, Be Happy! Love All, Serve All!

Cheers,
Mark

OCBC Cycling 2013

Hi Friends,

I am glad to say that  I just finished the OCBC Cycling 2013, 61Km Super Challenge today in 2 hours and 40 minutes. I had trained for it for the last six months. I had hoped to complete with a faster time but I went to play golf yesterday and that put a spanner in the works. My body was aching all over as I was riding. I decided to pace myself and I was glad I was able to finish the race.

Lesson learnt....do not engage in activities that will affect your race or competition. I could have played golf another day. My mistake.

OCBC Cycling 2013 was a great event with more than 10,000 riders. It was fun taking part. It has become a event in my Sporting calender. This is my fourth year. I started with the 20KM, then moved to 40 KM and the last two years I have been taking part in the 61KM.

Cycling is a good sport. You should take it up.

Now, I have to start training for Standard Chartered Marathon which is December!.

Have a Great Sporting Week.

Cheers,
Mark

Help N Ganesan-Former FAS Chief

Dear Friends,

I was reading an article on Straits Times today (10th April 2013- Page B16) about former FAS Chief N. Ganesan and I feel sad. A man who dedicated his life for Singapore soccer is now living in a nursing home in Bukit Timah after he suffered a stroke. He has helped a lot of soccer players as well as Singapore soccer. What I admire about him is his passion and self sacrifice for the good of Singapore soccer.

I loved watching Singapore soccer when the likes of Ganesan and Choo Seng Quee were in charge of the   Singapore team. The footballers played with passion and they were skillful players even though they earned very little money from playing soccer. Former players have only good things to say about "Gani".

Here is a story from Asia One:
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20121226-391681/2.html

Former Soccer Players, Lawyers and Friends are trying to raise funds to help Ganesan who is 80 years old. Please support in anyway you can.

Thanks.

Yours Sincerely,
Mark

Use Compression Wear for Faster Recovery!

Dear Friends,

If you are extremely tired after exercising-jogging, training for marathon, golfing, soccer, rugby, etc, try using compression wear. Many professional Athletes swear by it. If you watch English Premier League the likes of Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerard use compression wear. There are numerous brands out there for you to choose.

I am proud to say that I was one the first in my group of friends who are golfers to use a compression wear. The reason being, I am a crazy golfer who spent a lot of time, money and effort on training, equipment, golf magazines, lessons, etc. But my progress was hampered by injuries- 2 slip disc (lower and upper back), knee problem, dislocated shoulder, pulled hamstring, tennis elbow ( had to get steroid jab -3x on both elbows- 2x left elbow and 1x right and this is not recommended at all as it has consequences later on). Now, I am able to play golf and even run the half-marathon. Thanks partly to the compression wear I started using whenever I play Golf or Jog. Now, a number of friends have started using compression wear, even the "Nay-Sayers" who mocked me.

I decided that this is something that is beneficial for me and others like me who enjoy sports. I am not saying these things because I market ACE Compression wear. Please don't take my word, ask your friends who use other brands. It holds everything in place and allows you to make proper weight transfer and complete your swing.

What prompted me to write this blog posting was....last Friday I played a round of 18 hole golf using ACE Compression wear and I did not feel the effects the next day. But I went to the golf range after work last Wednesday and I did not bring my compression wear.  I felt the effects of  the range practice for the next 3 days.

What are the benefits using Compression Wear:

1)    Helps reduce chances of injury

2)    Improve performance-power & control

3)    Protects skin from Sun

4)    Improves endurance

5)    Helps post exercise recovery which enables you to train or exercise more frequently

Choose a brand of compression wear you like and enjoy your sports. Just remember, you will not become SUPERMAN by wearing the compression wear so don't over do any sports. Always, listen to your body.

You need to take care when washing the compression wear as it is made of special material and the colors may run. So you need to use very light detergent that will not damage the attire.

Have a Great Sporting Week!

Cheers,
Mark
http://helpyourselfnhelpothers.blogspot.sg/ 

MOTIVATE YOURSELF 2013!

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!

I met a friend few days ago and we spoke about about his weight problem. He has always been on the big side and his family members are also big which makes it all the more challenging to keep the weight down. Plus, the lack of exercise makes it worse. Since I saw him last which was about a year ago, his weight had ballooned to 125 kg. It also resulted in a meniscus tear in his knee. But he admitted that his weight problem was the cause of meniscus tear which lead to further weight increase as he was not able to exercise. He had intention to lose weight but he did not feel motivated to follow through. I guess it is case of "Chicken came first or the Egg came first". His weight problem caused his meniscus tear which now makes more difficult for him to exercise which causes further weight increase.

What can he do to lose weight? Here is my suggestions:

He needs a plan.:

1) See the doctor and a physiotherapist regarding his knee. He needs to get his knee fixed either through rehabilitation or surgery.

2) In the meantime, he needs start dieting. Calories from food intake must be less than energy used to make sure his weight goes down.

3) Exercise after getting advise from Doctor and Physio- swim and walk regularly. Start slow. Exercise at least 3x a week. He can work in the gym for other part of the body. He can also take up cycling.

You got to remember that losing weight is a marathon not a sprint. If you have a regular habit of checking your weight, you would have noticed that it is easier to put on weight than to lose it over the years. Another thing that shows your growth in weight is the size of your pants. It will keep going up unless you reduce your food intake and exercise more.

Another suggestion is to cut off sugar completely. I drink coffee with out sugar. Avoid condense milk as well other sweet stuffs. Sugars are empty calories which are of no use.

The choice is yours. If give you excuses for not exercising and eating a healthy diet then be prepared to pay the price- heart attack, diabetes, lethargy, breathlessness, cancer, knee injury and the list goes on. By taking action you can prevent or delay the onset of these problems.

It is possible to achieve the weight loss goals if you are determined, motivated and persistent. So many people have done it. You have seen it in "The Biggest Loser". My advise is to lose the weight gradually so that your body can adjust to the change and you do not put it all back on quickly.

Good Luck. And all the best for 2013! God Bless!

Cheers,

Mark