ISYS100 - MNBKSfitness Lunch VLOG!

Hey guys,

Since so many of you asked us what kind of meals we eat, we decided to put it in vlog for you. There are also a few unhealthy choices in it for comparison. So let us know what you think about what we eat and tell us what a usual lunch for you guys consists of!





Be fit, be happy

Healthy Sleeping Habit

Hi guys, Shadeed here with some more fitness tips. Today I am going to talk about sleeping habits. This is quite crucial in maintaining fitness. Who doesn't like to sleep? I know I do but can too much of it be good for your fitness? Definitely not.

You know what they all say: Early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise.

Now I don't know about the wealthy and wise bit, seems like there’s a lot of other factors involved in it but what I do know is that a well maintained sleeping cycle helps you remain fit and maintain fitness. Maintaining healthy sleeping cycle in order keeps your – 

• active lifestyle in order 
• hence appetite cycle in order 
• hence the digestive system in order as well.

If you don't already have a healthy sleeping cycle, now considering these factors ask yourself that if you were to maintain a healthy sleeping cycle would you be more fit?
The answer is yes my friend. Don't fall into the hands of bedtime procrastination, go to bed in time. Don't fall into the hands of laziness, wake up in time. Let’s not stop there, after waking up maintain a healthy lifestyle. Make sure you eat healthy, sleep healthy and workout healthy. Through these steps achieving fitness is easy.
That’s all for now people. Hope you have enjoyed all the posts.
Be fit, be happy.   

Image source: http://www.eclipsemattress.com/eclipse/PublicPages/SleepInfo.aspx

Core strength!

Hi guys, Mitomo from mnbks Fintess =]

How many people have been working out their core muscles?
Or even know how to or why?
Working out your core muscle is boring, you cannot see the result as you do for upper body and lower body, however, it is the most important muscle to work on.
Plank or Bridge
Side plank


The key role of the core is to support the upper body, primarily to prevent injury to the spinal column. The spine is an amazing design with each joint allowing about four degrees of movement. If the muscles are not strong enough, the body may well push the boundaries of this limited range. If the limits are exceeded too much and/or too often, it can cause damage to the ligaments, facet joints or disc between the vertebra.

So how do you work on your core?

Few ways of working out is as followed:

Just tighten everything up

Get into the habit of tightening up all the muscles around your abdomen and stomach 10 times a day. Create cues, like the phone ringing or every time you have a drink of water to contract the muscles.

Plank or Bridge 

This involves holding the body rigid and parallel to the floor, keeping everything from shoulders to ankles in a straight line. Start lying on your stomach then push up onto your toes and elbows, keeping your body straight. I do this when watching TV. Instead of sitting on the couch, I’ll lie on the floor and each time an ad comes on I’ll do a plank for as long as I can. You’ll realise how long the ad breaks are when you do this!

Side Plank

This is similar to the plank except you are on one elbow and the outside of one foot. Hold your body in a straight line for as long as you can and make sure you do both sides.

Working on these three is a good start to strengthening your core muscles. Just a few minutes each day can make the difference and could potentially prevent you from experiencing the sort of pain my friend is going through. It is a lot easier to do these before you get a sore back, so don’t wait until something starts to hurt.

Be fit, Be happy =]

Injuries

Injury is never considered when we are healthy and in top shape, however with any fitness activity, be it a set of squats, an extra mile or lap in the pool, there carries a risk that scales with level of activity. Two of the most common causes of injury in the gym are poor posture during the day and trying to do too much too fast.

In today’s society we sit in chairs for most of our waking hours, be it at school, in the office and even in the toilet. As a result of sitting down so much and leaning forwards in front of books or a computer, many people have developed poor posture. Common problems associated with poor posture from sitting down include hyper lordosis (when the lower back is arched excessively and the buttocks stick out) tightened hip flexors and forward head lean.  To reduce the possibility of poor posture, you can simply take small breaks at regular intervals from sitting and walk around for a little bit. A small break every half an hour would be ideal to maintain posture and lower back integrity.

Trying to do too much too fast ties in with my previous post on Training Hard vs Training Smart. To summarise, know your body’s limits and make sure you don’t push yourself too much. The saying is thrown around a lot in the world of fitness, but remember fitness is a marathon, not a sprint!

Some other general tips to stay safe include:

1.       Stretching before doing exercise.

2.       Foam rolling

3.       Training lower body and upper body equally

Don't be that guy who doesn't do legs!

Injuries are unpleasant and can set us back from our goals. Not being able to train when one wants to is depressing and a situation nobody wants to be in, so stay safe everyone! If your body feels off think twice before doing that extra set, running that extra lap or going to that next zumba class!

Stay safe, be fit and be happy!

Protein Shakes and all about it!

Hi guys! It's Natalie back again to tell you about protein shakes today. 

For the people who are unsure of what protein shakes are, they are powdered forms of protein such as soy or whey with extra flavor added and you blend it with milk or water. It looks like milkshake which is where the name “protein shake” comes from. Many people take protein shakes to help building muscles or to lose weight.

To begin with, why does your body need protein?

Protein is an essential nutrient required to build new cells. Every cell and organ in your body including muscle, skin, hair and connective tissue contains and need protein.

You can absorb protein from whole food such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs. However, getting the entire required intake is impossible unless you eat six or more times a day. Hence, protein shakes are suggested for people who desire aesthetics.

So the question comes down to whether protein powders really work or not.

The obvious answer is yes. However, it is a supplement to help you achieve your goals. Just drinking the shakes will not help you build the muscles. You need a well-planned out workout schedule along with healthy diet. Then you will achieve your goal in no time!

Be fit, Be happy!

Have you been rolling?

Hi guys, it's Mitomo from mnbks fitness =]

Today, I want to express my feelings about the importance of foam rollers!

The foam roller, like traditional stretching, is a great tool for lengthening and elongating muscles, but its benefits are especially helpful for runner, who often suffer from tight and fatigues muscles. Instead of simply lengthening the muscle, a foam roller massages muscle intensely, much like a massage from a physio, but using your own body weight and agility. 

The main benefits are as followed:

• Improved blood circulation throughout your skin, fascia, muscles, and even tendons and ligaments where you can access them with a foal roller.
  
• Through improved blood circulation, more efficient exchange of nutrients and waste products at a cellular level, leading to better overall cellular function and inter-cellular communication.
  
• Lengthening of short (tight) muscles, tendons, and ligament.
  
  Some muscles (e.g. hip flexors) and ligaments are prone to shortening, and are difficult to effectively stretch and apply therapeutic pressure to using standard massage and trigger point therapy techniques. But with a foam roller, you can apply deep pressure massage to such areas and lengthening shortened tissues, thereby preventing physical imbalances that can predispose you to injury
  
• promotion of optimal spinal range of motion. You can accomplish this by slowly rolling your spine against a foam roller and pausing whenever you feel restrictions around your joints and surrounding tissues to stretch.

So go out there, buy one of these amazing equipment and roll away!

Be fit, Be happy =]

Importance of Stretching!

Hello again, this is Natalie.

One quick question for all of you out there: How many of you do stretching? Not just before and after a workout but generally throughout the day?

Some of you may but I’m guessing most of you don’t. Even some of my friends who are in to fitness and gym don’t stretch before or after their exercise.

Did you know that stretching is just as important as exercise?

In general sense, it helps to improve flexibility and assists incorrect posture especially for those who spends most of the time on computers or on desk. Even for your mind, a short amount of time in the middle of your study or work can calm the mind and give your chance to recharge from the mental break. Below is a video which explains short stretching work outs you can easily follow. 

At least 3 to 5 minutes of stretching before you get in to actual exercise is crucial in avoiding any injuries in the future. Each of your major muscles should be warmed up before and also after. When muscles perform any exercise, they tighten and shorten. Hence stretching them out allows restoring the movement as well as reducing the soreness.

So remember to stretch before and after workout! It will prevent you from any serious injuries. Remember, you want to be fit and stay safe.

Be fit, be happy and be safe! :)