Pro-Sports

My MIL agreed to mind Gavin for an hour in the mornings so that means I can start working out again - and boy do I need to!  Lately, I developed a tennis elbow - yet again - from carrying Gavin. 

It is easy to get carried away and push too hard when you start exercising again after a long break.  It then makes it hard to keep up the progress that you started with and the tendency to keep putting it off becomes too high.  Ideally, just start off easy, about half an hour and nothing too tough.  Above all, have fun.

So for my first day, I decided to try the Fitball DVD I bought recently.  It is a 30 minute of pure pilates workout on the ball.  Nice and easy - not to long and not too tough.  That’s what I love about pilates - you get to work out without killing yourself.  I also love ball workouts because it’s kind to the joints - no stress, and it’s fun.

I did run into a bit of trouble.  I started on my own fitball since I couldn’t be bothered to blow up the one that came with the kit.  I found mine too flat, so ended up pumping up the new ball only to discover that it is too small for me.

When I did pilates on the ball at Fitfor2, I discovered that the optimum ball size should be one where your thighs are parallel to the floor when you sit on it. 

In the end, I just added more air to my ball and got a mini arm workout from pumping up the new ball for no reason.

That was it for my first day into my get fit plan.  Next up, I think I’ll try the ball and band exercise DVD…

Popularity: 25% [?]

Looks like it’s official although there is still no confirmation on the new venue.  How sad…  I had such fond memories of the place…

The office will be moving to:

525, Jalan 17/13,
46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +6(03) 7958 5152
Fax: +6(03) 7958 1710
Contingency number: +6(016) 202 1936

info@nomadadventure.com

Although the gym will be closing temporarily for now, the good news is that the pro-shop is having a clearance sale so you’re bound to be able to pick up some bargains - I think (depending on what Yuen Li’s idea of a bargain is, I guess). 

In the meantime, if you want to keep tabs on the news for the new Summit Gym site, you can add Nomad to your Facebook account.

Popularity: 18% [?]

I started 2008 with a resolution to get fit and I bought several exercise DVDs so I could work out at home.  I managed to pick up titles for Yoga, Pilates, and a series or quick 10 minute workouts for RM10-20 each, which I thought was pretty worth it considering it costs me RM10 for one yoga class at Fitfor2.  The only DVD I was missing that I really wanted was an exercise with the fitball (or fitness ball).  Since I already had a ball at home, all I really needed was the DVD. 

Although we got off to a good start, my little exercise regime was quickly put to a stop by my son who decided at that time that he didn’t want to play by himself for the brief half hour to one hour that it would take for me to complete my workout.  In fact, it got to the point where he was able to turn off my DVD so it wasn’t like I could persist with the exercise plan.

I decided to shelve the whole fitness plan until Gavin could play by himself without wanting my involvement.  Unfortunately, that day hasn’t quite arrived yet - or rather he can play on his own unless he sees me doing something he deems is unnecessary.  At this point, my exercise plan still falls under the category of “unnecessary”.

On Saturday, when I took Gavin to MPH with the intention of buying him another Thomas and Friends book, I came across a Fitball exercise series that I just couldn’t pass up.  Check it out:

The exercises are designed to work on:

• Body and movement awareness
• Joint stability
• Posture
• Muscle balance

It utilises Pilates principles using the fitness ball, the stretchband, and resistance web.  At a bargain price of RM79.90, it comes with a book that details all the exercises with pages of colour photographs.

It comes with not one, not two but three exercise DVDs:

1. Simply Ball with Pilates Principles – 36 minutes, targeting core muscles
2. Simply Ball and Band – 106 minutes, developing strength, core stability, and cardio fitness
3. Simply Ball and Web – 70 minutes, promoting fitness, muscle tone, and weightloss

Considering that I used to pay RM20 for one exercise DVD, the DVDs plus the book is already worth the price I paid for it.

Here are the DVDs:

But wait!  There’s more!  They also give you a ball!  Yeah, I already have one but since it comes with the package…  And to think I paid over a 100 bucks for my ball!  Crikey! 

They also give you a pump for your ball - something I didn’t get when I bought my hundred dollar plus ball. Although I did get an exercise DVD with my ball which was totally useless to me because it was completely in a foreign language I couldn’t understand.

They give you a resistance web.  When I bought the resistance web from the Sports Medicine Center, I paid RM30 for it!

You also get a stretch band - don’t really know how much a set of these cost since I’ve never bought one but I’m sure they don’t come cheap either.

Even though I haven’t really been exercising, I figured the package was worth getting.  Aside from that, I have a thing about getting new stuff and new equipment.  It always gets me really fired up.  For instance, back when I was climbing, one of the best ways to get myself back into the climbing spirit was for me to buy a new pair of climbing shoes, a new rope or some new piece of climbing equipment.  I just love new stuff - especially using it.

Hopefully Gavin will be kind enough now to let me start exercising again.

Popularity: 27% [?]

When you want to reach new levels in sport, training hard is important but I’m sure you’ve heard about burnout.  Sometimes taking some time out away from training can be just the thing to help you break the barrier into the next level.  You can find yourself improving in leaps and bounds upon returning to your sport after a short leave of absence.

There are times when being away can be a curse, however.  That is when you’ve taken too long a break from your sport.  This was what my SIL2 discovered when she started doing Yoga again yesterday after stopping for a couple of years (she went to the States to complete her degree).  The body couldn’t perform as well as what the mind remembers being able to do and she was naturally frustrated. 

Well, I can identify with that.  A few years back, I took a break from climbing and when I started climbing again, it was intensely frustrating to find I couldn’t climb like I used to.  It was a strange sensation because I would look at a route and assess it assuming my ability was still as it was before the break.  When I couldn’t grip a hold or make a move like I remembered being able to do, there was at first surprise - the kind where you do a double take and wonder if someone is playing a trick on you.  When you discover it was no mistake, frustration sets in.

While it is naturally to lose some level of competency, the up side is that it will take you a lot less time to build it back up compared to the first time you learned the skill.  That is because your body already remembers how things work.  It’s just your muscles that have weakened.  To put it another way - it’s like riding a bike.  You never really forget how.  Even though you might be a little wobbly getting back onto the bike after years of not riding, you still know how to ride and that means you’ll pick up your ability a lot faster the second time around.

In fact, once you regain your strength, you’ll find yourself improving again and even breaking your glass ceiling.

Popularity: 17% [?]

I’m not really much of a basketball fan, but I am a huge admirer of Michael Jordan.  Why?  Because to me he embodies the true fighting spirit that a sportsperson requires to attain excellence.  Michael Jordan has been touted as the greatest basketball player of all-time.  That title alone is worth its weight in gold, but what makes it even more amazing is when you consider the fact that Michael Jordan was cut from his varsity basketball team for being too short when he first tried out for the team.

Michael Jordan is a sporting inspiration because he shows you just what you can achieve if you really want it. 

Popularity: 17% [?]

How do you know you need to start exercising again?

1. When your chef SIL comes to town and starts cooking food that is just too good to pass up on.
2. When your toddler starts pinching your excess flab and gives you a significant look.
3. When your pants are so tight, your kidneys start hurting.
4. When playing with your toddler leaves you breathless.
5. When you take your toddler out to the shopping mall to wear him out and you come home needing a nap instead.

Popularity: 18% [?]

It has been a while since I last watched a climbing video with Chris Sharma in it.  Ah heck, it’s been a while since I last watched a climbing video, full stop.  I saw this on Youtube and boy has it got my palms sweating!  He’s looking a lot leaner in this clip than I remembered, though.

Chris Sharma is the Rock God.  What an inspiration!

Back in the days, the Rockrats all wanted to climb like Sharma…  I will always remember something he wrote about climbing like water flowing across a rock - that’s exactly how he climbs in this clip.  The flow of movement is so smooth, even graceful - like how Eugene once described it: “a vertical dance”. 

What can I say?  Simply beautiful.

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My Dad left for Melbourne last night and since I was dropping him off at KL Sentral to take the train down to the airport, I thought I would take the opportunity to scope out the Synergym at Sooka Central that I recently found out about and try out one of the many fine eateries I read so much about.

If I was expecting to see nothing short of fantastic, my eagerness was quickly doused by an enormous bucket of cold water.  The Synergym is still a “coming soon” attraction in a center that currently looks like a runner on his last legs. 

As for the eateries…  I wasn’t sure what was open and available but a bunting indicated a handful of restaurants that should have been open - yes, the operative word being “should have”.  According to the bunting that listed their opening hours, they should have been open for business.  Instead, we arrived to find a rather deserted venue that looked like it was closing down.

The place was also a lot smaller than I thought it would be.  Somehow, it looked a lot more impressive on the website than it did in person.  How disappointing…

Popularity: 16% [?]

Nope, I won’t be participating.

In April 2006 I entered the Malakoff Duathlon where I took the biking leg for the team relay.  There were supposed to be three parts to the race, but I found out I was pregnant the following month and that was the end of my rather short-lived biking career.

Despite not having participated since, my name remains on the duathlon mailing list and this was what I received about this year’s Malakoff Duathlon activities (for those who might be interested to participate):

Saturday, 19 July 2008
MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi
Distance: 3km run / 14.5km bike / 3km run

Saturday, 26 July 2008
MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series at Universiti Malaya, Petaling Jaya
Distance: 3.5km run / 14km bike / 3.5km run

Saturday, 2 August 2008
MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Bandar Tasik Selatan
Distance: 4km run / 20km bike / 4km run

Sunday, 10 August 2008
MALAKOFF 26km, Penang 2008
Distance: 26km run

Sunday, 9 November 2008
POWERMAN Malaysia powered by MALAKOFF, Seri Manjung, Perak
Distance: 11km run / 64km bike / 10km run

Sunday, 21 December 2008
MALAKOFF 25km, Johor 2008
Distance: 25km run

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MALAKOFF University Duathlon Series
Run – Bike – Run (Sprint Distances)

This was created to encourage more young and new athletes to start multi-sport and stay healthy. The distances are DU-able for most people and we even have the Team Relay category for those who are currently single-sport athletes but would like to be part of a multi-sport event. This is your chance to make new friends and also try a new sport. The event is powered by MALAKOFF and fueled by PowerBar. For more information about this event, please log on to www.duathlonseries.com.my or drop us a line.

MALAKOFF 26km, Penang 2008
Run

If you are looking for a new venue to run in, come race the inaugural MALAKOFF 26km, Penang 2008.

Penang is the Pearl of the Orient and for many good reasons:

• Great run course with some hills at the beginning, a coastal section along Gurney Drive and historical tour of the city under shady bits towards to end
• Great hawker fare everywhere
• Take your family or friends for a holiday run

We are organizing hotels and buses from Kuala Lumpur to Penang return so if you are interested we suggest you book early to avoid disappointment. The event is powered by MALAKOFF, organized by Pacesetters, Athletic Club Malaysia, co-sponsored by PowerBar and CounterPain. For more information about this event, please log on to www.pacesetters.com.my or drop us a line.

POWERMAN Malaysia
Run – Bike – Run (Endurance and Sprint Distances)

This annual event since 2002 has been the ‘hottest’ duathlon in the world where top international duathletes come challenge each other for top prize. We will see an even larger number of racers this year in Seri Manjung. The event is powered by MALAKOFF. For more information about this event, please log on to www.powerman.com.my or drop us a line.

MALAKOFF 25km, Johor 2008
Run

This will be the 2nd run after Penang and this time it will be held in Johor Bahru. We will be organizing buses to transport runners from Singapore to Johor return.

The event is powered by MALAKOFF, organized by Pacesetters, Athletic Club Malaysia, co-sponsored by PowerBar. More information about this event will be up soon, please log on to www.pacesetters.com.my or drop us a line.

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We look forward to seeing you all at our races whether as a participant, supporter or volunteer. For those who have upcoming events, all the best and for those who have been thinking of participating – what are you waiting for?

Popularity: 23% [?]

It’s been over two years since I’ve been to a climbing gym and three years since I’ve climbed outdoors.  Where I once used to be on top of all the latest news in the Malaysian climbing scene, a quick surf around on the internet has revealed that I am now sadly out of touch with all the latest happenings.

These are the changes I have discovered:

Climbing Equipment:

There is now an All Sports in 1Utama, and a newer and bigger UFL Outdoors has moved to Bangsar.

Climbing Gyms:

Summit Gym

I can’t remember where I read it, but I recall reading somewhere about Summit Gym moving their premises to a new location.  I can’t seem to verify the information since their website hasn’t reported anything of the sort.  Could be a work in progress - any Malaysian climbers out there able to reveal anything more about this?

Putrajaya Challenge Park

Located in Taman Selatan of Putrajaya, Presint 20, this project was undertaken by Blocx and a company called Zlgdesign.

It’s supposed to be a new national training center and international competition venue and the rock climbing section looks pretty impressive based on the pictures I have seen. 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a website to the challenge park to find out more details about climbing there or whether it is even open to the public, although it sounds as though it is.

Sooka Central Designer Synergym

Sooka Central, located in KL Sentral has apparently set up a designer gym with twist.  It has a rock climbing center piece with beginner routes on autobelay that is available to all their members.  Now that’s a gym I wouldn’t mind joining.  Unfortunately, I’m not even sure if it’s open yet, or what the membership fees will be like, although I suspect it might be something pretty steep.

Perhaps I’ll just mosey on down there and take a look around?

Outdoor Climbing Areas 

Lost World of Tambun - Ipoh, Perak

From ClimbXMedia, I read about the new climbing area in Ipoh.  Located in Sunway Lagoon’s Lost World of Tambun, there are 27 routes bolted on limestone.  I had heard about this climbing area even while I was still rock climbing, but by that time I was tapering down the climbing activity, hence the reason why I never went to check it out.  It looks like a lot of developments have taken place around that area since as I’m sure Sunway Lagoon’s Lost World of Tambun didn’t appear overnight.

For more climbing areas in Malaysia, you can check out my old posts on this subject.

Popularity: 24% [?]