BIG NEWS!!=) Oh, and Tips on Embracing Exercise for Cancer Patients.

Big news! So I've been invited to collaborate with a fellow writer/blogger on topics on health and fitness, especially on how exercise can be a conduit for battling various diseases (including cancer), and she is: 
Melanie Bowen, an established author for The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog. She is an avid awareness advocate for Natural Health. =)

You can follow the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog here
or follow her twitter account here

This is a big big honour for me, and I hope that we can help give you, our readers more information and help more people, change their lives.= )

That's all from me folks!
-Leon-
Go hard or go home

Embracing Exercise for Cancer Patients

Author: Melanie Bowen

It often takes a person discovering just how much of a difference exercise can make before a real passion for fitness and exercise is developed.  For cancer patients, exercise can make a huge difference by adding a higher quality of life, which can be enough for a person to begin making lifestyle changes.  When lifestyle changes are made in the life of a person who is fighting cancer, numerous positive results can be expected.  From lowering blood pressure to improving energy to reducing physical pain and stress, exercise can do wonders for someone who is fighting a life-threatening illness.

Starting a Routine for Exercise – One Day at a Time

Starting an exercise routine is best done with planning and consultation with your physician. Your doctor will be able to help create an appropriate and beneficial routine for your condition. In addition, it is important to keep track of your progress so you will be able to discover which types of exercise activities gave you the most results.  If you felt great after walking but not quite as good after bicycling, it is important to write this down. Journaling and continuously checking in with your doctor will be beneficial by helping you to formulate an effective, long-term workout routine.

Scheduling activities one day at a time is helpful because one day you may feel stronger than the next.  As you go through chemotherapy treatments and radiation treatments, there may be days where your body is simply not up for a rigorous amount of physical exercise.  During these days, even a few minutes of yoga can help by relieving mental stress and improving the blood flow through your circulatory system.  This can lead to a better night’s sleep, which is important for anyone who is fighting a disease.

Exercising will also be different for patients battling different diseases as well. Patients battling mesothelioma or lung cancer may not be able to participate in cardiovascular activity so it is very important to speak with a doctor about what other options would be beneficial. Similarly, patients with extremely compromised immune systems such as those diagnosed with forms of leukemia, may be advised not to use public gyms or pools because they will be more likely to contract an illness. Therefore, their workout routines need to be tailored for their home. All of these considerations need to be discussed with a doctor in order to develop an appropriate and beneficial program.

Embracing the Benefits of Exercise

In an online article provided by the American Cancer Society, the potential benefits of exercise for cancer patients are listed as consistent.  These benefits are vast and varied and can range from improving how a person feels physically each day to the person growing physically stronger by promoting healthy organs and increased strength.

Learning to embrace these benefits and enhancing them by adding a healthy diet and getting a support group to provide support and encouragement can help a person to succeed at meeting any type of fitness goals while battling a major disease.

Coming up! Crossfit vs Bodybuilding???? and updates! =)

I most probably might get hated, or heckled by doing so, But I'm thinking about starting a series of posts considering and comparing both the pros and cons of doing crossfit or bodybuilding.

I personally have no qualms against any form of the two ways to fitness, I am personally going through both, I do crossfit, and mix it with bodybuilding, sometimes on the same day, some times not, but that, I believe, should be for another post =).

The reason I'm thinking of starting this, apart from the Crossfit Open that's currently going on (and just ended I believe,) and the upcoming crossfit games, is that I've seen some 'hate' towards crossfitters in general. Not that I have anything against those who hate either form of fitness, I would just like to shed some light on to how both affects our fitness levels, and maybe, through my own experience, find a way to merge the two of them together?

Of course I am in no way saying that in order to be fit, you must either do crossfit, or bodybuilding. No, there are of course, so many more ways you can delve into fitness and feel 'fit'. The important thing is to find what makes you happy, and fit at the same time.

On a personal note, as I have prevously mentioned, I am kinda doing both of these at the same time. For me though, Crossfit opened up a whole new world of ideas, possibilities and literally 'forged' a new sense of fitness into me, sort of like an 'elite' kind of fitness. I found a whole new way of looking at what strong meant, at what fast meant, basically, a whole new world opened up to me. And the whole crossfit community, has just been an amazing experience for me. I would definitely recommend that people at least give it a go.

As for bodybuilding, nothing beats packing on mass (or losing mass and gaining solid muscle), and getting stronger in the process. It's a different process, bodybuilding and crossfit, but they have many similar characteristics, and ultimately, it just leads us into a whole new fitter you, so here's to more posts to come=) .


P.S.
I am currently in my last week of the semester and 2 weeks out from my finals =P
I will try to update more, sorry for not being consistent,
and do stay tuned for my final thoughts on the Kobe 8!


-Leon-
Go hard or Go home

Nike Kobe 8 system, so far...

 

If my gut feelings are right on this one, this could, quite possible be, one of the best, if not the best shoe, for a guard, ever. 















Whaats up people?!! 

So I've been performance testing the Nike Kobe 8 system for quite some time now, managed to get in quite a bit of hours on it on an indoor court (8 hours, in total, it's Malaysia, it's not easy to find an indoor court to play at), and so far, the shoe has been AMAZING, Nike has totally set the bar really really high with the Kobe 8, and that means great times hooping in great shoes for us! 


So let's get to it. 

As most of you will remember from my last post, the Kobe 8 uses good old herringbone traction mixed with some storytelling traction on the side.The rubber is supersoft, and super pliable, making for super sticky, stop on a dime traction. The court I played at wasn't exactly clean and was somewhat dusty, but it was not a problem at all for the Kobe 8's traction . And so far, I have not experienced any kind of slippage whatsoever, scouts honour. 

The engineered mesh is surprisingly, more sturdy and tougher than it looks. I thought there was a chance that it will get ripped from either someone stepping on my feet or too much lateral movements, but, after a few games, I'm pretty confident it can definitely hold up. Plus, they are much more rigid and supportive than they feel.

Cushioning in the form of lunarlon is everything I ever imagined it would be and more. Lunarlon disperses your feet's impact much better and softer than Zoom air does, and is very  responsive, granted, I still like the responsiveness I receive from Zoom air a tad bit better. But don't take this as me saying zoom is better than Lunarlon for responsiveness, it's a different material, and the way it responds is different. Lunarlon also offers a smoother and cushioned heel to toe transition. Every step, every stride I take feels nicely soft and bouncy at the same time. The foam insert has moulded to my feet, and they just feel awesome! The only thing I'm concerned about is how long is the cushioning going to last. 

Fit and lockdown so far are AWSOME! the shoe keeps up effortlessly with any movements you make, and there is absolutely ZERO slippage at the heel. I'm serious, this shoe could possibly have, the best lockdown on a shoe EVER..=)

So that's it for now guys, stay tuned for the full review, which will be up once I get more hours in this shoe. =)

First impression on the Nike 8 Kobe system

The Nike Kobe8 system, seems legit..... Some people say it looks more like a running shoe, I think it looks awesome..;D

I got these when I was back in my hometown, Penang, and decided why not do a review on these babies. =D 

TRACTION- So let's start from the bottom, Traction. Herringbone pattern intermixed with some storytelling traction, Not sure what to call them, but they kinda look like scales. The grooves are really deep, and does seem to offer really, really good grip. The rubber is very pliable however, and I don't think I will be hooping outdoors with these. Tried these on the spot, and the traction was very, very reliable, despite the floor being a bit dusty. these look like they will work wonderfully on an indoor court. 

CUSHIONING- cushioning seems to be in the form of lunarlon inserts in both shoes. I've tried lunarlon before, on a running shoe, and they were awesome, very good responsiveness and cushioning, but on a basketball shoe? I think this setup is going to work wonders, I hope it will. First impressions of it seem to indicate a very comfortable cushioned ride, will it offer the same amount of responsiveness as the previous zoom air units that are used, that remains to be seen. 

Support - There is a heel clip in place, and it really does a good job of securing your heel in place and preventing your ankles from rolling , the material along the heel area is also harder than you would expect, which makes an even better job of securing your heels. There's also a carbon fibre shank in place to help with torsion and arch support. It may seem not much, considering it's a low cut shoe, and mind you, it's one of the lowest cut I've ever seen in a basketball shoe, but it's actually very supportive and secure. Those who are used to mid and high cuts will need sometime getting used to it though.

Material and Ventilation- Engineered mesh and fuse, what more can you ask for? The fuse layer is underneath the mesh layer, and it provides all the support you need in a basketball shoe. The engineered mesh layer seems to do a good job of providing flexibility and seems to offer very good ventilation. Additional fuse like material has been provided along the toe area, and the eyelets of the shoe to offer more support. Ventilation looks like it won't be an issue as the shoe looks well ventilated from the inside.


FIT - They fit true to size, and feels very snug. Engineered mesh feels like a glove or sock thats wrapping around your feet. Wide footers might need to try them out or go a half size up, but if they don't mind a really tight snug fit, can consider getting these shoes at their size.


Conclusion
I was surprised when I first found out there wasn't going to be any zoom air units in the kobe8s, but they have far exceeded my expectations. Lunarlon cushioning feels good, very bouncy and responsive and yet cushions impacts well. They fit well and snug, are the lightest pair of kobes ever, and looks like it's going to be a very very good experience on court. Looking forward to using them on court soon!



-Leon-

updates =)

Updates- 121101

So, I’ve been missing updates for a while now, so here are a few updates =)

Throughout the past week alone I’ve gotten sick, recovered, and got back on track with my crossfit training, and have started integrating strength training with it as well.

121029

WOD#1 “kill the goat’

Complete three rounds for time of:

10 atlas stone over the shoulder transfers (20kg core bag)

10 push press (50kg load)

50 double unders

Time: 11m 48s

WOD#2, strength training

5-5-5-5-5

Back squat

Maxed at 85kg.

Legs training

Lunges for 100m

Leg press machine

10 reps @40kg, 10 reps @60kg, 10 reps @70kg, 10 reps 80kg, 10reps @90kg, rest pause, 10 reps.

Leg curls & Leg extensions superset.
10 reps of each @: 35kg, 40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg.


121030
WOD#1- ‘Kelly’
5 rounds for time of:
Run 400m
30 box jumps, 24inch
30 wall balls, 20lbs ball
Time: 32m22s

WOD#2
21-15-9 of
Overhead squats
Double unders
Time: 10m29s

WOD#3
21-15-9 of
thrusters (40kg load)
Pullups
Time: 12m38s

WOD #4
Bench Press
40kg 20reps, 50kg 15 reps, 60kg 10 reps. 70kg 5 reps, 75kg 3 reps, 80kg 1 rep, 80 kg 1 rep.
Chest Flyes
10 reps each, 10kg dumbbell each hand, 15kg, 20kg, 20kg.




more to come soon, stay tuned! =)

-leon-

go hard or go home

Giving the leg some love...:)

This pic was taken after working out the legs today...:)

Today's workout
Leg press @ 100kg
8-10 reps , 5 rounds

Leg curl and leg extension superset
70lbs each
10 reps, 5 rounds

Back squat
70kg -10 reps
80kg - 10 reps
90kg - 6 reps

At this point, was feeling the weights felt pretty light, so I went and tried for a PR in back squats, beat my old PR by 5kgs..:)

New back squat PR - 97kgs..:)


That's all.
-Leon-
Go hard or go home

Today's WOD 121018 and progress update

WOD 121018

#1
Skip 100
12 box jumps
12 sumo squats with kettlebell 24kg
10 v-sit up variation With barbell
Run 300m

Complete 3 rounds for time: 13mins 22 sec

#2
20 trx horizontal pushups
10 reps of 24kg kettlebell swings
10 pull ups
10 cleans
15 toes to bar
10 snatches

Complete 5 rounds for time :
36 mins 21 sec

Progress so far

Pic was taken after workout..:)