Picture of Me

Hi folks. As promised. These are pictures of me after 5 weeks of training.





Initially, I was quite apprehensive about it. But what the heck here it goes.

Gambling

Win Lose or Draw? hmmm........Or should I go for total goals? Or should I go for a 1/2 goal handicap. Football betting, one of the most popular activities among Singaporeans. In fact gambling is one of the most popular activity here. But what makes people part with their hard earned cash........The chance to win more money? The thrill of winning? Or the hope to escape from work?



According to an article in www.psychologytoday.com, people get addicted to gambling just like the way they get addicted to drugs. A chemical called dopamine are released in the brain to give gamblers a boost when they are taking risk. As the risk or stake gets bigger so does the release of dopamine. What is dopamine anyway? In general terms, dopamine is related to the reward system. Dopamine are present when an unexpected reward is present. This maybe the reason why habitual gamblers become compulsive gamblers over time.

I used to wagger on a few football matches but often with undesirable results. Firstly most of the odds are against you. Secondly, in football the unexpected WILL happen thus making it extremely unpredicatable. In the end, I find myself short change of a few hundred bucks. Not that it is a lot of money but it is enough to feed me for a month. Luckily, my threshold is pretty good and I avoided gambling heavily. Only on the occasional lottery ticket. hehehe...... But I took a new gamble. A gamble with life. Mind you not life threatening but nevertheless a gamble with life. I took the gamble to change my life. I wasn't satisfied with how things were going. I felt I could do better. I could do by shedding a few pounds. Change my attitude towards everyday life and working routine. (Believe me it is not easy). I wanted to stand toe to toe and eye to eye, and shout "I HAVE A CHOICE". It sure was hell a lot of work. A lot of courage and determination. But I went for it!!!

Gambling is o.k. (Hey, a new casino is on the way you know). Just as long as it is in control. Not too much that you feel the financial strain. Why not start gambling with a lifestyle change? Nothing to lose right? You got everything to gain!!! Well, by the way, if you have been reading my posts and wonder how much did I really benefit from the lifestyle change, stay tune for a picture of me taken 2 weeks back. Curently, the training programme is at the 7th week. So the picture is actually taken in the 5th week of training. So stay tune hehehe........

The Power To Choose

Oh man.... I just slack and slept the whole day today. I gotta snap out of it man. There are better things to do than just watching television and sleep. Although, the programmes I watched are usually Sports, animal planet, National Geographic, travel and living.... (Quite educational). Too much television actually made me quite lethargic.

Well. It is a good thing I "choose" to switch off the television and wash up. I do feel a bit energetic now. As i switched on the computer to write this blog, many thoughts and ideas are formed in my head.

The power to choose pops up again and again. I can choose to watch television and sleep again OR I can get up continue my Friday Workout. How bad do I want to change my life? How bad do I want to slim down, keep fit and change my lifestyle? How bad do I want to prove to others who think that I will quit this in less than 2 months? I WANT to change. I WANT to adopt a new set of thinkin. I WANT to be healthy. I WANT to eat right. I WANT to do my best and never give up. I WANT to prove that we are not stuck in an endless cycle of start and stop only to start again. I WANT to make the difference. ROOAARRR!!!

In my opinion it all comes down to one's desire and hunger. I read an article from www.bodybuilding.com about this. It goes something like this. "I think I should diet, I think I should exercise. I should do this........should do that........ All of this doesn't get you anywhere. I want to stay healthy, I want to learn something, I want to change my life is a different proposition all together now. By changing the "shoulds" to "wants" can really have a drastic change in ones' life. "

How true is that? I really feel excited by this information. BUT It’s nothing new. You and I know it. Your neighbours know it, children know it too. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, not ambiguous or equivocal. It’s really simple. It’s whether we apply it to our lives. Its about carrying out the actions required even for the smallest change or improvements. Its all about "want".

By the time you have finished reading this I will be blasting my biceps and doing squats. Coz

Dedication + Determination = Domination. (Adapted from bodybuilding.com articles)

I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE!!!

Gym Workout

Arrrgggh my aching triceps. What was I thinking?? This workout surpass all my expectations!!! The muscle ache is so painful that it actually feels good!!! I just love this sensation. Workout A B or C? Nope, its the workout with my fren Wei Lun.

It all started when I thought my training programme was on course in helping me achieve a physique of a Greek God. Boy was I wrong, when I train with this guy. Here are the details of the workout.




Cartoon Picture of Wei Lun

8 reps x 3 sets of Incline Bench Press

8 reps x 3 sets of Reverse Incline Bench Press

8 reps x 3 sets of Normal Bench Press

10 reps x 4 sets of reverse incline situps

8 reps x 3 sets of Close-Grip Pushdowns

It became forced reps (assisted) at the normal bench press. My chest still feels o.k but my triceps are kinda going to explode. I can't believe how strong WL was!!! He was still going on strong!!! Perhaps more focus training is needed on triceps exercise to maxmise the potential.

After blasting my triceps, I decided to read up and find more on this muscle group. According to www.bodybuilding.com, they mentioned if your triceps are lagging behind, it will be better to train them when they are fresh meaning first exercise. The article goes like this:

"In the old days of bodybuilding, they trained triceps on the same day as chest. Actually, many bodybuilders still do this. However, this old-school technique may not be the best way to go if you're looking for optimal triceps size or if your triceps are lagging.

By training tri's after chest to "finish them off," you're not using optimal weight for overloading the triceps, as they've already been partly worked as part of your chest routine. Giving your triceps your full focus by hitting them with heavier weights while they're fresh will improve your results."

Intriguing piece of information. Maybe the next training programme needs to be slightly altered to suit my body type.

MAN UTD Wins Again!!!

Fantastic Football. Speechless!!!!!!!!

The Power To Choose

"YOU ALWAYS GOT A CHOICE!!!" The words echoed through my head like a worn out tape recorder.

Ever since I started the lifestyle change which incoperates training and attitude change, these words from my Warrent Officer kept zipping around in my head. Its been close to 4 years since I was officially released from the army. So why am I replaying this thing over and over again?

Maybe he had realised this a long time ago. Maybe its just another army talk. But I can still remember vividly what he had said. "Don't say you got no choice but to join the army. You always have a choice. You can migrate or run away to another country. But the fact that you did nothing means you chose to do nothing and accepted the terms and conditions."



Well come to think of it... We do really have the power to choose. We homo sapiens evolved into modern humans today because we have the uncanny ability to lean, think and ultimately choose. We can either be food for the likes of giant crocodiles, dinosaurs or other predators. OR we can learn to fight, protect ourselves and control our environment.

"It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don't. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever."

Philip Adams

Quite true isn't it. The power to choose is simply a phenomenal. I wake up in the morning. It feels like a boring Monday. Well, I can choose to be bored, lethargic, moody........OR I can think positive, be happy, be the best that I can be. Perhaps a little easier said than done. Maybe a sudden change can be a little too much to take. I decided to do this gradually. I mean what are the positives on a Monday morning? Hmmm.......There is the Monday workout to look forward to. What about my frens?! I would be happy to see them. Maybe I can be a bit positive on what I can learn today at work. A liitle differnce goes a long way. After much thinking and reflection, I came up with this line.



"Nobody said it would be easy,
but it will remain difficult unless you try."

Ben Tay' 2007

In the end, whatever happens in our lives are the choices we made. So its your choice.