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Singapore Personal Trainer - Fat loss, muscle building, performing better - Who wants to be average?

When first time visitors come to my gym, they often have similar goals. Fat loss, muscle gain, better performance, better health etc.

One of the questions they often ask is "what are the average results that people get".

That is a fair question. But not a very good one.

I'm not looking for people who want to be average! The commitment, time, energy, and money that you would spend on good coaching, should not leave you with an "average" experience, or average results.

Ask me "what is the BEST result you have ever seen" - and aim to be even better!

Signapore Fitness Coach - Sleep & Fat Loss Results

A short video clip as I share about how sleep affects fat loss.

Singapore Fitness Coach: Running - Really you don't need to do much of jogging

One of the best sayings is that "you don't run to get fit", you "get fit to run". Today one of my personal training clients experienced it first hand. Before joining the gym he had been running/jogging recreationally around his home. His usual route took him 25 mins.

After 2 months training with us, he tried the route just for fun and it took - 17 mins. This is a 8 minute improvment! 30% improvement! Outstanding.

He has gotten alot stronger in training and it is carrying over to running. Do you think, that even with 2 months of running training he could improve 8mins? I think not!

Just another example of running not being the best way to improve running...

Read more about why joggers need strength training here!

Singapore Fitness Coaching: Trans Fat - This comes as no suprise...

Trans fat is everywhere and you know its bad for you. Not even a gram is acceptable because your body can't process it.

Scary thought is that the FDA doesn't require food manufacturers to declare trans fat less than 0.5g per serving. So if you eat 10 servings of 0.4g of trans fat foods, you will get 4g of trans fat while "thinking" you get 0.

Another scary thing is that trans fat is VERY close (several molecules away) from PLASTIC. That makes the story above not a surprise at all.

If you eat trans fat foods - you might as well the plastic packaging as well!

cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, potato chips, corn chips, popcorn, margarine, french fries... you get the idea!

Singapore Corporate Fitness: Real Life Lies and Misconceptions

The false stuff is still out there...

I was having lunch with some friends in the finance industry.

These are smart educated people who earn good money. But they still had some sommon misconceptions about fitness and how to get more of it.

But, they were open to learning and thats great news!

Here are some of the issues that came up:

Core stability? How do you train it? - Stability exercises not sit-ups

Nutrition basics - whoa! a calories is NOT a calorie... the Quality of calories matters alot!

Isolations, slow, machine exercises - Oops, those combine the 3 LEAST effective types into one time wasting program!

Jogging - dangerous and unproductive

Eating more often makes me... LEANER?

It's too big of a job to clear up all these misconceptions one by one. Good thing we have the internet and I have a website and newsletter (subscribe at the bottom of the blog page) that can help spread the news!

Singapore Fitness: What we do at the gym...

Here is a video of some of our coaches and clients in action!


Different clients are at differnt stages of progression. Eventually everybody gets to their goals.

Coach Jonathan Wong: Father's Day 2008

Dad And I in Doha, Qatar

My father lives 6000km away from me. He works in a bank in the middle east. But that is what success as a parent is right... leaving your kids with the confidence that they are prepared for whatever the world throws at them!

My dad set all of us kids up for success by providing a stable and loving family environment. Thats way more important that any material provision.

My dad really has been "teaching" me to fish rather than giving me the fish and making it too easy.

Even really simple but important stuff like valuing money so that I don't waste it...

Nowdays, lots of kids have fancy shoes and clothes. While I did not really desire those things I did notice that many of my primary school classmates had them while I did not. I know that my dad was not poor so it was not about the cost of the items.

It was about the fact that my feet were growing and I would waste shoes by not using them to their full potential.

Simple stuff like that goes a long way in teaching wisdom... and thats just a small example

Thanks dad! Happy fathers day 2008.

Sinapore Fitness Coach: If you haven't read the full article on my site yet... - EPOC

Yesteday I got another bunch of emails asking me cardio questions and all the time I tell them that interval training is the best way to do it. This can come in an form. Swimming, sprining, skipping rope, lifitng weights etc... It is because of Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumtion (EPOC). This burns calories for DAYS after the training ends.

The body needs to get back to "normal" after such hard training... so many things need to be done "inside" that take up extra calories and burn more fat!

Restore ATP-PC: replenish energy
Restore Oxygen Stores: increase blood oxygen
Restore Heart and Breathing Rates to Normal: This takes time and energy
Restore Hormone Levels: there is a chemical pump that works hard to get the hormones back in order
Restore Body Temperature: each degree above normal takes 13-15% increase in calorie burning
Remove Lactate: This byproduct also takes energy to remove

All the programs at Genesis Health & Performance take advantage of these facts to keep you burning fat 24/7

Singapore Fitness Coach: Veggie Omelette

This recipie is probably not going to make waves like the 0 carb bread will... but its still a good way to get veggies into your meals. Veggies are important due to their many nutrients and their alkalinity (explained here).

• Mixed veggies of your liking: Broccoli, peppers, onions, cucumbers, cherry tomattoes... whatever
• Mushrooms
• Cheese
• Eggs

Pan fry or microwave till the chesse melts.

Singapore Personal Trainer: Zero Carb Bread Update

Some people on forums have tried the 0 carb bread with nuts crushed and mixed in. Thats a good idea! I'm gonna give it a shot soon.

Singapore Fitness Coach: Zero Carb Bread - Thanks to Chef Dawn for the idea

Ingredients can be any amount but keep the ratios about:
1 scoop protein powder : 0.75 egg : 1 tbs water

Mix it up and fry in a non stick/buttered up pan. Flip it over when one side browns. After flipping, leave on a low flame till it rises. Then its done!

It tastes like bread, rises in the pan like bread.

Post workout, add some fruit or jam.

Rest of the day add some natural peanut butter.

This recipe is going to save alot of dieters alot of suffering. At first I couldn't beleive it myself but it really is bread!

Singapore Personal Trainer: Supplement Update

Well so far... I can't exactly tell if I'm digesting better, but there are some indications that I am. I seem to be sleeping deeper which is good for stress levels, recovery and health in general. I suspect the HCL helps me digest magnesium better and that mineral helps sleep.

Singapore Fitness Coach: Supplement Update

I have just started taking a old fashioned supplement. It used to be sold in Singapore, but its cheap and I think the profit margins are low so the local supplement distributors don't carry it.

I first read about it on Charles Poliquin's site, and how it will help digestion and absorbtion of food. So that the nutritious food and good supplements which I am already eating, can be properly absorbed and not go to waste (literally down the toilet).

It is Hydrochloric acid. Good for dissolving metals...and good for digesting food.

(don't worry, our stomach linings protect us from it while still allowing digestion to go on inside the stomach... yet another brillitantly designed piece of body machinery)

So far from the tests I have done, I think I was quite defficient in this stomach acid.

I suspect many other people are deficient too.

Singapore Personal Trainer: Food Acidity

Here is a PDF of the acidity/alkalinity of some common foods. Make sure you get a balance of both so that you maintain good health. (Right click to download). -ve means alkaline, +ve means acidic.

Buy why are veggies important? (the alkaline stuff)

One of their key benefits (besides anti-oxidants, fiber, micronutrietnts etc...) is that they are alkaline. compared to most carbs and protein sources which are acidic.

If we eat too much acidic stuff without enough veggies,, our body will actually take minerals from our muscles and bones to balance out our blood acidity. That means weaker muscles and bones. bad Bad BAD.

Singpaore Fitness Trainer: The Focus Issue

As a Fitness Coach here in Singapore, I know that many clients want it all and they want it now. Thats good! And as a coach and as a fitness professional my staff and I keep up to date on the latest in science and practice so that we can deliver results!

But in fitness, just like in many things, focus is critial. You can'l lose fat really fast and gain muscle really fast at the same time! You can't improve your vertical jump and your 10km run time fast at the same time... and so the list goes on...

I like the saying of Dr George Washington Carver (not the US president). He was a scientist who discovered more than 300 uses of the peanut and these uses made peanut production popular and made his state of Alabama rich.

He was wondering what to research on and realized that he needed to "Decrease the EXTENT and increase the INTENT" thus he ended up focusing on just 1 thing... the peanut! HE got great results.

Part of coaching is helping clients to focus on one thing at a time so that they get consistent results. Too much extent with too little intent = nothing!

Dr. Carver Showing some intense intent with his peanut research

Singapore Sports: Coaching Team Singapore Silat

The Senior Instructor of Genesis Health & Performance, Coach Edwin Chew just wrote his first article! woohoo. This one is about his experiences coaching the National Singapore Silat team as their strength and conditioning coach. Read it here!

Singapore Fitness Coach: The best physique improvement tool ever

• Better than the best training program
• Better than the best nutrition plan
• Certainly better than any slimming center or other "easy way out" fad
• Better than the best coaching (gasp!)

It is a strong and positive community giving each other social support.

You are the average of the 5 people you hang around most with!

That is why Genesis Health & Performance clients train in groups. Social support is critical to success in fitness. It is VERY rare for people to succede alone. That is why I am so proud of our coaches and clients and the community we have.

Singapore Corporate Fitness: Workplace Health Grant

I am giving a talk about fat loss to Texas Instruments tomorrow. They are the first of my corporate clients to take advantage of the health promotion board's workplace fitness grant.

For every dollar the company spends, the government will give them 1 more! So if they spend $10000 on health services, they get $10000 more from the government!

If health really matters when it comes to productivity (and IT DOES) then everybody should be taking up this great offer! Free money to get healthy? Uh... there are no disadvantages.

Singapore Fitness Coach: Is it possible to get a Degree (reach your short term goals) without getting an Education (life long learning)

I was thinking about this recently. Most of us have degrees/diplomas/certifications in many things. But when it comes to the true value of education, I find many people lacking. The love for life long learning is WAY more important than the degrees we hold. Nothing wrong with having degrees! In fact many of my best friends have PhDs to their name. But don't lose sight of the journey that gets us to the degree.

The education where correct habits and character are learnt is more important and ensures more success in life than the degree itself.

Same thing with fitness. Im proud of the clients who lose 17kg a month (he was very overweight or else this would not be safe!), jump 50cm more in their broad jump after training with us for a few months, lose inches in weeks and fix their posture and movement problems quickly with the right corrective exercsises.

But those are "degrees" short term results. Important yes, but not as important as the life and habits that they find.

I'm far more interested in education. The love for learning can be grown with the right coaching and the right environment. So can the love for makign wise and healthy choices in life!