FitnessWell

Santorini Island on an E-bike

Breakfast before the half day bike tour around the southern side of Santorini island. We definitely needed some good energy and fibre food to fuel us up for the adventure!

Started off with a delicious yogurt with açai berry and banana smoothie. A glass of OJ along side it. Followed by a delicious ‘Strapatsada’ – scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes. It was so good I had to have another portion of it!

To toped it off for the carbs, I had the ‘Tiganites’ Greek pancakes with cinnamon with local honey – and may I say, it was heavenly!

On the go – we packed a couple of freshly daily made Energy Bars packed with natural oats, sun seeds and raisins.

The Ride…

The bike ride started with a 2 mile “warm up” from Agios Georgios across the mountains to “Emporio” the oldest villa in Santorini known for its architectural landscape structured in a maze. Followed by a breathtaking panoramic cliff ride view of the island cradle, with a stopover at the Caldera natural heart carving cave of Santorini.

All up we cycled for an approximate 25KM that took us just over 3.6hrs with stop overs for a fresh local orange juice and beautiful sampling of local Santorini delights.

The ride could’ve been a lot more difficult if without an e-bike. I have to say, I have never gotten myself curious on the concept of “e-biking” but having after trying it out once, I literately fell in love with the experience. With an e-bike, and its features of “gears” by just a press of a thumb from “Eco” to “Turbo” mode (where you’re literately with minimum peddling efforts), I can totally see how (traditional – aka manual) biking will never be the same again. If you haven’t yet tried one – I highly recommend and I’ll even go further as to say, chances are you’ll may not turn back to the traditional way of biking! If you have a close relationship with your existing bike, well your curiosity might break the relationship – so be warned.

We used Haibike AllMTN RC mountain bike. To simply describe (and not a bike pro person) the ride was steady, good ground grip with front and rear end suspensions and definitely made the uphill, side corners and steep downhill almost effortless on the rider. It was superb!

I am absolutely sold on the idea to getting one, though perhaps not necessary needed a top notch mountain bike, I was recommended a Trail or Trekking e-bike would suffice a good run outdoor and everyday use. Price tags on e-bikes certainly goes much more on the higher end scale compared to the traditional bikes. However, for its quality and value features (manual + “e-motors”) you simply get the best of both worlds. Most of all, it does (in my experience) transform cycling a more enjoyable and pleasurable one.

Santorini MTB Adventures is the bike tour we went on. I highly recommend them, they are experienced strong mountain bikers. We were guided with clear safety instructions through the multiple different levels of treks from riding on main roads to uphill cliffs and in between exotic old towns of Santorini. Friendly people and such a delight to chill with them after a solid ride out under the sun! Check them out.

All in all, my personal experience is that visiting Santorini would not be complete without seeing the other authentic sides old town of the Santorini island. For me, this island is certainly one of the must see and must go places.

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FitnessWell

Tagged abs, core, crunches, dead bug pose, exercise

Core vs Abs – The Difference?

I for one had a misconception around what’s working the “core” vs working the “abs”. What’s the difference? If you’re a yoga goer, often you’ll hear instructors disciplining the students “use your core” or your personal trainer would repeatedly remind you to “tuck in your core”. But what does it all mean?

So, what’s the difference?

In the language of anatomy, the core is a body construct that forms the abdominal, lower back, oblique and front & back pelvis region. Abs is known as your abdominal muscles and they are just one part of the core.

Core exercises help tone your abs, strengthen your lower back muscles that hold you for a better body posture and back support.

Importantly to highlight is that doing core strengthening workouts can help improve balance and yield a sturdier body structure.

Understanding the difference between the two enables me to better structure my core workouts and know which part of the core I want to work on to gain that specific outcome and the and identify the appropriate workout types that can help me to achieve that target goal – may it be oblique toning, lower abs toning. My training becomes more focused and the rate of achieving set goals is much better.

As part of my daily morning gym routine, I do spare a good 20mins on core focused workouts. Since I have weaker shoulders strength (due to old sports injury), I tend to choose workout types that place less pressure on my shoulders else mindfully to do lesser repetitions (“reps”) on those sessions that might induce unnecessary strain buildup to my shoulder muscles over time. Aim for more consistency, lesser on repetition numbers in your focused exercise routine to avoid sneaky injuries that tend to creep up unknowingly.

Equally important to be mindful of, is your neck muscle. To explain in its simplest form the back of our neck and shoulder structures are interconnected by a large muscle group called “Trapezius”. Often the case we tend to (unconsciously) neglect the care of having proper neck support during our workouts. As we overstretched the use of Trapezius muscles, it can lead to stiffness and soreness to our neck and shoulders.

To achieve a well-balanced core build, I structured my workouts such that it involves the five core muscle groups. Secondly, I pace out different workout schemes monthly to balance core training.

There are many types of different core exercises you can put together to give that beneficial workout and targeted outcome. Depending on your body structure and needs, I do advise you be more mindful of old injuries areas or body areas that particularly needed more attention with care and less strenuous exercise focused on those sensitive areas.

Oblique, Lower Abs and Back Exercises for Sensitive Neck & Shoulders

Oblique:

Standing Side Crunches Twists:

Slightly bent (soften the knee lock)
Shoulder and torso straight (back straight)
Arms up in 90 degrees or interlock fingers knuckles
Twist motion: Twist left with the left knee lifted up; Twist right with the right knee lifted up
Breathing motion: Breath in on standing, exhale as you twist (while knee lifted up)
Reps: Try to accomplish 15 reps on each side. Walk on the spot for rest in between for 30 seconds. Do a minimum of 2 round sets.

Oblique workout: Standing Side Crunches Twists

Breathing is very important as it helps to contract and work on the abs and oblique muscle groups. Notice your exhale notion – if will feel you’re crunching that core muscle groups on exhale during the workout – you’re doing it right!

Lower Abs:

“Dead Bug” Crunches With Neck And Spine Support

Lay down with back flat on the floor. Feel your spine stabilized and your back pressed grounded to the floor.
Both arms reached towards both sides of the neck. Thumb, forefinger (index finger), the middle finger, the ring finger place support along with the trapezius muscles (that extend from the back of the skull down to the middle of the back) of the neck. Pinky finger supports the lower skull.
At all times ensure spine, back and shoulder blade lay fully supported on the ground. You should not need to use any part of your neck muscles for head lifting. Eyes look straight ahead (laying on your back). Relax the neck on your supported fingers.
Crunching motion: Lift both legs off the ground (30 degrees elevated) with a bending knee motion as you draw your knee towards your chest. Create a 90-degree angle each time as you crunch. Bring them back to starting position and repeat.
Breathing motion: Inhale as you straighten the leg 30 degrees off the ground and exhale as you crunch the knee towards your chest.
Reps: 10-15 reps each session with 30 seconds rest in between. Try your best to complete 5 round sets.

Again, always keep the spine and shoulder well supported (pressed) to the ground. You shouldn’t feel much strain on your neck muscles. Re-adjust your position if you do.

Lower Abs: “Dead Bug” Crunches With Neck And Spine Support

Lower Back Muscles:

“Superman” pose

Lay face down on the floor with both arms reached towards both sides of the neck.
Thumb, forefinger (index finger), the middle finger, the ring finger place support along with the trapezius muscles (that extend from the back of the skull down to the middle of the back) of the neck. Pinky finger supports the lower skull.
Ensure neck support: Straighten your neck with both eyes always look downwards to the floor.
Both legs straight rest on the floor.
Motion: Engage your abs as you lift both arms and legs 20-30 degrees off the floor at one time. Hold (in the air) of 10 counts and release the body on the floor.
Breathing motion: Inhale as you lift-up with small interval breaths as your hold up in the air. Exhale as you release your body to the floor.
Reps: 10-15 reps each set.

Lower Back Muscles: “Superman” pose

Thank you for reading, and do leave me a comment or suggestions on fitness areas you particularly would like me to write about on the upcoming blog post.

FitnessWell

The Pizol Mountain questioned my Stamina

Had a wonderful morning hike up on the Swiss Alps, Pizol on the 1^st week of October. I have to say being in Switzerland this time of the year, the air of the alps sprinkled with uniqueness fresh scent in the air. The crisp air radiates through the mountain condenses the chills as it travels down my pharynx on every delicate breath.

For those unfamiliar to the Swiss Alps, Pizol – Glarus Alps of northeastern Switzerland, is one of the many popular hike destinations you have to trek. Hiking up at 2,844m above sea level it’s definitely one of the best panoramic hikes (either by foot or cable cart). If you start an early trail, there are wondrous trek options you can choose from. But if you only have just a little over half a day to hike (like we did), I do recommend the 2-lake hike, it is as equally extraordinary!

A note of advice, do bring a pair of hiking sticks along as trekking up at this time of the month certainly warrant good ground support on the way up and down those beautiful mountains.

Pausing in between intervals to catch my breaths the voices of the Pizol mountains questioned my physic and mental endurance. A sudden pounding thought came to my mind about how often the case we tend to place much focus on the body toning workouts (using weights and gym equipment) and place less focus on physic stamina outworks that helps build our body energy sustainability. I do believe on having a well construct “fit body” embodied a good combination of these two pillars, body strength and stamina.

To have good stamina means having a sustainable energetic body, a more focused mind and certainly makes a healthier wellbeing.

Two exercises I personally recommend

Rope skipping. This is one of my most favourite warm up routine. I skip for a duration of 15-20mins with a couple of stop intervals. What’s more you will find other benefits outcome rope skipping has on both your health and body formation, and this definitely warrant a dedicated blog itself. One tip to add, as you skip be light on your feet, focus on your breath and tucked in your core.

Outdoor activities. If you’re not a fan of indoor nor a gym person when it comes to workout; well, why not go for the outdoor? Explore different activities that tingles your curiosity. You might be pleasantly surprised to find one that suits your body form and best of all – that’s enjoyable to you!

For instance, Hiking / trekking is a superb form of stamina builder especially when you’re walking up hilly treks or on raised pathways. Your heart rate will increase as your need to draw in more oxygen increases.

There are many other forms of exercises you can do to increase your stamina levels. I do encourage you to explore and most importantly listen to your body adaptability to the different form of exercises that works for you. To have a fit body we not only need to eating well (and in moderation) but to fitness well (toning and stamina building). Combination of these will make us a brighter and happier wellbeing individual.