In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the experts to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
There are many home-based exercises to do within the confines of the home especially if you don’t have an outdoor space. More and more people have come up with workouts to perform at home. While many of these workouts are great for toning your body, as a podiatrist, I just want to remind you to be careful for your knees and feet as most of the surfaces in our homes are hard, so it’s really easy to injure or put extra stress on them.
By all means, exercise, just be careful, use a yoga mat or a more cushioned surface for floor work. Consider wearing your sports shoes indoors for completing exercise activities. Yoga and pilates are great forms of exercise with many online videos for guidance, just make sure you do not strain yourself and work within your own bodies limits.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
There are two big aspects to maintaining our health in this time
period. We have to be very mindful of our physical and mental health. Earlier I
shared about the importance of physical activity, so I want to talk about mental
health now.
Relaxing hobbies such as drawing, doing arts and crafts with family members or reading can be extremely helpful to keep the mind occupied while providing opportunities to learn new skills.
Photo source: Georgina
Photo source: Georgina
Photo source: Georgina
Keeping your windows and curtains open lets in air and brightens the house while bringing in the fresh air, making it more conducive for relaxation.
Take the opportunity to do some spring cleaning, clearing out
unnecessary things can make your room and home feel more spacious, something
which can be immensely useful when we spend so much time at home now. During
the clearing out you may find the old board games along the way that are
sitting at the back of the cupboard, spend some time as a family bonding over
games.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
As many of us are likely to put in lower levels of physical activity, lowering our caloric intake may be prudent to avoid putting on excessive weight during this time. While snacking can be convenient and enjoyable, be aware and monitor your own consumption to avoid unhealthy binging.
For a refreshing light drink in the heat of things, sparkling water with 1x fresh lemon juice/ 1x fresh lime juice and mint leaves over ice is an excellent home cooler to keep you cool calm and refreshed.
Eating vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers can help fill your stomach and prevent you from overeating unhealthy snacks that won’t fill you up for as long as the healthy green vegetables.
4. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
As a mummy myself, my indoor focus will be mostly on post-pregnancy conditioning. I personally find online support from Orchard Clinic to be excellent for core and pelvic floor training.
For keeping up to date on medical developments regarding COVID-19, the Singapore Medical Specialists Centre have been making great efforts to keep the public updated with their regular podcasts. You can find them at https://www.facebook.com/MWH.Medical.SGMSC/
ABOUT GEORGINA CALLAGHAN
Georgina is a Podiatrist from the U.K. who began her initial years of practicing in Singapore by first serving in SGH. This was followed by a stint at NHG polyclinics before going into private practice to co-found East Coast Podiatry.
As a young mother, Georgina’s interest in paediatric cases has only amplified, and her passion for paediatric cases and children with special needs has only grown.
Georgina contributes to the profession through workshops, community events and publishing articles for public education in magazines and news platforms. Having won multiple awards during her service period in the public sector, Georgina has continued her community work in private practice, leading her team to participate in pro-bono screenings for students in schools and the less fortunate.
She is also trained and certified in medical shockwave applications from the International Society of Medical Shockwave Treatments.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the experts to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
Besides taking care of your physical health, I think it’s also important to take care of your mental health during this period because for some people, it may get particularly more stressful to be cooped up at home 24/7 with limited opportunities to get outdoors to exercise and destress.
For anyone who works out frequently before the circuit breaker was implemented, it’s only natural to feel disappointed that all the gyms and fitness centres were forced to shut down. However, there is an endless amount of resources available online for us to use such as YouTube and Instagram!
Something I’ve been trying to work on is to produce more consistent and higher quality workout videos and tutorials on both my Instagram and YouTube channel. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need any or much equipment to be able to get a decent workout in 😊 There’s a lot of workout videos online requiring little to no equipment and the best part is that it’s all free 😊
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
It’s important to understand the various implementations given by the government and the reasons why they are shutting down almost everything in Singapore except for the essential services. Unfortunate news may be inevitable and the numbers may keep rising over this period, but if we all do our part and stay home and just focus on our own actions for the time being, we will eventually get through this tough period together as a nation. Then soon enough, we can all go back to our daily lives, sip some coffee at a café, hug our close friends and families, and hang out with friends again 😊 For now, let’s try our best to stay at home and take it as a short break for us to work on ourselves before hustling again when the time comes!
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
One of the pros of this Circuit Breaker period is that we have so much time on our hands to work on things we’ve always wanted to do, but always don’t seem to have the time for it. This is actually the perfect time if you have always thought of eating better- there’s a lot of simple, healthy recipes on the internet! As a start, I’ve also found myself watching a whole lot more YouTube healthy cooking videos (like BuzzFeed)- who knows, I might even start doing healthy meal prep videos soon too!
But a simple, fuss-free nutrition guideline you can follow is to have a balanced diet of lean proteins, healthy fats and fibrous carbs. An example of this could be the following:
Breakfast- Yoghurt with nuts and fruits
Lunch- Grilled Chicken Breast with Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes
Dinner- Grilled Salmon with Vegetables and Brown Rice
Snack ideas- Wholemeal bread with cheese, Cottage cheese mixed with fruits/nuts, Rice cakes with Peanut Butter
4. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
Additionally, I also love watching BuzzFeed’s Tasty series- I know a lot of the video ideas aren’t super “clean” options but it does give me some inspiration for a modified healthier version of “junk food” haha!
ABOUT SHARLYNN OOI
Photo source: Sharlynn’s IG
Sharlynn Ooi is a freelance Personal Trainer. She also creates fitness videos on YouTube during her free time.
Sharlynn is also the owner of LXIX Athletica, a sportswear brand that she founded in 2019 which aims to provide women with affordable, pretty yet comfortable activewear. Ladies can wear them for workouts, or even at lounges and anywhere else.
Sharlynn likes to encourage women to “redefine their strong”- Everyone has their own idea of what being strong means, and through the brand, she likes to use that term to motivate all the supergurls to continually challenge themselves past their comfort zones, and never be limited by what they think they can do.
HAVING worked from home since late last year, I decided to schedule my running sessions to the early morning instead of noon or evening some months back.
I wasn’t a fan of dragging the body along in a groggy state. But once I settled into the routine, it becomes a priority at the start of the day to quickly fulfil that one hour-plus of cardio exertion. With the heart energised post-run, I feel ready to engage the tasks at hand, being unbothered the rest of the day by the demands of committing to my daily 10K.
That was how things were before April this year. Even now, little has changed in terms of my routine. The goal of completing 60km-per-week is maintained and most sessions can be easily conducted with several loops around my neighbourhood.
Then, the COVID-19 outbreak struck the world hard at the start of the year and just about anything is now affected. Travelling out of the country is heavily restricted; people need to move one meter apart from each other to prevent close-contact infections; and several public venues, including gyms and stadiums, have closed temporarily.
For runners, forget about participating in races at least in the first half of 2020 as these events are either postponed or cancelled.
Currently, unless you are leaving home to do something essential — i.e. buying groceries and food takeaways; exercising at a public park or seeing a doctor for a suspected COVID-19 infection — you are strongly encouraged by the authorities to stay at home. Schools have moved to home-based learning for students and employees of many workplaces are operating remotely from home.
What do all these mean for us regular runners who prefer to sweat it out in the morning?
Well, due to a shift to a more flexible work arrangement, anyone who also thinks he/she could sneak in a sesh before 9 am is now running along the PCN – that fairly quiet stretch of tarmac beginning to receive a gradual rise of foot traffic.
Until the past weeks or so, keeping a one-meter separation from another person as I ran past at the PCN wasn’t a big problem. There weren’t many people in the mornings of the earlier weeks and most were folks I have seen almost daily, whether it is the lady walking her two Shih Tzus or the old man taking a stroll with his portable radio playing.
When the Circuit Breaker measures kicked in early April, the number of visitors to the PCNs and parks noticeably increased and so are the sight of unfamiliar faces. In addition to the multiple runners I have to avoid moving too close to, I also contend with people moving in pairs or a bigger group, which sometimes takes up about half of the path.
As Minister Wong warned about people making “a special trip” to “a special place… just to exercise,” expect to go the furthest to the park or park connector located a stone’s throw away.
Under still-normal circumstances during the initial phase of local COVID-19 transmissions, keeping a wider width between you and the other individual at the PCN is simple – all you need to do is to run more to the side of the pathway.
However, we are now coping with a new normal, and as such, many people are not used to being very cautious in these extraordinary times. Anecdotally speaking, I have lost count the moments I veered to the grass patch on the side because somebody was moving a little too close.
Regular runners like ourselves will have to put in the effort to ensure personal safety so that we can go home with peace of mind, confident that we are not potentially bringing in an invisible threat to our house.
The first thing is to accept the current reality as it is that has already changed the way we go about with our business.
So, to start with:
1. Run solo but stay connected
With the latest COVID-19 Bill in place, social gatherings of any size are not allowed at both private and public spaces.
It’s goodbye to those weekends of getting out with your running buddies for now. But running alone does not mean the experience cannot be shared, especially when it can be done digitally or online.
Start a runner’s leaderboard of sorts in a Facebook or Whatsapp group with like-minded friends. Set a goal and reward; say, whoever accumulates the most mileage for the month gets a food treat cash-pooled by the group and sent via delivery services like GrabFood or Deliveroo.
Join Strava if you have not already registered. Sign on and complete the various community sport and fitness challenges. Push yourself to be the fastest on a nearby route that has a leaderboard of resident runners.
Despite the restrictive circumstances of social distancing, keeping in touch with each other is the biggest advantage of an online community of any kind.
running alone does not mean the experience cannot be shared, especially when it can be done digitally or online.
2. Outrun anyone who is not a friend – or someone you do not intend to meet
At some point, you are going to cross paths several times with a new person along your usual route. Or bump into a friend who is now exploring that part of your neighbourhood.
Nobody is meeting anyone who’s not part of his/her household (it is prohibited right now if you are not aware).
But with enough familiarity of their latest routine — where and when they would run — and some innocent and brief exchange of pleasantries at a safe distance, why not try to keep in pace with each other with increasing speed?
You can also try overtaking them if you are just starting from the back. And remember your polite “hellos” after sprinting past.
Again, be aware of your one-meter separation and watch out for other park/PCN users.
3. Run to the side of the pathway
From whichever direction you are running from, either stay to the extreme left or extreme right to allow more social distancing from other runners.
Shift sideways from time to time if a slow pedestrian is directly in front of you or when you are trying to avoid an oncoming cyclist. Run onto the grass patch if you encounter a person who couldn’t manage a simple act of social distancing.
Be alert of your situation. There are going to be some folks who will walk in pairs or threes and take up about half of the pathway. Do your best to overtake at a safe distance or divert your route.
Do not run in the middle of the path due to the already restricted width. You are not going to get drafting advantages from that.
4. Unless very necessary, avoid public parks at all costs.
Let’s face it: with a nice mini-lake, pleasant greenery, amenities and the occasional appearance of otters, a public park is a magnet for folks from all walks of life, whether they are exercising or not.
Multiple paths will get clogged with enough foot traffic to render social distancing pointless in the peak hours. Unless you are prepared to brave the hot sun in the afternoon or risk encountering perverts in the late evening, you are better off staying away from parks until COVID-19 transmissions cease.
Punggol Park on the evening of April 11, Saturday. Image by Terry Tan.
5. Don’t go to trails – simulate it.
The truth is not many of us live near enough to Bukit Timah Hill to make a one-minute trip to. And the authorities are quite clear about long-distance commute: only go out for essential purposes and stay home as much as possible (refer to Minister Wong’s earlier statement).
You can run on the uneven grass patch at the pavement’s side to get your trail fix, but that would be like telling an aspiring pro-driver to operate a Daytona arcade machine because he cannot afford a Toyota Supra GT4.
Thankfully, the toughness of BTH hill climbing can be simulated, even if not to perfection.
Simply, pick the highest HDB block in your estate and hike it up with a slew of repeats. Modify the difficulty by going slow at the first half, then speed it up for the last several floors. Skip two steps going up to intensify the climb. Carry a load of sorts — e.g. a hydration vest packed all your essentials at race-day weight — to enhance the workout. If this is likely to bore you fast, have your earphones tuned to your favourite podcasts and get educated as you toil.
Beware: You may want to avoid HDB blocks which you do not stay at due to the authorities’ actions against loitering. Additionally, you will not be the only one using the staircase and may need to be light-footed on the steps lest becoming a nuisance to your neighbours.
6. Enjoy the process. Really.
The Circuit Breaker period is expected to end on May 4 but that’s depending on what the COVID-19 situation in Singapore will be by then.
For now, it will be a few weeks of staying strictly at home. Most of the time.
With running, you can only go so far to tackling your cabin fever. It’s time to consider the various indoor activities and pastimes you have neglected since you entered the workforce.
Read that book you bought 10 years ago. Watch Youtube to receive free lessons on Python coding. Marie Kondo the heck out of your living spaces. Take up cooking and anticipate the horrified looks of family members sampling your meal.
Or you can just plot your training schedule and goals, scheming a plan to dominate leaderboards across the Strava platform.
Just remember that the period we are in now is temporary. Someday, things will return to normal; road races will happen once more and ultramarathoners will fly off to their next exotic destination in the mountains.
We will slap high-fives again, hugging at finish lines with sweaty arms wrapped around each other and celebrating achievements with such abandon of physical distancing – it’s as if the coronavirus no longer lurks in our midst.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the experts to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
For me, setting a routine or schedule is really important to mentally tune in to the tasks at hand. As an example, starting the day with a little morning stretch for 20 minutes before work begins is a simple way to ensure that you keep yourself active! This is easily done at home on your mat, or even, your bed! For those who are looking to rev up their fitness in this period, adding in a bit of HIIT is good enough to maintain your physique.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
It is inevitable that most of us might feel unsettled from the uncertainty that is around us. Perhaps trying a guided meditation or various breathing techniques would help in relaxation. There are many videos and apps that are out there in the market that is free! One app that I really like to use is Insight Timer.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
I usually post what I eat on my Instagram stories for fun! There used to be more updates on recipes but I haven’t been able to keep up with it… until now! Maybe I will update more when I have time!
She is an avid adventure seeker and loves challenging herself for new experiences. Ever since the graduation of her Teacher Training Course as a Yoga Instructor in 2014, Shermaine has actively immersed herself in different environments and styles of teaching; she is now also a Reiki Level 1 practitioner.
Shermaine prides her yoga and fitness classes to be engaging and a constant test of comfortable limits. One will expect to flow through various sequences structured to work on his/her balance, strength and flexibility, a key combination that will be achieved at every class.
While travelling and taking yoga photos off the mat are some of the things she loves to do, she also relishes in weight training and Muay Thai as her current new endeavours.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the experts to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
Have a time table of your workout. Likely more towards home base workout.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
To tell people to stay calm during “not calm” time, doesn’t help. Because it’s already happening. To stay calm in all things, we must first anticipate the coming event. The best way is to tell yourself it is going to be a long but temporary issue, and it is not the end of everything. Keep yourself occupied, be it is workout, cooking, reading etc. After all, we have the internet.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
Eating well is one of the key components of fitness.
Everyone is different when it comes to food and nutrition. Get some tips from the internet and look for your preference. Pasta can be a healthy dish and can be unhealthy too. Too much or too little of anything can affect your body.
4. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
Understand that we can’t go to the gym anymore. There is plenty of home-based workouts which you can find on the internet. Eg, bodyweight workout, stretching etc
As for nutrition, plenty!
ABOUT DAVID LIM
Photo source: David’s Facebook
David Lim, more commonly known as Yellowfish, is a 52 years old full-time swim coach at Yellowfish.
David has been coaching swimming since 1993. Coaching children has always been his favourite. As children learn faster through having fun, he uses toys and incorporates fun ways of teaching with the “show-and-tell” method.
During his free time, David swims, bikes and runs to stay healthy. He also loves spending time with his family and his dog. He still actively participates in Triathlon and Running events.
The ASICS Innovation Summit moves to Virtual Reality for the announcement of our three most advanced performance shoes yet
Continuing in the tradition of ASICS innovation, the three new shoes support athletes to achieve peak performance with ultimate protection:
The METARACER™ is ASICS’ most advanced distance racing shoe yet, with energy-saving GUIDESOLE™ technology combined with a stabilizing carbon plate
The METASPRINT™ is ASICS’ spikeless track shoe; lighter than most sprinting footwear, its honeycomb sole provides more traction and transfers power in between each stride for increased speed
The METARISE™ is a revolutionary volleyball shoe designed for the attack which gives players an extra 3 per cent lift for higher jumps
ASICS has announced 3 revolutionary new shoes to power and protect athletes – the METARACER™ advanced racing shoe for long distances, the METARISE™ volleyball shoe and the spikeless METASPRINT™ track shoe for elite sprinters. Like all ASICS innovation, they are designed to help athletes perform at their peak and protect them at the same time. Right now, the uplifting power of movement and sport is more important than ever; the World Health Organization says that physical activity is an important way for people to cope with global restrictions on movement and enforced social distance.
The three new shoes will be announced in the Sunrise Red color scheme, which is a symbol of athletes’ hope, passion and dedication and celebrates the city of Tokyo. “The three new shoes keep with the best ASICS tradition: they help athletes to perform better, but also keep them safe at the same time,” said Kenichi Harano, Executive Officer and Senior General Manager at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science. “Innovation has been at the core of the ASICS DNA since 1949, when our founder Kihachiro Onitsuka decided the power of sports could help transform the lives of children in war-torn Japan. Kihachiro Onitsuka decided that the power of sports could help children overcome the challenges and hardships after World War II.
“Ever since, whether it was an elite competition year or not, ASICS has continuously innovated to equip athletes of all abilities with the gear they need to reach their peak performance – but to do so safely. That’s the true spirit of ASICS.”
Originally planning to announce its new shoes at an ASICS Innovation Summit in Tokyo, the company has taken its shoe innovation into Virtual Reality, for ASICS’ first product preview in VR. Media, athletes and shoppers around the world can experience the three new shoes up close and personal – in the virtual innovation lab of the ASICS Institute of Sport Science. The Institute is the home of ASICS innovation in Kobe, Japan, with scientists, engineers and designers constantly working to develop technology that helps athletes to safely perform to the best of their abilities.
“We believe that now, more than ever, it’s really important to remember the positive impact of sport for individuals and society: exercise uplifts people, so they achieve a sound mind through a sound body. And what better way to showcase ASICS innovation than taking people to a virtual innovation lab that brings our technology to life,” said Yasuhito Hirota, the President & Chief Operating Officer of ASICS.
All three new shoes will be available in limited quantities from selected ASICS retail and online stores and specialist run outlets, starting with the eagerly awaited METARACER™ in Japan from April 17th and followed globally from June 26th. The METASPRINT™ will also launch globally starting from April 17th and the METARISE™ from June 12th.
NOTE ON COVID-19 RESPONSE
We consider the health and wellbeing of our athletes, customers and staff as our top priority, and we took the decision several weeks ago to close our retail stores and offices in affected markets around the world.
Medical professionals say that in the current situation movement is very important to ensure everybody’s mental and physical wellbeing. That’s why ASICS recently opened access to the ASICS Studio™ at-home workout app for everyone for the duration of this difficult situation. We believe in the power of sport to uplift us all, and in times like this it has never been as important to help everyone achieve a sound mind in a sound body. We will continue to do all we can to help the world achieve that goal.
METARACER™
The METARACER™ is ASICS’ most advanced long-distance racing shoe yet, designed to help performance athletes reach their peak. It combines our revolutionary GUIDESOLE™ technology with a carbon plate to give runners more stability.
The shoe has an improved toe-spring shape that reduces the load on the calf muscle by up to 20 per cent1 for better energy efficiency. The shoe also helps athletes to stay fresh, thanks to a lightweight but supportive ENGINEERED MESH upper that keeps feet cool in hot and humid weather. ASICS scientists have found that every degree less heat in a running shoe dramatically improves an athlete’s well-being.
The FLYTEFOAM™ technology in the midsole is lightweight and gives both a softer run and improved responsiveness. The superior materials used on the sole – with ASICS grip™ and WET GRIP RUBBER™ SPONGE – enhances grip even in wet conditions.
METARISE™
Higher jumps, fast movement on the break and stability without power loss – these are the unique qualities of the ASICS METARISE™ volleyball shoe. Combining FLYTEFOAM™ Propel technology in the midsole with the winged midfoot support called RISETRUSS™ technology, the METARISE™ gives attacking players that bit of extra height needed for devastating spikes. The curved heel design supports smooth transition and lift off for the attack. Research at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science has shown that the METARISE™ gives players an extra 3 per cent lift for higher jumps – which for athletes can mean a difference of up to 2cm in the air.
METASPRINT™
Traditionally, sprinters have relied on spikes to gain traction. Not anymore. With the METASPRINT™, ASICS revolutionizes what a track shoe should look like, replacing the spikes with a honeycomb carbon fiber outsole that optimizes and enhances traction and delivers explosive speed with each stride. The METASPRINT™ is the ideal choice for elite and competitive sprinters. With no spikes inhibiting your stride, athletes will transfer additional power with every step and increase speed – and over short distances, every millisecond saved counts.
The shoes provide an amazing fit thanks to the STRETCH HL-O™ mesh seamless upper, which is lightweight and feels like a second skin.
The ASICS DYNAWRAP™ technology – with supportive panels that wrap from the midsole across the arch – securely locks the foot in place for increased stability.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the experts to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
I don’t know a single runner who hasn’t been disappointed by the new restrictions and the cancellation of races, but I continue to remind myself that this fight against COVID-19 is way more important than my love for running outdoors.
Our human body is incredible yet complicated, and we don’t become better runners merely by running more. Runners can take this period as an opportunity to identify and strengthen their weaker muscle groups – usually the hamstrings and glutes. Since most runners won’t be trying to build muscle, bodyweight training would be perfect! It may also be a good time to increase the range of joint movement through mobility exercises and yoga.
If your kids are home with you, being active with kids is a great way to be active together while burning off their excess energy. Hop over pillows, toss balls into buckets, do kids’ yoga or even create a dance video… the possibilities are endless.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
Many of us use running as a form to relieve stress, and this period may be extra difficult. Personally, I like to make a weekly plan of the tasks I intend to accomplish each day. I implement this for my work, my five-year-old son’s home-based learning, my workouts and even my household chores! I find that it helps me focus on the things I can control, and it keeps me positive and moving.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
An important aspect of health is nutrition, and this may be the perfect time to test out healthy recipes that nourish your body. As running mileage may be reduced during this period, a diet filled with wholesome foods will help you keep the unwanted pounds off.
My days are quite long, so I like starting my day with breakfast that has protein and good fats – usually a protein shake and 2 eggs, which keeps me full for a few hours. I also keep homemade healthy snacks in the fridge so that I don’t automatically reach for chocolate when I am stressed with work. My favourite snack is a tuna salad with canned tuna in water, greek yoghurt, caramelised onions, celery, lemon juice, dill and black pepper.
For lunch and dinner, I mostly eat homecooked food with my family during this period and we try to spice up our meals with healthy versions of fun foods. So far, we have done healthier versions of laksa, hokkien mee and ramen – all of these loaded with vegetables and without processed ingredients, MSG or excessive salt.
4. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
I’ve started reading North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail by Scott Jurek. I’m hoping to run a trail 50k later this year, and the book is extremely inspirational to me! Meanwhile, I am also reading Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook to boost my nutrition knowledge, particularly on popular trends like keto and gluten-free diets. As for strength training, I do my own workouts which I also post on my Instagram page.
ABOUT PEARLLY LUO
Photo source: Pearlly
Pearlly Luo is currently undergoing a course to be a Certified Trainer.
She is a full-time working mother who recently rebuilt her fitness through running, cycling, resistance training and proper nutrition.
Through her own experience, she hopes to be able to inspire other women to regain their health and confidence.
Pearlly works as a Communications Manager and is also part of the On Run Crew. She shares about her fitness journey on her Instagram page @pearllyluo (link: https://www.instagram.com/pearllyluo/).
Eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a prince and eat dinner like a pauper We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Yet, most of us still skip breakfast occasionally because we are always rushing. But intentionally skipping breakfast isn’t a great idea.
Eating breakfast is beneficial for your body. If you had a good breakfast, you won’t get too hungry and overeat at lunch. Here are 7 reasons why you shouldn’t skip your breakfast!
Breakfast helps you to lose weight
Here’s a misconception: you think by skipping breakfast or having a cup of coffee can help you to lose weight faster. On the contrary, studies show that people who skip their breakfast are more likely to become overweight and they are more likely to have an overall unhealthy lifestyle.
When you skip breakfast, you tend to eat more at lunch, thinking you lack of your daily calories. Filling up on the right breakfast can curb cravings and minimize snacking and ease weight loss. Include eggs, oats, bananas, yoghurt, fruits and green in your breakfast to ease your lose some weight.
Improves your intellectual performance
Having breakfast will increase your level of concentration and improves your memory and other mental abilities.
A study conducted to recognize the importance of breakfast to learning, memory, physical well being in both children and adults. “Our studies to date show that breakfast really does get us off to a better start,” Pollitt said. “The first meal of the day especially helps children in school and allows them to cope with the demands of their school work.”
Having breakfast reactivate your metabolism
At night, your body slows down its rhythm to run without nutrients for at least eight hours. Therefore, after you wake up in the morning, you should eat a good breakfast to boost your metabolism.
A study was done by a professor of metabolic medicine at oxford centre for diabetes, Fredrik Karpe, reiterating that having breakfast is the key to jumpstart our metabolism. In order for other tissues to respond well to our food intake, you need an initial trigger involving carbs responding to insulin and having breakfast is critical for this to happen.
Eating breakfast improves your athletic performance
Breakfast provides vitamins and nutrients. As a result, you’re full of energy and ready to exercise and burn off all those fat deposits.
In a research study, athletes who ate breakfast were able to exercise for 137 minutes as compared to only 109 minutes when they skipped this pre-exercise fuel.
Having breakfast reduces the risk of disease
A healthy diet, which includes having breakfast every day, helps reduce the risk of hypoglycemia, hypertension and diabetics. By eating breakfast, it improves the quality of our diet. This is because breakfast food is often higher in fibre and nutrients. As a result, the insulin sensitivity at subsequent meals will improve and thus, lowering the risk of diabetics.
Breakfast helps you reduce anxiety
If you skip breakfast, you set yourself up for low blood sugar, which can trigger anxiety. Include greens in your breakfast because they are rich in magnesium and chlorophyll that helps to relieve stress and anxiety.
Breakfast is good nutritious start to your day
It is scientifically proven that people who eat breakfast every day have a more nutritious diet. Nutrients help your body function properly, as long as your breakfast includes proteins, carbs, vitamins and minerals. Choose oatmeal, fruit, protein cocktails, scrambled eggs or salad for breakfast. If you are hungry and you ignore your hunger until lunch, you might end up feeling lethargic and also experience cravings.
Breakfast is indeed the meal of champions. It improves the quality of your diet and is beneficial for your health and well being. Make breakfast a habit, no excuses!
As of the time this is written, Singapore has already enforced its Circuit Breaker measures, and we should consider ourselves lucky.
We are down to essentials-only policy, just to have only what’s needed to keep the lights on and providing the economy with a minimal heartbeat. Before the COVID-19 crisis even made a turn for the worse, we discovered that one essential item for most people (worldwide even) is… toilet paper. Then most recently, just before the more restrictive measures kicked in, turns out IKEA was also essential. Panic buying on Swedish meatballs, lingonberries, and canteen fried chicken? And in Manila, you can add Orange Mocha Frapuccino in the must-haves.
Why lucky? At this point, no one’s on the verge of going crazy to run a marathon around his dining room table just like that guy in China, as we’re still allowed to go out and exercise, albeit alone or with people from the same household in open and green spaces. For now.
And who doesn’t want to bask under the morning sun? Even if it doesn’t give you powers like Superman, it does energize you like Wall-E solar-charging his batteries. Your eyes can relax its focus to infinity than have your vision always obstructed by the four walls of your house. That is if you stop shoving that smartphone in front of your face and just soak in the view in front of you.
In parts of the world that are locked down, treadmills are a “what to do?” substitute. Dulling the pain and boredom by playing back virtual run videos while running to pretend they’re anywhere else but wherever they are. Again, we don’t have to go this route yet here in Singapore as we can still venture out. For now.
A day or so earlier, stadiums were ordered closed because people still ended up clustering. Parks remain open though amenities are now gradually being cordoned off to avoid exactly that. And the latest, beaches are now also off-limits.
Heading out on your own is one thing. Many people, also alone, and having the same idea heading out to the same place, makes you and everyone else alone but in a crowd nonetheless.
The fact that the government said the parks remain open should make you think twice about going there in the first place because that’s where most people will actually go for their Vitamin D and fresh air fix. Either you go there in the lean hours, or just run on the sidewalks which should are down to 20% or lower of usual footfall anyway.
In the same way that we wanted to flatten the curve of confirmed cases vs hospital capacity, we should do the same with parks and open spaces by spreading the load over time.
Cycling is another way to get your workout. On the road that is, and why not? Surely there are fewer people there, lesser cars too so it’s relatively safer. The same rule apply though, you have to go solo. And tempting as it is especially in windy conditions, no slipstreaming behind other riders, and keep away from one another even while waiting at the stoplight. No group/social rides. Yet the cycling federation still had to send out an urgent reminder to its community to stick to social distancing rules while on the road.
Be it running or riding, its a good time to try new routes, avoiding the most common paths. But wherever it takes you, make encounters as fleeting as possible, your presence in one place as transient as can be, and not be caught within touching distance while standing/waiting.
Why call this thing “Circuit Breaker” anyway? I assume it means the measures implemented are to break or reduce at least the chain of transmission of the virus. Or, another way of looking at it, it may refer to tripping the patience of the authorities should the situation does not improve, then its lights out on this remaining privilege (parks and PCN totally closed, go sun and air yourselves by your window) and we all go to complete lockdown.
So, tread and pedal carefully, hopefully, we are not toeing the line too much. Consider ourselves lucky. For now.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the National Athletes to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
I think it’s fine to head out of our house to exercise after a long day working from home but do it alone or with someone living in the same household. Personally, I try to swap my running routine and run during lunch hours to avoid the crowd.
If you prefer to stay home, you can also stay healthy by doing some static exercises like pushup, planks, dips, burpees, jumping jacks, etc where you can also arrange with your friends or colleagues and do them together via Zoom.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
We should not be over paranoid and trust that our governments are doing their best to ensure the virus is contained. However, we should also do our part by social-distancing, practise good hygiene and stay healthy.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
During this period, try to take more vegetables and fruits which gives you all the necessary vitamins. If possible, avoid fried food and junk food but I think it’s ok to indulge once in a while as our bodies sometimes crave for it. If possible, take this opportunity to cook at home (although I’m not a cook myself. haha) as you can also avoid crowded areas. I also take vitamin pills to enhance my immune system.
ABOUT ALVIN LOH
Photo source: Alvin’s IG
Alvin Loh is a Team Singapore Marathoner who represented the country at the Southeast Asian Games 2019.
His other achievements included clocking 1h16min at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Half Marathon 2018 and running the Sunshine Coast Marathon 2019 in 2h37min to qualify for the SEA Games.
Alvin has a full-time job as Senior Electrical Engineer at Land Transport Authority of Singapore. He is also a brand ambassador for HOKA ONE ONE Singapore and Jaybird.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the experts to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
I am actually taking it easier running-wise during this “Circuit Breaker” period while taking the rare opportunity to temporarily pursue other interests. My London Marathon scheduled for April got postponed, track workouts with Kampong Runner training mates cancelled, and the only gym I use closed. Thus, in the interest of safety and the necessary social distancing, I no longer find a need to do twice-daily runs, weekly speed sessions, or arduous long runs anymore. Besides, my next marathon is slated for October, so there is ample time for periodization before that.
What am I doing now? I have more opportunity now to run with my inspiring runner father, so I often join him for a daily easy run. My other time outdoors would likely be brisk walking our dog Tiger. I even finally listened to my wife Sandra to do something I haven’t done since 2012: take out my triathlon bicycle for a spin again! In fact, I attached a photo here of myself on the bike which literally has not been touched in years. Last but not least, I do some core sessions at home, often while watching television.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
It is imperative we stay calm by focusing on the bigger and more important picture. I think we athletes had to undergo the initial denial stage upon hearing about the more stringent measures; we got so caught up with our training and work routines for years, that we were at an initial loss about how to go forward.
However, my family encouraged me that there is a time and season for everything under the sun. There will be a season to race and compete again, but now is the season to recharge and do more of the things you could not do before. I am also cherishing the quality family time along the way.
3. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
I have no other resources I am looking to at the moment. But I am continually inspired by my father who is exercising on at least a daily basis, as well as my wife who managed to quickly adapt to a work from home environment!
ABOUT DR ASHLEY LIEW
Photo credit: David Choong
Dr. Ashley Liew is a professional member of The Chiropractic Association (Singapore) and Doctor of Chiropractic (USA, Summa Cum Laude) at the Family Health Chiropractic Clinic.
Dr. Liew is also certified in the Webster Technique by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) to provide chiropractic care to pregnant women. In addition, Dr. Liew is proficient in the Koren Specific Technique for chiropractic analysis and adjusting. He is also the only FAKTR-Certified (Functional and Kinetic Treatment with Rehab) Provider in Singapore, which can be especially helpful for athletes.
Besides chiropractic, Dr. Liew’s other passion is competitive running. He is a Team Singapore marathoner, having represented his nation at the 2013 and 2015 Southeast Asian Games marathon. In both 2012 and 2015, he was ranked the fastest Singaporean marathoner of the year. He is also managed by ONEathlete.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the National Athletes to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
With the current restrictions, parks, park connectors etc are gonna be crowded, the last thing we would want is to go into a complete lockdown. Many fitness enthusiasts have come up with free videos on what you could do at home. Don’t forget to take rest days in between too! During this period, it is easy to snack more frequently, stock up your fridge and home with wholesome foods like yoghurt and nuts.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
Be understanding and kind, do not spread or believe in the myriad of the fake news floating around. Focus on what you can control at the moment, take care of yourself and engage in activities that would help you to wind down after a hectic day with the kids or work, it could be stretching or meditation before bed.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
I buy wholesome and ready to eat foods and fruits like blueberries and yoghurt as snacks. For meals, I prefer doing takeaways to support the local businesses as much as possible.
4. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
Serena Teoh is a Team Singapore Marathoner who represented the country at the Southeast Asian Games 2019.
Her other achievements included clocking 1h22min to finish fourth at the Gran Canaria 2019 Half Marathon in Spain and running the Tokyo Marathon 2019 in 3h00min to qualify for the SEA Games.
Serena has a full-time job as a Risk Manager at Southern Ridges Capital.
Serena with her coach, Rainer Hauch. (Photo source: Serena’s Facebook)
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the National Athletes to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
As mentioned during the Prime Minister’s speech, we are all encouraged to stay home to help with reducing the community spread of the virus. However, it is to note that parks are openly accessible to everyone who would like to stay healthy and fit, get a run/bike/rollerblading activity in during this period. In my opinion, our role is to avoid crowding of areas but I believe that we can still head outdoors for some activities as individuals or with people from the same household. After all, keeping a healthy and active lifestyle will help strengthen our immunity as well!
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
I will think that we are quite lucky to be in Singapore where measures are in place by the government to help allay the worries of the people. Try to avoid talking about the virus situation if it gives you sleepless nights or constant stress throughout the day. As long as we practise good hygiene, keep our hands below our shoulders, rest sufficiently and avoid crowded areas, we have already done our part.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
To be honest, I am not a cook and I am terrible at that, so I usually eat out. However, we can make consciously healthy choices by opting for something soupy. In my opinion, my favourites are ban mian / yong tau foo. Of course, I get my burger and fries into my stomach once in a while (actually at least once a week for me hahaha) to keep myself sane.
ABOUT GORDON LIM
Photo source: Gordon’s IG
Gordon Lim is a Team Singapore Marathoner who represented the country at the Southeast Asian Games 2019.
He clocked a timing of 2h58min at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2013 – coming in as one of the Top 5 Singaporean and breaking the 3-hour mark at the age of 20.
He also attained a personal best timing of 2h37min at the Sunshine Coast Marathon 2019.
Gordon has a full-time job as physiotherapist at Seng Kang General Hospital.
Life sometimes throws us things which we may not expect. It is how we deal with them that distinguishes us from each other. 2020 should have been an interesting new decade but with the COVID-19 striking almost the whole world after rearing its ugly head in China Wuhan, Singapore is into its Circuit Breaker period 1st day at the point of my writing. We probably heard of the coronavirus back in late January. Things have gotten bleaker with passing weeks and months in Singapore.
How it impacts runners have been the consecutive cancellations and postponement of running events. Marina Run, Eco-run, OCBC Cycle and Relay For Life were some of the events I signed up for and were either postponed or cancelled or changed its format. Relay for Life was changed to a virtual challenge and I had signed up for the 100 km individual event. So we were supposed to be running 100 km own target own pace and own time within the 9 days from 21st Mar to 29th Mar.
2018 Photograph Source: Unknown, from FB timeline previously
I decided to carry on the spirit of doing this virtual challenge. I participated in it to remember the loved and dear folks who had passed on due to cancer and to encourage friends who are currently fighting against cancer in the current grim situation of the COVID-19. Amongst those who had left were my ex-colleagues, close friends, a new runner friend then – Ali Akbar (lunghi run), and my mother-in-law. A couple of friends are fighting against cancer still at this juncture.
I also started an online donation drive to Singapore Cancer Society and committed to completing 100 km within the 9 days. My original plan was to do a constant mileage each day 11-12 km and complete it by the 9th day.
I did a 12 km run on the first day. On the second day, I somehow managed to complete almost 60 km running with breaks in between throughout the day whenever I had available time. I was motivated by another individual who had completed 100km already by the second day and my other friend who also completed a huge chunk by the second day.
I finished 100 km on my third day and was the second person to make it to the leaderboard at that time. At that point, there were only 3 individuals who had completed. It was a bonus to see my name updated into the leaderboard (100.53 km). Given my slow pace and fitness level, I wouldn’t be top 3 in any event’s leaderboard. So it would be mission completed in 3 days instead of 9 days.
Status shown as at 23rd Mar 2020
I also received an encouraging note from the friend who was also participating. He actually quoted from the Bible, ‘Matthew 5:41 New International Version (NIV) 41. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.’ He wrote that as encouragement because I had leapfrogged from first two days’ leaderboard near the bottom of those who have started running, to the top two at that point.
I posted my mission accomplished and tried to seek contributions from the general public. As it was, perhaps Facebook wasn’t the best media for such a campaign or perhaps everyone was too preoccupied with all that was happening on COVID-19 situation. My thought then was that even with the worsening situation, the cancer patients will still have to fight their conditions. Some self-doubt came in too, was I doing enough? I had been training for half ironman before the challenge and I wanted to get back to the training because it was progressing steadily as I had built up my fitness (from vo2max indication) to a higher level than before. I knew I had to set some time for recovery because I had felt some pain in my toes and knew that I had gotten my right big toe injured again.
Final Status of 200 km journey
I also kept thinking about the quote.
Anyway, the brief story of it is that I struggled a bit more and made it to 200 km mileage by the 9th day. That is on average at least 22 km per day for the 9 days. An accomplishment in my own running records.
Being curious, I did google after the 9 days, to find how the quote will be explained. What follows below, is the crux of the lessons I learnt in doing this relay and it makes for a longer essay.
If you want to know just the running part of it, the above just about summarizes it. I did 200.09 km at my own slow pace in the 9 days given for the campaign. There was a few days when I was drenched in rain together with the sweat. The run/jog/walk at own pace and time was good as I just used it for some quiet times to myself. Each day’s run I tried to dedicate to dear friends who had left and hope to inspire anyone who was on FB who was willing to spend time to read. The idea that the sponsor Roche will contribute $3 for every km did keep me going too.
By the end of 9 days, I was actually physically fatigued and my two big toes were swollen and bleeding beneath the nails. It took me about another 5 days to feel a bit recovered from the fatigued state. If you ask me whether I will do it, I think I will but probably not the same way. My vo2max which had risen to a max before this, had dropped drastically as I tested my body beyond its endurance limit perhaps.
Back to the real lessons. This was the link that I found useful and you may want to look at it on the quote…
I extract some points from it for sharing which I thought, speak to me in this trying times of dealing with COVID-19.
“… What is most commendable is that there should be a concerted effort to overcome evil with good. Thus the Apostle Paul teaches that we should never get weary in doing good (Gal 6:9). You know it gets tiring to carry on doing good in the face of the overwhelming force of evil...”
“And if anyone forces you to go one mile, walk him two miles” (Matt 5:41). For if you walk him the extra mile, it is proof of your willing sacrifice. Rather that you can take another by your own initiative. This is what we are much more so to be rewarded for rather than simply to do what we have been asked to.”A
So yes, I have done a few campaigns to help the fight against cancer in the short few years I picked up running and to run for a purposeful cause. To be honest, I do get weary, at least the body and then the mind sometimes because it always didn’t seem adequate. I usually fall short of the target donation set for each challenge. Most of the donations usually come from a few regularly supporting friends and even a fair number of new and anonymous friends.
Was it because I had not connected out to more folks out there, I would ask. Was I not fast and strong enough as a runner to complete the challenge each time? Did I pick the right challenge for myself ? I also notice how old-time friends are usually very busy at the time of challenge, preoccupied with their usual stuff. (And at the point of writing, only a couple or so of ex-colleague and friends had taken time to encourage and contribute.)
Each time, I did recover and say to myself. I did my best. This is what I can contribute at this point and time. It is my willing sacrifice in the first place. I will continue to do so until I cannot do it anymore. To stop doing good is not an option. Especially in this time with a pandemic destroying what has been the norm of social life for most humans across the world. For cancer patients, they will still have to fight against cancer when the coronavirus is finally controlled. That day will come when a vaccine is available.
For the cancer patients, they are not sure if they will outlast the next day or week or month or year. I’m glad to be still healthy at my new anniversary on this earth and to have completed 200 km for this challenge. I trust that every dollar contributed to the cause will bring good to cancer patients. To be in a position to give is a blessing. I thank those who have contributed in the past and those who will read and/or share, and be motivated to click on the link above. Nobody should fight cancer alone. Stand strong. And we will also be united to fight the COVID-19. Stay home during the circuit-breaker period.
For now, really run safe (with social distancing), run solo and run strong.
Many people wish they could have more clarity of mind. However, “clarity of mind” is a tough metric to measure. It’s even more difficult to understand how you can impact it since many scientific studies don’t consider it in those words. If you’re wondering how you can attain more clarity of mind in your day-to-day life, you may want to consider these supplements, which can all help in slightly different ways.
1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These are incredibly important for the development of both your body and brain, and there are seemingly endless studies regarding the importance of omega-3 fatty acids. One of the things it seems to have an impact on is mental decline, especially in the context of ageing. More research is still happening on its connection to the brain, but its various bodily benefits make it a great option either way.
2. Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo biloba is a tree native to China, and it’s been used for a variety of things in traditional Chinese medicine. One of the main claims to fame for ginkgo biloba extract is its ability to bolster brain function. That brain function boost may be in the context of ageing or may just be a clearer mind in general, something many people use to help avoid stress. Brain pill is one of the products currently available in the market which contains this Chinese medicine.
3. Creatine
You’ve almost certainly heard of creatine from workout supplements. It’s very possibly the number-one workout supplement, which means if you have a pre-workout or post-workout smoothie, you’re probably taking in creatine. Aside from its effects on your muscles, there’s evidence that creatine supplementation may be able to help with neurological function in your day-to-day life.
4. Rhodiola Rosea
This herb contains over 140 active ingredients, which is possibly one reason for its massive popularity in folk medicine. It’s a widely-consumed dietary supplement today, and some have labelled its roots “adaptogens,” a term that means it helps your body adapt to different types of stress. That means it can help you handle stress more easily, something that can definitely increase your clarity of mind.
5. CBD
One of the main benefits of CBD is its ability to help people maintain a sense of calm for focus. This is an important benefit because it means you can stay focused, calm, and collected, no matter what stresses come at you. That’s the main reason so many people consider CBD when dealing with anxiousness over everyday stresses.
If you’re looking for the right CBD oil tincture for clarity of mind, you need to make sure you’re getting it from a good source. After all, it’s not going to help very much if you don’t get a high-quality product. To make sure you get the best, choose Charlotte’s Web’s CBD oil tincture. With this CBD, you can be sure that you’ll get all the benefits you’d be able to glean from CBD.
In view of the current COVID-19 situation and measures implemented by the governments, we have asked some of the running clubs to share some tips with our running and sports community on how to stay physically, mentally and/or nutritionally healthy during this period.
1. How do we stay active or physically healthy during this period, considering that we are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible?
Since the announcement of RMO, many gyms and fitness instructors are offering virtual classes or sharing their training tips online via social media i.e. Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. We are no different at Team Ultron. We share our running drills/exercises at our official Instagram and Facebook account @TeamUltron.
We encourage simple, no-equipment-required exercises like squats, lunges, sit-ups, planks, push-ups, crunches and the best is it can be done in a small space. We recommend choosing a few exercises, doing each for few reps then repeating the circuit three to five times. If you do need equipment, getting creative with things you already own such as using water bottles for weights, towels for sliders (for exercises like lunges and mountain climbers) or a sturdy chair/box for step-ups. But physical activity doesn’t have to mean a gym-style workout. Everyday activities like cleaning the house or gardening can improve your overall health—so any amount of movement you can squeeze in counts.
2. How do we stay calm during this stressful period?
Eating a balanced diet, exercising, getting good rest and managing our time/schedule well are among things we can do to maintain our physical and mental well-being.
We know that boredom is a common reaction right now but we have to slowly admit it that it’s happening and try to productively channel those feeling elsewhere. We can take off our focus from what is happening now by bonding ourselves to our plants or gardens, listen to new music, play video games or movie time with our loved ones/family. We can also enrich our life by doing prayers, meditation, diving into new books, develop a new hobby like playing music, baking or even redecorate our home so it will feel cosier. Keep ourselves updated with the current news but try as much to read more positive things or articles online and avoid reading or spreading rumours especially negativity.
To stay calm, on nutrition plan it is advisable to do a proper list before you stock up on groceries — both to ensure you pick up the right things, and to avoid panic. Take inventory of what’s already in your pantry, and then plan around these items to create balanced meals. While most people are going straight for grains and canned goods right now, it’s actually a good time to buy fresh produce.
And of course, please follow all instruction and the precaution guidelines given by the authorities.
3. Are there any simple nutrition plans, tips or recipes that we can follow?
Buy and eat more fruits and vegetables, (cut them up and put them in your freezer) because they can be used for months to come. Take more high protein foods but less refined carbs including junk or fattening foods. Drink more water during the day. If you do buy canned, dried or frozen goods, choose those low in saturated fat, salt and added sugars. If needed, take daily essential supplements like fish oil, multivitamins and etc.
4. Are there any recommendations on resources (youtube channel/video, social media pages, blogs, books, podcasts etc) to refer to?
Check out daily workout tips or updates at our official Instagram account or our wellness partner at @absolutewellnessmy
ABOUT TEAM ULTRON RUNNERS
Team Ultron Runners is a running movement aimed to promote an active and healthy lifestyle among Malaysian through running activities.
This “Running Clinic-concept” initiative aims to provide exposure, knowledge, to develop interest and promote a healthy lifestyle via running activities especially among the younger generation in Malaysia. The running clinic is held on a monthly basis (once a month) and it’s free (but limited) to the public who are interested in acquiring knowledge and to learn the proper (basic) techniques of running, regardless road or trail, competitive or leisure run.
The running clinics start as early as 7.30 am, conducted by renowned and certified coaches who are also experienced runners themselves, assisted by the Team Captain who was selected among the attendees.
