Tuesday, 2 January 2018

WELCOME TO 2018

           


A new year is upon us
A new dawn has been birthed
A new diary with 365 pages to write a new story everyday
To score a mark in anyway
The time never stops ticking, the days never stop counting
So I will stop at nothing to make everyday count
I will take responsibility for where I am and who I am
And when I do, I can change who I am becoming
I can redirect my steps to a greater destination
And I can leave a better foot print on the sands of time.



Happy New Year fitfam. Take responsibility today so you can change tomorrow



Sunday, 30 July 2017

PALACE WAY 5KM HIIT RUN WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

   It was all sweat,smile and fun yesterday (Sat 29th July) as the streets of AGO palace way Okota stood still for the 'PALACE WAY 5KM HIIT RUN/WALK'.  Being the first time a fitness event of this magnitude held in the locality, residents came out in mass to run AGO and those that couldn't run came out to support participants.

Here are pictures from the RUN which started from AGO roundabout through to AGO bridge and back to Nobis Event Center. 


Participants before the RUN

Getting Ready for start off





Ready to RUN AGO

Police ensuring safety of participants during the RUN

A Participant on the move

The MD of Nobis Events Center presenting the Winner his Cash Prize

CEOs of 9jaevent.com & SF9 fitness outfit with the 1st Runner up
                                       


MD of Zidora groups and wife presenting the 2nd Runner up with his cash prize
     The first 10 participants also went away with Shopping Vouchers from Shop rite.







                                                        



 The Ladies were not left out in the give away. the first 5 ladies also went away with cash prizes


Cross section of the top 5 ladies with the MD of Chuks Williams LTD(1st on the Right)







Thank you to the 5KM HIIT Team for pulling this off




More Photos and videos on our FB page;www.facebook.com/SF9fitnessoutfit/

A Big thank you to our Sponsors; Zidora Groups, Goal Water, Nobis Events Center & Chuks Williams LTD.
Also thank you to the Ago division of the Nigerian Police force & Federal Road Safety Corps for ensuring security and safety of the participants during the Run.

The Palace Way 5KM HIIT RUN/WALK was put together by SF9 FITNESS OUTFIT & 9jaevent.com

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

EVENT ALERT: PALACE WAY 5KM HIIT RUN/WALK

Hello Fitnation,

I’m super excited to inform you that last Saturday, the  Stay fit 9ja fitness outfit signed a partnership deal with an event management company ‘9jaevent.com’ to host a Fitness event tagged 'PALACE WAY 5KM HIIT RUN/WALK'. The 5KM run which will hold in AGO palace way Okota Lagos is open to everyone.
                    



“We intend to use this event as a platform to sensitize the public on the importance of fitness as it relates to health and general well being. Since this is the first time such an event is holding in the vicinity, we invite all residents of the community and its environs to come out and participate. It will be a platform to exercise, meet people around, connect and have lots of fun”. 

 
To make the event juicier for our participants, we are giving away Cash Prizes to the first 3 participants to grab the finish line; there will also be gift vouchers for the first 10 participants and lots of freebies for other participants too.
The Cash Prizes up for grabs for the different categories of winners are:
1st PRIZE; ₦30,000.00
2ND PRIZE; ₦15,000.00
3RD PRIZE; ₦10,000.00
Registration for this event is currently on-going and free for anyone who wants to participate.
However, contestants must register for the event on or before 28th July 2017 to be eligible for the prizes.
To register for the Run, click Register

Other information about the event:
DATE; 29TH JULY 2017
TAKE OFF LOCATION; AGO ROUND-ABOUT OKOTA ISOLO
TAKE OFF TIME; 6:30AM
DISTANCE; 5KM

Please read the Terms & Conditions of participation below:

  • ·         Participants must be properly dressed in sport gears including footwear
  • ·         Participants must register before 28th July to receive Number Tags on the day of the event.
  • ·         Participants who do not register will not receive Number Tags and will not be eligible to win the prizes indicated above.
  • ·         Registered Participants must be at the Take off Location 20 Mins before takeoff time to get their Number Tags
  • ·         If you have any health challenges, please check with your doctor before registering for the Run.
  • ·         Participants who cannot run the distance are advised to Walk. If you haven't been running prior to this event, do not try to outdo yourself.

·         There will be on ground Medical team/First Aid administrators to take care of any injuries or emergency during the Run. There will also be a water depot at strategic locations to keep participants hydrated throughout the Run.

The 5KM HIIT RUN is proudly sponsored by Zidora Groups, NOBIS Events Place & Center and Goal Water.



CEO 9jaevent.com & yours sincerely


Wednesday, 5 July 2017

THE FEARLESS APPROACH

                                     

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Fear is a very strong emotion; man has been able to conquer the earth but he is yet unable to conquer this emotion which is the cause of all of his discomforts. Fear is the reason why men sojourn through life accomplishing nothing worthwhile.
 I encountered an incidence that gave me an insight to how fear works and I will like to share this incidence to bring ‘the fear factor’ into better perspective.
A few weeks ago, I was heading home from my morning jog when I saw two young boys walking to school, the older one was about 7 years while the younger was between 3 to 4 years old, I was behind them and didn’t take interest in them until we got to a path where a goat was grazing, the older one walked past the goat, while the younger one stopped and started crying.                                
  I got interested so I stopped walking and stood to watch the scene. The little boy wouldn’t move past the goat that was obviously harmless, his elder brother after waiting for a minute had to come back and pull him to continue their walk to school. As I watched this incidence I asked myself 'what exactly made this little kid scared?' For sure, it wasn’t the goat because the goat didn’t attack him or his elder brother.
 It dawned on me that it was the image this kid had in his mind that was causing his fear; it wasn’t reality that made him afraid because the goat did not attack his elder brother that walked past it and it won’t attack him either.  This is exactly how fear works, we paint the picture of an event in our mind and we become scared of this image- Think back to times when you felt fear - what were you really scared of? Was it the main event or just the graphics you had in mind?
Our fear of these graphics we paint in our mind becomes so great that they either makes us stagnant or we move backwards; just like the little kid in the story I shared, this fear circle repeats itself every time you try something new whether it’s in your relationships, fit life, career or whatever. 
The best way to overcome your fears isn’t to fight them; you can’t win the battle - because what you fear are mere imaginations.  Your aim is to go out and do the exact thing you are afraid of and then do it over and over again until the fear disappears completely; that’s how you win your fears.
To better illustrate this, let’s relate it to your first driving experience;  before  you sit behind the wheel ready to move the car, your mind starts drawing all  possible negative outcome of driving a car;  It even reminds you of people you know who have encountered  accidents  while driving, so you get scared and nervous.  After driving the first time, the experience gets less scary. The fear continues to decline with everyday you practice, until it gets to the point when you do not even have to think about it anymore, you just pick up your car key and drive.  Another amazing thing you notice is that your driving skill improves as your fear decreases. -Fear can only be conquered by doing what you are afraid of.
   Relating this to fitness, Everybody wants a good body; everybody wants to stay fit and in shape, but when it comes to doing what is required; fear sets in and most people would rather remain out of shape and unhealthy than face their fears.
For you to be a champion, make a firm resolve to always go out and do those things you are scared of. When you do it, you recognize that your fear was baseless in the first place. As you challenge yourself in this regard, you start seeing life through the lens of the fearless, you begin to see challenges as opportunities to grow and be better.  
You are no longer held down by fear, you feel them but you don’t live them. 

Start facing your fears and start living  your life.


Cheers to the fit life.

Tuesday, 6 June 2017

FIT OR NAH – HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE PHYSICALLY FIT

                     

There is a common belief in this part of the globe that if you are slim you are fit and the overweight ones are usually the unfit ones- allow me to inform you that this belief is not true, because it is possible to be lean but unfit.  
Research shows that there are more lean and unfit people than there are fit ones.  So being fat or slim is not a reliable measurement for one’s level of fitness.
If this is the case, how can one indicate his/her level of fitness?  In this post, I will be discussing 2 simple tests you can take to determine your level of fitness when it comes to cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance/fitness.
However, here is a general checklist to determine if you are fit or not.

· Are you easily winded or out of breath when doing vigorous jobs/ duties?
· Do you get injured very easily when participating in physical activity?
· Do you get achy muscles even after a very small amount of physical activity?
·Do you get stiff joints (a sign that you’re sitting too much)?
· Are you weak and can’t carry heavy objects

Note: you don’t have to have all five symptoms to be considered unfit, but it’s likely if you don’t engage in vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes, five days a week, you probably are unfit.

So, the first test to determine your fitness level is ‘THE 1.6KM walk‘test
To assess your aerobic fitness, take a brisk one-mile (1.6-kilometer) walk. You can do the walk anywhere, such as on a road or on a treadmill. Before and after the walk, check and record your pulse in your notebook or journal.
To check your pulse over your carotid artery, place your index and middle fingers on your neck to the side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery, located on the thumb side of your wrist. When you feel your pulse, look at your watch and count the number of beats in 10 seconds. Multiply this number by 6 to get your heart rate per minute. Let’s says you count 15 beats in 10 seconds. Multiply 15 by 6 for a total of 90 beats a minute. After you've recorded your pulse, note the time on your watch and walk one mile (1.6 kilometers). After you complete the walk, check your watch and record the time it took you to finish, in minutes and seconds, in your notebook or journal. Then check and record your pulse once more.
Once you know your pulse, go to this table and find your pulse to rate your current fitness level:
Harvard Step Test
Men
Excellent = > 90
Average= 65-79.9
Below Average= 55-64.9
Poor= <55

Women
Excellent = > 76
Average= 61-75.9
Below Average= 50-60.9
Poor= <50
This is only one way of measuring your cardiovascular fitness, but it can give you a general sense of your level of fitness and may indicate you could improve.


2. Measure muscular strength and endurance: Pushups

Pushups can help you measure muscular strength. If you're just starting a fitness program, do modified pushups on your knees. If you're already fit, do classic pushups. For both types:
Lie face down on the floor with your elbows bent and your palms next to your shoulders.
Keeping your back straight, push up with your arms until your arms are extended.
Lower your body until your chest is about 2 inches from touching the floor.
Push your body upward, returning to the starting position.Count each time you return to the starting position as one pushup. You can track your fitness level by performing as many pushups as you can in 30 seconds. An averagely fit person will endure beyond 30 seconds of continuous pushup activity.  
This test is good way for measuring your level of muscular strength and endurance. It's also a fun method of engaging in friendly competition with friends.
     
Truth is you can only consider yourself physically fit when your body is able to do what you ask it to do. This comes from flexibility, endurance and strength.

Happy month of June fitfam. Cheers to the Fit life.


Friday, 28 April 2017

SAFETY DURING WORKOUTS

                                         

     Safety is priority in everything including fitness, it is important for everyone to understand the hazards associated with exercising and learn how to stay injury free.
Staying safe requires common sense, but generally here are tips to help you stay injury free when exercising.

1.Dress in proper exercise attire; polo/singlet,joggers/shorts,Canvas/trainers. 

  
2.Do not work out on empty stomach, at least have beverage, if you eat solid food wait at least an hour before you start exercising.
     
3.Always warm up before you commence exercising.

 4.Have a bottle of water handy and always sip from it to keep your body hydrated.
        
5.Do not hold your breath while performing exercises, learn to inhale and exhale when working out.
     
 6.Pay attention to your body; stop exercising if you start feeling dizzy or nauseated.
     
7.It is not advisable to eat solid food or drink alcoholic beverages between workouts.
     
8.Make sure to use correct exercise forms and posture.
     
9.If you are working out in a gym, make sure you know the proper use of every machine before making use of them, if not ask for assistance.
    
10.Always have a spotter around when weight lifting. In lay terms, a spotter is someone who can assist you complete your reps or help you put the weight down when you can’t push further.

11.Be aware of your environment and stay focused, do not allow your mind wander.

12.Finish up your workout with a stretch routine. 

13.Allow time for injured muscle(s) to heal before engaging the injured muscle(s) in any exercise.
    
14.Be aware that working out late at night may cause insomnia
    
15.As a rule of thumb, see your doctor for a check-up before embarking on any physical activity (especially if you have a history of health conditions).

     Although we cannot completely erase the possibility of sustaining an injury when exercising but it is more fun if you stay safe and injury free during workouts.

    Cheers to the fit life.

Friday, 14 April 2017

CONSISTENT PERSISTENCE; THE KEY TO WEIGHT LOSS

                                        


     Exercise and nutrition are the cheapest, safest, most effective and sustainable means of weight loss. Other methods like the use of pills or fat reduction surgeries are more expensive, unsustainable and they might pose health hazards.
However, weight loss through exercise & nutrition is a relatively slower process; it requires consistent efforts over a period of time. It takes lots of patience and discipline; there is no quick fix.

      To lose weight, you have to understand that consistent persistence is the key. Let’s briefly consider these 2 words ‘Consistent & Persistence’ as they relate to weight loss.
Consistency means making efforts daily towards your chosen goal; your efforts have to be consistently progressive towards your desired results because if your efforts are not pushing you towards your goal you’ll hit a plateau and ultimately give up.
Persistence is the ability to stay put when it hurts so badly, when the results haven’t showed up; when the odds are against you. Keep exercising and eating healthy to reach your desired size. It might take weeks or months or years but if you don’t give up, I promise you, it won’t get easier but you will become stronger and the results will come anyways!
Consistent persistence works not only in fitness but in every facet of life. 
Consider this adage “it’s not what you do often that changes your life but what you do every day”.

Happy Easter & Cheers to a FIT you!

Saturday, 25 March 2017

EXCUSES DON'T BURN CALORIES

                                            

Excuses are easy to make because they do not accomplish anything; every time you make an excuse, you give away your right to be productive.

In the world of fitness, excuses keep a lot of people in bad shape. So many want the great benefits and aesthetics that comes with fitness but why do we still have a lot of overweight and obese people? - because they have valid excuses tying them down to the body they do not like.

We are in the month of March and some are already faulting on their commitment to better health and physique; already eating junk, missing workouts and doing all those stuffs that will NOT give us the results we want.

 I want you think about this for a minute, what is more important to you? Is it the excuse you are making now or the result that you want in the nearest future?”
If you made a commitment to fitness this year, let your actions speak for you, throw away that bag of excuses and just do what has to be done! Don’t make excuses today, make progress!!!



Below are some thought provoking quotes on ‘Excuses’ I like to share with you:


-Intensity of desire will always find a way, just as weakness of purpose will always find an excuse. ~Muriel Strode Lieberman

-No one ever excused his way to success. ~Dave Del Dotto

-I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse. ~Florence Nightingale

-You can make excuses or you can get the job done, but you can't do both. ~Hap Holmstead, The Biggest Loser, episode 248, original airdate 2014 January 21st

-Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. ~Don Wilder and Bill Rechin

-Don't make excuses — make good. ~Elbert Hubbard

-He who excuses himself accuses himself. ~Gabriel Meurier, Trésor des sentences

Cheers to the fit life!

Tuesday, 7 March 2017

5 MYTHS ABOUT WEIGHTLOSS YOU SHOULD NEVER BELIEVE

                                           


Before I took up fitness as a career, I heard so many myths about weight loss; I believed them until I started doing research for myself. Now, I know many of them are not true and since they are common and many people believe them too, I thought it would do good to debunk them.

                                              
MYTH #1: PUTTING ON WEIGHT IS EASY & LOSING WEIGHT IS HARD

Hey! Don’t believe that BS, both losing weight and putting on weight are hard! They both take time to manifest. They are products of our daily habits over a period of weeks, months or even years.  So it’s not about being hard or easy, it’s about where you want to belong. If you want to be fat or overweight cultivate the habit of eating junk and you will be there within weeks or months. Likewise if you choose to be fit and healthy; stay away from junk, eat clean and exercise regularly.
For me, I think it’s just psychology; you are what you believe, if you think that you add weight easily and you hardly lose weight, it will be so for you. Change your thoughts about yourself and you can change your life.


MYTH #2: STARVATION IS AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Starvation plans are becoming popular; so many people resolve to starve themselves in other to lose weight. However, starvation plans are not healthy or effective in the long run because:
* It is not a sustainable method for weight loss; you can’t starve yourself forever
*You deprive your body of important nutrients needed to flourish
* It slows down your body metabolism, which makes it hard for your body to burn fat.
* When you are on a starvation plan, you have less energy and motivation to do any task.
* You put on more weight than you lost after you get off the starvation plan.
I already discussed this topic at length in the post “NUTRITION AND WEIGHTLOSS”. Read that post to get a better insight on how to use nutrition to your advantage in weight loss.

                                    

MYTH # 3: YOU NEED A GYM MEMBERSHIP TO LOSE WEIGHT

You mustn’t have a gym membership to lose weight.  I say this because a lot of people tell me they wish to lose weight but do not have money to register with a gym. ‘Hey, I lost 7kg in 2months without visiting the gym for a day’.
There are so many exercises you can do outside the gym (even at home) that are as effective as visiting the gym every day. Not having money or time for the gym is not an excuse to be overweight and unhappy. I have an archive of my homemade exercises on Instagram, you should check them out. My Instagram handle is @endeedaniels

                                                 
MYTH #4:  YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT A CHANGE IN NUTRITION
                                             
This one is the reason a lot of people go to the gym for many years and don’t lose a pound. Nutrition is very vital when it comes to weight loss.  If you do not take the time to consider your diet and make appropriate adjustments, you can go to the gym Monday to Sunday, spend 3hours on the treadmill and not lose much weight.  If you manage to lose any, you begin to put them all back as soon as you miss work out for a few days.
Ever heard the saying- you are what you eat? Yes you are!

                                           

MYTH #5: SKIPPING BREAKFAST WILL HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT FAST

It’s important that you have a light meal before stepping out every morning. If you are in the habit of working out without food, change your plan and you will see improvements in your performances. Check out the post “QUESTION; IS IT GOOD TO HAVE BREAKFAST BEFORE GOING TO THE GYM?”  to learn the facts about this myth.

Now you know these myths are not true, believing them will only staunch your growth as far as your weight loss is concerned.

Cheers to the fit life!


Friday, 13 January 2017

DO YOU HAVE FITNESS GOALS?

                                                         


Happy new year fitfam! I pray 2017 brings the best of your dreams to reality.
Obviously, the holidays are over and every body is getting back to work with lots of hopes and expectations for the year.

          As expected,gyms around here are getting full by the day as more and more people are trying to burn off fat accumulated during the holidays. As I amuse myself watching all these people go aimlessly from one machine to another trying to burn off all the fat in few hours, I thought about making a post on “working with goals in fitness this year”.

                In my experience as a fitness enthusiast and trainer, I have found that one  reason why people make little progress after spending years in the gym is because they do not have well defined fitness goals.
Dictionary.com defines a goal as ‘the result or achievement toward which effort is directed’.  Weight loss/fitness requires effort and it makes no sense to put in so much effort towards fitness without knowing what results these efforts are expected to produce.
              I started making real progress in body building when I picked up the habit of writing my daily workout routines down, I go to the gym with my workout journal and a lot of people see this as being weird but this is the reason why I am making so much progress and they are not.
Before you go to the gym every morning ask yourself; what am I going to achieve today?  This way you don’t get distracted by what the next guy is doing or move from one machine to the other without achieving anything. 
It is not enough to just have these goals in mind; it’s important that you write them down, make it a habit to plan your routines ahead.

            Writing down your goals everyday before heading to the gym will:
Help you stay focused
Save time and brain power as you already have your routines planned and outlined
Keep you motivated because you already have an idea of what achievements your effort will produce.
Every time you complete the routines on your list, you build self confidence and esteem.

It is a fresh year and you have ample time to develop new and productive habits, Make goal setting a part of your fitness plan in 2017 and experience unlimited success.

Have a fitful 2017, cheers to the fit life!