Women: Best Workout for Different Type of Body

Most of the body shape comes from their genes and their common activities. Sometimes its hard to find a way to perfect them but still we have ways to lessen the flaws of body shape. The type of body shapes are pear shape, apple shape, rectangular or straight shape and hour glass shape. Majority for woman body shape is a pear shape.

 Different Shapes of Body

Type of Body Shape

 

Pear Shape

This shape is the most common shape of body for women. People who has pear shape of body has a bigger lower part of their body than the upper part. Most pears shape people have the most killer waistlines. This type of body can be seen on celebrities like Iggy Azalea and Beyonce Knowles.

Typical trouble: Imbalance body, big butt, thighs

What to do: For this body shape, you need to focus on the lower part of the body by practising cardio. No resistance are needed as this will bulk up further the lower part. One of the ways is just to walk on a flat surface. This practise is combined with a shoulder presses in helping to build shoulder and arms muscle to balance out your larger lower body. It is best to work it out up to 45 minutes five days per week.

Apple

Apples are those who have bigger part in the middle and have a thicker waist, especially in comparison to their hips and shoulders. This type of body usually have small upper body and lower body. Only the tummy are obviously left seen.

Typical trouble: Waistline and belly

What to do: Three or four days per week of high-intensity cardio workout and aerobic exercise would be ideal workouts to loosen and tighten around waistline and belly muscles. You could wither walk or jog, or for best result use the elliptical machine on moderate resistance. This helps to burn tummy fat while building leg muscles. When strong enough, continue with squats to work the legs and core.  

Straight

Straight body shape people has a balance body from top to toe without any curves. This kind of people do not need to much to worry if they gain a little bit of weight as it will still gain weight in balance body shape, not worrying to control certain parts of body. Celebrities that owns this type of body are Cameron Diaz and Nicole Kidman.

Typical trouble: It has no curves.

What to do: For those who has straight frame but gain weight, they may want to start from any cardio to help burn fat. Those who are already skinny but wants a little bit of curves, needs to work on mucsle-building their upper and lower body. This can be done with shoulder presses, squats, bicep and tricep workouts.

Hourglass Figure

Hourglass figure, a women’s dream to own. The same size of bust and hips with smaller waist than the bust. It is also known as “wasp waist”, a figure embraced by Mariah Carey and Salma Hayek. 

Typical trouble: Upper arms, belly and thighs

What to do: Despite having the best women figure, there are also downside of it which is a high-percentage gaining weight in the most noticeable parts: upper arms, belly and thighs. For this figure, you just need to rotate the challenges routine on different muscles in order to maintain the body balance. Exercise for two to three days per week for at least 30 minutes. Zumba class would be suitable enjoying exercise in maintaining body balance.

Get Up And Start Working On It

If you really want the body you desire you really have to work for it. Sitting and just wishing it will not only gain you nothing but also expanding your lower part. Basically, all types of body looks gorgeous depending on how you dress, which will be peeled in the next topic. Good luck for your desired body shape!

Photo Credit: britishstylebloggers.org.uk

Top Young Muslimah In Marathon

Nur Nahsuhah, a medical student, who flew in from Sibu, Sarawak for the Malaysia Women Full Marathon finished 7th for Emerald Category, and 48th position overall. A week prior to that, she finished top 2 at her virgin full marathon  X12 Dark Run at Nexus Karambunai Resort & SPA, Kota Kinabalu. Her personal best time was at MWM : 4 hour 49 minutes, and this included a few minutes of Subuh praying time. Her run at MWM was 5 minutes faster than her first full marathon!

Nur Nahsuhah at MWM 2015

Nur Nahsuhah at MWM 2015

We got to know Nur Nahsuhah up-close and personal during MWM. She was all excited to meet other runners, most of whom she got to know via social network.

Nahsuhah, now 22,  is the second child of seven siblings. She grew up in Taiping and later went to SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh, Perak. Since school, she enjoyed running long distance and participated in the school cross country runs. A hardworking girl, Nahsuhah scored all As for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and was awarded scholarship to study medicine at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). While at university, Nahsuhah always find time to run. She runs with her lecturer and sometimes alone.

 

WHEN DID RUNNING START?

Nahsuhah has been participating the running events since she was in school such as school Sports Day and Cross Country event. She began to slow down her participation on running events after she left the school but still does her training everyday to build her stamina. This continues despite her commitment on studying her foundation in medical course. She rose up and started participating in running events when she was in the first year of degree in medical school because this was where she owns her free time.  Prior to her virgin full marathon she ran several half marathons and other runs mainly in Borneo. It’s amazing for a 22 year old lady to participate in running events. You’d typically see ladies mid-20s and above in running events. To Nahsuhah, running makes her happy.

 

3 THINGS THAT MOTIVATE HER TO RUN

  • She is motivated to run basically because she is in medical field of study. Here, she learns how disease can be spread, the pathophysiology of it, and majority depends on the eating diet and whether you are being active or not. Healthy lifestyle is something that should be compulsory in everyone’s life.
  • Besides, her passion on running has always driven her to run in whatever emotions. It could be when she’s sad, stress or even happy. The feeling when she sweats and achieved her running goal always excites her despite exhaustion.
  • The part on making her parents proud of what she is capable of; like scoring in academic and sports is what she aims for. She realised that her achievement on being a successful strong woman could be highlighted  for other muslims in motivating them to stay healthy while being modest. It shows that muslimah does not need to wear tight and short clothes exposing their aura to win the race. She also mentioned,”Running is sunnah, isn’t it? Lets be blessed in whatever things we do because our goal is to enter Jannah, insyaAllah.”

 

TOP 3 THINGS THAT MAKE HER RUN WELL

  • Always go for training everyday or at least 5 times a week. Each session she always spend 30 to 45 minutes for 5 to 8km and only training for my long run during weekends, twice a month others only short run. Training keep her fit and make her confident to sign up the event.
  • Always take healthy food to keep her body doing well especially for an athlete, the food is very important. She always have her oat+raisin+milk for my breakfast, rice+vege +protein for lunch, and for dinner she will have wholemeal bread or biscuits with milk. She will make sure she drinks 3L of water everyday to keep her hydrated. In between meal she will have fruits as snacks.
  • Proper attire is utmost important especially if she’s doing long run. She said, “That’s why I choose Nashata. I love the fabric so much. I will sweat like buckets but my attire still feels light and comfy. It helps to shade off the sweat unlike cotton clothes, you will end up feel heavy and not comfortable”. She also said she likes the Nashata hijab too. It is simple, nice and keeps her looking good even after 3 to 5 hours run. And Nashata provides a lot of colour variation that can always match up with running event theme. Since she is a student she is trying to save up for more Nashata collections.

HER ATTIRE

Nahsuhah is very particular about her attire when she runs. She runs in Nashata Ultra Top and Riada Pants as they are modest, lightweight and comfortable for long distance running. She does not wear additional attire or gears to support her run. She only carries a phone to entertain her while running. That is how simple running for performance is for Nahsuhah!

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Nahsuhah at her Runs

 

HER DIET

Since she spends a lot of time at the hospital, she eats what’s serve at the hospital. Most of the time, they are healthy food with little oil and a lot of soup. Even prior to that, while growing up Nahsuhah claims her mother discouraged snaking in between meals and did not allow having drinks with ice. With a father from navy background, Nahsuhah like her other siblings are trained to be disciplined and hardworking. They too are performing excellently in their studies. Her younger brother who sat SPM recently, also followed her footsteps scoring all As!

Soon to be doctor and a winning runner, Nahsuhah will soar high, InsyaAllah.

 

Be Inspired : Meet the Lady behind the World’s First Muslimah Run

The World’s First Muslimah Run will take place on the 9th February, 2014(Sunday) at Marina Barrage, Singapore. The 5km run will be participated by more than 600 muslimah, InsyaAllah.

We were privileged to speak to the lady behind the inaugural run, Capt. (Ret) Muzdalifah Anuar. She was busy getting POPWOW Team booth ready for the Race Pack Collection at Singapore Expo Hall 6B, but gracefully kind to share with us about the World’s First Muslimah Run that she planned for since 2012.

 

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Capt is the founder and coach at Women of Wellness, also known as  POPWOW. At POPWOW, Capt coaches other sisters the importance of fitness in Islam. Capt. started POPWOW in early 2013, after serving the military as an army officer for 13 years. A mother of three, her decision to start of POPWOW came about not long after she started wearing hijab.

In Singapore, where 15% of the population is muslim, hijab is not allowed in uniform-based profession like the army and nurse. The debate and petition about hijab at public-sector, uniform-based profession has been discussed a lot since November 2013. Whether or not hijab is problematic for some jobs, as for uniform based profession like nurse and army, in other countries like Malaysia, hijab has proven not to cause problem at work. There are many efforts to educate others about diversity and the beauty of the hijab, including the World Hijab Day. In Singapore, the World Hijab Day turned out to be controversial when the local ambassador and supporters receive resistance from the government and threats.

Like many other muslim women who chose to wear hijab for the love of Allah, it was an easy decision for Capt to choose between hijab and career. With her vast knowledge in fitness and wellness from her military days, helping other women to be FIT was the choice she made. To her, success is not just this life but also our after life. FITdunya & FITakhira… as how she says it.

Let’s understand more about the run as shared with us.

What motivated Capt to organise the first Muslimah run?

Capt runs full and half marathon. Prior to this, there were not many muslimah running marathons in her country. She wanted to have more muslimah friends to run with her. So, through running, she wanted to promote fitness in Islam to the other sisters and have more friends to run with.

When did the idea come about?

The idea about having the first muslimah run came about late 2012. Since then, she started talking to religious, governmental and political parties to get support and endorsement. After much discussion and plans, none falls through. So, in early December 2013 after initial supporters backed out, Capt was determined to organise the run on her own, as scheduled –  9 Feb 2014.

Who is the organiser for the event?

Capt was able to get support from other private entities that have common goals for muslim women – Fitness in Islam. The parties are Grundy and Yameen. Together, within two months, they organise and promote the run through various channels, that includes awareness at the madrasah, online channels and many other events. To Capt, her family and friends have played a pivotal role supporting her in making the run happen.

Who are the sponsors for WOWRUN?

Alhamdullillah, the run gets good support from private sectors.

Ummah is the Official Sports apparel retailer for the run, sponsoring the prizes for top 3 winners for all categories. Apart from that, Nashata is humbled to be the partial t-shirt sponsor for the run.

The biggest sponsor for the run is Aquila-style. It is a digital media on muslim fashion and pop culture.

How many people is Capt. targeting for the run?

Capt’s initial target was 800, but reduced to 500 when she had to organise the run on her own. Alhamdulillah, the tickets were sold out very fast within a month and captured 600 registration, beyond her target.

What is Capt’s aspiration for WOWRUN?

She wants to make WOWRUN an annual event in Singapore. She is also looking at running the same in Malaysia and Indonesia in 2014. Apart from that, she wants to make more avenues for muslim women to hold fitness activities together. She plans to do monthly clinic. Currently, she runs pilate and swimming coaching sessions at POPWOW.

What is next for POPWOW?

Capt plans to open up a Muslimah gymnasium in Singapore soon. InsyaAllah, with her strong will and determination, it will come through. Don’t you think? With the other muslimah run in other countries and muslimah gym planned out – Capt would surely have her hands FULL this year!

 

let’s

keep calm and run in hijab

 

 

 

Be Inspired : Why and How Amy, once an Overweight Mother of 5, is NOW an Aerobic Instructor

Kak Amy, as how she wants to be addressed, is a petite and active grandmother and a mother of five children. She is the co-founder and the main instructor at the Fun 2 Fit Aerobic &  Dance Studio, a place where women can get trained on aerobic and dances comfortably. Kak Amy started the studio together with her friend Kak Ram, and with the support of Y.Bhg. Datin Dr. Zainah binti Moktar. The studio is located on the first floor, Taman Sri Pulai Perdana, Skudai, Johor. On the ground floor, Kak Amy and her partner operate Fun 2 Eat Cafe where they serve healthy-cooked meals.

Kak Amy

How did her passion in Aerobic start?

Ten years ago, Kak Amy was overweight at 70 kg. She was determined to loose weight and with her husband’s blessing, she started aerobic. Being a muslimah, she was concerned going to the gym and dance studio opened for both male and female. It was hard to find any dance studio solely catered for women.

Through aerobics,  Kak Amy started to loose weight. Initially, the progress was slow, so she started educating herself on weight lost. This included learning different types of exercises, nutrition and deep understanding of our bodies. Her passion grew further and she was determined to take it to the next stage – to be an instructor.

So five years ago, Kak Amy planned to take the exams to be a certified fitness trainer. The certification was commission by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. With much challenges being a mother and soon-to-be grandmother, she passed the exams. That was the pivotal point of her passion in aerobic when Kak Amy started to train others.

Why did Kak Amy open up a dance studio specially for muslimah?

Kak Amy understands the need of other muslim women to have a special fitness center specially for women. Women tends to be more comfortable when they are among themselves. Furthermore, when it comes to dancing, one needs to enjoy the movement freely. So at Kak Amy’s all-women  dance studio, one can wear any attire they are comfortable in and sweat out!

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How is a dance studio for muslimah differ from others?

First, it is for all women. No man is allowed. Secondly, ladies who come can choose to wear attire they are comfortable in. Kak Amy equips the studio with tools and equipment for all types of exercises. Thirdly, only indoor workout shoes are allowed. Trainees can keep their clean shoes at the studio. Lastly, the studio is clean for muslimah to pray as and when needed.

It is muslimah and Islamic friendly.

How does Kak Amy organise her classes?

Kak Amy, now 46 years old, trains not only at her studio but also external events. She is frequently being invited by hotels in Skudai area to train groups and companies on fitness and team building. At times, she does her training in the forest. Kak Amy uses Nashata Riada Top during outdoor activities. She has all five colors of Riada Top. She likes them because the design gives a very good ventilation during outdoor activities.

Her classes at the studio are scheduled either in the morning or evening. This is to suit busy schedule of women, working or not. Every trainee gets trained twice a week in a group of 20, for duration of an hour each. Every week, she focuses on one particular dance so that in a month, the students get to learn and practice four types of dances effectively.

What type of dances does Kak Amy teach at her studio?

All sorts of dances but since many of the trainees are new to aerobics, they focus on salsa latin, arabian dance, J-robik, hip hop kick boxing and etnic dance. However, occasionally, she schedules special dance classes like Zumba and Batuka at her studio. Her Batuka Dance Class scheduled on the 8th March is already SOLD OUT!

At each session, Kak Amy supplements the aerobic and dance routines with either floor exercise, rectangle step board, Stick2Stix, oval step board or fitball and dumbbell.
Fun 2 Fit Aerobic & Dance Studio

What motivates Kak Amy to train others aerobic?

Aerobic is good and fun for women. You get to move your body, enjoy the music and social with other muslimah. But to Kak Amy, fitness is beyond aerobic. She teaches about consuming healthy food, understanding one’s Body Mass Index (BMI) and the importance of performing different type of exercises. That is also the reason why she started  Fun to Eat Cafe just right below her dance studio three years ago.

Kak Amy trains other aerobic instructors too. When we visited her at her studio, we were appalled with the level of energy our sisters and her trainer. Her dance studio is not limited to muslimah only. She has non-muslim trainees. MUHIBBAH her dance studio is! At the end of the day, she wants her trainees to have a good time, exercise safely, has a good sleep with no pain before or after waking up and feeling fresh.

Her dance teams have won various competitions some of which represented Johor State to national level. Alhamdulillah, from her determination to loose weight, aerobic is now her passion and profession, keeping her healthy, beautiful and active.

Watch Kak Amy demoing simple steps on how to use the Gym Step

Kak Emy is the supporter of program Jom Kurus 1 Malaysia in Johor Bahru. Here is a her picture with the Kevin Zahri, the organiser of #jomkurus

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If you are interested to join her exciting training program, visit Fun 2 Fit Aerobic & Dance Studio at No2A-01, Jalan Pulai Perdana 11/1, Taman Sri Pulai Perdana 81100 Skudai, Johor Bahru or simply give her a ring at +017-7716073.