Blog Post

Why we need to chill 

  • By Ching Chew
  • •
  • 30 Aug, 2018
  • •

The importance of some rest and relax time for your health

It is important to get a little rest and relax time to activate our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). PNS stimulates digestion and restoration functions in our body.

I quite often refer to it as the green zone; the zone that allows us to relax  and experience  amazing overall health benefits including better sleep and improved gut health.

On the other hand the red zone refers to fight or flight mode and is when our body is under a lot of stress.

The green zone is where one is able to recharge, reflect on life and be grateful for all the things you have and will be working on to achieve. We are often in the red zone; whether it be stress from work, relationship struggles, having too much on our plate or feeling disappointed and being too hard on ourselves. Long term effects of living in the red zone can eventually lead to various health issues such as high blood pressure and irritable bowel syndrome.

“Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confident, so that’s very important for good health”- Dalai Lama

It's not too hard to get yourself in the green zone, or learn to.  Here are some tips to get there. 

  •  TRUST Yourself
    Trust yourself that you are enough and loved. Stop wanting to please others and putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Where you are now is part of your journey and reaching your goals will happen through patience and perseverance.  Taking daily action is what matters.

“We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile”. – Earl Nightingale

  • BREATHE
    Extending the length of your breath and moving your diaphragm up and down will communicate to your body that you are safe and calm. Meditation or engaging in restorative exercises like yoga, tai chi or qigong can help with breathing techniques.
  • SLEEP
    Aim for 7-9 hours solid sleep per night. If you are having issues sleeping then have a look at the caffeine content you are having during the day and the exposure to light from electronic devices before bed. Make sure you are not exposed to these at least half an hour before you plan to sleep.
  • DIGESTION
    Make sure you don’t have such a big meal before bed so that your body can rest instead of spending energy to break down the foods. This is often the reason why people feel exhausted in the morning after late, heavy meals. Also make sure that you are properly chewing your food (chewing 50 times before swallowing). It helps to minimise consumption of processed food (yes thats chocolate and potato chips) as it doesn’t digest efficiently in your body.  A tip to aid with digestion would be to have a glass of warm water with lemon juice or a glass of apple cider vinegar in the morning half an hour before you begin your meal.
  • Take a BREAK and PAMPER yourself
    Going overseas, or even for a road trip! Get away from the environment you are always in so that you are in a position to really recharge yourself! Taking a break gives you time to clear your mind and make better decisions as you are not in a constant state of stress! For those who feel they can’t travel or are responsible for kids, organise a babysitter for a few hours and go out with your friends for a massage or high tea! Personally I am a fan of nature so a hike and enjoying breath-taking views are a top choice. 
  • Learn to say NO. This is especially important to those like myself who have a habit of saying yes when we don’t want to , for the fear of disappointment. We have to better manage our time and energy for the things that matter to us. Get rid of the FOMO (Fear-Of-Missing-Out syndrome). 
  • Schedule NON-NEGOTIABLE TIME
    Commit to events by blocking out time off your daily schedule. For example I attend at least 3 studio classes a week and the times I have allocated to attend the class I do not change anything around for.
  • Have a MORNING RITUAL
    This will set your intentions for the rest of the day. It could include a workout, meditation or reading inspirational content.
  • Schedule THREE LOTS OF ONE HOUR TIME-BLOCKS
    You can use this time to return phone calls, text and emails. Constantly replying these on the spot can can mess your flow and cause stress with time management.
  • Exercising GRATITUDE in your daily life. Be grateful for life. This will leave you in a state of calm and everything you choose to do you will see sense and purpose in, which leads to more fulfilment and hence happiness.      
Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”- Zig Ziglar    
     
I can say life is much more enjoyable in the green zone! We are not perfect and there are days we get caught up again in the red zone but most importantly we can identify this and engage in activities that allow us to get back into the green zone. With a healthy mind and body we can achieve much more. With that said PEACE and CHILL out! 

Passenger love 

By Cabin Crew • 01 Mar, 2019
 Zealyn works in educational publishing, so aside from the year-end madness where it’s “all hands on deck” for packing and delivery, her job involves a lot of sitting at a computer and not moving very much. That’s one of the reasons  she appreciates boarding at Flywith Fitness. We took some time to get to know why she loves flying with us. Read her story! 

How did you hear about FlyWith Fitness?

I was introduced to FlyWith Fitness by my childhood friend, Joanna, who is also my regular exercise buddy. We first started at FlyWith Fitness under the Classpass programme, but we liked it enough to sign up as regulars!  

Which is your favourite class and why?

MOTR Strength and Release. I like working with the MOTR because it’s such a versatile piece of equipment and I enjoy all the different variations of work that we can do using it. And out of the different MOTR classes my favourite is Strength and Release because of the 15 minutes at the end where I get to stretch out all the tightness and knots that build up over the week.

What is the most challenging move you have done in class? 

Honestly, I’m not that fit (yet) so I find a lot of moves challenging! But if I had to specify, I am definitely challenged by moves that require me to hold plank position (or side planks) for any length of time.

Have you felt any transformations both physically and mentally while flying with us?

My biggest surprise was when someone I was meeting for the first time told me I had really nice posture and asked me if I had ever done balled (I haven't). This happened tow months after I started working out with FlyWith. I think regular workouts at FlyWith have helped me to be more conscious of keeping my shoulders back instead of hunching, and strengthened my core so it's easier for me to stand and walk more gracefully. 

What gets you flying even higher with us?

I think it’s the awesome instructors at FlyWith Fitness that make the studio stand out for me. I always feel like I’m in good hands when I come for class.

As for what helps me to stay motivated to come to class even when life is busy, it’s the glow of satisfaction that I feel at the end of each session.

Keep up the great work Zealyn #goodvibesonly 

Why restore 

By Ching Chew • 06 Nov, 2018

Living in a big city, having a constant to-do list, working over time and running back to back meetings; sounds tiring doesn't it? Not only does it sound tiring but there are a lot of internal effects this hectic lifestyle can have, including hight cortisol levels. Cortisol is a steroid hormone made by your adrenal glands. It helps your body respond to stress, regulate blood sugar, and fight infections. We all need some levels of if but high levels over time leads to various issues like weight gain,  high blood pressure, disrupt sleep, negative mood swings, and a reduction in energy levels.

The good news is we can manage our high cortisol levels through lifestyle changes, diet and exercise. Making an effort to get well rested sleep, reducing EMF exposure from cell phones, cutting back on processed food and practicing yoga (in particular restorative yoga) just to name a few helps. When cortisol levels are already high, it's best not to lift it even higher by going for crazy high intensity workouts. Instead look at doing passive, stretching out and relaxing classes.

Restorative Yoga is a practice all about slowing down and opening your body through passive stretching. During the long holds of Restorative Yoga, your muscles are allowed to relax deeply. It's a unique feeling because props, rather than your muscles, are used to support your body; thereby providing the nourishment and the restoration it needs. This practice can help you to restore the nervous system and the hormonal system and taken on a regular basis, is a complementary practice for your life. Its a fantastic practice to allow your mind to slow down which we all are not getting enough of in this modern age. Holding the poses for up to 5 minutes also helps to stretch out the body which can also lead to better fitness performance or even carrying on with your daily task.

The great thing is FlyWith Fitness Tanjong Pagar offers Restorative classes - with a touch of scented candles and essential oils to help set the mood. We use bolsters and blocks as our props to help you get deep into the stretches. Go check out the schedule and try a class. Reward your body, after all you only have one.


Show More
Share by: