5 Reasons Why Malaysians are Obese

Towards the end of 2010, the Ministry of Health in Malaysia placed adverts in the local papers stating that 2 out of 5 Malaysians are obese.

Obesity advert in Malaysian newspapers

I know most Malaysians are obese, but I didn't realise the statistics were this high! Here is my take on why Malaysians have reached this point of no return:

Cannot stop eating
Malaysians live to eat rather than eat to live. One of the main culprits is because of the glorious food that is available 24 hours in most parts of Malaysia. Did you know that Malaysia has one of the best hawker food in the world? If you're not familiar with Malaysian food, click here.

All these eating and feasting is a good tourism boost for the country, but a detriment for its people.

Not enough exercise
How many Malaysians you know make exercise part of their lifestyle? The figure is very small. They would rather spend time at the shopping malls and at the mamak stalls.

Lazy lifestyle
Ask most Malaysians to walk a little bit further to reach their destination and they would complain incessantly. They would rather drive everywhere and that's why cars sell like hot cakes in Malaysia.

One of the most blatant forms of Malaysian laziness is at the parking lot in shopping malls or hypermarts. They would rather sit and wait in the car for somebody to vacate the spot right in front of the entrance rather than parking a little further away and walk the short distance.

Whenever anyone ask if they can join me on my travels, the first question I would ask them is whether they can walk for long distances because I don't take the cab unless I really have to. Most people can't do that and that's why I travel alone most of the time.

Late dinners
I read somewhere that a certain Malaysian supermodel takes her dinner before 6pm everyday. Well, there's a logical layperson's explanation for this. If you eat late dinners or supper and hit the sack immediately after eating, the food will stay in your stomach and the fat will get absorbed into your body making you a fat blob in the long run.

Poor eating habits / Pressure to follow the majority
I was having dinner with an acquaintance and he recommended I take the mango lassi. I decided not to cause I had already burst my calorie quota for the day and it was already dinner (read Point 4). And then he asked me, "Are you always this regimented?" That almost blew my top and I wanted to reply, "Cause I don't want to end up like a fat blob like you!"

So you see, Malaysians have poor eating habits, and sometimes when you don't eat or drink like they do, they will say you're regimented and all. It's not easy, but you have to hold your ground, and think of the benefits of having a healthy body and slim figure as a motivating factor.

Gym Membership Expired

This story is probably gonna bore you to death, but I'm still gonna post it up to remind me of gym prices, just in case.

My gym membership has expired for 2010, and I don't think I'm gonna renew it for various reasons.

First of all, I don't think I'll have the time to go to the gym on weekdays after work, simply because my gym is located in the heart of the city (Lot 10), and my office has moved to the suburbs. So getting to the gym after work is a hassle, especially since I work late most days. By the time I hit the gym it would already be around 8pm and by the time I reach home it would be about 10.30pm; I'll be completely exhausted by then!

Secondly, the new gym fees are RM149 per month which translates to RM1,788 per year. I could use this money to do lots of other things like investing in unit trusts or buying penny stocks, hehehe. Worst come to worst, I could use the money to travel!

If I ever decide to join a gym again, I would most probably join the spanking new Elements Gym at The G Tower Hotel on Jalan Tun Razak. The hotel gym is open for membership to the public and at the time of enquiry, rates were RM155 per month for a 12-month membership. For new members, there's a RM99 Admin fee and RM250 joining fee. Admin Fees and Joining Fees are meant to drain our hard earned money, but what's best about this gym is there's a 100ft heated infinity pool!

Now that I've decided not to renew my gym membership, the biggest challenge is to maintain my fitness level without hitting the gym regularly. I need to stay fit because I lug a backpack whenever I travel; and it can be tiring if you don't have a certain level of fitness.  

But there's always a way if you put your heart to it. So you'll most probably see more of me in Bukit Gasing on Saturday mornings, or even at the sports complex near my other home on Sunday evenings.

It's not gonna be easy, but heck, if this fails, there's always Elements Gym.

I Succumbed to Cheapness

After all the bally hoo and sandiwara about Celebrity Fitness taking over California Fitness, and the Lot 10 branch's facilities being sucky and all, I finally decided to renew my membership with Celebrity Fitness.

Reason is because I've got a corporate rate that was too good to refuse.

Paying RM999 per annum for a one-club membership is a steal. And if I wish to work my arse off at other clubs, it would cost me only RM1,080 per annum for an all-club pass. Celebrity Fitness got me by the balls.

The RM999 per annum is slightly higher than what I paid last year when the club was still under California Fitness management. I don't remember the exact amount, but it was something like RM60 plus per month and I had to pay it in a lump sum for one year. But even if the corporate rate has increased, it is still cheaper compared to other clubs.

However, the increase in corporate rate proves what my sister says is true - that Celebrity Fitness is more expensive than California Fitness.

She also commented that Celebrity Fitness is only out for money. Before they sign you up they'll promise you the moon. After they've got your money, they won't bother to arrange for your complimentary personal training session that they promised before you signed on the dotted line.

Whatever it is, here's a toast to another year of suffering in a cramped workout area. But hey, at least I get to work out, albeit in a not too favourable condition.

California Fitness is Now Celebrity Fitness - Fitness Club Cease Operations in Malaysia

I found out something yesterday - California Fitness in Lot 10 has changed management to Celebrity Fitness. And I think members are upset with the new management. That's why they have been searching on the internet and that explains why I had many hits on my blog entry which you can read here.

I went home and logged onto the Celebrity Fitness website and found out that the club has acquired all 3 California Fitness clubs located in Lot 10, Mid Valley Megamall and Sunway Pyramid.

So what's happening here? My guess is that California Fitness is not making money in Malaysia so they've decided to ditch it's business here. This means there won't be anymore California Fitness club in Malaysia at all.

And since Celebrity Fitness is looking at expanding its gym network in Malaysia, this is an opportune time and a win-win situation (didn't we hear this phrase to death?) for both parties.

Bernama also carried the news which might give a better understanding of what's happening.

Personally, I have no preference for any club. Most important for me is that the club needs to have good facilities that are well maintained.

And luckily Amber Chia's contract as Brand Ambassador of Celebrity Fitness expired last year. Otherwise we would be seeing more of her.

I know Amber Chia is an aclaimed fashion model and all, but as Brand Ambassador? Give me a break. Have you seen Ms Chia in person? She looks like a bag of bones. The bones on her chest are so visible that looking at her makes me want to have 10 meals of banana leaf rice in a row.

When Ms Chia was Brand Ambassador of Celebrity Fitness, the message that she sent out is that you must be super thin and waif-like in order to be healthy and active. I think this represents a poor image of a healthy lifestyle.

Thank goodness Celebrity Fitness didn't renew her contract, but they were dumb-dumbs to sign her up in the first place.

On the other hand, look who California Fitness chose as their partner in Malaysia - none other than my favourite action hero, Jackie Chan.

I think Mr Chan makes a positive Brand Ambassador for California Fitness because of the action movies and kung fu that he does.

He is indirectly telling people to lead a healthy lifestyle of proper diet and exercise. And I think that is what a positive Brand Ambassador for a fitness club should be 'shouting'.

In fact, California Fitness has partnered with international athletes like Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O' Neal and Yao Ming "to create signature clubs that advocate fitness and help reach the company's mission of making fitness a way of life for everyone," as what is written in the club's website.

It's a pity California Fitness has ceased to make it's presence felt in Malaysia. A fitness club that partners with international athletes to make fitness a way of life for everyone is better than a fitness club that signed up a fashion model as its brand ambassador.

California Fitness Lot 10 - Disappointing

Yesterday I went to the spanking new California Fitness at Lot 10 for the first time. After moving to its new premises from Menara Standard Chartered, I would expect the place to be better than before. But alas, this is not the case.

The new California Fitness at Lot 10 is a disappointment.

First of all, for folks like me who gets to Lot 10 by walking, there is no lift that takes you directly from the Ground Floor to the club on the 8th Floor.

I had to take the lift to the 7th Floor and then walk across the car park to take the escalator on the other side of the car park to the 8th Floor. I wouldn’t recommend using this way because it’s dangerous to walk across the car park, especially if you’re female.

My favourite way to get to the club is to take the escalators or elevators to the 4th Floor.

When you get to the 4th Floor, look for the escalator that is near London Weight Management and Cenosis.

When you reach this escalator, continue going up till you reach the 8th Floor and you'll see the club entrance on your left.

But if you're driving I don't think it would be difficult, as you can park on the 8th or 9th Floors, which is where the gym is.

Now let's get down to details.

Everything in the club, I repeat everything, has been scaled down. For example, the entire female changing room is now smaller compared to before. The number of lockers, shower cubicles, changing rooms and toilet cubicles have all have been reduced. The sauna room has also become smaller.

This is ok if there’re a small number of ladies around. But it can get pretty cramp during peak hours. And tempers can flare when everyone seem to be in your face everywhere you turn. For the first time ever as a member of California Fitness, I had to wait for my turn to use the changing room yesterday evening.

Previously when the club was in Menara Standard Chartered I could go to a little corner of the changing room, strip and put on my workout attire without anyone staring at my breasts. Now with a much smaller space I have to resort to using the changing rooms. I don't want other ladies comparing their breasts with mine.

Since the days of Menara Standard Chartered, there have been a number of locker break-ins. The management of the club then started encouraging its members to use the big silver locks, the ones where the key sticks inside the lock when it's unlocked.

The funny thing is that in this new place, the management have installed some lockers that can’t fit the big locks like mine. Are the management dumbbells or what? Pun intended.

When I found that my lock can't fit into the locker hole, I had to look for another locker that could fit my lock and shift all my stuff to that locker. So leceh.

I also bumped into Sergio, a fellow gym member yesterday. It was his third time there since the club relocated to Lot 10, and he too was disappointed with the new gym.

Previously in Menara Standard Chartered the guys used to have a spacious workout area with lots of machines to build a body like the Governor of California. I call it the Testosterone Zone.

Now all the machines and dumbbells have been cramped into a small space and these poor fellas have no freedom of movement.

If you want to pump iron during peak hours you might have to wait for a long time to be able to use the machines. Maybe that’s why they have installed internet terminals beside the Testosterone Zone – for people to kill time while waiting to use the machines. Oh yeah, did I mention that the internet access is also bloody slow?

Sergio also told me that the reason people were still members is because they have signed a one year or longer membership with the club. When their membership expires, there's a high possibility they might change clubs. Only time will tell if California Fitness at Lot 10 will lose its members in the long run.

California Fitness Bids Farewell to Menara Standard Chartered

Today is the last day of operations for the California Fitness club in Menara Standard Chartered. The club will be moving to its new home in Lot 10. Opening is scheduled for 25 March.

In the 2 years that I've become a member at Menara Standard Chartered, I've enjoyed the luxury of having a gym just beside my office building. After work I just grab my knapsack, take the lift down to the lobby, step out of my office building, cross the road, and voila, the gym is there! You know how convenient is that? It's bloody convenient!

Now I'll have to trudge my way with knapsack and all to get to Lot 10, which is about 10 minutes walk from my office. By the time I get there I think I won't have the mood or energy to workout anymore!