Plus+ Men's April Issue

E SU IS ’S EN M Apr–May 2016

Oliver Goy

HYBRID MOVEMENT

7

tips in growing an epic beard

Shaun Lim GetFit CrossFit What is CrossFit?

Let us break it down for you Easy Snacks for before and after gym

Let us tell you how MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU WITH

Brunei FightSaber

The CrossFit Issue PLUS+ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:

NADZRI HARIF 673 REEBOK CROSSFIT USD $3.99 GBP £3.49 BND $5.00 BRUNEI EDITION

The way the pros do it

WANT YOUR GIRL TO LIFT?

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Apr–May 2016

+Content

FROM FAT TO FIT…

CROSSFIT

30

+Health 7 Easy Snack Ideas Before and After Your Workout

+Fitness 10 Tips on Staying Fit with Cross Fit 16 The Right Approach Towards Shedding Body Fat and Gaining Mass 18 Get Your Girl to Lift TIPS ON STAYING FIT WITH

CROSS FIT

12

2 PLUS Apr–May 2016

Content+

THE FLUFFY FAT KID +Event

OLIVER

GOY:

FROM FINANCE PRODIGY TO BUDDING CROSSFITER

20 Red Ribbon Run 24 No Really, They Need to Be Healthy to Be More Happy!

+Plus Athlete

40

34 Oliver Goy: From Finance Prodigy to Budding Crossfiter 40 The Fluffy Fat Kid 45 FightSaber Brunei, Bringing the Force to The Sultanate

26 Leng May

+Lifestyle

+Life inspired

52 How to Grow an Epic Beard

28 From fat to fit…

CrossFit

54 Why Real Men Dance

PLUS 3

Apr–May 2016

+Publisher Info

Dear readers, I

t is with much pleasure that we bring to you our CrossFit issue this month.

More and more people in our country are jumping on the fitness bandwagon and that only means a more positive future for everyone.

We’re very honoured to introduce our very own athlete, Leng May. An outstanding lady who has her sights set on Tough Viking 2016. Additionally, we meet the founders of FightSaber Brunei, a club that offers a unique approach to exercise, and have heaps of fun while progressing through the different levels and meeting like-minded individuals in the process! Plus also pays a visit to YASKA with Wu Chun and spends the day with some truly special people, highlighting the benefits of an active lifestyle for those with special needs.

We get to chat with three inspiring men in their own right, each representing a different CrossFit box.

We chatted with Shaun Lim and he provides a fresh and humble look into his foray into CrossFit and his impressive achievements so far.

Next, there is more than what meets the eye with Oliver Goy, a young and intellectual athlete who has a lot on his plate. Although new to the CrossFit scene, he is already proving to be one to watch and you can find him at Hybrid Movement where he’s an instructor.

This month we feature Nadzri Harif, who is a CrossFit coach at 673 Reebok CrossFit, magician, radio deejay and local brand ambassador for Under Armour. Needless to say, he was a very entertaining interviewee and shares how he got into CrossFit in the first place, what made him stick with it and his goals and priorities in life.

Don’t forget you can follow us for the latest updates @PlusBrunei on Facebook and Instagram, where we post behind the scenes pics and sneak peeks of upcoming features.

Many thanks and happy reading, The Plus Team

+Supported by: Ministry of Health (Brunei Darussalam) Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (Brunei Darussalam) Health Promotion Centre (Brunei Darussalam) Fitness Zone Royal Brunei Airlines Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd

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Email it to  plusbrunei@gmail.com

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+Publisher Nexploit Services

Oleh Melnyk John M. Rey

+Editor-At-Large Simon Keller

+Photographer Jerome Wong Aron Tan’s Studio Adam Hanif

+Talent Editor Elizabeth Sim Syazwana Souyono +Proof Reader Monica Lim +Marketing and Digital Content Nursadiqin Misir +Graphic Designer Anna Thien

+Featuring Nadzri Harif Shaun Lim Oliver Goy Leng May FightSaber +Contributors Syazwana Souyono Shelley Ann Busque Joana Tan

All rights reserved.

Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form of by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of Nexploit Services. Where option is expressed it is that of the author and does not necessarily reflect the editorial views of the publisher or Plus.

All information in Plus is checked and verified to the best of the publisher’s ability, however the publisher cannot be held responsible for any mistake or omission enclosed in the publication.

4 PLUS Apr–May 2016

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Health+

BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR WORKOUT

I

t is quite important to have the right kind of nutrition in your body when you are committed to exercising on a regular basis, whether it’s in the gym or outdoors… Your dietary requirements change when you are building muscle and losing fat. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours in the kitchen making something to curb your appetite. Here are a few very quick and easy ideas, but first let’s go through some basics of what kind of food you should be having, and when should you be having them.

Bear in mind that these ideas are just guidelines for you to adapt to

your needs, and not full of detailed recipes.

BEFORE HEADING OFF TO THE GYM: Food consumed before a heavy workout should be slow releasing; which means it retains more nutrients and takes the time to be digested and therefore, provides you with fuel slowly throughout your workout routine. While you should be having something before a workout, the meal shouldn’t be heavy because that would drag down your

metabolism rate and make you feel full and tired before you have even started. Making these snacks is all about using the products you have on hand at home and shouldn’t take longer than a couple of minutes. It’s best to have a snack at least thirty minutes before you start your workout session.

Oats is a staple when we talk about slow releasing foods, you can try a quick and simple oatmeal with warm milk; let it absorb the milk until you are happy with the consistency, or you could take the time to cook up some fast porridge. Add some

PLUS 7

Apr–May 2016

+Health fruits of your choice to heighten the flavor.

Granola is also a popular choice; one of the best things about granola is that you can have it with almost anything, be it almond milk, dairy milk or plain yogurt. Throw on some berries and sliced fruits on top and you are good to go.

If you aren’t into loose grains all that much, you can always try a simple brown or whole wheat toast with a simple spread, they contain a lot of fiber and they too, provide you energy for a long period of time. You could even add some fruit.

AFTER COMING BACK FROM THE GYM: Because you had slow releasing food before your exercises, you won’t immediately need food in your body, and it is advised to wait at least an hour before you wolf down your

8 PLUS Apr–May 2016

next meal. This after-meal, however, needs to be a little heavier than the first, but that doesn’t mean you can have anything you want. It needs to be balanced with enough protein and carbs but it also needs to align with your body goals and be healthy.

minutes in the pan or the oven. Add some greens and other vegetables as a side.

Aside from poultry, fish is a great source of protein. They come in fillets and sometimes you can even get them in pre-prepared and seasoned packets, which just need a couple of minutes in the oven. Have your fish over a bed of quinoa or you can make a sandwich with whole wheat bread and add some vegetables in your dish to round it off.

There is always the healthier option of having eggs. You can have scrambled eggs with a side of vegetables, or you can make an omelet and stuff it with stir-fried greens. You can also go all out and make a frittata in a small pan. A frittata might seem fancy but all it takes is whisking up a couple of eggs in a small but deep pan, then filling it up with some easy to cook vegetables and other sides inside the mixture and cooking it over a low heat in the oven or on the stove.

Grilling chicken uses a lesser amount of oil then normal fried chicken and is a great alternative.

You can have leftovers from the night before or you can let it stay in the oven as you leave for your gym, which makes it less time consuming. If the chicken is prepped beforehand, it hardly takes more than a few

And if you are not hungry enough to have a big meal yet, grab a protein shake or smoothie. Blend something up with fruits and add a little coconut water, or you can even use milk of your choice. The world is your oyster when it comes to smoothies and this little drink will keep your metabolism boosted.

+Fitness

TIPS ON STAYING FIT WITH

CROSS FIT 10 PLUS Apr–May 2016

Fitness+

E

veryone wants to stay fit and active and lead a healthy lifestyle. However, people are often confused about what adequate workout routine they should follow, whether it is necessary to get a personal trainer or whether it is important to be a member of the gym. To many, it seems like quite a hassle and a whole lot of questions with no answers and so they end up giving up on the idea of staying fit.

After that, calories after calories start to build up while supposedly maintaining a made up health routine, which they haven’t even followed properly in months. It’s the dilemma of the century — how to stay fit and active. An easy way for anyone who is looking for a change in their lifestyle and wanting to commit to a routine of beneficial workouts is the CrossFit program.

The CrossFit program is designed to focus on losing calories and building up strength, rather than muscle building. This increases the strength of your inner core so that you can feel healthy and fit from the inside.

It is an adequate amount of exercise for those who aren’t gym bunnies but instead directed towards people who want to be in shape and strong with a healthy posture. The program consists of routine workouts with small exercises that will help you shed your everyday calories and utilize excess energy in the best way possible.

HOW TO GET INFORMATION ON THE CROSSFIT PROGRAM? It is normal for you to ask whether you need a personal trainer to start this workout routine or not. While it is healthy to get the advice of a professional, as they will be able to provide you with the exact schedule and chart you need to follow every day, they can be quite expensive and sometimes difficult to get a hold of. If it’s too much of a hassle, you can start off with the basic CrossFit routine and watch tutorials on the internet to get started. The CrossFit program includes weightlifting, gymnastics, and free hand exercises from where you can choose the set of exercises best for you. You can find various websites featuring CrossFit routines that show you how to start

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Apr–May 2016

Fitness+

and suggest routines according to your level of fitness, the intensity of which can be increased gradually.

hours because when you think about it, one hour out of a twenty-four hour day is a bargain for a fit lifestyle.

WHERE TO PERFORM THE TASK?

HOW TO MAINTAIN THE ENERGY LEVELS?

You can start the CrossFit routine anywhere you want, be it in your living room, your garden, or a gym. The main point of this program is your commitment of doing it regularly because you want to stay loyal to your body and help it achieve its inner strength to help you work to the best of your abilities. While it is a matter of your own commitment, some people say that getting up and going to the gym has a more positive impact than doing exercises at home. Staying at home may give you the opportunity to slack off, whereas if you go to the gym every day, it might make you feel like you are achieving something and you might also get positive reinforcement from the people you meet there, and perhaps be inspired to do even better.

Exercising your body with a routine like the CrossFit program comes with the responsibility of keeping your diet and nutrition on track. Since the body will be going through this change you need to make sure you are getting adequate nutritional input to get your muscles working out on the sufficient amount of nourishment it needs. A healthy balanced diet with proper portions of carbohydrate, protein, lipids and minerals is the best way to maintain your CrossFit program. If you get confused about the right portions and feel like you are over or under eating, you could always consult a nutritionist for advice or check out diet plans for working out according to your age, weight and height available online.

WHAT IF TIME IS AN ISSUE?

IS IT WORTH IT?

Some people back out of going to the gym or working out in general because of a lack of time. Many have the responsibility of their family and career on their shoulders and spending a lot of time on your own personal fitness might seem selfish. However, the good news is, CrossFit programs are designed to be short and swift as long as you are committed to performing it every day.

According to many professional athletes and experts, the routines won’t take you more than an hour to complete. Therefore, it is quite apt for people who work long

The CrossFit program is designed to build your inner core strength by building up your metabolism rate and ensuring higher stamina. It uses a combination of exercises that helps you build power and establish a wider capacity of physical activities performed by your body. This exercise routine isn’t for any particular sport, so everyone is welcome to join the team. It helps your mind connect with your body and helps you stay fit for a long period of time.

It also gives you a natural boost of confidence about your physique and makes you aware of your fitness and health.

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Apr–May 2016

+Fitness

THE RIGHT APPROACH TOWARDS SHEDDING BODY FAT AND GAINING MASS

T

he right way to lose weight and gain mass requires sheer hard work and rock-solid commitment. Building muscle and losing fat simultaneously is a conflicting task.

You need enormous emphasis on maintaining the muscles you have worked so hard to build and at the same time, lose as much weight as possible. The three key ingredients that will help you lose weight and build muscle are a healthy diet, cardio workouts and muscle strengthening exercises.

CONTROL YOUR MEALS AND KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED Protein is essential for building muscle.

The body enters a catabolic state after strength training whereas protein consumption helps your body get to an anabolic state. Try to eat a diet rich in lean beef, chicken, eggs, fish, and beans as they are a good source of nutrients that boost your metabolic rate.

Try to cut out simple carbohydrates from your diet. Replace them with whole grains and oatmeal that help you feel

16 PLUS Apr–May 2016

fuller for longer with a lower calorie intake. Avoid processed foods as they add to your waistline and are devoid of vital vitamins and nutrients. Try eating 5–6 meals daily. Eating two large meals will slow down your metabolism and skipping meals altogether will make your body store fat for energy expenditure.

Keeping a check and balance on your calories will help you lose the extra flab easily. Try to burn more calories than you consume daily. The most successful approach is to burn 250 calories from exercise and cut 250 calories from your diet. If you have a sweet tooth or you snack in the evening, try cutting 250 calories from them. Try to consume at least 1200 calories per day to avoid going into famine mode. Use the 40–5 0-10 rule as a guideline. 50% of your calories should come from protein, 40% from carbohydrates and 10% from fat.

A higher than normal water consumption is also crucial for weight loss and muscle building. It helps the liver convert the fat into energy. The more, the merrier. Drink at least a gallon of water daily or more if you live in a hot climate or are obese.

Fitness+

WEIGHT TRAINING Weight training strengthens the existing muscles and helps build new muscles.

When you add muscle to your structure; your body has to spend more energy to maintain that muscle tissue.

Strength training should be done not more than three times a week to give your body a chance to recover. Try inclined dumbbell presses, chest presses, squats, hamstring curls, sit ups, weighted leg raises and grip barbell curves in reverse for building muscles and maintaining stability. The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will lose. Don’t overstress yourself by lifting the heaviest weights, begin with lighter weights that will help to build more defined muscles. Mix up your exercises by adding new ones to prevent boredom. It is worthwhile hiring a weight-training instructor who will help you plan a workout routine according to your weight and calorie consumption.

CARDIO SESSIONS Cardio is vital for losing fat as it spikes up the metabolic rate. Try to do 20 minutes

of cardio per day, 3 to 4 times a week.

Take your cardio seriously and sweat off the fat. Walking leisurely won’t contribute to fat loss. You need to get your body out of the normal balance to cut that extra flab.

There are lots of fun ways to do cardio exercises. Swimming is a full body workout that tones the muscles with low impact on joints and bones.

Exercise your entire body by alternating between your upper and lower body. Force your body to switch from using the anaerobic energy mode by minimizing rest. This mode supplies energy for lifting the aerobic system.

Try to make a circuit last for two to five minutes. Do 10 reps each of 6–8 exercises at an even tempo. Each set should last 45 seconds. Towards the end of the circuit, take a 2-minute break. This will make the exercise similar to training on a treadmill. You will need at least 20 minutes to notice the cardiovascular benefits, which converts to 6–10 circuits, three times in a week.

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Apr–May 2016

+Fitness

GET YOUR GIRL

TO LIFT T

ired of being the emotional punching bag your girlfriend or wife pummels when she feels that her hours upon hours of cardio are not working? Frustrated when she complains that she can never get that round perky butt some fit girl posted on Instagram?

Men are programmed to want to solve their partner’s problems, and you definitely know the solution to hers; “start lifting weights”. If you’re blessed with a girl who’s fairly athletic and open about starting weight training then that’s great, keep her close and don’t let go but if you’re with a cardio bunny who avoids the weights room at all costs, then keep on reading.

The benefits of weightlifting have been documented and publicized time and time again, from melting visceral fat that covers organs in the body, to improving bone density in the long run.

You would think it would be easy to peel your girl off the treadmill or elliptical but unfortunately, nothing good ever comes easy.

Fret not, though, these tips will hopefully help you to convince her to start lifting and she’ll be the iron-pumping princess of your dreams in no time!

QUASH THE MISCONCEPTIONS Most girls avoid lifting because they associate heavy weights with body builders, the image of a comically tanned woman in a red bikini flexing her bulging muscles pops to mind and they cower at the idea of morphing into that.

Instead of ridiculing your partner if she does believe this, calmly explain to her why that won’t

18 PLUS Apr–May 2016

happen. Tell her that those girls with arms the size of tree barks and thighs capable of choking a grown man train specifically to achieve that mass and have to take various supplements to get to that stage. Women naturally do not have as much testosterone as men, so it’s not possible to get massive simply by lifting weights.

CHECK OUT GIRLS TOGETHER Prove to your girl that not all women who lift get bulky, find pictures or introduce her to your friends who weightlift. She’ll be more convinced when she has a visual to what you have been explaining. You can even find some inspirational photos together on Instagram or over the internet, so you can share with her what you find attractive and she can explain or point out her dream body. Be wary though, this could cross over into dangerous territory where she feels like you are comparing herself to these fitness models and could give a serious blow to her self-esteem but as long as you do it as a fun activity together and pick your words wisely, things should be fine (no drooling over the pictures and/ or repeating how hot the girls are). Remind her that you want to help her achieve the body of her dreams but you love her regardless and that the journey is not purely for aesthetic reasons but also for the general health and wellbeing of you both.

#GOALS While you guys are stalking fitness models and amazing body transformations, get your girlfriend/

Fitness+

wife to set goals she wants to achieve through lifting. Be it squatting half her body weight or being able to do a pull-up unassisted, make sure her targets are reasonable and achievable in the time span she allows herself. If she starts saying she wants to look like the girls in Drake’s Hotline Bling music video or fixates too much on a specific look (e.g. prominent collar bones, V-shaped abs) then explain to her that she might not get the exact same shape, just because some of it is down to genetics and simply how your body is put together but reassure her that it will still be worth it in the end. Set the goals and plan on how to achieve them together, encourage her to research training plans or offer to get her a personal trainer.

EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL If rhyme and reason don’t work, then you could go down the old school route, sweet talk her into doing it. Tell her how much you would appreciate it if she does give it a try and that it would be a new and fun activity you could do together. The experience can improve your communication and trust in each other, something most couples should aim to do. Plus, most girls would be delighted to hear their partner say, “Let’s spend more time together!” You could even do a trade if she agrees to try lifting then you’ll try something she suggests (may she be kind to you). A shopping spree could also be an easy (but pricey) way of getting her motivated enough to try it, who can resist working out when

a cute outfit is lying around waiting to be flaunted!

SPOT HER Once she’s agreed to give lifting a shot, make sure you make her feel comfortable in the weights area.

Things could get overwhelming for her, being surrounded by unfamiliar contraptions and not to mention the guys with shoulders twice the size of her head grunting away in the background.

Just stay by her side and educate her on any equipment she may be new to, show her the correct form (or get a trainer if you’re not confident enough) for her workouts, motivate her when she feels like giving up and pat her on the back when she’s done well.

BE KIND, BE PATIENT Obviously, everyone is different and you should know how best to convince your girl to step into the iron palace but if she’s totally not feeling it or still reluctant, then be patient and wait for her to be ready. Once she does give it a try, don’t get delusional and think that she’ll immediately fall head over heels for it and will be pumping out sets five days a week. Somedays she might feel lazy or she’ll get so sore the next day that she’ll roll underneath the covers and vow to spend the rest of the week as a burrito, or she might decide that it’s really not her thing. At the end of the day, listen to her and respect her views; don’t force her into it if she really despises it. This should be something that you enjoy doing together and as with most things, it’s definitely better if both parties are completely onboard!

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Apr–May 2016

+Event

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Apr–May 2016

+Event

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Event+

PLUS 23

Apr–May 2016

+Event

(WHY WELLNESS AND FITNESS ARE ESSENTIAL TO PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS)

L

abels abound, some of them in vogue, some just inaccurate and others helpful to understanding the cases. We are speaking about children and people who have substantial special needs.

go a long way to improving problem areas.

They may be diagnosed with complex disorders such as Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Autism, Asperger’s, Down Syndrome, Tourette’s, or Intellectual Disability.

All are challenging to identify reliably, and even more challenging to treat effectively. We can add the physical disabilities of blindness, deafness, and a multitude of serious medical disorders that strike children and significantly limit their ability to function.

When we think of goals for people with special needs, one of the main ones would be adept social interaction. As normal people, we do not have to treat them any different from us. They breathe the same air, they stand on the same ground and they live on the same planet! We just need to give them “special care and attention”. Physical fitness in special needs is somehow a virtually untapped resource for setting up great social opportunities. DawnLee, Volunteer Director for Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam (SOBD) said that”Seeing the special kids getting more and more engaged in opportunities and having access to sports and fitness is very fulfilling. Not only do they experience joy and excitement through these activities, they are also able to discover their potential and mostly they are able to socialize just like any normal child or

Now, having mentioned this, here are some essential reasons why special educators/volunteers should incorporate fitness into the lifestyles of people with special needs. Most research shows that physical fitness programs and engagements can improve physical deficits such poor spatial awareness, limited endurance and low muscle tone.

SOCIALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES

person. They are able to engage in the community to be increasingly inclusive.”

INDEPENDENT LEISURE OPTIONS Based on personal experience with my cousin who is 38 years of age and is a slow learner, I have witnessed many of the kids/adults with autism/ mental disabilities used to wandering aimlessly, engage in stereotypical (“stimming”) repetitive behaviors, or watching the same 8 seconds of a Disney clip on YouTube all afternoon if provided with no other alternative.

These days, for most with intellectual disabilities, fitness in special needs and the activities that go with it are not going to be an immediate replacement to those more passive pursuits.

(It’s hard to compete with Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. I know!).

Over time and with the right program, fitness in special needs can be a healthy, functional alternative to otherwise repetitive and none-too-beneficial behaviors. People

IT CAN ASSIST WITH THE IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR MOVEMENTS “Physical Fitness in people with special needs will improve muscle tone, poor spatial awareness, and enhance their limited endurance.” said Coach Ramon Rapi, one of the coaches in Fitness Programs that is being held in Fitness Zone for the special kids/people.

Whether it is individualized and/ or group fitness in people with special needs, the most common types of exercise would be the Big 5(five) movements (Pulling, Squatting, Pushing, Locomotion and Rotation) and incorporate activities such as bear walks, hops, medicine ball throws, and overhead walks will

24 PLUS Apr–May 2016

Joined by BMW crew, this year’s SHE RUNS Title Sponsor.

Its beneficiaries, athletes from Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam, YASKA survivor Tzyy Wei, and Wu Chun

Event+ DrHjh Norehan Johari, Chairwoman of YASKA said; “On behalf of YASKA, we are grateful that we have been chosen again to be one of the beneficiaries for She Runs 2016 and this makes them (the children) feel that they are not alone in battling cancer”. with mental disabilities often need more time to adjust, and they need patience, understanding, and extra care before they become comfortable with new tasks and activities.

Taking fitness a minute (or at least 1–2 exercises at a time) can help turn it into a “want to” instead of a “have to.”

IMPROVING COGNITIVE ABILITY According to recent research studies, there is an ever-growing stack of research that suggests a strong connection between physical activity levels and optimal cognitive performance, particularly in people with short-term memory.(Dory from Finding Nemo is not included!) Equally important, of course, would be emotional regulation. It is guaranteed that both mentioned could be enhanced through fitness in people with special needs and keep them moving throughout the day!

HEALTHY LIVING OVER A LIFETIME Fitness in children and people with special needs can do just that and optimize many other abilities in the process. Everyone wants to build skills that last a lifetime and enhance experiences. If we consider and care more about the qualities that make life as good as possible, physical health is certainly in the top tier. Being physically active with an individualized fitness program has too many proactive and preventative benefits to ignore!

When we look beyond, to a deeper level on how we see people with special needs, they don’t differ from us, really. They are able to reciprocate feelings and can shine with so much energy. They are loving, strong-willed, charming, playful, full of fun to spend time with, quite cautious with strangers and unfamiliarity, observant of surroundings, perceptive, good-natured and really friendly.

It takes more of an effort, more than an effort, to get to know kids and people with special needs. Yet if you start caring, in general, about whatever and whoever is around you and being more aware, wherever you are, then it will ALL be seemingly effortless and the feeling would be priceless!

Share a smile with them when you see them and instantly, when you receive one in return, it will definitely make you instantly happy! LIVE FIT. LOVE LIFE! There is a Non-Governmental Organization unit in Brunei that cares for these individuals when it comes to engaging them in physical, fitness and wellness activities: Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam.According to Special Olympics’ official website, it is an acclaimed global organization that

serves athletes with intellectual disabilities. Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has grown.

Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam(SOBD) was founded in March 2004and it has been and will always strive to uphold the Special Olympics mission in changing the lives of people with Intellectual Disabilities and transforming the world, through sports here in Brunei. Over 10 years, SOBD has conducted year-round training and sporting activities nationally and has participated in many Special Olympics Competitions and Games internationally.

This year, together with YASKA,(Children’s Cancer Foundation) SOBD has signed up to be one of the beneficiaries for Fitness Zone’s She Runs 2016 Charity All Women’s Run. Meet Tzyy Wei — A YASKA Survivor. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a very common type of blood cancer amongst children, at the age of 11.

Now, at age 16, set to be one of the top 3 achievers in academics, she has said that she is very grateful.

“Acceptance and respect are what I personally think that childhood cancer patients need most from the public. To encourage them to smile can actually help them make their day a whole lot better! Instead of ostracizing them, see them as normal children because they don’t differ that much from others. It is amazing to imagine what the world would be like if acceptance and respect were distributed equally amongst all of us, and genuine care and attention was shown towards these children and their families. Just by having these meaningful aspects in us as a society lets childhood cancer patients know that we are here to stand up against the disease together with them, as a moral pillar of support for them”.

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Apr–May 2016

+Plus+ Athlete

leng may

LENG MAY

26 PLUS Apr–May 2016

pa 0001 Name: Leng May age: 28 HeigHt: 152 cm WeigHt: 50 kg Next CHalleNge: Tough Viking 2006

SpoNSored by:

Plus+ Athlete+

MIGHTY MAY:

BRACING FOR THE OBSTACLE COURSE OF A LIFETIME W e are proud to introduce our very first Plus+ athlete, Leng May! The petite 28-year-old will be representing Plus+, Victory Athletes and the Marathon Shop in one of the most grueling obstacle courses ever to be created. May is preparing herself for the upcoming Tough Viking 2016 this May in Sweden, one of the largest obstacle races in the Nordic region designed together with the Swedish elite maritime Special Forces unit Kustjägarna. This event is far from a stroll in a park, in fact it’s more like an 8 km stretch littered with massive obstacles involving fire, water and even electricity, but this feisty lady is adamant to complete the race in good time.

Tell us more about the upcoming competition you’re hoping to join in Sweden, what got you interested to join?

The Tough Viking is the largest obstacle race in Scandinavia and Russia. The obstacles consist of fire, water, electricity, deep mud, barbed wires, warped walls, monkey bars and some other stuff set out along an 8km route. I think the punishment for failing an obstacle is 30 burpees.

It just happened randomly one day when my friend in Sweden sent me a video of the race and invited me to join their team. I get really excited about obstacle races so my immediate response was YES! No questions asked.

How are you preparing yourself for the competition and what are your goals for this meet? What motivates you to continue training for this?

I run once or twice a week and also do HIIT exercises in the mornings on weekdays, strength trainings in the evenings, yoga once a week, and slackline at least once a week.

Occasionally, I climb to improve my upper body and grip strength. It sounds a little crazy now that I’ve listed them out like that...

What motivates me... well, if I don’t struggle now, I’ll struggle really hard at the race and have a finish time to my name to remind me of my failure...forever! NOPE. I’m not having it. If you want to do something, you put 100% into it.

My goal is probably to stick around with my team. I’m more used to running races on my own and focused on getting my personal best. But teamwork is a big part of sports and fitness and it’s something I definitely need to work on. If I can finish this race with a good time without leaving my teammates behind, then I think I’ll have achieved my personal best.

Is there anything that worries you about the competition?

Definitely the weather!! I don’t do very well with the cold. I’ve considered jumping into an ice bath to get ready for it!

Can you list out your sporting achievements and any other milestones you’re proud of?

Hmm... This is tough. In terms of races, I’d have to say it’s the BIBD Charity Expedition 2015 - that was the first run I joined competitively, and a last-minute decision. I decided

to run 10km the evening before race day. I hadn’t ran long distance before, but I finished with a good time (I think) at 1 hour 11 minutes. Every race that I’ve done after that has been an improvement from the last so I’m pretty proud of them too.

In terms of personal achievements in sports, there’s a lot! Fitness is something relatively new to me. I didn’t work out at all until 4 years ago. The first time I attempted to run, I was crawling and gasping for breath within less than five minutes.

Gosh, it was painful. I also didn’t learn to swim till three years ago, and now, it’s something that I do at least once a week to boost my stamina.

I’ve picked up other fitness activities too. The fact that I’ve made it this far over a relatively short time makes me think that they’re all achievements to be grateful about.

What other things do you enjoy doing besides sports?

When I’m not working out, I like to take road trips and explore nature trails and waterfalls around the country with my friends or maybe a day chilling at the beach or stuffing our faces at local eateries or trying out new recipes to cook at home - sometimes with my mom, and sometimes with friends. Fitness and food are two of my favourite things!

Article by: Syazwana Souyono FeAtured: Leng May PhotogrAPhy: Aron Tan’s Studio

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FROM FAT TO FIT…

CROSSFIT

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Y

ou’ve heard him on the radio and you’ve seen him on stage with his microphone, entertaining crowds of all ages. Plus gets the chance to talk to this hyperactive, multi-talented and very fit young man about his love of CrossFit. Meet Coach Nadzri Harif.

Nadzri what are 5 words generally used to describe you?

Radio Deejay, Magic, CrossFit Coach and loud Tell us how you got into CrossFit? Ok, I’m going to be honest here.

I started out as a CrossFit hater.

Some of my close friends were doing CrossFit and they kept pestering me to join so I finally caved.

I attended a swim session and thought to myself “I swim, I do triathlons, it can’t be that bad…”

Worst last words to ever come out of my mouth. In that one session, we did a 500 m swim, 100 push ups, 200 sit ups, 300 squats and another 500 m swim. 300 squats, Liz! I had never even done 300 squats cumulatively in a year! Let alone in one session at that time. I was a cyclist, a runner, and a swimmer. I kept up during the session because of the swimming but the next day when I woke up I couldn’t walk, everything hurt and I concluded that this was not healthy, this wasn’t for me. I’ve given it a try.

So what happened after that?

A few months later, Mo (Mike Mogard) opened up Reebok CrossFit 673 and I decided to give it one more try. I couldn’t blame CrossFit based on only one experience. I came in for one class. The movements were simple but anyone who knows CrossFit knows it’s about high intensity, functional movements, constant variation and all that stuff. But this time, I loved it! I contemplated attending only one session a week but ended up going every day and it just flourished from there.

What have you learnt from your exposure to CrossFit thus far?

One is to leave your ego. In CrossFit, we always tell people to leave their egos at the door and don’t be

afraid to scale down movements.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to slow down if it’s something new to you, don’t be afraid to slow down and take in the techniques. Two would be to be open to criticism.

Three — always surround yourself with like-minded people. These are the people who will support you, who go through what you’ve been through. I really think to have a great support group, be it family at home, or people at the gym or the people you hang out with — having them around is important because they set you up for success.

In your journey thus far, how do these lessons resonate with you as an individual?

CrossFit taught me how to have a smart approach when it comes to breaking down my training.

Whether it’s about attacking a weakness of mine — a gymnastic movement could be a weakness of mine, like muscle up on the rings.

We learn to ask ourselves, “What’s the best way to approach this?” If I get on the rings and just do it with bad form, that’s not really the best way to go about it. You can’t force yourself to keep doing it until you get better either. In CrossFit we learn how to break the movement down into pieces, we scale it down accordingly and decide to teach people basic gymnastic positions and then progress from there. I feel like that’s what I take away from this experience as I apply a similar approach in attacking new effects or new illusions to practice, by breaking it down.

Have you always been this positive and fit growing up?

Oh man, I was a chubby kid growing up haha. I was never really athletic, I was never the popular kid in schooI, I didn’t have a lot of friends and would always end up doing individual sports. I remember not being able to get into Form 6 because I didn’t get an “O” for my Malay so I went to Maktab Technical College where I completed my Diploma in Geomatics.

Yes, I get that puzzled look from people all the time, hahaha, when I tell them what I studied.

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+Life Inspired At one point I got really fat, I think because a girl broke my heart. I was up to 85 kg then and had no neck! I even tried jogging with my mum but could not keep up with her. The turning point for me was when I became really sick. I had an ulcer on my tongue and my temperature spiked because of the weather at that time. I couldn’t eat or drink for a whole week just because the ulcer was that bad. I dropped from 85 to 77 kg because of that, I lost 8 kg in a week! After that, I recovered and started jogging.

The 8kg that I lost made such a huge difference. I was obviously lighter, I kept up with my mum a little better and I was just generally excited that I could jog!

I became obsessed with working out after that. I jogged every day. I was 18 at the time. I also started eating healthier. Within 2 to 3 months I went from 77 kg to 67 kg. I was the skinniest I had ever been.

Words of wisdom from Nadzri “— My tip at a career talk the other day was to major in something that will guarantee you a job minor at your passion. So I majored it Geomatics and did a minor in Public Relations i.e. Corporate Communications, and I loved it.

— My definition of fitness today is the ability to go out there and do everything and anything you want.“ Who is CrossFit suitable for?

When I got into CrossFit, I wanted a program that was well-rounded and one that could prepare you for anything and everything in life. So our training program in the gym is focused on clients’ individual goals. It could be someone who just wants to be able to run, do triathlons or maybe be able to play with their grandchildren. So we wanted to create a program that allows you to do all that and that’s what I love about CrossFit. There’s always something new to work on so it’s suitable for anyone with specific lifestyle goals.

According to our records, you’ve been quite busy representing

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Reebok CrossFit 673 in a number of different competitions.

Tell us about your very first competition.

My first competition was the Sin City Invitationals in Singapore in 2013. They invited one male and one female from every box around the region and I asked Mo if I could sign up for the competition. I like signing up for competitions because it gives me a reason to train. In other words, if I have a purpose, training becomes more meaningful and I push myself a little harder. Anyway, that was my first competition and honestly, it went bad, really bad! Bear in mind, this was after being in CrossFit for only for a few months. Despite not having placed very high, I was proud that I finished the competition. For me, it was an amazing experience to see the CrossFit community get together and watch them cheer each other on in a competitive environment. That inspired me to train a little harder so I could compete again and be back in that environment once more.

Another memorable competition for me was when I made it to the CrossFit Asia Championships Finals in Bangkok last year but was in the bottom few, I’m not going to lie. Overall, it was an amazing opportunity. I got to meet a lot of athletes and I got to pick their brains on how they train. My weakness was the muscle ups. Training in the gym and competing on the actual floor is different. You’re feeling the fatigue from the day before, the heat in Bangkok was crazy hot at the time and all sorts of different factors. But what kept me going was having the support from others around to cheer you on.

So what’s happening for you in the next few months?

In the next few months, I’ve got the Battle of the North in Penang and another competition coming up in Kota Kinabalu and another in Singapore.

What’s your ultimate goal doing CrossFit?

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I think I like networking, meeting new people and establishing new connections. I really would like a place to call my own so I can share my love and passion for CrossFit with others. It has given me amazing results in my life and I want to share the love. But that wouldn’t be an end goal, just a goal to look forward to. I would also like to be healthier, fitter and stronger over the coming years and I believe that’s a cool goal to have.

The best thing that happened also quite recently from establishing new connections and sharing what I love with others is being endorsed by the American performance apparel brand Under

Armour. I got lucky enough to be picked up by Under Armour to be their local brand ambassador to help share the love of fitness to the wider community.

What can we expect from you as a coach?

One, I would sit down with you and talk about goals and find out if there’s any limitations or injuries that I should be aware of. I run the foundation classes over at 673 and I highly recommend anyone new to jump into those foundation classes to learn some basics and theories about CrossFit. What do you say to someone who’s afraid of CrossFit?

There’s nothing to be afraid of, really.

Keep an open mind and come on by to one of our sessions. We now have 3 branches (Berakas, Jerudong, and Kuala Belait). Your first session is free as we really want to give people a good idea of what it’s like to be in a CrossFit class. If you like the introduction course, then I recommend for you to go for the foundation classes. The cool thing about CrossFit is that it’s infinitely scalable so if you cannot do a movement, I can scale it down for you to still give you the high-intensity aspect of a workout.

Mind sharing with us your preferred diet plan at the moment?

I’m on a Keto diet right now where it’s low carb, high fat, and high

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+Life Inspired protein. I’ve lost about 5.5 kg in about 2 months. This diet works well for my current active lifestyle and me.

Nadzri’s weekly diet (except Sundays): Breakfast — Bulletproof Coffee (Black coffee with grass-fed butter), 3 scrambled eggs and some beef or chicken slices.

Snack — Protein Shake Lunch — Big bowl of leafy greens, dressing, and a serving of protein (beef/chicken/tuna) in extra virgin olive oil Snack — Protein Shake Dinner — (Same as lunch) How do you find balance with all that you do?

Radio and CrossFit workout.

My radio slots are either in the early morning, afternoon or late at night. My CrossFit is usually in the late afternoon to early evening. I think the one thing I had trouble juggling was time with mum. It was tough at the start because I was still trying to get a handle on my schedules but then you learn with time what your priorities are. As much as I wanted to train, coach and be on the air, I also wanted to spend time with my mum.

The family is one of the most important aspects of my life.

FEATURING: Nadzri Harif ARTICLE BY: Elizabeth Sim PHOTOGRAPHER: Adam Hanif

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OLIVER

GOY:

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A

dventurous, athletic and intellectual; these are probably the three words to best describe Oliver Goy, the young, up and coming CrossFit athlete in the Sultanate.

Despite starting CrossFit only a year ago, the 22-year-old became the youngest athlete to land within the top ten positions in the country during his recent debut at the Reebok CrossFit Games Open 2016 last month, successfully achieving his goal for the meet. Now, the driven athlete is the youngest to join Hybrid Movement’s capable team of trainers.

Oliver’s flair for fitness did not come as a surprise as he admitted to being very active in sports throughout his childhood, with his expatriate parents being a big

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influence on his active lifestyle, “I was driven by my parents, both of them are quite sporty. Even now, my mum is in her mid-fifties and she still plays badminton like three times a week and my dad goes running almost every day.”

“My parents encouraged my brothers and myself to try all sports since we were young.

They would drive us to train practice and games every week.

As a result, I was involved in competitive tennis, football, rugby, swimming and basketball,” he added.

Oliver first made ripples in the national sporting scene when he played tennis with the Brunei national tennis team, though due to his position as a foreigner, he would register into competitions

as an individual rather than representing the country.He was no foreigner to the podium, though, especially at the FOBISSEA Games (a sporting competition between international schools in South East Asia) where he competed in athletics, swimming, football and basketball whilst attending International School Berakas and later Jerudong International School.

“The first time I picked up a tennis racket was at the age of 5years, and I played tennis for a long time till I was about 16 and sort of dropped off a bit. Then, I started playing more and more sports, so ever since a young age, I was playing every single sport you could think of.”

From surfing to caving, Oliver is definitely always up for trying

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+Life Inspired something new, which eventually led to his newly discovered passion for CrossFit, after his childhood friend and owner of Hybrid Movement, Darren Chai, showed him the ropes.

Oliver initially started off just hitting the gym after an unfortunate rugby injury five years ago which threatened to bring his active lifestyle to a halt, “Obviously going from doing sports five times a week, two hours a day to doing nothing — I couldn’t do that, so I started gymming.” After his introduction to CrossFit a year ago, Oliver started doing his CrossFit workouts at his university gym and making the most of the equipment there since the expense of joining a proper CrossFit gym in Australia where he studied was too much for his student budget.

The supportive CrossFit community in the country added to his love for the sport, “It’s a great community here, I was at 5th place around week three (of the fiveweek Reebok CrossFit Games Open 2016) and then dropped off to number 10 but that’s no problem; I beat them, they beat me. The people really support you, there are a few who hope you don’t do so well but I’m not friends with that kind of people.”

my peak in this sport. However, being young and relatively new to CrossFit (1 year) means I am quite inexperienced. Although I have competed in other sports before, CrossFit is a totally different ball game. This first CrossFit competition (Reebok CrossFit Games Open 2016) has really opened my eyes to strategies for tackling workouts and weaknesses that I need to work on.”

When he’s not swinging kettlebells, you’re likely to catch Oliver shredding waves at Tungku beach or hanging off a rock-climbing wall but make no mistake, there’s more to this fitness fanatic than meets the eye.

The Singaporean-born British lad doesn’t just have his athletic achievements under his belt, his academic accomplishments are even more impressive. He recently graduated with Honours from the University of Newcastle, Australia, receiving a Bachelors in Commerce majoring in Finance. Oliver received an award for finishing top of his faculty and was even given the rare opportunity last year to work as a finance tutor at the university, an experience which he can relate to training others at Hybrid Movement.

Oliver now has his eyes set on joining the X45 Challenge due to be held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in August with the rest of the Hybrid Movement athletes but this time, the tenth place just won’t cut it, “I’m looking to place on the podium for this X45. That is my main focus at the moment.

So to achieve that, I have a workout regime that focuses mainly on improving my weightlifting skills, flexibility and cardiovascular/metabolic endurance.”

“The skills from that transfers to here (Hybrid movement) in terms of leading classes and communication. In tutorials,you’re standing in front of a whiteboard telling people exactly what they need to know and answering questions. Here it’s the same, standing in front of a whiteboard, showing movements, giving advice on what to do and how to pace,because with a workout like that (CrossFit), if you went flat out straight off the bat,you’d die in five minutes!”

At the tender age of 22, Oliver feels that his youth is a double-edged sword, “Since I am younger, I have a lot more potential to get fitter and stronger than some of the other athletes.

I feel I am improving and learning new things every day and I am still a few years away from hitting

Last year seemed to be one of the toughest for Oliver, with his hectic schedule as a student, tutor and also treasurer for the university’s mountaineering club, “Last year was the hardest part of my life so far, it was a really intense year, it’s like a sprint from start to finish basically,” he

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confided, but despite that, he made sure to stay active and continued his CrossFit training about four times a week.

When asked if he ever struggled to juggle his academic and active lifestyle, he said not at all, “It’s hard when it’s not part of your lifestyle. When fitness is a chore, then I really find that that’s when people drop off and after a few months, you know like a new year’s resolution type, that’s when people stop going to the gym.”

So what’s next for Oliver? Well, for now, he’s staying rooted in the Sultanate, “I was never supposed to stay in Brunei as I only came back after university to visit my parents who still live here. But when I got back, my childhood friend Darren Chai was opening up a functional training gym and asked if I could come help out. I loved it.

Next thing you know I’m cancelling plans to leave the country to pursue a financial career, and here I am today focusing on being an athlete and trainer in Brunei. Funny how things work out the way they do.” Upon graduation, Oliver had received several work offers from companies in Australia but decided to turn them down to pursue his passion in the fitness industry.

He is due to start his Ph.D. through distance learning in July after receiving The University of Newcastle Postgraduate Research Scholarship and is looking forward to getting his rock climbing certification, another of his favourite past times.

His advice for those out there looking to get more out of life and venturing outside of their comfort zone, “Just try something new, that’d be my biggest advice and you never know, you just might love it. Before getting into this, I didn’t think I’d like CrossFit at all, it just sounded a bit different. I liked what I had before but after Darren showed me what it was, I loved it! Ever since then, I’ve just been trying to improve. You just don’t know what you’ll like until you try it.”

Life Inspired+

FEATURING: Oliver Goy ARTICLE BY: Syazwana Souyono PHOTOGRAPHER: Jerome Wong

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THE FLUFFY FAT KID

H

e’s honest, hilarious and happy. Meet Shaun Lim. He coaches full-time at GETFIT CrossFit and he is here to share his story of accidental opportunities, being coerced by friends and how this fluffy fat kid (as he calls himself ) stumbled upon a very unexpected, yet rewarding role in the fitness community and in his life.

Describe yourself in 5 words.

Scary (because I don’t smile) and definitely loves food How old are you?

I’m turning 25 this August.

Have you always been this addicted to CrossFit? To be honest, I was never into sports, I slept, ate and watched TV, and that had been my life so I never really thought about fitness and never really bothered getting into it.

What about when you were in school?

Yeah, I just did it because it was part of the school’s extra-curricular activities.

Where did you study before?

I attended high school at St Andrew’s. I then studied Hospitality, Hotel & Catering Management at Maktab Technical College.

Where are you currently working?

I’m currently working with GETFIT CrossFit as one of the trainers

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and I’m also working with Delwin Keasberry for ProjekBrunei.com.

sparked the beginning of my journey in the world of CrossFit.

So how did you get into CrossFit?

For someone who has never worked out before, do you have any interesting or painful stories to share about your first few workout sessions?

So my brother started CrossFit before I did, about a year or 2 ago.

We were both really chubby kids, you know those fat boys like fluffy fat kids with double chins? So anyway, he started CrossFit first and I noticed that there was a significant change — he lost a lot of weight and got really strong. I was impressed but not enough to make me want to join. Then my friend who was studying abroad at the time came back for a short break and actually convinced me to join, simply by coming over to my house and picking me up. I didn’t own any sports attire at that time so I wore sneakers and clothes I did not know I could fit in. After the one session, my friend had me commit to completing the sessions for a month until he had to go back abroad for his studies. I eventually continued the sessions on my own, met new friends and started getting fitter. Funnily enough, my friend who brought me to CrossFit stopped doing it because he was too caught up with school and other commitments.

In retrospect, I never thought I could do all these things. When I first came in, I saw people doing pull ups and thought to myself “It’s not that hard”. But when I tried it, I thought it was impossible. So I started making my own goals and I wanted to see myself getting fitter and healthier so I think that’s what

We were practicing with the wall ball and I accidentally threw the ball at the wrong angle, It hit the corner and it came straight back to my face so I had a nose scar after that. I realized soon after that, “Yes, I get it, it’s hard”. Then we focused on our core where we were doing leg lifts with the medicine ball between our legs and I had never done core workout in my entire life. Literally, I kid you not, for a whole week I was sleeping at an angle because I could not stay straight, I could not breathe. I was like, “What is this pain? Never felt this before, I don’t want to go back”.

But of course, we know you did go back. What made you go back?

My friend who’s pretty fit told me that it’s ok and explained how it was the different muscle groups working and that was why I was feeling all this pain. And I was like “Wow, there’s muscle in all this? I guess there is hope after all for me.”

That’s why I kept going back.

Did you do your own research as well to find out more about what your body went through?

Of course. I was actually really curious to learn about my body and what the different workouts do to

Life Inspired+ different parts of my body. More importantly, I wondered why certain parts hurt haha. It was great because when I started CrossFit, most of my team-mates had been at it for more than a year now so they knew quite a bit, but not a lot about it. So it was great to know more about my own body.

What’s the best experience for you so far at GETFIT CrossFit? I have a training partner. His name is Husni Damit. He’s 38 years old and he’s fitter than me. He’s been an inspiration to me. He’s one of the all-rounders in CrossFit and we believe that in CrossFit, you should be an all-rounder. Some are good in gymnastics, some are good at body weight movements and some are good at Olympic lifting. But when I met Husni, he’s the one guy I knew that could do anything. We never really got to train together until we started bonding more and started going to similar sessions where he started guiding me on how to follow in his footsteps. He helped fix a lot of my techniques in gymnastics and lifting in terms of how I approach the workout.

It’s been great as I have been able to hit a lot of my targets in a short period of time. So yeah, there are a lot of things I can do that I never thought possible 3 years ago.

Things like pull ups and snatching a certain weight. I’m actually doing that now and it is possible but it takes time and daily practice to progress.

What do you hope to do with the knowledge and experience you now have?

I want to share what Husni did for me, I want to do this for others as well because we get a lot of new people coming in and it’s nice to just pass on the knowledge and advice received from all the amazing coaches to others. We have great coaches who do specific training — we have one that’s in weightlifting and one in gymnastics and endurance as well so it’s nice to learn a lot from them and pass it on to people. When we started, there was a lot of trial and error and we gradually discovered

what worked and what didn’t so the newer ones that come in have the refined version of whatever we do. They’re hitting big numbers so fast, which is insane and the only thing newcomers have to be mindful about is taking this slowly and easily as they tend to rush through their workouts and get injured. So sometimes it’s about constantly reminding each other that hey, it’s a long journey in CrossFit so don’t injure yourself unnecessarily. We have all kinds of clients that we work with and it’s very rewarding to see them achieve their goals.

So let’s talk about coaching.

When did you realize you wanted to be a coach?

Similarly to the way I was coaxed into CrossFit, I was thrown into coaching. My brother who’s one of the coaches got into an accident and our Head Coach Gavin asked if I could fill in for him. I was taken aback at first but Gavin nudged me to give coaching a try as I was one of the few people there who knew all the movements and he trusted the fact that I would know what to do and how to judge. So I gave it a try. It was scary at first but I got the hang of it after a while. The thing is, I train with these people. So I train WITH them and not train them. So it was hard to change that perspective because I was also one of the youngest ones there and it felt weird telling someone older what to do. I honestly didn’t feel comfortable with it.

So how do you feel about it today?

Well, I wouldn’t say that I’m 100% comfortable with it yet. In fact, sometimes I feel bad because there are times when I have to shout during training and I would be apologetic after but Gavin would remind me that I do have to be firm at times. But I am still sorry haha. Well on the bright side it does feel good to know that the clients trust me to train them and I do believe it’s about the mutual respect we have for each other. I respect their intention for taking time out of their busy schedules

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and coming here and they respect me as a coach. I’m really grateful for that kind of relationship.

Do you need to have certain qualifications to be a coach?

Yes. You need to have a Level 1 and I was sent recently to complete my Level 1 course which I completed in Singapore. It was held at CrossFit Singapore.

Different people have different perceptions about CrossFit. So for you, GetFit CrossFit is …?

and I like that because we want to see people progress and we want to see people do things they thought were impossible. I mean I’m one of the many who can share my story of success and at the same it’s amazing and rewarding to see others be their own testament to success as well. That’s what I believe GetFit is all about.

We put our focus on the people and that’s why our motto is “Building a Stronger Community”.

In your opinion, why should people participate in competitions?

Family. When I first came in, I was intimidated but everyone there made me feel welcome. I love the community that we have and how everyone there encourages you to always do better. When you come to CrossFit, you are not judged and they don’t care what your background is. As long as you try, you will get 110% support from those around you. I think that’s what got me through my first few sessions with CrossFit and how I got to where I am now.

Well, why train so hard when you can’t put your efforts to the test? To join competitions means you know where you stand and you know what you’ve done to achieve that. There is a high possibility that there is someone stronger than you and when this happens to you, take it as a lesson as this tells you that there’s room for improvement and it’s important that people take those lessons in a humble way.

Personal. The program is very personal. It is catered to your abilities

Tell us about a recent competition and your experience from it.

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In January this year, we had the Battle Royale hosted by GETFIT CrossFit. It was a great experience and we had athletes from Manila, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Jakarta I think. We held it at the new International School Brunei (ISB) and it was the first time we had an outdoor competition. We didn’t know what to expect but we knew they were strong. My team-mates and I did the best we could. Although there were some events where we did really well and others where we thought we could have done better, I think it was a good experience and opportunity to find out our weaknesses and what we should work on. At the same time, recognizing our strengths and knowing we had those workouts down. Overall it was fun and that is also what CrossFit community is about — meeting new people and making new friends.

What competition are you preparing for now?

I would like to get back into the Manila Throwdown again for the team because the first time, we

did it without expectations and just wanted to know what it was all about so when we were there we met a lot of people who were really strong and who had competed in the CrossFit regionals and we realized how we could use this as a benchmark.

Who are your fitness or life inspirations?

My girlfriend, Charlotte. She’s really passionate about what she does and she’s helping to bring the creative scene to Brunei. She’s always been in love with dance so I’m inspired to see her pursue that. And also Gavin. He’s the one who really supported me throughout my CrossFit journey as there were many points where I just wanted to give up but he invested a lot of his time to get me to where I am today and I’m thankful for that. Finally, The NBC. They know who they are! They’re like my big family and are such an inspiration to me. There are so much more to thank but these are the ones I can think of at this moment.

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FEATURING: Shaun Lim ARTICLE BY: Elizabeth Sim PHOTOGRAPHER: Joana Tan

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+Life Inspired

E

ver wished the Star Wars universe was your reality (or close to it anyway)? Think you have lightning fast reflexes worthy of a Jedi or Sith? Are you convinced that the force is strong within you? Well luckily, there’s a club right here in the sultanate that can satisfy your deepest and darkest Star Wars fantasies! Plus Magazine had the opportunity to interview the founders of FightSaber Brunei, which is affiliated with FightSaber International, a non-profit organization recognized the creators of the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm. Sith master, Jihan Masria Al-Haqam Haji Masri, padawan James and other members of the group wielded their light sabers four our cameras and founders of Fightsaber Brunei; Yazin Yahya and Zulhazmi Zainal Abidin, or better known as Master Yazin and Master Angelus to their students, take us through the inner workings of the first and only

official Lightsaber Combat and performance group in the country.

who bought lightsabers and started swinging them around! But after a while, Master Yazin and I (Master Angelus) started to develop our art of Lightsaber Combat through the information available to us and used our experience in Martial Arts. We started to make videos online to keep an archive of our sessions on Youtube and Facebook, and that’s how Master Azmi (from FightSaber International) found us in 2011.

At first, we were hesitant to join in because our group was so small and our ideologies were different (FightSaber Brunei also treats Lightsaber Combat as a sport). The fact that FightSaber International offered us a place in their group was a little intimidating, and we wanted to develop our own style of practice first.

Eventually, we joined as a satellite group and officially named ourselves ‘FightSaber Brunei’ in 2014.

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Q: First of all, tell us about FightSaber International and how FightSaber Brunei came about?

A: FightSaber International itself started in 2010 in Singapore by dedicated Star Wars fans who, at the time, were also influenced by other Lightsaber Combat groups such as the New York Jedi and The Saber Guild in the U.S. It is set up as a lightsaber combat performance group and spans 5 countries in the region (Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines) and each of them has their separate history and setup.

FightSaber Brunei started in 2011, although it wasn’t called that at the time. Basically, it was a group of friends

Life Inspired+ Q: To date, how many members are there in the group and how often do you train? Could you describe a typical training session?

stretches, drills, a bit of theory and practice of certain applications and discussions on the vast world of Jedi/ Sith Techniques.

A: As of March 2016 we have a little over thirty members spanning the ages of eight to thirty somethings. We had started to train with Athos Fencing Group in 2014 as a side interest for the Athos Junior Fencing Team. It’s where we really started to grow and diversify the group from just friends of friends. A majority of our members are teens from the international schools and some college students.

Q: Do you incorporate any martial arts techniques like kendo or fencing?

Training takes place three times a week here at Athos Fencing School and we typically train for an hour and a half per session. The session itself is treated like any other martial art, sport or performing art; there’s some

the surface on how we should go about creating the syllabus for FightSaber Brunei. It was a long process of trial and error but now we can proudly say that we have a syllabus that is similar to a real martial art.

Q: Describe the hierarchy in the group, are there different ranks for members to aspire towards and tests to gauge their progress?

A: What really makes Lightsaber Combat unique is that it’s a fictional world, with real martial arts. The Star Wars films alone started with Kendo and Fencing as a starting point, but as the later films came they began studying other weapon/non-weapon arts such as Wushu, Escrima, and even Tennis! We here in FightSaber Brunei approached writing the syllabus in a similar way. By studying the different forms and terminology of Lightsaber Combat and finding their similar realworld counterparts, we were able to start to scratch

A: There are 8 different levels and 5 different ranks at this time. You start off as a Youngling, which is considered a level 0 before any exams we call ‘Trial’ take place. You make your way up as a Padawan Learner, to become an Apprentice, before you progress to either a Jedi Knight or a Sith Warrior. You would achieve the rank of ‘Master’ once you’ve reached level 8 during the ‘Trials’.

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Apr–May 2016

+Life Inspired The exams themselves test your knowledge of the Fightsaber Syllabus and your skill in Lightsaber combat. Students must show their knowledge of ‘Dulons’, which are a set of detailed choreographed patterns performed in pairs, and their skill in ‘Velocities’, our equivalent to sparring in Fightsaber Brunei.

Q: Do you have any specific criteria for prospective members — must they be hardcore Star Wars fans?

What can they expect when joining the group?

A: None at all! We invite anyone who’s willing to learn and aware that with every martial art it’s risky, and that there’s always a possibility that you might get a little hurt even though we try our best to prevent that. Loving Star Wars is always an added bonus and if we don’t convince you that Star Wars is the best thing ever, then we’ve failed!

Anyone joining the group can expect to find something they like. Whether they’re looking for a new take on a weapon’s martial art, whether it’s to study the way of the Jedi or even if you’re just a good old fan of Star Wars, you’re bound to enjoy yourselves in one of our sessions. We don’t take ourselves as seriously as actual martial arts either so joining in on one of our classes is definitely fun.

Q: What is the most satisfying part of being involved in FightSaber Brunei and what motivates you to keep it going?

A: I think it’s the learning of one’s true capabilities. The Jedi you see in movies are these quick-on-theirfeet, idealistic, brave people, and to work on your spirit and body to become even half of what they are capable of would be amazing, and I think being in Fightsaber has made me look at how much more capable I can be as a person.

Q: Any upcoming events involving FightSaber Brunei that we can look forward to?

A: At the moment, FightSaber International is a mainstay at Singapore Toys Games and Comics Convention (STGCC) and this year they’ve invited all Jedi and Sith from FightSaber groups everywhere to join in for a mass performance. It’ll

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Life Inspired+ be the first time something like this has been done so it’s pretty exciting!

On the local front, we’re in the process of organising some open training days for the public to come and try out lightsaber combat. We’ll also most likely be active during Star Wars Season. Every year, Star Wars fans Celebrate May the 4th (a pun on Star War’s tag line “May the Force Be With You”), and we’ll be expecting to do something with the other Star Wars Fan Groups in Brunei.

Q: Lastly, what are FightSaber Brunei’s aspirations for the future?

A: We’re working towards more recognition worldwide. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished here and we hope to take our practices internationally and introduce our version of Lightsaber Combat to the other Groups. We’ve already started communication with FightSaber Malaysia on this.

From there we’d like to create some form of the regional tournament in which the first one could be held right here in Brunei.

So if you’re itching to start wielding that lightsaber and contribute to the fight between the light and dark side, you can find the group on Facebook or Instagram (@fightsaber. bn). You can also check out their Lightsaber Combat videos on their Youtube channel, FightSaber Brunei!

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Apr–May 2016

+Life Inspired

FEATURING: FightSaber Brunei ARTICLE BY: Syazwana Souyono

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+Lifestyle

HOW TO

GROW AN EPIC BEARD W

ith more and more men sporting facial hair to follow the latest trend, previously baby-faced guys are starting to attempt growing out their own facial mane; some more successfully than others. Beards are often seen as a sign of masculinity and power in many cultures where the length of one’s beard is literally a testament to one’s patience and commitment. Whether you want to channel the ‘lumbersexual’ look with a massive beard, flannel shirt and classic Doc Martens or play up your rugged stubble with a more sophisticated, dapper look with tailored suits á la Italian Casanova; the five o’clock shadow or even the five-month bush is definitely the in thing. So put down your razors and say your goodbyes to the local barbershop you usually get your close shaves from, embrace the primitive look and let nature take its course.

Fret not though if you are not naturally gifted in the facial hair department, there are plenty of tips and tricks out there to help you grow the beard of your dreams. Here are the basic ones for growing your ‘man bush’ up top faster and healthier!

1

HEALTHY BODY = HEALTHY BEARD

Leading a healthy lifestyle will undoubtedly allow your beard to grow at its optimal rate and not to mention help it look and feel healthy.

So make sure you keep hydrated, follow a good diet and squeeze in some workout sessions, not just for the sake of your beard but also for the benefit of your whole body in the long run.

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2

BEARD BOOSTING FOOD

Increased levels of testosterone typically lead to a grander beard — an article from The art of manliness outlined how one man managed to double his levels of testosterone with foods such as spinach, nuts, avocados and red meat, which are high in magnesium and zinc and shown to be important in the production of testosterone. Higher fat and cholesterol diets have also been proven to increase testosterone levels, though one would have to exercise caution with coronary health in mind.

3

LIFT HEAVY

Keeping in line with the testosterone theme, lifting heavy and building muscle mass can also increase levels of testosterone in the system. Compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts and bench presses that work a larger muscle group are more beneficial in terms of testosterone production. Lifting heavy should also lead to lower body fat content, which is great since adipose tissue converts testosterone to estrogen.

4

DESTRESS YOUR LIFE

Stress is the ultimate arch nemesis for an aspiring beard grower; it may lead to thinning hair both on your head and on your face. So find a stress reliever that works best for you, be it through music, your circle of friends or any hobbies you might enjoy.

A good night’s sleep on a

daily basis will also do you a world of good, not just for your beloved facial hair but for your overall mental health as well.

5

SKIN TLC

6

PATIENCE IS KEY

Keeping your skin in tip-top shape means your beard has the best canvas to grow on, so start investing some time and effort into the health of your skin. Exfoliate at least once a week to remove dead skin cells and keep your skin hydrated by drinking plenty of water and using moisturizer if needed. Preferably use products without alcohol to avoid further drying up the skin.

There is a term in the beard growing community deemed the ‘fourweek rule’, which is a rule of thumb whereby you should try your best to avoid messing with your beard the first four weeks of it growing, after which you can then start trimming and shaping the ‘manscape’ of your dreams. For the first two weeks,

Lifestyle+

the beard will start to itch and your partner may start to avoid contact with your face but stay strong and ride it out and keep telling yourself (and your partner) that it will all be worth it in the end.

By the way, are you familiar with the popular belief that shaving makes your beard grow faster and darker?

It’s a complete myth with no scientific backing behind it.

7

ACCEPT YOUR FUZZ (OR LACK THEREOF)

At the end of the day, genetics play the biggest role in your beard pursuits. Some men are born with the potential for great beards, some may need a little help with our tips while others still have faced as smooth as a baby’s bottom despite having shaved three months ago. Don’t be too hard on yourself about it, though, not everyone digs the grizzly look and since most guys are flocking to the furry side, the market for freshly shaven lads is wide open for you!

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Apr–May 2016

+Lifestyle

WHY REAL MEN DANCE INSTRUCTOR PROFILE: SAMUEL MILAN, 28 YEARS OLD

A

t some point in the recent past, the dancing started being considered an unmasculine thing, profession or passion for pursuing and doing. Men, usually don’t even question whether they should dance or not. And even now, a lot of men have gotten into the bad habit of not even trying to dance!

So let’s meet Sam, a Certified and Licensed Royal Academy Of Dance (London) Ballet Teacher, Les Mills Body Jam and SHBAM certified trainer, and ZUMBA certified instructor, who let’s us know how his passion in dancing has helped him to be the better man he is today!

At the young age of 19 in University, Sam started doing ballet. At first, he was a bit hesitant to dance ballet because he thought it would require A LOT OF HARD WORK and effort on his part, adding the pressure that, he is a man. But he figured that since he had the talent in dancing, why not take the opportunity?

“I was given college scholarship. In the beginning, dancing was just for the sake of the scholarship, but as the years went by my passion ignited and slowly helped to grow the seeds for my great love for dancing and now, it has become a part of my life. This is the career I have chosen to grow. To be able to teach and inspire more and more people and to be an inspiration to the younger generation around me.”

“For me, dance is a hidden language of the soul!

When you dance to express and not to impress! Because when u dance, you dance like nobody’s watching. You just let the music move your body and let your feet dream. It is an expression of joy and sadness. A true dancer doesn’t think, he dances first!”

Sam has a great admiration for children and believes in molding children to help them gain confidence and self-love in general through dancing. He has discovered that when it comes to teaching dance, he finds the utmost, genuine joy in little children. For him, dancing is not solely a woman’s job because becoming a teacher and a motivator is for everyone, as long as you have the passion. Could be anything you do. REAL MEN DANCE!

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Lifestyle+

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Apr–May 2016

#WEAREVICTORYATHLETES #PLUSLIFESTYLE

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