Around the bay

Around the bay is an event run by Bicycle Network to encourage people to be healthy and take up bike riding. Here I watched the event from Alexandra Gardens just after I finished my run. Many riders rode the 100-250 km from Geelong, Sorrento and Rosebud and enjoyed the new trail which involved a ferry crossing.

People enjoying the lawn

Many of the riders were puffed out and in need of some food. I was the same as well. So I, like many other riders got chips at Mr Burger. By the time I got to Mr Burger most of the soft drink was sold out and Cajun Kitchen across the road had sold out of their chips. But I didn't. Instead I got the pizza fries for $6.50. This was a new item on the menu and I really enjoyed the pepperoni and cheeses on top. With that I hung out at Spokes bar and got myself the Bicycle brewing beer to accompany my chips. All the others also got beer as well to celebrate their finish.

The beer was appley and really strong in the alcohol. It was light in flavour. Most people also got this beer but in $20 jugs to be shared.

There were about 35 stalls in all and there were some for the corporate teams as well. Corporate teams got to have free massages. People that did the 50-250 km rides got free lunch when they finished the race which included the sandwiches.

There were also some free kids activities but I wasn't interested. There was a balloon artist and some bikes for hire. And there was also a protein place called "Winners" but I was not interested. They didn't  do a whole lot of protein bars, more like snack items.

Student Review: My year with Fitness first

This is a student review by Claudia who hated gyms and was overweight for a while. She is a student who lives far away and who studies hard.

Lets face it: My gym at uni sucks. There is no ventilation and its cramped. And its dirty most of the time. I heard that some of the uni staff were not friendly.

It is $52 for Platinum membership but I can go anywhere with friends who are already on Fitness first. And Fitness first has some very friendly staff who are willing to assist you. And freebies of course.

There are classes to suit your timetable and the equipment is fairly clean. They even have a shower area. My uni does not have this. Occasionally the locker rooms are not always clean but that's alright as you are here to exercise and they can only be cleaned about once a day. At Flinders St I have seen the cleaner but at Melbourne Central all the equipment is outdated.

The staff at Flinders st are always friendly and they know you by name. At Melbourne Central its a different story. Some of the staff were not friendly to their members. One had told me off for wearing jeans, but I learned to adapt very quickly to the gym environment.

Image courtesy of chiukatherine on Instagram

Your card works like your MYKI. You tap and hold it and it will let you in. The staff are always happy to help. If you lose it you will be charged a hefty $5 to replace it.

Some tips for first timers
Be prepared to work hard and to learn. Go to a few classes if gym is not your thing. Be prepared to give up some of your old habits which made you overweight in the first place and adopt some new ones.

Do step outside of your comfort zone and don't worry about what others think of you. Others are doing their own things.

Be prepared to spend that money that you normally would for eating out for gym membership and protein shakes and bars and classes.

In the end if you go frequently you will get used to the environment and change your eating habits.

The Great Cycle Challenge

RNIS took part in the indoor race for fun and fitness and maybe a little of money... Well not really. We wanted to prove that we can do it. We just wanted to compete. And so can you, if you put your mind to this.

We didn't win but had heaps of fun and new records were broken.

It was hard remembering to log in our hours, but it was worth it and we got a fair few emails to remind us.


The money goes to charity which helps fight cancer.
Adding your kms is easy.For the month of August we did a lot of Spin Cycling. And then for the month October we did a lot of cycling too. All you needed to do was to log your activity and keep track of how many kms you have ridden.

There are emails from the team supporting you along the way. It is free to join but you should get your friends to donate to charity.

We rode about 200 kms on the spin cycle and it was so easy to be motivated and stay on track.

We would do this again next year if we had the chance.

ASEAN games: Day 2 at MSAC

MSAC is Melbourne Sports and Aquarium centre in Albert Park for those that do not know. And every year MASCA (the Malaysian Student Council of Australia) runs this sort of event to encourage students to be tolerant of other cultures.

In the past few years there has been a bit of rascism in our streets. You might remember Meld's story on this where there were 11 comments. Events like these help to stem the racism that is going on in Melbourne. In fact there were a few Aussies in the basketball team and at the table tennis/badminton area all playing with the Asian students.

In basketball the competition was really fierce. I enjoyed watching every moment of this. There were a few really good teams that were all in white. There was a bit of cheering and lots of spectators as people cheered their favourite teams on.

Then for lunch we went to the one café which is called Lakeside. Here at 12pm it wasn't that busy and they had 50% off the total price for sushi which normally is $7 per pack of two. So I bought that and had salad.

Today they had roaring trade due to the ASEAN games. All the players and spectators all wanted food.

The sushi was Koshi Sushi and was vegetarian but it was a day old. I didn't find this out until I bought it. Luckily it was still alright.

Do go to next year's games as it is set to be bigger and better than ever.

National Fitness Week

Image courtesy of Fitness first on Facebook.

Fitness First were hosting a National Fitness Week all over Australia. Here we brought our friends in for free. Keep each other motivated and on track. Normally to join it is $75 but that week it was free. This was to encourage people to go to the gym.

The free classes were good all week and many people signed up. There weren't any giveaways but people didn't mind.

The receptionists were friendly as always and did not mind answering people's questions. There were posts everyday on social media about the classes.

The locker rooms were a mess however.

Do join Fitness first. You can pop into your local Fitness first and they are mainly in the metro areas. The only thing is that they don't have a cheap casual pass. Theirs is at $125 for 5 visits and $750 for 50 visits.

Virgin Active Health Club opens with a bang

As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

There was just one Virgin Active club and now there is two. This latest one as reviewed by RNIS is located at the corner of Spencer and Collins st in the free tram zone.

Virgin Active Health Clubs have been around for quite some time. When I think of them I think of Virgin Australia airlines which offer premium and friendly service as well as the food. I also think about the Velocity business class lounge and here they have applied this same design element.

The entrance

Pool

Rock climbing wall

They have a pool, yoga room, lots more gym equipement, state of the arts studios and even a rock climbing wall for all those rock climbing enthusiasts. I am not one of them.

Here the food mainly pastries is the same quality as the ones that you get on the airline. It is of excellent quality and so is their coffees and hot chocolates.

They have teamed up with Cupp so you will get the best nutritional meals according to your calorie needs and it states so in the menu.

Their membership fees are about $30.90 per week but you'll get access to the pool, spa and 250 classes. And their activation fee is $160, but if you go for the 12 month access it is $60. Included is a fitness plan and loads of support.

So what are you waiting for? Give them a call now to see how they can help you with your fitness goals or visit the branch.

The branch is at: 567 Collins st, Melbourne.

Cell Bikes and ordering online: What you need to know

As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

Riding a bike to and from uni is good for you. For one half hour trip you burn up to 190 calories. Knowing where to buy a bike comes in handy and that is where CELL BIKES comes into play.

Cell Bikes is a shop in North Fitzroy but they have an online store and you can sign up to their mailing list.

They always have some sort of sale going online and it is worth checking them out. Postage is free.

It was easy to buy stuff online as they accept all types of payments from credit card to cash and Paypal. Bikes range from $400-$2100+ .

But they don't just sell bikes. They also sell other gear such as exercise wear and bike accessories. And nutritional needs.


Image courtesy of Cell Bikes

The site was easy to use and I could find things easily such as the cost of the bike. The site was secure so I could enter my info in.

Picking it up was easy as I was not far away from their Melbourne store. The guy there was very friendly

Do check them out here.

AFIS's Amazing Race

As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

AFIS has done a few Amazing race events where we had lots of fun with our teammates finding out lots about Melbourne and walking around. Here we went to eight stations (some of us only went to seven stations as we had other places to be).

It was $3 to get in but we got complimentary McDonalds burgers to start the race off with. We had not much time for lunch so I suggest packing your own. And you do need your own water bottle.

The first stop was the Botanic Gardens. This one was the hardest of all as it involed lots of walking and burning those unwanted calories.

Right near it was the Shrine of Rememberance. And the silly posing.

At Batman park it was all about food and trying out the wasabi and vegemite sandwiches. The wasabi one was so spicy but I did enjoy a snack or two.

Then it was over to Ross House for cards. This was quite challenge as we had to build a pyramid and ours kept on falling over.

Then it was over to Flagstaff gardens and Carlton Gardens for more fun.

Then it was over to Bourke St Mall and that's when I said my goodbyes. Later on I found out that I had burned 950 cals and burnt off my 600 cal burger by all that walking.

Many thanks to AFIS for having me. And do join their next one which will be sometime soon!

How to avoid getting a cold

As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

Students do you want be healthy this winter? Melbourne's winters are sometimes cold and sometimes mild.

That being said, many students do get a cold.  Seeing a doctor can be very expensive for students. Here are some tips on how to avoid getting a cold.

Eat garlic and chilli
It is said that if you eat lots of garlic, onion and chilli it will heal your minor illnesses. You can put garlic and chilli in many hotpots and stir fries.

Eat your greens
Greens are always healthy for you. You can buy your greens at the Victoria market for $1-$3 each. But do buy what is in season.


Drink lots of water.
About two to three litres of water is ideal for you. This will help to get rid of any toxins that you have. This can be in glasses and it can be flavoured with lemon or fruits if you don't like plain water.

As uni students you should be bringing your water bottle full of fresh water to class or work each day. You can get the water bottle for free at Orientation and on campus there are many water fountains.

Exercise
About 30-60 minutes per day is ideal. Just get the body moving. There are lots of ways to get fit and some of it is in the blog.

Wash your hands
Germs spread from hand to hand and they can stay for as long as 30 minutes. Do get a good soap and hand sanitizer if you can.

Eat your vitamins
These help to boost your immune system which helps to keep the cold away. There are supplements which you can take and they are sold in many places such as a health food store or pharmacy.

Premier's Active April video

As part of Bupa's best blog challenge for 2015

The Premier's Active April was on as a new initiative this year for people to get fit. There were some excellent prizes to be won as part of the initiative. But we were in it for the fun.

This is my first video so there might be a few mistakes. It was fun to make and in the end I had about 50 hours of exercise that month.

Being that it was a video pad project I had no idea what to expect. Video Pad all of a sudden had closed on me and I needed to pay.

Logging in the hours was easy. It was done online. Registering was free. During that time I went to the gym a lot as well as go walking everywhere. I even went to St Kilda beach when it was cold but sunny and blue skies. Dogs and happy people enticed me to go out.

At that time I had joined a gym and loved it. I found that I could sleep much better too. I wasn't tossing and turning as much. I found that my periods were painless.

Do do the one next year.

AFIS I am fit day

As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

"I am Fit day" was run by AFIS to assist students in knowing how to get fit. This was a free three hour workshop in the multicultural hub. By the end of the workshop we knew how to get fit easily. The first one was kickboxing and that was intense for most students who had not been to a gym before. But I had and I knew what to expect. I had been to a body attack class before so I knew about the lunges.

But punching was new to me and I almost got most of mine right. If only they had this at my Fitness first gym and it would be great.

Zumba was also new to me as it was all about dancing and having fun. I had never been to a zumba class before so this was interesting. I sat out for Bollywood as I wasn't very good at Bollywood. Bollywood is a fast paced dance.

Many thanks to AFIS for organising this day.

Ping Pong party at the Library on the Dock

RNIS was invited by the City of Melbourne
As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

The City of Melbourne along with AFIS had decided to put on a Ping pong partyas part of their aim to keep students healthy. About 40 of us turned up for free pizza and playing. The free pizza was from a place in Docklands called La Bene.

These pizzas had thin crust and are not like the other ones. They really kept the health conscious in mind. The fatty bases often have lots of sodium and too many carbs in my opinion. I like the thin bases better and the ingredients were fresh. I really enjoyed my vegetarian pizza as that was yum.

I had heaps of fun just watching the game and cheering people on. Although I did not win this was good.

Many thanks to AFIS and the City of Melbourne for such an event

My day of being healthy

As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

This is Sally's day of being healthy

7am- I wake up and it is freezing cold out there. I didn't really want to get out of bed this morning. Had a cup of green tea (2 cal) and some cereal without milk. A cup of milk is 122 cal.

10am- Did a little bit of running on the spot whilst waiting for the washing to finish. Also had a cup of plunger coffee (2 cals per cup). I wonder if plunger coffee has less kilojoules.

11:30pm- Had an early lunch of half a cup of risotto with melted brie and lettuce.

12:30pm- Went out and walked to the tram stop. Am going into the city today for the Malaysia games opening ceremony. Took my sugarcane juice and banana. I believe that white sugar and anything refined can be bad for you

2:30pm-Arrived at the gym and started doing some exercise. Before then whilst waiting for the tram I did some push ups as incidental exercise. Some people did stare at me but I didn't really care as I am trying to tell you that doing some incidental exercise was better than nothing.

3:30pm- Had the Malaysian Opening ceremony. It was good and I had quite a few savouries such as bread afterwards as I was starving

5:30pm- Relaxed with a Green tea at Theobroma's afterwards.

6pm- Walked to Southern Cross and then took a tram to the beach. Then I enjoyed a half an hour walk around the beach looking at the sunset.

7:30pm- Time for dinner. Although I went to a pub, I stayed healthy and vegetarian.

8:30pm- Went to the supermarket and just wandered around. Gee some of the jars of pickles are so cheap man. $2 a jar

9pm- Went home and slept.

Malaysian Opening ceremony

RNIS was invited by the project director of the Malaysian games to come to this event which was held in Storey Hall.
As part of Bupa's best blog competition for 2015

The theme is Unity and Diversity meaning that everyone must stand together.

This is the 5th Annual Malaysian games in what promises to be fun and challenging. It had been planned four months ahead with all the stressors, challenges and uncertainties ahead. About 550 participants registered from universities all over Victoria. This is the biggest number of challenges to date.

This is also our first big opening ceremony and it had such a fanfare at the end to open it and then the draws began.

Curry puff

Sesame ball

Kuih (top) and sesame ball (bottom)

Melbourne Uni provided a really lovely good luck message where they mentioned about diversity and students from 160 nations study at Melbourne. Melbourne uni is one of their sponsors and without them and the other sponsors they would not have got where they needed to go to.