GONG XI FAI CAI HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We are guilty of it ourselves...

Yeap, For all you chinese friends out there (Or anyone who plans on doing visitings this year). It's CNY again! Meet ups with relatives and friends, collecting red packets, making merry, and best of all, snacking on all those Oh-So-good CNY delicacies. Little do people know, these seemingly harmless and bite size treats, actually contain a crap load of calories and carb, fats, sugar, you name it, it's in it.

It's easy to derail from your fitness and weight-loss goals if you do not mindfully watch what you eat during the festive season. Soon we'll be seeing lotsa emo-chubby members at our gym who have to see their progress disappear and start from square one.

Here's a calorific table of the common type of delicacies on CNY ( Beware.....)

Source:www.herworldplus.com Just take a look at the pineapple tarts and ask yourself, How many of those are you gonna eat, and mind you those exercise times are based on a 60kg woman, If you're lighter, you are going to have to do much more work than that. For guys, yea we have higher metabolic rates, but we sure have a larger stomach volume too! So before you put that piece of Bak Kwa into your mouth, every Bak Kwa makes your abs more obscure, you can still indulge, but just remember not to overeat or work off the calories at the end of each day :)

Imagine this, you're gearing up for your first amateur fight, one week out, your coach lets you know who your opponent is going to be. Suddenly, you get this weird queasy feeling in your stomach, it feels so foreign yet so familiar at the same time. You've felt this before, your palms are sweaty, that's right! You fell this feeling before when you were trying to lie to your mum about your grades in Primary school, you felt like this during right before your 10th attempt at the driving test. Yes! You know what you're feeling, you're feeling scared...

" Warming up you arms are heavy legs are heavy, you're warming up, nothing's going right. This doesn't happen in training, what's going on!? I'm scared.." - Cerrone


In this next video, UFC fighters discuss the rationale of their fears before a fight.



There's a fear in everything except getting punched in the face. Hence this brings us to the final point. It's normal to be nervous, it's just a way humans are. But you have to remember one thing. This feeling is created within your own mind. If you have created this feeling, that means you can stop it yourself.

THE SOLUTION TO MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF FEAR

In every aspect of competition, being combat sports, or traditional sports like soccer,basketball, or even preparing for a singing competition. Fear sets in not because we are afraid to get hurt ( you dont get punched in a singing competition). What we fear most is failing, letting people down, letting your friends and family who believed in you down. When we quantify fear. We realized the very essence and source of it. FEAR OF FAILURE...

when we are able to rationalize our fear. here comes the part of being able to administer the treatment

1. EMBRACE YOUR FEAR
The more you try to push that feeling away, the harder it hits you, accept the fact that you're going to be nervous and that it is normal and part of the process. You'll realise by embracing that uncomfortable feeling and simply not fighting it, Your mind would be in a calmer state.

2. PREPARE AND PUT IN YOUR 100% DURING PRACTICE
Most people start to get nervous when the actual day comes as they feel inadequately prepared. By gaining confidence and having hard sessions in practice. You psych yourself up by believing that there's nothing harder than your training program. When the real day comes, even when the going gets tough, you're more than ready to get the tough in you going.

3.BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Most people fear too much on what their opponent can do that they totally forget what they themselves can bring onto the table. Remember, your opponent is human too, unless you're fighting a grizzly bear, theres no point in fearing for your life. Afterall,  he fears you too. So tell yourself that and be prepared to bring a can of Whoopa** when the time comes.


With all that being said. the human mind is a complex entity. And if you're going to take up competitive martial arts. Fear is going to be a part of the game, there's no escaping from it. Embrace and accept the process.

It has always been our aim to provide value-added services for all our members, despite us being a small, and humble gym. I think that personally, making fitness and healthy living a lifestyle is important, yet i can't help but agree that at times, sticking to a strict disciplined diet can be extremely challenging. In all fairness, I only had less than a handful of occasions where I actually stuck to a diet: cutting weight for fight, wedding, annual BMI. But i'm sure you and i both know that this weight loss yo-yo isn't sustainable, and definitely not healthy.

For sometime, Onyx has been searching for credible and like-minded partners to work with in providing catered healthy (and tasty) food for our members, and we've finally found them!

The guys at FA have agreed to give Onyx members a 10% discount off their normal food packages, on top of what I think are already value-for-money prices! Each food package comes with delivery, so you don't have to worry about transportation. They can also deliver to Onyx so you can load these awesome stuffs straight after training.

The nutritional values of each meal for each day is calculated wisely, and squarely for you, so you don't have to worry about the amount of calories, carbs, fats or protein you are taking.



FA's Onyx Prices after discount as follows:

Weight Loss

5 days, 2 meals a day - $133 (U.P. $148)
5 days, 3 meals a day - $160 (U.P. $178)
7 days, 2 meals a day - $151 (U.P. $168)
7 days, 3 meals a day - $178 (U.P. $198)



Lean Gain

5 days, 2 meals a day - $152 (U.P. $169)
5 days, 3 meals a day - $179 (U.P. $199)
7 days, 2 meals a day - $170 (U.P. $189)
7 days, 3 meals a day - $197 (U.P. $219)

The food are packed nicely, and can be warmed up by microwaving. The guys at FA really put their hearts and souls into their products, so you are always assured of the quality and taste!

Onyx's staff and trainers will also be going on a FA diet daily! I've seen the packages come in for the NutriGirls, and i'm honestly excited to start getting catered. The bunch of us at Onyx have also calculated the amount we've spent eating out, buying packed food (no, we are not proud of it), the coffees, etc, and concluded that FA meal plans are definitely value-for-money.

Let's say you're determined to lose weight, and you've decided that you'd take up FA's weight loss meal plan. You like what you see, and you think, "yeah, 3 meals a day, 7 days a week straight! i'm gonna empty out my fridge, and no more junk food."

For 3 meals a day, and 7 days a week, you get 21 meals a week. Divide the meal plan (Onyx price of course) by 21 meals, and it averages to.....

$8.50 PER MEAL!

I know it's not a plate of $2 chicken rice (do they even have that anymore?) but let's look at the fact that 1) it is catered and delivered, 2) it is healthy, with proper ingredients. And hand-to-heart, a McD meal would easily cost as much...

I'm no nutritionist, nor am i a foodie, but i know i like what i see when i see FA's food and packaging. See for yourself, and try them out!

 Ever since UFC 183: SILVA VS DIAZ was announced, we've been stoked about it, it's one hell of an intriguing match up. Even though both of them are coming off losses,  Sean Shelby and Joe Silva are prodigies and this has proved to be one of the most exciting match-ups ever announced. We take a close look on fightcard in its' entirety.


1. The opening match up is a guaranteed barnburner 


In an exciting welterweight matchup that pits a "young gun" against a season veteran plagued by injuries. Both have proofed to be seasoned strikers. Thiago Alves has a more muay thai centric strikes. 2 punch combos and chopping legkicks, he has consistently proven to be an exciting fighter after winning several "Fight of the Night" awards. you can check out some of his striking montage here.




Now that you're in awe from his striking prowess, let's not forget Jordan "young gun" Mein. At 25, this guy has beaten the who's who in the MMA scene and brought the fight to Matt Brown who has proved to be a handful to deal with.  he is a proven finisher, most recently knocking out veteran Mike Pyle in the first round with a beautiful hook. This has all the makings of an awesome fight. Having this fight to open the card, are you excited? We know we are.


2. Another Welterweight matchup, will Kelvin Gastelum earn a title shot in 2015?


Remember watching Kelvin on TUF 17: Team Jones vs Team Sonnen? You might have remember him as the pudgy undersized middleweight that no one believed in, he was the overall last pick in the season. Little did people expect him to win the TUF title. Well, that isn't the case anymore as he is on the cusp of a title shot. Currently at 11-0 and only 23 years old. Kelvin has shown tremendous improvements to his game, the most impressive being his footwork. He has recently defeated Jake Ellenberger, who at one time was considered to be one of the best Welterweights in the world. Choking out Jake Ellenberger is no easy feat. And he has certainly caught UFC's matchmakers' attention. We got a feeling Tyron is being placed here to help Kelvin boost his resume and to secure his title shot. If Kelvin can get pass the ever dangerous Tyron Woodley, we might have a new welterweight contender in 2015.


3. How will the main event affect the title picture in the Welterweight and Middleweight division?

A little more than a year back, Silva vs Diaz would only be a possible matchup in your UFC game, after a few pivotal shifts in the divisions with Silva losing his title,  and Diaz renewing his contract, what do you do with 2 proven needle movers of their divisions? You match em up to get more PPV buys of course. Silva has been promised a title shot with a win over Diaz, honestly, we are not very keen on witnessing Weidman vs Silva 3 after he got destroyed for the first 2 fights, fluke or not.

What if Diaz wins ( highly unlikely but we're hoping so)?  It could open the floodgates of trashtalk and possible matchups, Diaz calling out the middleweight champ? Or a match with the current welterweight champ, Lawler, whom Diaz has beaten quite sometime back. Just imagining the possible matchups after  Jan 31st has got us excited at this PPV, with so many interesting fights including the prelim cards, you have gotta tune in for sure.


Full fight card:

Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Middleweight	Anderson Silva	vs.	Nick Diaz
Welterweight	Tyron Woodley	vs.	Kelvin Gastelum
Lightweight	Joe Lauzon	vs.	Al Iaquinta
Middleweight	Thales Leites	vs.	Tim Boetsch
Welterweight	Jordan Mein	vs.	Thiago Alves
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
Women's Bantamweight	Miesha Tate	vs.	Sara McMann
Middleweight	Ed Herman	vs.	Derek Brunson
Flyweight	Ian McCall	vs.	John Lineker
Middleweight	Rafael Natal	vs.	Tom Watson
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Featherweight	Diego Brandão	vs.	Jimy Hettes
Middleweight	Richardson Moreira	vs.	Ildemar Alcântara
Middleweight	Thiago Santos	vs.	Andy Enz

The card is filled with known names right from the Fight Pass section, Be sure to catch it live, Sunday 1st feb 10AM Singapore time.

#Thetimeisnow
#UFC

It's easy to overlook the countless benefits that Martial Arts can bring to you life due to the general misconception. We are sure you've heard, "Oh my, it's barbaric, it's violent, it's a senseless bloodsport. " You name it, we've heard it. While it is not unusual to have such misconceptions due to the portrayal of Martial Arts in films and movies ( We know, more violence equals more viewers). So if you're having second thoughts about taking up Martial Arts due to such pre-conceived notions and fear. We're here to debunk it for you! So, here up the few and most salient benefits we can think of to share with you. :)

1.Fitness and a sexy looking body

At Onyx, you have heard us saying this countless time, to the extent that it's starting to get old and stale. Remember #zoukoutbody? (Sorry, we know it's old but we can't help but to draw this reference time and again because one of our trainers loves #zoukout). The reality is, everybody wants to look good and have a #fitspo body. You and I know how tough it is. Compared to proven exercises that promotes fat loss (HIIT, running, dieting). We both know that such exercises and regime are painful and hard to follow. We are here to provide you with a solution. Martial Arts, it's fun, it's intense and at the same time, around 700-1000 (roughly) calories burnt per session. (That's a double cheeseburger). Endure through the grueling yet fruitful session, and you're guaranteed the reap benefits.

2.Grit

Picture from bruceleeactionmuseum.org

We are all bound to encounter tough obstacles and roadblocks at certain stages of our lives, relationship, financial hurdles, academics, friendship. We need that extra effort and tenacity to push forward. Grit, is a very valuable characteristic that not all of us are born with, but it certainly can be nurtured. At Onyx, when the tough gets going, the going gets tough. You will push the extra mile ( in a safe manner of course) to help you get to the next level through loads of Onyx motivation. When you're able to do 20 consecutive kicks, we will make you to 30, when you can 30, we will make you do 50. It's a never ending challenge here at the gym. Rest assured. The mentality you develop here will proof beneficial in the real world.

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”

― Bruce Lee

3. Self Defense

Picture from Kravmaganovi.com

Self defense is an important skill set to have, knowing how to protect yourself is the very least you can do for yourself. It's true that the chances of getting into a physical altercation outside is highly unlikely. The same also applies for the chances of Singapore getting into a war. Low possibility doesn't mean you shouldn't be ready for it. It's always good to be well prepared. To add on to the importance of self-defense. Think about it when your loved ones are in danger. It's your basic duty to protect them. If we think deeper into the art of self defense, the empowerment is not in the skills or how you are going beat the sh*t out of that dude at the kopitiam if he attacks; but in knowing that you posses the confidence, and skills to protect yourself and others, when the need arises. 



5.Discipline
Do you remember the last time you set out to do something, Only to get lost and forgetting what your goals were? The major issue that most of us encounter is discipline. You might set out to have a flawless workout program, only to fall short by not following it. You might be working your way up the corporate ladder, only to fall short cause you slacked off or produced undesirable work. This all comes from a lack of discipline. not being able to stick with your plan to the end. By learning and training martial arts, the very basic fact of making it a routine by coming to a gym helps instill a sense of discipline into your life. Similar achievement also by drilling the same moves at the gym over and over again. This also helps with discipline and your personal goals of perfection in which you can bring forward to other aspects of your life, leading to success.



Next time when someone tells you martial arts is a waste of time and nothing but senseless violence, remember what you read here and how much more it can help you succeed in life. At the end of the day. you're welcomed if you become successful in life thanks to what martial arts have taught you. :)

It's the new year, 2015, new resolutions, new goals, you have a sudden surge of motivation and drive to set out and achieve higher goals. Zoukout 2014 has just ended and you didn't attend because you weren't confident of your body. Just like Zoukout 2010,2011,2012,2013, you tell yourself, I will be ready for next year's event with that beach-tested Kratos (God of War, for those of you who didn't catch the reference) body.

But we all know, it's easier said that done. If you could have done the right thing, you would have achieved your dream body years ago. There must be something wrong with your game plan. So, let's break it down on what you've done so far to move towards your goal.

No.1- You signed up for lessons at Onyx MMA

This is one of the best choice you have made in your life! All you have to do, is get your lazy bum out of the bed, make the trip down to the gym, and everything else is handled by the coaches over there. The training program here has been tested and proven effective for achieving healthy weight loss (More on that in our future post).

You're a month into training at Onyx religiously, healthy weight loss shown on the scale, but your body is nowhere near to the Channing Tatum poster that you have pinned in your room for motivation. So there must be something wrong with what you're doing. (No prizes for guessing the correct answer)

NO.2- DIET DIET DIET DIET DIET DIET DIET

There are many different school of thoughts as to achieving effective weight-loss. But there is nothing more paramount then following this rule.

To achieve effective weight loss, the following is the universal rule to stick by.

Weight loss is 30% EXERCISE 70% DIET

Yes it's that important. You can have a stellar workout programme but have a half-baked diet plan, it's not gonna take you anywhere. If you simply do not have the time, knowledge or discipline to follow a strict diet plan, look no further, salvation is here.

Introducing Food Aesthetics Singapore



One of the pioneer companies to come up with healthy meal plans for people on the go. You might have heard of such concepts from the States, UFC fighters having their  nutrition and meals planned out and delivered right to their doorstep.

For busy individuals, this is really a godsend. Just like Onyx managing your training programme, you have Food Aesthetics managing your diet for you, and that is not even the best part about Food Aesthetics; with FA, food can be extremely tasty and appetising yet healthy at the same time (Yes we are not kidding you, it's true). FA DELIVERS THE FOOD TO YOU TOO.


Food Aesthetics recently held an event at Onyx MMA where they prepared samples of their dishes, engineered by their nutritionist where all the macro-nutrients are carefully calculated and calibered to make sure you get your daily needs to lose weight and still be able to perform at the gym.

Couscous Tuna Rolls

Of the various sample dishes offered, we loved the grilled chicken breast, quinoa and tuna roll. It is a known fact that most of us hate eating chicken breast (though it is the healthiest), comparing it's texture and taste to that of cardboard. Surprisingly Food Aesthetics has managed to make an unpopular dish, tasty. The flavours were there, and we could taste the freshness of it. It definitely makes it easier for one to diet with the help of their dishes, because, Taste is king.

The flavour, the taste, with killer looks.

So do give Food Aesthetics a try. It's everything we have wished for, and now. Eating clean can be made tasty and less torturous for our soul. Imagine this, you're training, you slug yourself to come for the 1130 boxing class, and after sweating buckets, you're hungry as hell, and wished for some food. You go to the counter, and BOOM! FA's nicely packed lunch bentos are there, hot, smoking, and ready for you.

Give it a try, you won't regret it. For more info, please visit http://www.foodaesthetic.com/ or go to their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/FoodAesthetic

For all the curious Onyxsters, fret not, we'll work something out with them to get a good deal for you!