Ganban-yoku Therapy {岩盤浴} at Anti-Oxidant Centre, Upper Thomson + Promo Code

If you haven't noticed yet, there's been more focus on health and wellness in our family this year. More exercise and runs, more healthy eating, more rest. However, it's not just the physical well-being I'm concerned about, but emotional and mental too.

To be honest, I've been feeling very tired for a long time. So tired that some days I just don't want to get out of bed to start the day, and it's a real pity because each day brings new beginnings and adventures. However, sometimes I feel like there's a million things running through my mind, so many things to do, so little time that I'm just so overwhelmed. I'm sure a lot of women out there feel the same when they are juggling work, family and their own individual aspirations.

I've been looking around for places to practise yoga as it doesn't only have great health benefits by enabling you to develop flexibility, strength and balance, but it also helps one to clear the mind and relax. Exactly what I need :)

When Bev organised a gathering with a few other lovely ladies at Anti-Oxidant Centre to try out their ganban-yoku yoga session,  I really couldn't say no! She had already went there and was raving about it, so I was very excited to try too. It's like killing 2 birds with one stone - gaining the benefits of both ganban-yoku therapy and yoga!

Anti-Oxidant Centre is the first Japanese ganban-yoku {岩盤浴, rock bathing} spa in Singapore that provides a sanctuary for the body to rejuvenate itself and give a sense of well-being by infusing it with vital antioxidants. It's very popular in Japan and during the holistic spa treatment, people lie on heated granite {ganban} tile beds that release far infrared rays and negative ions to help the body to perspire and detoxify. The negative ions can penetrate the body to neutralise the effect of ageing and disease-causing free radicals. It's also supposed to increase metabolic rates and weight loss, reduce cholestrol levels, relieve pain caused by rheumatism and increase immune resistance.

Just relaxing on the ganban-yoku bed for 1 hour will burn 500 calories {like running for 5km!!} but if you want to get more out of your session, you can try ganban-yoga like we did. It's a combination of yoga practised in their Anti-Oxidant rooms. The gentle stretching and basic poses are great for beginners like me :) Being in the room is hot, but it's different from being inside a sauna. Unlike regular saunas, their rooms are kept between 39-41°C with humidity around 30%, so even though you perspire, it's still rather comfortable. The ganban-yoku beds also heat your body evenly and gently, unlike saunas that heat your body from the outside. A little girl around 6 years old was there with her mummy so I guess it's all right for young kids, as long as they can take the heat!

I enjoyed my trial session and plan on going there while Lil Pumpkin has her weekly art class. It's just across the road from her art school! I really need something to help me wind down after a hard work week. Last Friday the boy went with me and he enjoyed his first ganban-yoku therapy session too. Actually fell asleep in there Zzzzzz... He's open to going for ganban-yoga classes too so yay, killing 3 birds with one stone - gaining the benefits of both ganban-yoku therapy and yoga, AND couple bonding time!!

These are the Enzyme Juice {S$12 each} made fresh at the spa centre. It's a health drink for all ages that helps our bodies to digest, absorb and utilise nutrients while delivering oxygen throughout our bodies. It's all pretty yummy, but ginger is my fave flavour :) The selfie above was taken just after my ganbanyoku session last Friday. No filter, and you can see a tinge of rosy glow! #happiness

Promotion for Ganban-yoku and/or Ganban-yoga

Promo Code: Quote "Sakura Haruka" when making your appointment to get a S$10 ganban-yoku trial {U.P S$39} and/or S$20 ganban-yoga trial at Anti-Oxidant Centre. Only for new customers, and no expiry date.

{source}

By the way the whole interior of the centre is painted with Anti-Oxidant Home Building solution {AO solution}, which produces special microbes that interact with the environment to form negative ions that neutralise positively charged free radicals {causes cell damage & speed up aging process} found in the atmosphere and our bodies. With Japanese-based technology and more than 10 years of product testing, it can be easily mixed into your construction materials e.g. water-based paint, concrete, wood finishes etc. to create an environment with positive health benefits in your very own home.

As long as it is an enclosed room, the AO solution will work even if you have fans or air-conditioning. If there is too much ventilation in the room, the negative ions will flow away. The estimated cost of the AO solution supplies {excluding paint} for a large room of 4x4m, is S$590. With proper care and maintenance, the AO solution will work for at least 5 years. The anti-oxidant effect of the AO solition is powerful enough such that raw food such as an egg will not rot or decay. It's really true! There's a cracked raw egg at the Anti-Oxidant Centre that's been for months and even though it's hard, there's no smell or signs of decay!

Promotion for Anti-Oxidant Home Building solution

Promo Code: Quote "Sakura Haruka" to get 10% discount off Anti-Oxidant Home Building solution. No expiry date & 3 months money back guarantee that all treated rooms prevent raw food from spoiling.

Anti-Oxidant Centre 
1 Thomson Ridge, near Thomson Plaza and Marymount MRT
Tel: 6756 0636
Website: http://anti-oxidantcentre.com.sg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AntiOxidant.SG

* Disclosure: Ganban-yoga session was provided by Anti-Oxidant Centre for review. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions are my own. The content is not presented by a qualified healthcare professional and is for informational purpose only. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, please seek medical advice first before trying.

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Must-Read | BLEAGH! A Book about Values

Recently, I got reacquainted with my childhood friend, Leana Doray. We went to the same primary school together, before she left to pursue her studies overseas. I always remembered her as someone who was brilliant with English and humanities, and I somehow thought she would write a book one day. Lo and behold, that one day DID come because she just released her first book, BLEAGH! A book about values. Seriously, maybe I should change jobs and be a fortune-teller haha

BLEAGH! A book about values is a beautiful introduction to a series of 6 titles with full colour illustrations by a local children's illustrator, Little Pink Pebble. It was born from almost a decade of educating {and being educated} by curious young minds. I was very intrigued by Bleagh, the protagonist of the story, and ask Leana for her inspiration behind the book and monster character. She said that the impetus for writing the books stemmed from the fact that when she was teaching, she was unable to find a children's book that discussed the values she wanted to highlight to the students. Leana wanted to have a piece of literature that she could use as a starting point for discussion about values such as emphathy, tolerance and integrity because to her, educating a child means helping to shape caring and responsible global citizens.

A monster was chosen as a main character because they are more visually appealing. She also wanted to set him apart from the rest of the human students to reinforce the idea of what it is like to be unique, as it is something many children can relate to now that families move around the world so often.

Indeed, Bleagh captured Lil Pumpkin's attention very well as she does like weird and unusual characters :P I like that the book highlights that it's ok to be different, it's ok to be unique because life values such as emphathy, tolerance, cooperation, appreciation and integrity are more important than outward appearances. These values are all introduced in the book in a fun, easy-to-understand manner against visually stimulating backgrounds. When reading with Lil Pumpkin, I related the scenarios back to her own experiences in preschool and at social gatherings. She's already familiar with the concepts of the values, as we've been instilling them in her since young, but now I feel that it's reinforced even more each time we read the book. It is still too difficult for her to read the book on her own as a 4 years old, but I think it's more enriching when we read together anyways.

These values are important not just to a kid, but to any adult as well. To be kind, respectful and considerate. If more adults remembered these simple values, we won't be facing so much troubles on our MRT trains and our poor mascot for Singapore Kindness Movement, Singa, won't have to resign... agree?

I'm very proud of my friend Leanna, and can't wait for the other books in the series to be out. The other 5 books will be released over the next 14 months {last one will be in June 2014}, and the second book is currently being illustrated. BLEAGH! A book about values is definitely a must-have in your home library if not for your kid who's going to make a difference in this world, but for yourself.

The book is currently available at Kinokuniya and Times bookstores, priced at S$12. It will soon be available as an eBook through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the iBookstore. Do check the book's Facebook page or website for updates. You can even download a book study there filled with questions and activities for before, during and after reading BLEAGH! A book about values.

* Disclosure: Leana Doray provided Bleah! A book about values  for review. No monetary compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.

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Wordless Wednesday {linky party}: Joys of Parenting with Jiahui | Week 19

Jiahui, mummy to Nicole {8}

"I enjoy learning new things about them"

Every parenting experience is unique, and I'm trying to capture all the different joys it brings :)

If you wish to share your joy, please email me at sakuraharuka {at} live {dot} com.

This photo is part of the 52 Weeks Joys of Parenting Photography series.

*****

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Energizer Night Trail Singapore 2013

Last Saturday we went for our first Energizer Night Trail Singapore. Running a trail is so much more challenging than running on a road, especially at night! Thank goodness we started training early! It would be much better if we practised more on trails like at MacRitchie Reservoir, but no worries, it was all in good fun!

There's various race categories ranging from 6 - 18km for men & women trail races, and 1.5 - 3km for family-friendly parent-child obstacle races in the jungle. The parent-child obstacle races are very popular, just like those for the Safari Zoo Run. Even though race time is recorded, and prizes are given to the top finishers, the focus is help each and every participant complete the races. Do expect to get dirty and muddy though! ;p

This year's Energizer Night Trail took place at Lorong Asrama for the 3rd time in a row, opposite Mandai Lake Road. Lorong Asrama is a restricted area that's often used for army training, if I'm not wrong. It was my first time at that venue and boy, was it ulu {local term for deserted}! There's no parking at the event site, and participants had to take public transport or the event shuttle bus service to get there.

At first I felt it was quite inconvenient to not be able to drive up to the venue, but luckily the event shuttle bus service was very reliable. We parked at Causeway Point, which is near Woodlands MRT Station, then took the shuttle which was located just opposite Exit C. The shuttle buses arrived in intervals of 15 minutes, and it was just a 15 minutes ride to the venue from there. Not tooooo bad ;)

The Energizer Carnival was held in conjunction with the Night Trail from 3-9 pm. We arrived there in the evening to have some fun with Lil Pumpkin just before our 6km race. All games and rides {Reverse Bungee, Rodeo Ride, Rockwall, Vapour Blaster Games Station, Netball etc.} were free! Quick note though - don't ride the rodeo bull before your run. My thighs were aching even hours later!

The kids Treasure Hunt ticket cost S$2/try and all proceeds went to their adopted charity - Singapore Disability Sport Council. All children participants of the obstacle races received a complimentary Treasure Hunt Ticket in their race kits though. Lil Pumpkin really enjoyed this activity!

The Energizer Night Trail is definitely very thrilling, and unique from the rest of the runs offered in Singapore. Although there's light from your Energizer LED headlight {given in the race kit} guiding you over your distance, it still can be a little scary, especially for those not used to running on trails... like me hahaha. Check out the rest of the photos from Energizer Night Trail Singapore Facebook page and look out to register on their website if you are interested!

I Blog on Tues with Essentially Jess.

* Disclosure: The event coverage of  Energizer Night Trail Singapore was due to an invitation from Energizer Singapore & Pink Apple Pte Ltd. No monetary compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.

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