https://www.scmp.com/rss/322154/feed The feeling of starting the day off properly is crucial to not only a good day, but also a healthy lifestyle. Topfit Morning, the SCMP's 12-week fitness challenge, will give you the motivation and inspiration you need. In collaboration with boutique gym Topfit, every week we'll present easy-to-adopt fitness and stretching routines, yoga practices as well as nutrition tips you can easily apply to kick start your day at home. We'll also track three Hongkongers through the challenge. Come sweat... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Three months ago, we took three out-of-shape Hongkongers and challenged them to a 12-week personalised fitness and diet regimen guided by personal trainers from local boutique gym Topfit. Officially the #TopfitMorning Challenge involved three personal training sessions a week, but every challenger stepped up with additional workouts on their own. Seven exercises to give you a sexy butt and stronger core, by a Hong Kong personal trainer Three months on, they have all made dramatic transformations... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1945580/how-three-hongkongers-were-transformed-12-week-intensive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1945580/how-three-hongkongers-were-transformed-12-week-intensive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 May 2016 04:45:30 +0000 Sitting at the office desk all day, staring at a computer screen and shrugging your shoulders as you type can leave you with tight hip, shoulder and neck muscles that could turn into chronic injuries. “The effect at the hip joint of sitting at the desk is equivalent to holding a squat all day, and typing on the keyboard is like holding a shrug all day,” explains Louis Doctrove, lead trainer at Topfit, a boutique gym in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Doctrove is one of the trainers in the SCMP’s 12-week... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1937746/6-exercises-combat-negative-effects-sitting-office-desk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1937746/6-exercises-combat-negative-effects-sitting-office-desk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2016 23:00:15 +0000 A tight and perky rear casts a sexy silhouette, but it goes beyond just skinny jeans. Strong butt muscles also help you perform daily movements better, lower your risk of back pain and injury and improve sports performance, says Heanney McCollum, one of the Topfit personal trainers in our #TopfitMorning fitness challenge (see scmp.com/topfitmorning). This is because the buttocks – formally known as the gluteal muscles, or glutes – are the largest muscle group of the body and virtually every... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1933508/seven-exercises-give-you-sexy-butt-and-stronger-core-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1933508/seven-exercises-give-you-sexy-butt-and-stronger-core-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Apr 2016 22:02:08 +0000 With four weeks of the #TopfitMorning 12-week fitness challenge completed, our three challengers have moved onto a new phase of training. In the past month, they worked out under their respective Topfit trainers using the German Body Composition method. All three challengers have seen significant improvements in muscle mass and strength, and reductions in body fat (just look at the photos!). Now, the focus has changed depending on each of their fitness goals. Here, their trainers detail the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1927050/topfitmorning-challenge-shifting-higher-gear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1927050/topfitmorning-challenge-shifting-higher-gear?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Mar 2016 11:15:45 +0000 Two’s company – especially if you’re trying to get in shape. A workout partner brings many positive effects, research shows, from increasing the quality of your workout to boosting the likelihood you’ll stick to an exercise programme and achieve your fitness or weight-loss goals. Better yet, pick a partner who’s slightly fitter than you. In a 2012 study, Kansas State University researchers found that people who did so increased their workout time and intensity by as much as 200 per cent,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1925115/workout-buddies-fun-five-exercise-circuit-you-and-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1925115/workout-buddies-fun-five-exercise-circuit-you-and-your?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2016 02:15:15 +0000 Two weeks into the SCMP’s #TopfitMorning fitness challenge and some frustrations and cravings have kicked in for our three challengers. Only one has continued to drop weight, while for the other two the scales haven’t budged. The photos, however, don’t lie: everyone is leaner and glowing healthily like never before. We checked in with the challengers as well as their personal trainers to find out what they’ve been up to in week two. Challenger: Lee Tsui After shedding 2 kilograms in the first... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1919018/topfitmorning-week-2-cravings-and-resistance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1919018/topfitmorning-week-2-cravings-and-resistance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Mar 2016 02:45:30 +0000 An object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force: Newton’s First Law applies to working out too. Overcoming this inertia is probably the hardest part in starting an exercise regimen. But after just the first week of training in the SCMP’s #TopfitMorning 12-week fitness challenge, our three challengers seem to have overcome that inertia and are adapting well to their new exercise routines under the Topfit personal trainers. All three... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1915899/topfitmorning-week-1-first-step-always-hardest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1915899/topfitmorning-week-1-first-step-always-hardest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Feb 2016 08:09:32 +0000 Chances are, like a lot of people, your New Year’s resolution was to get in shape. And, like many, you’re struggling towards that goal. The phenomenon of New Year’s fitness plans falling by the wayside is so common – and predictable – that one international gym chain has announced the date of the so-called “fitness cliff” every year since 2013. For this year, Tuesday, February 9 was when gym check-ins would drop off. They will never be as high again for the rest of the year, according to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1912395/these-three-hongkongers-can-help-motivate-you-stick-your-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1912395/these-three-hongkongers-can-help-motivate-you-stick-your-new?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Feb 2016 18:00:45 +0000 Elizabeth Wu Age: 28 But I feel… like a college kid in an old lady’s body. Origin: Chinese-Korean Occupation: Account manager and digital consultant at PR company Buzz Agency Why are you taking part in #TopfitMorning? This is the kick I’ve needed to get back into shape. Entering the dark side of the 20s, I’ve realised it’s about time to take better care of my body and health. My goal at the end of the 12 weeks: I want to turn fitness into a habit and fit it into my demanding schedule without it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/1913366/meet-three-hongkongers-taking-topfit-morning-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/1913366/meet-three-hongkongers-taking-topfit-morning-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:15:30 +0000 HEANNEY MCCOLLUM Personal trainer for Elizabeth Wu McCollum’s main goal sits within motivating and inspiring other people to live a healthier and more active lifestyle, in a realistic and sustainable way. McCollum fell in love with the health and fitness industry when she personally experienced the positive impact an active lifestyle and healthy habits had on her own life. She found her passion in personal training and made a commitment to learn and help others achieve their fitness goals.  A... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/1912458/meet-topfit-morning-personal-trainers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/1912458/meet-topfit-morning-personal-trainers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:15:15 +0000