Quite common in Western countries, the concept of shared accommodation in Japan is still relatively new. However, according to Oak House, a guest house and apartment operator in Tokyo, such accommodation is gaining in popularity. Fifteen years ago, the company managed about 150 units; today that figure has risen to 2,300. Shunned by some as being inconvenient and a hassle, others are being drawn to added-value properties featuring amenities such as yoga studios and home theater facilities. Oak House said there is a waiting list of 100 people at its most popular location.

Shared accommodation also has the benefit of being cost effective as no key money (a mandatory, nonrefundable payment, typically equivalent to two months’ rent, given to the landlord for the privilege of being able to live in the unit) or security deposit (typically two months’ rent, and though technically refundable, is seldom returned in full as apartment cleaning fees and other expenses are deducted) are required. Additionally, furnishings are provided, something else that is not common in Japan, meaning initial outlays can be kept to a minimum.

With the popularity of this type of housing increasing, companies in Japan are concocting various inducements in an effort to draw in renters.

While 80 percent of its properties house men and women communally, Oak House, for example, said that it has begun increasing women-only locations and other complexes where men and women are housed on separate floors in order to further its appeal among female clientele.

Seeking to differentiate itself from the competition even further, Lady Share House B&D in Osaka has come up with a rather unique method for calculating rents that incentivizes successful dieting. Renters are weighed every three months, and, starting with a minimum rent of 38,000 yen (approx. US$400), their rents are calculated by multiplying their weight in kilograms by 1,000 yen (US$10.50). So, for example, someone weighing 50 kilograms would need to cough up 50,000 yen in rent, but if three months later they managed to shed a few unwanted kilos and tipped the scales at only 45 kilograms, their rent would be reduced by 5,000 yen a month ($52).

Lady Share House B&D also has an exercise studio equipped with aerobic bikes and other fitness gear. The company managing the facility operates a beauty spa as well and offers tenants free lectures on topics such as dieting and weight loss techniques.

Sorry, guys, at the moment this property only accepts female tenants, so you’ll have to find your motivation elsewhere.

Is there any chance of this rent by weight concept taking off at place near you?

Source: News Post-seven

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Origin: Rent Calculated According to Body Weight, Shared Accommodation Facility in Osaka Proves Popular
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There are a few unique things about student athletics in Japan. Team activities continue throughout the year, which makes joining one a major commitment. And instead of playing a season of games with the best teams advancing to a playoff, most sports have a few tournaments throughout the year with relatively few competitions in between.

The result of all this is a huge amount of time spent practicing, as opposed to playing games. What’s more, it’s normal for athletes in middle and high school to have mandatory practices not just after class, but before their lessons start in the morning, too.

On the surface, this seems like it should be helpful not only in producing more talented players, but in helping students learn the value of dedication, effort, and proper time management. But this system may be taking things too far, according to legislators in Nagano who are proposing doing away with athletes practicing in the morning.

In junior high school, my mornings usually started the same way each day. My parents would wake me up and tell me it was time to go get ready for school. Then I’d fall asleep again, and they’d have to repeat the process. Understandably tired of having to do this every day, they bought me an alarm clock, and I began to sleep through that instead.

On the other hand, the majority of middle school students in Japan have to be up at the crack of dawn to have enough time to get to school and put in a full practice before first period. A recent study by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education found that over half of junior high students leave their homes between 6 and 7 a.m. for sports practice, with one in five students leaving before the clock strikes six.

Last autumn, the board was prompted to look into the role sports play in students’ lives by data showing that only 59 percent of Nagano middle schoolers participate in school sports programs, trailing the nationwide rate of 66 percent.

Their investigation found that over 96 percent of junior high schools in Nagano have morning practices throughout the year. Researchers were troubled by what they see as a link between this prevalence of pre-lesson sports practice and 30 percent of the students surveyed describing themselves as sleep deprived or unable to concentrate in class due to exhaustion. Also disconcerting was the many students who were too busy to eat a proper breakfast each day.

Faced with the quandary of how to boost sports participation rates while at the same time making sure that young athletes suffer no ill effects from them, the board is encouraging schools and coaches to make their programs more moderate and accessible. The board sees doing away with morning practice as being one of the quickest ways to accomplish this.

Nagano’s geography makes the time constraints extracurricular activities place on students a particularly valid concern. The mountainous topography of the rural prefecture means that commuting to and from campus takes longer than in many other parts of Japan. Nagano, like the rest of the nation, does not have dedicated school busses.

The board announced its position at a meeting held earlier this month, issuing a statement that “In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle rhythm, with proper sleep and nourishment, the system of morning practice should be abolished.” Presenters went on to stress that child athletes need ample rest for their bodies to recover from the rigors of athletic exertion, and that the overall needs of the children are to take precedence over on-field performance or winning games.

A certain amount of resistance to the proposal is expected from coaches and schools, though, as some experts feel that morning practice is not without benefits.

“Following a routine of morning exercise will make your body more naturally alert in the short period after you first wake up,” says Hisashi Naito, a professor of exercise physiology at Juntendo University in Tokyo. “However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. If you exercise intensely for a long period too soon after getting up, it can lead to injury, or a lack of the necessary energy to focus in class afterwards. In order to make sure sports programs aren’t overdoing things, it may be time to reexamine the effect such a system is having on students.”

The Nagano Education Board will next poll residents as to their feelings on the matter, and plans to make a decision regarding morning practices in December, possibly giving kids a little extra time inside their warm blankets on the snowy mornings common in the prefecture.

Source: Asashi Shimbun
Top image: Ameblo
Insert images: Hatena, Miki Junior High School

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• Japan Considering Bringing Back 6-Day School Week, Teachers Not Overly Enthusiastic

Origin: Nagano legislators propose banning morning practice for middle school athletes
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

With Thanksgiving looming over our North American readers and the eatathon that is Christmas not far behind it, the folks at Creative Freaks are clearly worried about our waistlines. Following on from the success of last year’s Nenshou: Burn Your Fat with Me!! and July’s insult-you-until-you’re-slim-’em-up Nenshou for Girls, the developer has just released a true sequel to the fitness app-cum-dating sim, taking a slightly different approach this time around.

If having abs of steel and not breaking into a sweat halfway through your evening meal aren’t incentive enough for you, perhaps dating a moe-style cutie and having her be your personal trainer each day will be enough to get you off your couch and into your running shoes?

That’s right, running shoes! This time around, Burn Your Fat With Me!! focuses on the age-old act of putting one foot in front of the other in quick succession, billing itself as a “running support game” and promising even more fat-burning incentives in the form of pep talks, bouncing breasts and pert bottoms, as well as a plethora of genuinely useful tools for monitoring your exercise plan and keeping you quite literally on track.

There are of course plenty of sexually suggestive scenes to titillate users, but beneath its moe front-end Burn Your Fat With Me…2 offers a whole suite of modes, functions and options to help you stay motivated, record your progress and, just maybe, get in shape as you try to win your trainer’s heart.

With the help of your phone’s GPS wizardry, Burn Your Fat With Me…2 is able to hold its own against even more serious running applications by providing data based on everything from running speed and paces per minute to distance covered and your regular workout patterns. You can even listen to your favourite tunes while running thanks to a built-in audio player, pounding your feet to the beat while glancing down at your phone to see an animated cutie jogging in front of you urging you to push on. Just be sure not to run into anything while you stare into your trainer’s sparkling eyes – you may be disappointed to find that hospital staff in the real world aren’t quite as cute as those in dating sims.

▼ Burn fat and win the girl over 12 episodes

▼ Keep track of your progress via charts, graphs and calendars.

▼ Run outdoors to your favourite tracks

Burn Your Fat With Me…2 is out now on the Japanese iOS App Store, priced at 100 yen (US$1) and coming to Android soon. We’re sure an English translation is already underway!

Source: Creative Freaks, iTunes

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Origin: Run, fat boy, run! Moe cuties return to help men shed pounds in running app Burn Your Fat With Me 2
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Skinny is out, fit is in! Gone are the days of envying models for their stick thin figures, girls these days are seeking to look slender and beautiful in a healthy way.

Last month, a marathon-running beauty was making waves on China’s forums and social websites. This month, however, it’s a super-fit gym babe who is catching the attention of Chinese netizens! Regular workouts like jogging on the treadmill and doing crunches are nothing to her; this girl is working her muscles with a thorough fitness training that could even put male gym lovers to shame.

Hailing from Hangzhou in Zhenjiang Province, East China, the 25-year-old fitness babe, Nuan Yang Chen, is a student at the Hangzhou Normal University. At 163cm (5ft4in) tall and weighing 45kg (99lbs), Nuan Yang, who is also a model, looks like a regular sweet-looking girl in her fashion photo shoots. Who would have guessed she was hiding such toned abs and bulging biceps under those fashionable garments!

▼ Nuan Yang as a model.

▼ Still looking fabulous even without all the stage makeup. It’s gym time!

▼ Just look at her move!

Way to go, girl! Although most fashion and media outlets are still featuring incredibly skinny girls on the runway and such, it’s nice to know note that netizens are recognizing the beauty in girls who are healthily sized and fit!

Source: ETToday
Images: Weibo

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Origin: Beautiful gym babe impresses Chinese netizens with her incredible fitness!【Pics & GIFs】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

All else equal, most people would prefer to have a set of firm, sculpted abdominal muscles. Of course, most people miss out on their chance for six-pack abs when they give in to the temptation of a six-pack of beer, unlimited fried chicken, or one of the numerous other ways our modern, delicious society can derail one’s quest for personal fitness.

Making things even harder is the perception that you can get through your daily life just fine without a particularly strong or muscular core. After all, what kind of catastrophe is going to befall you where only your abdominals can save you?

We’re glad you asked, because this crazy, breakneck-paced Japanese commercial has several answers.

Produced by mail-order retailer Shop Japan, the commercials for the Wonder Core abdominal exercise bench star actor Takashi Ukaji. Ukaji had his breakout role as a ruthless steel magnate in the 2013 TV drama Hanazawa Naoki, where he played Mitsuru Higashida, president of the fictional corporation Nishi Osaka Steel.

But while audiences loved to hate Ukaji’s Higashida, the actor himself has a much more playful side, as revealed in the hyperactively silly Wonder Core ad.

Don’t worry if you don’t catch the cheerfully sung catch phrase, right away, since it shows up no fewer than a half-dozen times in the 30-second ad.

▼ “Taoreru dake de fukkin Wonder Core!” / “Just lean back to work your abs with Wonder Core!”

Along the way, the commercial gives us some great examples of when well-developed abs can come in handy, such as being able to regain your balance if you slip in the bath.

▼ Or if you get hit by a wrecking ball, as happens to us all every now and again.

Shop Japan seems to have realized, though, that the real appeal isn’t watching Ukaji pick himself up, but rather seeing him fall down in such spectacular fashion. And so, the retailer has also given us this slow-motion compilation.

▼ Really, don’t you just hate it when this happens?

We haven’t tried the Wonder Core ourselves, so we don’t know whether it actually delivers the results it promises. After watching these ads and laughing our butts off, though, our abs feel like they’ve gotten the start of a decent work-out.

Sources, images: YouTube (1, 2)

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Origin: Crazy ad shows why we need to do sit-ups: To survive alien and pro wrestler attacks 【Video】
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Aaron Porter is a man on a mission. Giving up drinking in 1998 and smoking two years later, he took up running. Before he knew it, his new hobby had become his life’s passion, and he began taking part in marathons, half-marathons and ultra-marathons, running thousands of miles in a single year. Running, Aaron notes, was his recovery.

Now, though, he wants to help others recover. With the goal of running the entire length of Japan, from Kyushu to Hokkaido, Aaron is aiming to raise as much money and awareness for tsunami relief as he can. To do this, however, he needs sponsorship. Which is where you come in.

Starting in January 2015, Aaron plans to run from the southernmost point of mainland Japan up to Tokyo to take part in the annual Tokyo Marathon. He’ll then continue his journey northeast, passing through Fukushima right around the time of the four-year anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, finishing his run up in Hokkaido in April.

By completing this tremendous journey, Aaron hopes to generate money through donations to give to tsunami relief efforts in Japan, helping those who lost their homes and loves ones three and a half years ago.

▼ Aaron’s planned route. On foot.

Here’s the man himself, in a superbly well-made video, to give you more details:

In total, Aaron is hoping to generate US$35,000 for the cause, taking only enough to cover his flights, accommodation, meals and the like from the money he raises. As well as working two jobs, studying for his degree, and of course training, he has so far managed to accrue $1,765, but he needs help to get his project noticed and generate some real cash for the people of Japan.

The good news is, this being the internet and donations being accepted from all over the world, anyone can help. So if you’d like to donate to this noble cause or learn more about Aaron’s once-in-a-lifetime adventure, head over to his GoFundMe page or visit his blog. After all, a couple of dollars will hurt a lot less than doing the run yourself, right?

Images courtesy of Aaron Porter

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Origin: Hooked on helping: The man who is running the length of Japan for tsunami relief
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Food always seems to taste better right after getting in some exercise. Unfortunately, sometimes a long workout leaves you feeling starving and exhausted, which is a problem when you then have to go foraging for food after you leave the gym.

While I still haven’t found a gym that’ll reward you with a protein-packed steak for breaking your bench press max, or a pool that’ll hook you up with some sashimi after 1,000 meters of backstroke, there actually is a town in Japan that’ll give you a sack of rice for completing a 5K run. The only catch is, you’ve got to carry it with you during the race.

Tiny Ijimamachi is a city of less than 10,000 people in mountainous Nagano Prefecture. Like in many parts of rural Japan, agriculture is an important local industry, so much so that it’s even connected to Ijimamachi’s name, which means “rice island town.”

On November 9, Ijimamachi will be holding its second annual Komedawara Marathon. While the festivities don’t include a full marathon (Japan likes to use the term “marathon” for any long distance cross-country run), there are three courses for participants to choose from.

▼ Blue: 3.4-kilomter (2.1-mile) course
Red: 5-kilometer (3.1) course
Red/green: 10-kilometer (6.2) course

The shortest run isn’t particularly unique, but the five and ten-kilometer races add a unique wrinkle: Runners carry a komedawara, or straw sac of rice, with them. Adult runners are given a five-kilogram (11-pound) bag, while those under 18 can choose between two and three-kilo (4.4- and 6.6-pound) komedawara.

Those sacks aren’t just a burden, though, but also an incentive to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The fastest runner for each course will receive a year’s worth of rice, and regardless of time, everyone who lugs the komedawara to the finish line gets to take that much rice home with them.

Despite the cheery atmosphere and cosplaying runners (a staple of cross country runs in Japan), participants from last year say the Komedawara Marathon is no joke. A five-kilo sack of rice might not feel too heavy as you lift it from the grocery store shelf into your cart, or carry it up the stairs to your apartment, but it’s a different story when you’re running with it for an hour or more. To make things easier on themselves and let them swing their arms more freely, many runners choose to strap the komedawara to their backs with a harness, rather than carry it in their hands.

If you’d like to run for your meal, the race is set to start at 10:25 a.m., rain or shine, on November 9. Registration opens August 1, with details available on the Komedawara Marathon website.

Related: Komedawara Marathon website
Sources: Japaaan, Komedawara Marathon
Images: Komedawara Marathon

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Origin: Run for your rice! Nagano marathons require runners to lug a sack of grain
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

While it’s hard to believe, not everyone is born fitting perfectly into the extremely high (and sometimes, a little repetitive) standards of what a person “should” look like. Recently, some Korean net users were reminded of this little fact of life when they came across photos of a gorgeously curvaceous South Korean fitness instructor during her days as a cute girl-next-door type.

Not believing the woman could become this dramatically beautiful without the help of a good plastic surgeon, the before and after pics sparked a debate about beauty standards and why we care so much about how we look. Click below to see more photos of the fitness guru who went from cute to va-va-voom.

While there’s nothing wrong with cute, this fitness instructor certainly turned it up a few notches over the years and none can argue with her amazing physique. Of course her job probably keeps her in pretty great shape, but some online argued that looking this good took more than just exercise. Here’s a video of her teaching pilates on a Korean TV show to show how she looks today.

But the photos that surfaced online recently revealed that she didn’t always have this supermodel-like beauty. The pictures showed a still very beautiful girl, but someone whose adjective was probably closer to “cute” than “hot.”

Take a look at the five photos of this fitness instructor from the past:

Now compare that to more recent pictures of the woman whose beauty, some say, is “unfair.”

Some argue that the differences between the past and current photos of this woman are too unbelievable without taking into account a little plastic surgery. Others argued that this is what happens in a society where beauty standards are so high that even already very pretty women have to get work done to achieve them.

What do you think of this woman’s journey from girl-next-door to super-slim TV fitness instructor? Is this just the result of hours at the gym or has she had little help from a surgeon? And if so, did she even need it, or is society simply producing a bunch of super-slim clones by setting the bar so high?

Source: Stomp
All Images: Viral Charm

Origin: Korean fitness guru goes from cute to drop-dead gorgeous, sparks beauty standards debate 【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Japan is famous for having a whole industry set up around letting guys do fairly mundane things in the presence of attractive women, with hostess bars and maid cafes dotting its urban entertainment quarters. But ladies like a little eye candy too, which is why host clubs and even butler cafes have sprung up to fill that need.

However, at most of these establishments catering to women, the physiques of the available companions fall into the categories of slim, slender, and skinny. With an alternative, though, is a new organization offering one-day bus tours with male attendants who’d instead be described as buff, ripped, or yoked. They’re looking for a group of ladies to spend the day picking strawberries and frolicking outdoors with, with the one catch that the female participants must weigh less than 100 kilograms (220 pounds), although there’s a fairly valid reason for the restriction.

The very first Macho Bus Tour was recently held. While in English-speaking countries “macho” is more of an attitude than a body type, in Japan it’s primarily used to describe an especially muscular build.

By that criteria, we’d say this member of the tour’s staff qualifies.

背中の筋肉がすごい… #マッチョバスツアー appstore.com/photomosaicfree http://t.co/bip3cOD1XQ

—
生ラム肉∴ (@namaramuniku) February 01, 2015

According to its website, the Macho Bus Tour doesn’t recruit its men from prison yards or underground fighting circuits. As a matter of fact, there seems to be a pretty strict code of conduct for them.

“Macho guys are not violent, and the only thing they hit is the weights.
They don’t smoke, and draw nothing into their lungs but air.
They don’t drink alcohol, but they do drink protein shakes.
They are strong. They are brave. They are wonderful.”

The tours are capped at 15 participants, who gather in the morning in Tokyo. The first part of the itinerary is a meet and greet with the macho guys of the day before everyone piles into a bus and heads out into the countryside to pick strawberries.

You may be wondering what makes picking fruit with the buff brigade special. First, while condensed milk is a common condiment for strawberries, the kind used for the Macho Bus Tour is mixed with protein powder. Second, and this seems to be the reason for the weight limit, the tour’s website advises participants that, “Should your and one of the macho guys’ eyes meet, he just might come and sweep you off your feet like a princess.”

▼ Looking at this guy’s bicep and shoulder mass, we think he could handle a quick deadlift of at least 105 kilograms, but we suppose the Macho Bus Tour has to draw the line somewhere.

イチゴ畑でのこんなこと。#マッチョバスツアー http://t.co/0AHOXYAKCD

—
MINAMI (@dmmmmmmphiii373) January 31, 2015

Of course, with the metabolic rates needed to support all those muscles, you can’t expect these developed dudes to make a whole meal out of nothing but strawberries. That’s why the tour also includes a curry cookout, with the men preparing lunch al fresco for the ladies. Protein powder is once again available, provided by tour partner Be Legend Protein.

マッチョ・マイケルズさんがエプロン姿でカレーを作ってくれたり。#マッチョバスツアー http://t.co/LVavtLibZb

—
MINAMI (@dmmmmmmphiii373) January 31, 2015

Afterwards, it’s time for a bodybuilding show, which seems to have been one of the first group’s favorite parts of the program.

とにかく凄い！ショー楽しい！そしてマッチョへの質問タイムと肉の壁タイム… #マッチョバスツアー http://t.co/tQJkNCIDr9

—
すざき (@suzaki3) January 31, 2015

From the photos, it’s obvious the men aren’t self-conscious about their bodies, and the tour’s website explains that if participants think the macho guys’ muscles are especially big or cut, they’d take such compliments as a well-earned reward for all those hours in the gym.

質問タイムのあとは衝撃のパイタッチ会…！！！！！！ #マッチョバスツアー http://t.co/TaK152dFd3

—
すざき (@suzaki3) January 31, 2015

Next, to prove those muscles aren’t just for show, there’s a sports festival, in which the ladies form teams with the guys and compete with one another. The tour’s website doesn’t mention any specific events, but the term “sports festival” is often synonymous with light track and field in Japan, so some running should probably be expected. The website also shows a photograph of a few kayaks, although given their physical stature, we’re not sure all of the men would be able to comfortably fit into them.

The two next Macho Bus Tours are planned for February 22 and 28. Regular tickets cost 19,800 yen (US$168), while 22,800 gets you the V.I.P. treatment of having a macho guy sit next to you, although it’s not specified if this is on the bus, during lunch, or some combination of the two. Reservations can be made online (February 22 tour here, February 28 here).

Both tours start at 10 a.m. and arrive back in Tokyo the same day at 7:30 p.m. That’s when it’s time for everyone to say their macho good-byes, but don’t worry, the website promises that at the very end, the ladies all receive a special present from the macho guys to remember them by.

▼ Giving something in return is neither required nor expected, but if you absolutely feel the need to reciprocate, this guy could probably use a bigger tank top.

今日はマッチョバスツアーというものに参加してきました。マッチョな方々とマッチョ狩りと称したイチゴ狩りしたり、カレー作ったり、運動会したり、ボディビルばりのショー見たり。しばし思い出を綴ります。イチゴ畑のマッチョ。#マッチョバスツアー http://t.co/1BGZECxCeg

—
MINAMI (@dmmmmmmphiii373) January 31, 2015

Related: Macho Bus Tour website
Sources: Togech, Macho Bus Tour
Top image: Twitter (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Macho Bus tours let you pick strawberries, play sports with buff dudes (if you’re not too heavy)
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Here on the internet, where many of us virtually live, there’s little we love more than a good tale of transformation. Whether it’s through the use of clever make-up and camera angles to achieve a gorgeous face, or whether it’s a full-body overhaul, there’s something uplifting about living vicariously through other people’s success stories.

Today we’d like to share with you the tale of one woman in China who transformed herself from couch potato to fitness instructor in just three years, losing almost half her body weight in the process.

The unnamed woman from China originally weighed close to 100 kilos (220 pounds), but over the course of three years managed to whittle herself down to just 50 kilos (110 pounds). While not too much is known about her, it seems that she managed to lose weight responsibly through exercise and upping her personal fitness, and while sudden weight loss can be just as unhealthy as sudden weight gain, with three years to do it in, it sounds like she went about her weight-loss programme fairly sensibly.

Apparently, the young woman now works as a fitness instructor and has been hailed as a “goddess of fitness” in her native China.

▼ This gallery of “before” photos shows a happy-looking young woman with full, round cheeks, and an understated style.

▼ This side-by-side comparison shows a completely different-looking young woman in both weight, dress, and posture.

▼ She certainly looks much fitter and stronger now.

▼ Hard at work in her new environment. We kinda want to take her class.

It’s not just her body that’s been improved, though – she also appears to have put a great deal of effort into her makeup and hair, as well. We wonder what prompted her to make such a drastic change to her appearance.

While it would be nice if we could all just be accepted the way we are, that’s not really the world we live in. And sometimes making a big change can do wonders for our mental and physical wellbeing (it beats eating potato chips on the couch and feeling crummy about yourself, after all.) What do you think of her transformation?

Source/images: Bomb01 via Lollipop.sg

Origin: From out of shape to fitness instructor in three years – one woman’s tale of reinvention 【Photos】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Tomoko Kanda, a 47-year-old woman from Osaka, is one of Japan’s most successful female bodybuilders, who has been winning hearts across the country for her killer muscles and megawatt smile. But just how does she manage to maintain such an incredible body? Let’s take a look at her daily routine!

Tomoko originally got into bodybuilding at the age of 23 as a way to control her weight, and has since gone on to become a regular at bodybuilding shows. She now has quite a name for herself, and is often featured in magazines. A mini-documentary following Tomoko’s daily routine has also recently appeared on YouTube, with over 2 million views and  200 comments from viewers who praised her fitness, beauty and upbeat personality.

Her daily routine includes a high-protein shake for breakfast, followed by sunbathing to maintain her tanned complexion (as pasty-internet-dwellers, we’d surely burst into flames if we tried this!) Tomoko is quick to point out that she never tans her face, opting to use dark foundation instead for shows. (We guess spray-tans haven’t really caught on in Japan yet, where avoiding the sun is usually done more for aesthetic, rather than health reasons.)

Tomoko also speaks about the importance of maintaining her sense of femininity in a male-dominated discipline like bodybuilding, which she achieves by doing things like painting her nails and wearing cute workout gear.

While following a strict diet and workout regime like Tomoko’s seems like a huge commitment, we have to admit that we find her dedication incredibly inspiring. Hmm, maybe we should locate our gym card and get some endorphins pumping. It seems to be doing wonders for Tomoko, after all!

Here’s the video! Don’t forget to turn on the English subtitles if you need ’em!

Source: Zaeega
Images: Screenshot via YouTube

Origin: Japanese female bodybuilder could kick your butt, break your heart at the same time
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Remember when you were a little kid, and your parents would take you to the park to play? Not only were you having fun, you were developing important motor skills as you ran around, did somersaults, and swung on the monkey bars. Maybe when you got a little older and more coordinated, you’d even play catch with your mom and dad.

But did your parents love you enough to have a couple of sumo bouts against you?

Much like with mental development, the early years of a child’s life are critical in fostering the fundamental skills that underlie athletic ability. This principle has been espoused for years by fitness experts, including Kenta Toyama.

A graduate of Washington State University in the U.S., Toyama developed the programs at Little Athlete Club, a Japanese provider of children’s athletic programs. “There are individual differences as to the most important time for developing motor skills,” Toyama explains, “but the critical period is until around six years old, because the development of the nervous system at that young age is remarkable.”

Toyama isn’t suggesting that parents start training their kids to play a specific sport that early, though. Instead, he asserts that it’s important for children to do a wide variety of movements in order to develop as many related neural circuits as possible. That variety is the important thing, and it’s not necessary to push children past the level of intensity where they’re having fun playing.

Among the activities Toyama recommends is catching and throwing a ball, as the latter in particular involves a surprisingly complex series of coordinated muscle movements. Playing on the jungle gym is also a great choice, and as long as your toddler isn’t too heavy yet, the trainer also says there are benefits to getting down on all fours and letting your child ride you like a horse, which will foster good balance and posture.

“What I recommend the most, though,” he says, “is pretending to sumo wrestle.”

It’s unlikely that Toyama is actually advocating slapping your kid in the face and throwing him down in the dirt so much as playfully imitating the techniques of Japan’s massive fighters. He’s serious about the value of doing so, however. “Through sumo, children can learn many different skills, such as pushing, pulling, throwing, grabbing, and applying force and relaxing their muscles.”

Obviously, sumo is best done outside, unless your home happens to be big enough that you have space to set up a ring in your living room. But should your kids still manage to make a mess in the house, it turns out even that presents a developmental opportunity, since Toyama also has good things to say about having your kids help out with the housework. “By repeating the fundamental movements in cleaning floors or washing dishes, children’s’ manual dexterity, balance, and skill at handling tools are all refined, and their ability to concentrate is improved as well.”

Besides, if your kids develop a love of sumo that extends to the eating habits of the sport’s stars, you’re going to have wat too many dishes to wash by yourself.

Related: Little Athlete Club
Source: Yahoo! Japan/R25
Top image: Wadaphoto
Insert images: Little Athlete Club, Wikipedia/Arcimboldo

Origin: Japanese Fitness expert recommends toddlers play catch, climb on jungle gym, sumo wrestle
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Who doesn’t love lifehacks? These simple outside-the-box tips have the potential of making your life exponentially better. Need a new wallet? Use a Starbucks bag. Have sink slime? We’ve got you covered.

One Japanese Twitter user has recently gained a lot of attention from some cute drawings she posted informing her followers of a few cool and creative tricks for beauty and health.

Twitter user nakashima723 made it big last week when her post about blow-drying hair spread around the Internet like wildfire, collecting over 40,000 favorites and re-tweets combined.

▼ It’s hard to imagine this little drawing could cause so much fuss, but wait until you read it!

ドライヤーで髪を早く乾かす方法　マジ２倍速以上で乾くのでおすすめです http://t.co/92iyEIY8M7

—
ナカシマ723 (@nakashima723) April 20, 2015

The post is about a better way to dry your hair with a hair dryer that gets the job done in half of the time! First, put a dry towel over your head. Then, use the hair dryer to dry your hair through the towel. What?

If you think that this sounds counter productive, you’re not alone. Apparently, however, by heating the towel with the dryer, you are also increasing the towel’s ability to soak up moisture, meaning that not only will the hot air be drying your hair, but the towel will also be absorbing moisture, so really, it’s now two against one.

But there’s more! Since you aren’t blowing the hot air directly onto your hair, you save it from being unnecessarily damaged. Chalk up another point for this trick!

Although she made the cute illustration and posted it on the Internet, Nakashima723 didn’t develop this handy trick. She heard about it first on the variety show Ito Family, which did a piece on it back in 2004.

Nakashima723 is no one-trick pony, either. A few days after her explosive hair-drying post, she followed up with more cute drawings depicting some exercise hacks.

▼ “Become more flexible with no pain, in just ten seconds”

10秒で柔軟性アップが実感できる、痛くないストレッチ法 http://t.co/CEx9Rz7kMV

—
ナカシマ723 (@nakashima723) April 22, 2015

Want to become more flexible, but not into spending hours on the floor stretching? Now you can gain that extra elasticity in just a few seconds.

Step 1: Sit on the floor with your legs spread apart, but not so far that it hurts.

Step 2: Place your hands firmly on your legs. Simultaneously push your legs back together, but oppose the force with your hands, so that your legs don’t actually move. You should be exerting a significant amount of force. Sustain this for six seconds.

Step 3: Relax both your arms and your legs. See and feel the difference, as you should now be able to open your legs a little bit wider than before. Repeat this up to three times a day.

You can also do this in different postures to limber up different parts of your body, as shown in the bottom two drawings.

▼ “Make your sit-ups more efficient.” (Is that supposed to be Mr. T?)

効率よく割れる腹筋のきたえ方 http://t.co/7YvLLKDSpx

—
ナカシマ723 (@nakashima723) April 21, 2015

If you’re really over the boring routine of partner sit-ups (or are pretty out of touch with modern theories of proper ab workouts), this lifehack is definitely for you. Nakashima723 cites the problems with partner sit-ups as: Needing a partner, lower back vulnerability, and the fact that you often end up using more leg muscles than abs.

Her quick fix? Find a wall. By raising and resting your legs up a wall, you eliminate the need for a partner, reduce the chance of lower back strain and the position doesn’t allow you to substitute leg power for stomach power, making every sit-up more efficient.

She also notes that you only need to raise your head and chest about ten degrees. If you want to work your oblique abs (the side ones), all you have to do is twist to either side as you rise.

If you like these health and beauty hacks, follow @nakashima723 for more. As long as she keeps up the detailed illustrations, you may not even need to be able to read Japanese! Also, let us know in the comment section below if you have tried, will try, swear by or don’t believe in any of these tips and tricks.

Source: Twitter (@nakashima723) 1, 2, 3 via IroIro
Top image: Twitter (@nakashima723)

Origin: Japanese Twitter user uses cute drawings to teach us some cool lifehacks
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Aside from having a way with words and a pleasant smell, it’s a job requirement at RocketNews24 that every man, woman, and child who works for us be physically fit enough to wrestle a crocodile to submission. As part of his quest to keep in fighting shape, our Japanese-language reporter Nakano regularly hits the gym, because if he doesn’t, who knows when we might decide to give his job to someone with more developed pecs.

Sometimes you find yourself running into some strange characters at the fitness center, as we documented in Nakano’s guide to the most annoying people you might meet at the gym. On occasion, though, their behavior goes so far beyond strange that it’s hard to see it as the actions of mundane human beings, and so today we’re taking a look at Nakano’s illustrated list of five people you might encounter in a Japanese gym shower room that are so weird they must be possessed by evil spirits.

Sparing no expense in his exercise regimen, the gym Nakano is a member at has some pretty nice facilities for helping patrons get cleaned up after their workout. But while our reporter is a fan of the Jacuzzi and sauna, he’s not quite so thrilled with some of the people he has to share them with, assuming of course they are just people and not the victims of sinister supernatural influences.

1. Bruce Lee-Imitating Spirit
Habitat: Towel rack
Danger level: 1 (out of 5)

It’s easy to tell when someone’s body has been taken over by this particular specter. After emerging from the bath and toweling himself off, he’ll grab one end of his towel and start swinging it back and forth, striking his body with a pronounced slapping sound. While it may look like a makeshift massage, the Bruce Lee-Imitating Spirit is in actuality practicing its nunchaku routine, and the curse cannot be broken until the victim’s entire body is covered in red borderline welts.

Thankfully, the blows are all self-directed when this spirit’s magic is in play, so simply give the poor soul a wide berth and you’ll be safe.

2. Shampoo-Stealing Spirit
Habitat: Shower stall
Danger level: 5

We’d have to perform a séance to be certain, but our hypothesis is that these rueful spirits are the ghosts of those who passed away while suffering from a case of dry, itchy scalp. When affected, victims will take empty plastic bottles into the shower and fill them up with the shampoo or liquid body soap provided by the gym.

While they pose less immediate threat than the Bruce Lee-Imitating Spirits, the Shampoo-Stealing Spirits are basically thieves, i.e. criminals, and the long-term health-diminishing effects of poor hygiene they can indirectly cause by not leaving any grooming supplies for anyone else are why their danger level is rated so high.

3. Cold Water Bath Spirit
Habitat: Bathtub
Danger level: 4

Traditional Japanese baths are piping hot, but some people hold that after warming the body up, it’s healthy to give it a final, invigorating shock with cold water. While most people will step gingerly into a tub of cold water, possessing a gym patron means the Cold Water Bath Spirit itself is insulated from the chill, as it’s not using its own body.

As such, you can confirm the presence of a Cold Water Bath Spirit when someone jumps into the cold water bath with both feet (or their one and only butt), sending icy droplets flying to pelt all bystanders. The fact that the splash radius is increased when the diver is either muscular or heavyset, two of the most common body types at the gym, makes this spirit all the more unwelcome.

4. Keeper of the Sauna Spirit
Habitat: Sauna
Danger level: 2

Often choosing middle-aged or elderly men as their possession targets, the Keeper of the Sauna Spirits are among the least active of the supernatural denizens you’ll find in a Japanese gym. After taking control of a host’s body, the spirit will head into the sauna and take a seat. Once in position, it will wait, using its psychic powers to assault anyone else who enters the sauna with waves of anxiety over whether saying hello is required as a matter of common courtesy or prohibited as part of the Guy Code that generally discourages small talk with strangers in situations where both of you are naked.

Unlike the riddle of the sphinx, there is no right answer to the dilemma of the Keeper of the Sauna Spirit. Either course of action will result in an unpleasant atmosphere and more sweating than the temperature alone calls for.

5. Balls Floating Atop the Jacuzzi Water Spirit
Habitat: Jacuzzi
Danger level: 3

Opinions are divided on the benefits of cold water baths, and for every person who enjoys a sit in the sauna you can find another who doesn’t. Just about everyone, though, appreciates a nice soak in a hot tub to relax their muscles following a good workout.

The nicer Japanese gyms have Jacuzzi-style baths in their changing rooms. They’re used Japanese-style, which means you shower and rinse off first, then soak naked, often in a tub that’s big enough to accommodate multiple people at the same time.

But while communal bathing is no big deal in Japanese culture, sometimes you’ll find yourself sharing the warm water with someone who’s been possessed by a Balls Floating Atop the Jacuzzi Water Spirit. If you’re unsure if the phenomena you’re witnessing qualifies as such a manifestation, consult this two-point checklist.

1. Is there someone else in the tub?
2. Are his balls floating atop the Jacuzzi water?

If you answered “yes” to both questions, then it’s official, you’re soaking in the presence of a supernatural entity. Thankfully, these aren’t malicious spirits. Rather, they’re benevolent forces that briefly inhabit the bodies of older gentlemen, attempting to stimulate their privates to help them regain some of the vigor and virility of their youth by standing up the host body at the precise height where the bubbles breaking from the surface of the water tickle the testicles.

So really, there’s nothing to fear. Oh, except the balls.

Images: Mamiyak46

Origin: Balls Floating Atop the Jacuzzi Water Spirit and other supernatural denizens of Japanese gyms
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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There are a lot of things about Cristiano Ronaldo that we know to be true. He is objectively a very attractive man. He is objectively a fantastic soccer player. He objectively very rich. He is – and we say this without irony – “big in Japan.” He is objectively in great shape.

He will also, objectively, endorse near any damn thing. Like this weird ab device.

The Training Gear Sixpad appears to be an exclusively Japanese fitness/beauty device that purports to tone the muscles of the thighs, biceps and, especially, the core. As Ronaldo is famous throughout Japan for not only his soccer skills but also his physique, the talented player must have seemed like a no-brainer when it came time for the Sixpad’s manufacturers to find a product spokesman.

Especially given the fact that Ronaldo has a bit of a track record for endorsing bizarre beauty products. Regular readers will no doubt remember his unforgettable performance in this advertising gem from last year:

We’re not sure which of the two product advertisements is better/more ridiculous. On the one hand, the Facial Fitness Pao is such an unashamedly ridiculous-looking product that the writers of Saturday Night Live probably couldn’t have even come up with it on one of their best days.

But on the other hand, there’s just so much craziness packed into this new Sixpad ad that it’s hard not to cringe:

It’s got all the cheesiness of those hilarious old Shake Weight commercials, but it goes a step further by setting it to the soundtrack of the opera scene from The Fifth Element. It is comedy gold.

▼ A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the commercial.

▼ We’ll be honest with you here: this is not an image we ever thought we’d see.

The Training Gear Sixpad apparently uses electrical pulses to cause your muscles to involuntarily contract, thus, supposedly, emulating a moderate muscular workout without the need to ever set foot in a gym.

Now, as a longtime fitness buff and personal trainer, allow me to digress for just a moment. Please do not purchase this product thinking that it alone will give you rippling six-pack abs. It will not. Electronic impulses forcing your muscles to contract may give them a negligible workout, may give them the temporary appearance of being more toned and may even burn a scant few calories, but without resistance, your muscles will not grow and you will not become more lean. In fact, America’s Federal Trade Commission filed false advertising complaints against similar products back in the early 2000s. And yes, I’m aware that Bruce Lee endorsed and used a similar device, but that was back in the 70s, when fitness and nutrition science was… well, not very advanced.

Anyway, between this, the Facial Fitness Pao, and this ridiculous “small face” mask, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Cristiano Ronaldo will endorse just about anything. In fairness to the soccer player, all of these products come from the same company (MTG Co.), which indicates some sort of long-term contract deal, but consider that this is a small, niche manufacturer of faux fitness and beauty products – not, like, Sony or Toyota or some other household name – and you also kind of have to wonder about how small a price tag Ronaldo will sign away his likeness for.

This has got us here at RocketNews24 considering putting together a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for Ronaldo to endorse something totally random and ridiculous. Here are a few of our ideas so far: My nards, this RocketNews24 writer’s back hair, a slightly bruised banana (not, bananas plural, but one particular banana), dogs ruling and cats drooling, IBM computers from the 1980s, Tuesdays…

We’ll be taking submissions from the peanut gallery.

Images: MTG Co. via YouTube: 1, 2

Origin: Soccer star Ronaldo is at it again, now starring in ad for weird Japanese ab device 【Video】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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There’s a growing fitness trend in Tokyo, but it’s nothing new really, being based on age-old traditions: Katana Exercise.

Not only will you be taught to swing a sword like a samurai by a handsome teacher, but you’ll cut out stress and extra fat. Check out our hands-on experience of the class after the jump!

▼ We bring this article to you thanks to the efforts of Kon Inoue, a writer from our partner site, Pouch.

Walking down the street near Ikejiri-Ohashi Station on the Den-en-toshi line in Setagaya, Tokyo, Inoue-san heard a strange sound coming from the basement of a building: “One! Two! Three!” in a thick Japanese accent. Peaking inside, she was shocked at what she saw: a room full of women swinging Japanese swords around to the beat of heavy Japanese rock music. What in the world had she stumbled into?

▼ She found Katana Exercise.

Her reporter sense tingling, Kon was itching to know more. After conducting a little bit of research, she placed a few calls and set out to take part in one of these bizarre new classes. She did this, of course, for the benefit of you, our dear readers, and definitely not because the teacher happened to be a sword-wielding hunk.

▼ Don’t you want him teaching you how to swing a sword?

Said teacher is Ukon Takafuji, the creator and, ipso facto, grandmaster of Katana Exercise. Originally from Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Takafuji started practicing sword dance and fencing about seven years ago. As he was also a physiotherapist, he saw the benefits of many of the moves in hitting women’s “trouble areas” of their hips, butts and upper arms.

Why not take this fun, toning and historically relevant dance and turn it into an exercise class for women, he thought? Takafuji ran with the idea and now has over 100 students attending his classes in Tokyo.

▼ One of those 100 is our writer, Inoue-san.

Takafuji maintains that, over the period of a three-month course, participants can lose up to four kilograms (8.8 pounds) and five percent of their body fat, not to mention significantly shaping up those legs and arms. For the sake of safety (lost appendages do not count as weight loss, after all), the class is all done with the use of imitation katanas made of foam and wood and mainly consists of following a series of basic moves set to music.

▼Not too bad, Inoue-san, not too bad!

The 10 basic moves include an “aiming posture,” “straight cut,” “diagonal slash,” and “third-level thrust” (the special move of Okita Soji, a famous historical swordsman). In addition, the students do some sumo-like exercises like the high-leg stomp that the wrestlers do in the ring prior to their bouts.

Each class is 70 minutes long and you’d better believe you’ll work up a good sweat; Inoue-san confesses that she had to take a quick squat break when the teacher wasn’t looking.

▼ She looks so worn out!

After class, Inoue-san asked some other students about their experiences and what brought them to the class. One explained that before joining up she was running by herself as a means of exercising, “but getting nowhere”. She now attends the Katana Exercise class three times a week and states that her pre-existing shoulder pains have all but vanished as a result.

“At my normal gym, I couldn’t do dancing,” commented another breathless sword swinger. “Plus, I have an interest in traditional culture, so I chose this.”

▼ Inoue-san’s enthusiastic classmates.

Great exercise and opening doors to new hobbies and interests, you couldn’t ask for more! Well, you could ask for a few more lessons to be included in the 8,000 yen (US$64) asking price, which currently only covers three class. But hey, can’t win ’em all.

▼ Plus, would you really want to challenge the grandmaster?

Then again, 8,000 yen isn’t that much for a class that “makes you feel as if you became a samurai!” I think there’s a small place in all our hearts that wants to be a samurai.

Ladies, if you don’t want to commit quite yet, you can try a free trial lesson (3,500 yen value), by just signing up on the website, which is conveniently also in English!

As for all you men who may be feeling left out here, worry not: while all of the classes are women-only, there is a special men’s day once a month, so you can try it out and see what all the fuss is about.

▼ Or just grab a broom and watch this video of Takafuji demonstrating different moves.

You can check out Ukon Takafuji’s Katana Exercise class here: 
Kubo Building B1F, 1-7-4 Ohashi, Meguro-ku, Tokyo.
Tel: 03-6415-8051 (11:00-18:00 Weekdays)
Classes: Lunch time: Thursday, Saturday: 1:30 PM- 2:45 PM; Evening: Monday-Thursday 7:45 PM- 9 PM; Friday 8:15 PM-9:30 PM

Source: Katana Exercise
Photos © RocketNews24

Origin: Women in Tokyo are cutting through stress and fat with this new “Katana Exercise” class
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Want to go from flabby to body builder in five months? Yeah, who doesn’t, right? It may seem to be an impossible feat, but one couple in Korea did it and they are loving life. The couple’s transformation from on-the-chubby-side to bodybuilding not only changed their appearance, but also made them famous. Think it’s too impressive to be real? Check out the photos below!

Song Jin Yoo and Shin Ji Hoo knew that losing weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle wouldn’t be easy, but they thought that by attempting it together they would be able to stick with the strict regimen they prescribed for themselves: 1.5 hours of weightlifting twice a week and three hours of aerobics every day.

▼ That’s a lot of aerobics.

To refuel their aching bodies, they ate only chicken breasts, eggs, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and various other fruits and veggies. Let’s not forget the copious amounts of whey protein powder and vitamins they took too.

▼ Their teamwork was the key ingredient to their life-style changing recipe, however.

Song Jin Yoo went from 83 kilograms (183 pounds) to 71 kilograms (156 pounds). Twelve kilograms might not seem like a lot, but consider how muscle weighs more than fat, and the fact that he went from 16 percent body fat to a measly five percent. Not many people in this world nowadays can claim less body fat than that.

His female partner, Shin Ji Hoo, went from 63 kilograms (139 pounds ) to 52.8 kilograms (116 pounds) and cut her own body fat percentage from 32 percent to 18.5 percent. Not too shabby!

▼ A record of the difference of her body mass distribution between April and September.

Not only did they shed all that fat and gain all that muscle, but they also appear to have started competing in body building competitions.

▼ That’s quite the lifestyle change.

Now, Shin Ji Hoo’s Instagram page is devoted to pictures of body shots depicting her and Song Jin Yoo’s transformation. As far as we can tell, the change is real and not Photoshopped, as some commenters seem to be wondering.

▼ Has to be real, right?

The transformation itself is impressive, but if the couple really managed to change their lifestyles so drastically in just five months, that is a whole different level of amazing. Heck, a change like that in a couple of years would be awesome!

The couple seems to have also inadvertently become the poster-couple for “relationship goals” and are inspiring other couples to work together to achieve their dreams. On top of all of their physical successes, apparently their relationship in stronger than ever too.

Source: AsianTown.NET
Images: Instagram/sjh_0628_

Origin: It must be love: Korean couple make dramatic body transformations in just five months
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Compared to most other action anime, the cast of Attack on Titan has a pretty low-survival rate. This could be because their opponents are remorseless man-eating giants, but is another key factor that fact that the Survey Corps’ uniforms are poorly suited for the duties the heroes perform? Sure, those cloaks look dramatically stylish, but they’re also bulky and movement-limiting, so maybe it’s about time Eren and his pals changed into some official Attack on Titan exercise wear from Adidas.

Adidas’ boasts that its Techfit fabric dries fast and breathes well, which should make it just the kind of material you’ll want your clothing to be made of as you bravely fight or wisely flee rampaging Titans. Fittingly, you can now order short-sleeved Techfit shirts with the Survey Corps’ Wings of Freedom insignia emblazoned on the chest.

The Attack on Titan logo also shows up in a special patch on the right edge of the waist hem.

Finally, the right sleeve features an image of either protagonist Eren or show-stealing Levi.

The 6,000-yen (US$50) shirts can be ordered here through Adidas’ online Japanese store, and also at the Adidas Performance Center retail shop in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood. For customers ordering online, first select a color, then choose either the Eren (エレン) or Levi (リヴァオ) version from the drop-down menu (circled in red in the image below). Orders take three weeks to process.

While you’re at it, you might want to pick up a pair of shorts and some athletic shoes, too, both of which would be mobility-boosting improvements over the snug-fitting breeches and riding boots the Survey Corps usually wears.

Sources: Anime! Anime!, PR Times, Adidas
Top image: Anime! Anime! (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Anime! Anime! PR Times, Adidas (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Adidas’ Attack on Titan fitness wear is perfect for exercise, fighting giants
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In any park in China you’re bound to see people exercising, whether it’s by jogging, dancing, tai chi, or downing unmanned aircraft. But just when you think you’ve seen it all, a whole new way of working out gets born. The basic philosophy is “Why walk on only two legs, when you have two perfectly good arms as well?”

And so, recreational crawling was born. At the moment it seems to be practiced mainly by a small band of people in Henan Province, but numbers are growing. It’s also said to have health benefits beyond that of regular bipedal walking.

Every morning at a park in Zhengzhou City you can see a few dozen crawlers out stretching their arms and legs and freaking out people and animals alike.  One member, Mr. Sun, said he had been walking on all fours for half a year and as a result his blood pressure is down and he no longer gets a stiff neck. I’d think walking on two legs would yield similar results, but let’s learn more before rushing to judgement.

Dr. Lu Pei-wang of the Henan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine says walking around on both arms and legs has numerous potential benefits. Firstly, it requires the use of muscles that are hardly ever worked out in everyday life. It also takes a lot of pressure off the spinal column, distributing your weight to your four limbs instead. Finally, it’s a whole body workout that strengthens muscles, joints, and bones all over.

Dr. Pei-wang believes this could considerably reduce the incidence of chronic lower back pain and many other disorders of the spine. The doctor didn’t speak of benefits outside of health matters but I also imagine it would help your social life as well. You’re bound to meet lots of new people when they approach you to ask, “Are you okay?”

If you do decide to try crawling on all fours, be sure to do like these people and remember to wear gloves. However, I’d recommend something with more support and padding than regular gardening gloves. Something like boxing gloves ought to do the trick.

…Alright I don’t really know if that’s a good idea. I just wanted to see someone crawl around like that with boxing gloves on. That would be cool.

Source: Livedoor News via Toychan
Video and Images: YouTube/CHINA NEWS

Origin: Group of exercisers in China are loving it on all fours, doctor approves (Video)
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Model Saya Kagawa takes the women’s crown, distracts everyone from a bunch of ripped dudes flexing in the background.

When you think of Japan, you no doubt associate the famously healthy country with long lifespans and low-calorie cuisine.

But in spite of this healthy image, Japan is surprisingly slim (see what we did there?) on the extremely physically fit. Demanding work hours, an abundance of desk jockeys, and somewhat archaic views on dietary health and fitness have left the average Japanese man a little on the shlubby side and many Japanese women completely unconcerned with fitness, preferring to cycle through crash diets every other month to achieve that “just above unhealthily skinny” look sought after by many Japanese men.

“10頭身モデル”香川沙耶「ベストボディ」で日本一　圧巻のパーフェクトボディ披露 #香川沙耶 @sayakagawa127 mdpr.jp/gal/1549604 https://t.co/ete4edTKFk

—
モデルプレス (@modelpress) December 14, 2015

One of the few places you’ll see large gatherings of the buff and the beautiful, however, is the annual Best Body Japan contest, which is sort of like a bodybuilding competition for men and a regular model walk for women. We suppose whether or not that’s kind of sexist is up to you to decide.

The competition measures contestants on the “healthfulness, beauty and ‘coolness'” of their physical forms, meaning the men are judged on a more or less traditional bodybuilding rubric – defined pecs and biceps, washboard abs and what-have-you – while the women are judged by traditional modeling standards like length and slenderness of the legs, flatness of the belly, and overall bodily “balance.” There are, however, numerous categories in the competition, so there’s a lot of overlap between this competition and other traditional bodybuilding contests for both the men and women.

🍊🍎👸🏽🍊🍎 https://t.co/H2EMCYmdWE

—
香川沙耶 -Saya- (@sayakagawa127) December 16, 2015

Picking up the crown for the Best Body Japan women’s competition this year was half-Japanese, half-Filipino model Saya Kagawa (above), who’s rocking what you might say is the perfect body in the eyes of Japanese men and modeling agencies.

Kagawa, for what it’s worth, says via her Twitter profile that she’s, “a good girl with bad habits,” seemingly implying she doesn’t particularly go out of her way to look the way she does. We will try to conceal our envy while we stuff our faces full of mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce this Christmas.

True to form, the Japanese media appears to have been almost entirely unconcerned with the Best Body Japan Men’s winners – preferring instead to leer at the female lineup. In fact, a Japanese language Google search of “Best Body Japan Men’s” yields no front page results actually spelling out the male winner, although if I’m to believe pictures, I’m pretty sure it’s a guy I see at Gold’s Gym regularly. I’ll be sure to give him a high-five or something next time so he knows at least somebody was paying attention.

Source: Kininaru Sokuhou
Images: Twitter/Saya Kagawa

Origin: “Best Body Japan” winners are in just in time to make us ashamed of our holiday gorgefest
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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