The nature of our desk-bound careers often causes us to lead a sedentary lifestyle. When a person spends the bulk of his time in an inactive position, it often spells bad news for the lower back. If the sitting position is wrong, the neck and shoulders may also feel the strain. Needless to say, prolonged sitting can also lead to that extra bulge at the tummy, which is what happened to me. Unknowingly, I gained weight, and the roundness of my face was obvious.
I disliked taking photos back then because I did not like what I saw. I acknowledged that I had gained weight but I was feeling bad about my body issues. At that time, I was recovering from a knee injury (tried out high-intensity run) and I was not very active. Although I was always putting in time for shorts run, those sessions were inadequate. It was all cardio and I was doing it all wrongly. I was not aware that my exercise sessions were insufficient and ineffective in burning fats.
 |
| The photo of realization - With my friend Natty |
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| 25 Dec 15 |
 |
| To my bf - Why you take until I so fat!? |
The exact day my life changed - 19 February 2016
I just started working in the fitness industry for a couple of months and it has helped me kick-start this journey. Looking back now, I am grateful for this job opportunity because it has helped me to understand myself in different aspects. That very day, I took the InBody - Body Composition Analysis and reality hit me.
It has been awhile then since I weighed myself. The figures in front of me shook me awake. The horror to see such a high percentage of body fats as compared to the ideal ratio. I was, according to their scale, in the category of "extremely over" for obesity diagnosis. My visceral fat amount, which is the fats inside the body around the organs, was nearing the dangerous level of 100. It was a warning sign; I was moving towards the unhealthy zone.
"It is time to make changes before it is too late."
I thought to myself.
I thought to myself.
The Start (Feb - Mar)
My first short-term goal was to fit into my work pants properly again! I want to be back to who I used to be. My second short-term target was to look slimmer for the upcoming cruise holiday because I hope to capture beautiful photographs. My ultimate goal is to change my lifestyle to a healthier and more active one.
Food ~
The hardest part of any healthier lifestyle is often the diet. I am not talking about those short term diets in which you restrict what you consume for a certain time period. What I am aiming for is a total change in what I eat and the quantity of it. I used to be eating dinner and thinking of what snack or dessert I could have after that. I love to eat until I could feel that satisfying fullness.
"I can always burn those calories off." I always thought to myself. Well, with that little amount of jogging, how much do you think you can actually get rid of? The amount of calories that goes in is still less than the amount I burn off. With age, the metabolism seems to go down as well, slowing down the process of fat burn.
So here are the few things I did to change:
1. Eat the same breakfast on weekdays
And that would be two pieces of wholemeal bread with peanut butter. It is definitely not the best of choices (carbs still, but breaks down slower to keep you fuller) but it is convenient and fast to prepare. Peanut butter would be my protein source. Sometimes, I buy two half boiled eggs from Fun Toast in addition to the bread. I bring an apple or a pear as a morning snack, but it only curbs my hunger for about an hour.
I used to be eating those yummy bakery bought buns with an assortment of flavors. If you use My Fitness Pal app, you will realize how much calories one of such bread contains. I was eating two of those per breakfast because one just was not enough to fill me. So this change helped to save some breakfast money, and save my time from thinking about what to eat!
2. Drink less calories
Drinks contain a bulk of calories that you can avoid. For me, it was easy peasy since I do not order drinks most of the time. The only exception for me is coffee, with reduced sugar! I love bitter coffee anyway. Currently, I cultivated a taste for black coffee. Kopi O siew dai! For the rest of the time, it is mostly water and green tea. I drink lots of water.
3. Bring lunch from home
This was a tough one because I was eating non-delicious food prepared by myself. Early mornings are difficult enough but I had to add in the time of food preparation. There are many references to follow on meal prepping beforehand but most of them require the use of microwave for heating up. I do not like to use the microwave, and so my food has to be prepared in the morning. I did not want to eat salads as well. Steamed or stir fried, and I would be eating cold food for lunch 😅. In fact, I was eating sandwiches for the first whole week and it was unbearable.
With the change in breakfast and lunch, the first two weeks were terrible as I seemed to be constantly hungry. But with any change, it requires some time to get used to. Eventually, I got used to eating bland food. I am not sure whether there was still nutrition in my food, so this is a bad example haha.
4. Portion control
Dinners (home-cooked food) were the best and weekends were my breaks. Still, you need to control the amount you consume. Last time, before I even start on my meal, I might think that the portion is too little. I would start thinking of food to eat and my brain would then think that I was not full. This is a wrong perspective. Now, I stopped "worrying" about whether the food will fill me. Food requires some time to travel down to the stomach anyway. As long as I am 70% - 80% full, I am satisfied. This would slowly become a habit, and the risk of overeating would be reduced.
5. Choice of food
There is no restriction to what I eat, but I have to eat in moderation and know when to stop. Sometimes, I just taste a little to satisfy the cravings. I was not a person who counts calories. I am still not a person who counts calories, but it is important to take note of the calories and make conscious food choices. Also, I aim to consume more protein based food and reduce carbs intake. This is easier said than done. So let's say if I have potatoes, then I will not have rice. And if I have rice, I replaced white rice with brown rice.
Exercise ~
No procrastination here. I scheduled my workout and made sure I did it. At first, it was just following Youtube videos on weekdays and that was not new to me. On weekends, I would jog. I was trying to run at least 3km, which was quite a challenge then. When I got my confirmation from the company at the beginning of March, and I can officially access the gym and classes, I was excited!
BODY COMBAT
I started off with using the gym equipment, but without good knowledge, I did not know how to really exercise effectively. I experienced my first body combat class after work with my colleague. It was a great session of kicking and boxing, and coordinating the whole body to move together. I recall that I was in such a bad mood that day, and I just imagined I was boxing that person. It gave me the strength and motivation to push on! Body aches the next day.
STABILITY BALL
Utilizing a weighted ball, we did squats, planks, and lifting with hands and legs. It was also my first experience with the lifting of weighted plates. It was an exhausting one but I enjoyed it.
BODY BALANCE
Body balance is a mixture of Tai chi, Pilates and Yoga. It is good for flexibility and for those who would like a good stretch. My balancing is quite bad and so I found it difficult to stay in position for some moves.
BODY ATTACK
This is a super high energy fitness class that you get to go crazy and party! There is a lot of quick jumping and running about. You go breathless but you cannot stop. It was very fun but tiring as well!
TRX
I swear I hate this class. TRX is a suspension training tool whereby you make use of the straps and do various exercises with it. As a beginner with weak muscle control, it was excruciatingly hard even when it was just my body weight. The instructor kept telling me that I was doing certain moves wrongly. But it was really because I had no strength in my arms to do it correctly. He was a bit fierce so I did not dare to go back to his class again. Maybe, just maybe, if I try it again now, I can do it better!
CIRCUIT
This circuit workout consists of a series of exercises which we do for as many times as possible in a stated amount of time. This includes squats, lifting of barbells, burpees, push ups, planking and etc. I have never done so much strength training in my life, and I had MAJOR MUSCLE ACHE after that. Even the process of sitting down or standing up hurts so badly. I said that I was not going to go for that class ever again! But then it became my regular class!!
CYCLE
Spinning class on a stationary bicycle looks easy, but your legs will give way after one session. According to the instructor's plan, you go as quickly as possible for one minute and the next moment you start the "mountain climbing". The resistance gear will be adjusted accordingly throughout the class. My first class was easy because I was not aware of the gear adjustment. At gear 0, the cycle was a breeze. Subsequently, my legs went wobbly and my glutes ached. I wanted to train my legs to be stronger and eventually I got better at it.
BODYPUMP
Bodypump is a workout which utilizes the barbell. I was doing a planned series of squats, lunges, chest presses and etc with energetic background music. Weights were slowly increased on each side of the barbell but there was a limit to the weight I could take. I was doing my lunges wrongly at first and felt so unbalanced when doing so.
These are the various classes I tried out. I decided on three regular 7am morning classes, each lasting 45 minutes per session. Circuit, Cycle and Bodypump classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday respectively. Coupled with preparing lunch, I wake up at about 5am on those three days. Generally, I will be energized for the whole day, but will be really sleepy by 10pm at night. The first few times were demanding but it got better with regular sessions. I preferred morning classes to evening classes so that I can beat the crowd and space constraint. There was also not much "losing out" on after-work time.
On Sundays, I go for runs. At first, the target was 3km. With consistent workout session through the classes, my stamina improved and then I could reach 4km. I use the trusty Runkeeper app to keep track of my running progress.
Apr - May
I got over the feeling of constant hunger and my appetite shrunk to a more normal one. I look forward to my weekend meals but made sure I eat only enough. Workouts were consistent although my colleague decided to stop going for classes. Only YOU can ultimately motivate yourself! My cruise trip was my one of my pushing factors.
Slowly but surely ~
In April, two of my co-workers commented that I slimmed down. That was when I realized the change in my face! It was no longer so round. Small little changes were starting to show on my body as well. The stomach abs may not be visible but I could feel it. A little more toned here and there you know. The said office pants were doing better on my waist, but there was still room for improvement. The tiny changes made me more motivated to continue. 💪
Body Composition Analysis ~
I did another analysis test on 7 April 2016 and I would say that there was a teeny weeny bit of disappointment. I felt like I made a lot of changes but the results were not showing as much. Now that I looked at it, that was 2kg of fat mass down! And I dropped by 10 in visceral fat area. Not sure where my muscles went though >.<.
Cruise Trip ~
I went for my cruise trip in the middle of May with confidence that all my photos would look great now! While I was not as active working out, there were fun things like the flow rider, rock climbing and ice skating that kept me moving. Although I definitely ate more on board, it was easy to make better food choices at the buffet. At the main dining room, the mains were generally protein centered as well. We did not get any drink package, so I mainly had coffee or tea, and water.
Anyway, my second goal was attained. Proud of myself!
Jun - Aug
Food ~
It was hard to get back to bringing lunch to work because it got tiring after some time, especially with that break. Eventually, I had to stop in July due to stomach discomfort. Wind problems and acid reflux issues came into play. Frankly speaking, my lunch diet was lazy and cold. I once had a whole steamed cauliflower for lunch, and it was just that. My stomach had suffered.
I started to eat from Wheat. They offer a healthier combination of protein + carbs + salad. They also have a membership system that time which I fully utilized. However, healthy food is generally more expensive outside, with my meals costing between $8-$12. I felt happier with better food 😆.
Exercise ~
When your workout level pauses or drops, your stamina will go down. So, those morning classes became difficult once more. The aching feeling as I did my first cycling class after I was back, was a killer. Those legs almost gave way as I exited the class. But since the foundation is still there, it was not as difficult to start over again.
Funny how I sprained my thumb just by picking myself up from the ground. It was after a workout and my hand gave way because I had no strength left lol.
I ran my first 5km on 6 July!
Body Composition Analysis ~
Excited to see the improvements!
It was all good until the heels of my feet were starting to hurt. In August, that was when I realized I have high arched feet after a foot analysis. I always knew my balance is bad and I thought it was purely due to the small size of my feet. With this knowledge, I knew I should not push myself on increasing the weights in bodypump classes. The pressure on my heels was too much to handle. And I was not even using a lot of weights compared to the other pro members of the club.
At the same time, I love how the foam roller at the gym helped to sooth my aching muscles. Hence, I bought a short one from Qoo10 for usage at home. It works great.
Some obvious changes in my arms and thighs. Definitely lost some fats here compared to the initial stage. I can safely say I attained my first short-term goal at about this time!
Toilet upgrade ~
On 20 August, my unit started undergoing the toilet upgrading program. That period of time was just physically tiring due to the lack of sufficient rest. After a restless night, I thought that a cycle class might help but I could feel my heart racing in a weird way. A tired body cannot take intense exertion. So I took a break....
Sep - Dec
And I never got back my motivation to go for early morning classes anymore.
A change of route ~
It was when I found the Nike + Training Club app, and everything is free! There is a good variety of workouts with different intensity and time duration. The good thing is that it has a video guide to show you how to do the moves correctly. I started off on 28 Sep with a 21 workout plan that was created for me. Every alternate day, I would complete one workout. The in-between days were the recovery days set for me. If I could not make it on certain days, I would still ensure I finished it on the next day. Those 45 minutes workouts were arduous at the start. There were a number of moves I could not do so I did the alternative.
When I finally completed the whole course on 8 Nov, I was really fitter than before I started! I never was able to do a single normal push up, but now I can at least do wide arm regular push ups! I will master a full push up one day. I could not hold my reverse crunch for even a while at first, but now I can. I was struggling with side plank knee dives but now I'm a pro! Nah just kidding.
From there, I continued using this app based on choice of workout, rather than following another plan. The stress level is there when you feel compelled to do according to plan. Sometimes, I use the Sworkit app for a series of exercises in a selected amount of time. You would not know the next move and that is fun!
Body Composition Analysis ~
This is the final body composition analysis that I took. Comparing it to the first test, 5kg of fat mass was lost and the internal fat area became smaller. There are other measurements as well, and they all got better! I am delighted that my efforts paid off. 💓
Food wise, I got tired of eating Wheat and started eating fish soup kuey from Shenton House. Super love the soup with lots of coriander. They give a reasonable amount of spinach as well. This may not be the best diet but it is quite balanced.
The running goal ~
Been talking about joining a 10km run with my friend, Magdalene, and I finally registered for Osim Sundown 2017 on 21 Dec. I put consistent effort in running but once you take a break from running, you start over again. When I was training, 10km just seems so far away from me. Since I never ran a 10km before, I had doubts about my performance during the actual run.
Food ~
The hardest part of any healthier lifestyle is often the diet. I am not talking about those short term diets in which you restrict what you consume for a certain time period. What I am aiming for is a total change in what I eat and the quantity of it. I used to be eating dinner and thinking of what snack or dessert I could have after that. I love to eat until I could feel that satisfying fullness.
"I can always burn those calories off." I always thought to myself. Well, with that little amount of jogging, how much do you think you can actually get rid of? The amount of calories that goes in is still less than the amount I burn off. With age, the metabolism seems to go down as well, slowing down the process of fat burn.
So here are the few things I did to change:
1. Eat the same breakfast on weekdays
And that would be two pieces of wholemeal bread with peanut butter. It is definitely not the best of choices (carbs still, but breaks down slower to keep you fuller) but it is convenient and fast to prepare. Peanut butter would be my protein source. Sometimes, I buy two half boiled eggs from Fun Toast in addition to the bread. I bring an apple or a pear as a morning snack, but it only curbs my hunger for about an hour.
I used to be eating those yummy bakery bought buns with an assortment of flavors. If you use My Fitness Pal app, you will realize how much calories one of such bread contains. I was eating two of those per breakfast because one just was not enough to fill me. So this change helped to save some breakfast money, and save my time from thinking about what to eat!
2. Drink less calories
Drinks contain a bulk of calories that you can avoid. For me, it was easy peasy since I do not order drinks most of the time. The only exception for me is coffee, with reduced sugar! I love bitter coffee anyway. Currently, I cultivated a taste for black coffee. Kopi O siew dai! For the rest of the time, it is mostly water and green tea. I drink lots of water.
3. Bring lunch from home
This was a tough one because I was eating non-delicious food prepared by myself. Early mornings are difficult enough but I had to add in the time of food preparation. There are many references to follow on meal prepping beforehand but most of them require the use of microwave for heating up. I do not like to use the microwave, and so my food has to be prepared in the morning. I did not want to eat salads as well. Steamed or stir fried, and I would be eating cold food for lunch 😅. In fact, I was eating sandwiches for the first whole week and it was unbearable.
 |
| Started with this and I was starving! |
With the change in breakfast and lunch, the first two weeks were terrible as I seemed to be constantly hungry. But with any change, it requires some time to get used to. Eventually, I got used to eating bland food. I am not sure whether there was still nutrition in my food, so this is a bad example haha.
4. Portion control
Dinners (home-cooked food) were the best and weekends were my breaks. Still, you need to control the amount you consume. Last time, before I even start on my meal, I might think that the portion is too little. I would start thinking of food to eat and my brain would then think that I was not full. This is a wrong perspective. Now, I stopped "worrying" about whether the food will fill me. Food requires some time to travel down to the stomach anyway. As long as I am 70% - 80% full, I am satisfied. This would slowly become a habit, and the risk of overeating would be reduced.
5. Choice of food
There is no restriction to what I eat, but I have to eat in moderation and know when to stop. Sometimes, I just taste a little to satisfy the cravings. I was not a person who counts calories. I am still not a person who counts calories, but it is important to take note of the calories and make conscious food choices. Also, I aim to consume more protein based food and reduce carbs intake. This is easier said than done. So let's say if I have potatoes, then I will not have rice. And if I have rice, I replaced white rice with brown rice.
Exercise ~
No procrastination here. I scheduled my workout and made sure I did it. At first, it was just following Youtube videos on weekdays and that was not new to me. On weekends, I would jog. I was trying to run at least 3km, which was quite a challenge then. When I got my confirmation from the company at the beginning of March, and I can officially access the gym and classes, I was excited!
BODY COMBAT
I started off with using the gym equipment, but without good knowledge, I did not know how to really exercise effectively. I experienced my first body combat class after work with my colleague. It was a great session of kicking and boxing, and coordinating the whole body to move together. I recall that I was in such a bad mood that day, and I just imagined I was boxing that person. It gave me the strength and motivation to push on! Body aches the next day.
STABILITY BALL
Utilizing a weighted ball, we did squats, planks, and lifting with hands and legs. It was also my first experience with the lifting of weighted plates. It was an exhausting one but I enjoyed it.
BODY BALANCE
Body balance is a mixture of Tai chi, Pilates and Yoga. It is good for flexibility and for those who would like a good stretch. My balancing is quite bad and so I found it difficult to stay in position for some moves.
BODY ATTACK
This is a super high energy fitness class that you get to go crazy and party! There is a lot of quick jumping and running about. You go breathless but you cannot stop. It was very fun but tiring as well!
TRX
I swear I hate this class. TRX is a suspension training tool whereby you make use of the straps and do various exercises with it. As a beginner with weak muscle control, it was excruciatingly hard even when it was just my body weight. The instructor kept telling me that I was doing certain moves wrongly. But it was really because I had no strength in my arms to do it correctly. He was a bit fierce so I did not dare to go back to his class again. Maybe, just maybe, if I try it again now, I can do it better!
CIRCUIT
This circuit workout consists of a series of exercises which we do for as many times as possible in a stated amount of time. This includes squats, lifting of barbells, burpees, push ups, planking and etc. I have never done so much strength training in my life, and I had MAJOR MUSCLE ACHE after that. Even the process of sitting down or standing up hurts so badly. I said that I was not going to go for that class ever again! But then it became my regular class!!
CYCLE
Spinning class on a stationary bicycle looks easy, but your legs will give way after one session. According to the instructor's plan, you go as quickly as possible for one minute and the next moment you start the "mountain climbing". The resistance gear will be adjusted accordingly throughout the class. My first class was easy because I was not aware of the gear adjustment. At gear 0, the cycle was a breeze. Subsequently, my legs went wobbly and my glutes ached. I wanted to train my legs to be stronger and eventually I got better at it.
BODYPUMP
Bodypump is a workout which utilizes the barbell. I was doing a planned series of squats, lunges, chest presses and etc with energetic background music. Weights were slowly increased on each side of the barbell but there was a limit to the weight I could take. I was doing my lunges wrongly at first and felt so unbalanced when doing so.
These are the various classes I tried out. I decided on three regular 7am morning classes, each lasting 45 minutes per session. Circuit, Cycle and Bodypump classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday respectively. Coupled with preparing lunch, I wake up at about 5am on those three days. Generally, I will be energized for the whole day, but will be really sleepy by 10pm at night. The first few times were demanding but it got better with regular sessions. I preferred morning classes to evening classes so that I can beat the crowd and space constraint. There was also not much "losing out" on after-work time.
On Sundays, I go for runs. At first, the target was 3km. With consistent workout session through the classes, my stamina improved and then I could reach 4km. I use the trusty Runkeeper app to keep track of my running progress.
Apr - May
I got over the feeling of constant hunger and my appetite shrunk to a more normal one. I look forward to my weekend meals but made sure I eat only enough. Workouts were consistent although my colleague decided to stop going for classes. Only YOU can ultimately motivate yourself! My cruise trip was my one of my pushing factors.
Slowly but surely ~
In April, two of my co-workers commented that I slimmed down. That was when I realized the change in my face! It was no longer so round. Small little changes were starting to show on my body as well. The stomach abs may not be visible but I could feel it. A little more toned here and there you know. The said office pants were doing better on my waist, but there was still room for improvement. The tiny changes made me more motivated to continue. 💪
Body Composition Analysis ~
I did another analysis test on 7 April 2016 and I would say that there was a teeny weeny bit of disappointment. I felt like I made a lot of changes but the results were not showing as much. Now that I looked at it, that was 2kg of fat mass down! And I dropped by 10 in visceral fat area. Not sure where my muscles went though >.<.
I went for my cruise trip in the middle of May with confidence that all my photos would look great now! While I was not as active working out, there were fun things like the flow rider, rock climbing and ice skating that kept me moving. Although I definitely ate more on board, it was easy to make better food choices at the buffet. At the main dining room, the mains were generally protein centered as well. We did not get any drink package, so I mainly had coffee or tea, and water.
Anyway, my second goal was attained. Proud of myself!
Jun - Aug
Food ~
It was hard to get back to bringing lunch to work because it got tiring after some time, especially with that break. Eventually, I had to stop in July due to stomach discomfort. Wind problems and acid reflux issues came into play. Frankly speaking, my lunch diet was lazy and cold. I once had a whole steamed cauliflower for lunch, and it was just that. My stomach had suffered.
I started to eat from Wheat. They offer a healthier combination of protein + carbs + salad. They also have a membership system that time which I fully utilized. However, healthy food is generally more expensive outside, with my meals costing between $8-$12. I felt happier with better food 😆.
Exercise ~
When your workout level pauses or drops, your stamina will go down. So, those morning classes became difficult once more. The aching feeling as I did my first cycling class after I was back, was a killer. Those legs almost gave way as I exited the class. But since the foundation is still there, it was not as difficult to start over again.
Funny how I sprained my thumb just by picking myself up from the ground. It was after a workout and my hand gave way because I had no strength left lol.
I ran my first 5km on 6 July!
Body Composition Analysis ~
Excited to see the improvements!
It was all good until the heels of my feet were starting to hurt. In August, that was when I realized I have high arched feet after a foot analysis. I always knew my balance is bad and I thought it was purely due to the small size of my feet. With this knowledge, I knew I should not push myself on increasing the weights in bodypump classes. The pressure on my heels was too much to handle. And I was not even using a lot of weights compared to the other pro members of the club.
At the same time, I love how the foam roller at the gym helped to sooth my aching muscles. Hence, I bought a short one from Qoo10 for usage at home. It works great.
Some obvious changes in my arms and thighs. Definitely lost some fats here compared to the initial stage. I can safely say I attained my first short-term goal at about this time!
Toilet upgrade ~
On 20 August, my unit started undergoing the toilet upgrading program. That period of time was just physically tiring due to the lack of sufficient rest. After a restless night, I thought that a cycle class might help but I could feel my heart racing in a weird way. A tired body cannot take intense exertion. So I took a break....
Sep - Dec
And I never got back my motivation to go for early morning classes anymore.
But that's okay. The same goal remains.
A change of route ~
It was when I found the Nike + Training Club app, and everything is free! There is a good variety of workouts with different intensity and time duration. The good thing is that it has a video guide to show you how to do the moves correctly. I started off on 28 Sep with a 21 workout plan that was created for me. Every alternate day, I would complete one workout. The in-between days were the recovery days set for me. If I could not make it on certain days, I would still ensure I finished it on the next day. Those 45 minutes workouts were arduous at the start. There were a number of moves I could not do so I did the alternative.
When I finally completed the whole course on 8 Nov, I was really fitter than before I started! I never was able to do a single normal push up, but now I can at least do wide arm regular push ups! I will master a full push up one day. I could not hold my reverse crunch for even a while at first, but now I can. I was struggling with side plank knee dives but now I'm a pro! Nah just kidding.
From there, I continued using this app based on choice of workout, rather than following another plan. The stress level is there when you feel compelled to do according to plan. Sometimes, I use the Sworkit app for a series of exercises in a selected amount of time. You would not know the next move and that is fun!
Body Composition Analysis ~
This is the final body composition analysis that I took. Comparing it to the first test, 5kg of fat mass was lost and the internal fat area became smaller. There are other measurements as well, and they all got better! I am delighted that my efforts paid off. 💓
Food wise, I got tired of eating Wheat and started eating fish soup kuey from Shenton House. Super love the soup with lots of coriander. They give a reasonable amount of spinach as well. This may not be the best diet but it is quite balanced.
The running goal ~
Been talking about joining a 10km run with my friend, Magdalene, and I finally registered for Osim Sundown 2017 on 21 Dec. I put consistent effort in running but once you take a break from running, you start over again. When I was training, 10km just seems so far away from me. Since I never ran a 10km before, I had doubts about my performance during the actual run.
20 Mar 16 - First 4km completed
06 Jul 16 - First 5km completed
20 Nov 16 - First 6km completed
27 Nov 16 - First 7km completed
10 Mar 17 - First 8km completed
YEAR 2017!
January in Japan
I was sick before my Japan trip, so my priority was to recuperate. Then, I was in Japan for 2 weeks. It was very cold so my body probably burned calories just to keep me warm! I burned calories from screaming at Disney theme parks as well. I ate like a tourist because the food is just so yummilicious. I came back with a swollen achilles tendon. So here's a month of not exercising at all! My first concern was the upcoming run.
Feb - Mar
I was back on track at the beginning of Feb and it was definitely taxing at first. These bodyweight workouts helped me so much in attaining better stamina for running. I found the 8fit app, which features different types of workout from circuit to tabata. Some may be short but you sweat buckets after one session. Sometimes, I look up Youtube for workout videos.
Taking notes ~
Here, I started a new exercise book to write down all the exercises completed. It really helps when you keep track of your physical activities. There is evidence to motivate yourself further. There is that little bit of guilt when the pages are empty as well. That guilt is not an obsession, but just a reminder that I never want to go back to where I started.
Taking a photo after a workout works as well. Do not lose track of your direction.
Sundown ~
Nearing the actual run, I trained more but I still could not complete the 10! I was looking forward to the run and yet felt a little scared as well. My dad joined the run under his company, so we ended up running our first race together (because I could not find Mag at the starting point).
On that very day, I was so anxious and so excited for it. I did not have much appetite and I spent my day listening to motivating songs! It's my life. It's now or never. AND I DID IT. No stopping. Really, there wasn't much space for me to stop either. At 7km, I wished I could stop. At 8km, I felt like the end point was still miles away. My legs were really tired. At 9km, I had to grit my teeth and move. I have come too far to stop now.
I was so proud when we crossed the finishing line together! I did something I never knew I could do in the past.
💦💦💦
I work out about 3 to 4 times per week now and I hope to continue this lifestyle. It has been a year and I have achieved so much in terms of my physical well being. I hope the lower back pain is gone for good and the neck ache during a run never comes back. My stamina for exercise is way better and I can do some things I could not do last time. What I learned here is that when you keep practicing and do a certain move, eventually you will master it. Consistency is key! There is a lot of determination and effort put in because I know that this is important to me.
I will always remember WHY I started in the first place.
On appearance, I don't look much different. I am still the chubby me, with quite a lot of fats to keep myself warm. The abs generally stay hidden and protected by my fats. In the first place, I was not aiming to achieve a lean bikini body or to be a body builder. I just wanted to move towards a more active and healthier lifestyle, and this lifestyle has to be sustainable for me. Although there were several breaks in between, that did not stop me from continuing. I do not eat that strictly, hence the progress would be slower. But I will still maintain all these, and every day is another day of improvement, no matter how small.
Note that my motivation does not come from weight loss. Weight is really just a number that fluctuates at different time of the day (currently between 58.5kg to 60kg). I prefer to look at my reflection rather than the number on the weighing scale. 👸
I gained confidence in my body as well. At first, the focus on physical appearance was stronger. But gradually, I realized that as long as I put in consistent effort, I already feel good about myself. I am a disciplined woman who puts in hard work so I will not allow anyone's judgment get to me.
I made the decision to change, and I will continue to hold on to it.
To all who are trying to shed some weight, focus on the long-term goal of maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Keep moving, keep trying and you will see results through your perseverance!
YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE.
I was sick before my Japan trip, so my priority was to recuperate. Then, I was in Japan for 2 weeks. It was very cold so my body probably burned calories just to keep me warm! I burned calories from screaming at Disney theme parks as well. I ate like a tourist because the food is just so yummilicious. I came back with a swollen achilles tendon. So here's a month of not exercising at all! My first concern was the upcoming run.
Feb - Mar
I was back on track at the beginning of Feb and it was definitely taxing at first. These bodyweight workouts helped me so much in attaining better stamina for running. I found the 8fit app, which features different types of workout from circuit to tabata. Some may be short but you sweat buckets after one session. Sometimes, I look up Youtube for workout videos.
Taking notes ~
Here, I started a new exercise book to write down all the exercises completed. It really helps when you keep track of your physical activities. There is evidence to motivate yourself further. There is that little bit of guilt when the pages are empty as well. That guilt is not an obsession, but just a reminder that I never want to go back to where I started.
Taking a photo after a workout works as well. Do not lose track of your direction.
Sundown ~
Nearing the actual run, I trained more but I still could not complete the 10! I was looking forward to the run and yet felt a little scared as well. My dad joined the run under his company, so we ended up running our first race together (because I could not find Mag at the starting point).
On that very day, I was so anxious and so excited for it. I did not have much appetite and I spent my day listening to motivating songs! It's my life. It's now or never. AND I DID IT. No stopping. Really, there wasn't much space for me to stop either. At 7km, I wished I could stop. At 8km, I felt like the end point was still miles away. My legs were really tired. At 9km, I had to grit my teeth and move. I have come too far to stop now.
I was so proud when we crossed the finishing line together! I did something I never knew I could do in the past.
💦💦💦
I work out about 3 to 4 times per week now and I hope to continue this lifestyle. It has been a year and I have achieved so much in terms of my physical well being. I hope the lower back pain is gone for good and the neck ache during a run never comes back. My stamina for exercise is way better and I can do some things I could not do last time. What I learned here is that when you keep practicing and do a certain move, eventually you will master it. Consistency is key! There is a lot of determination and effort put in because I know that this is important to me.
I will always remember WHY I started in the first place.
On appearance, I don't look much different. I am still the chubby me, with quite a lot of fats to keep myself warm. The abs generally stay hidden and protected by my fats. In the first place, I was not aiming to achieve a lean bikini body or to be a body builder. I just wanted to move towards a more active and healthier lifestyle, and this lifestyle has to be sustainable for me. Although there were several breaks in between, that did not stop me from continuing. I do not eat that strictly, hence the progress would be slower. But I will still maintain all these, and every day is another day of improvement, no matter how small.
"If you get tired,
learn to rest,
not to quit."
Note that my motivation does not come from weight loss. Weight is really just a number that fluctuates at different time of the day (currently between 58.5kg to 60kg). I prefer to look at my reflection rather than the number on the weighing scale. 👸
I gained confidence in my body as well. At first, the focus on physical appearance was stronger. But gradually, I realized that as long as I put in consistent effort, I already feel good about myself. I am a disciplined woman who puts in hard work so I will not allow anyone's judgment get to me.
 |
| Some not bad results |
 | |
| But oh hi tummy, you are still here! |
I made the decision to change, and I will continue to hold on to it.
To all who are trying to shed some weight, focus on the long-term goal of maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Keep moving, keep trying and you will see results through your perseverance!
YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE.
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