Why weight?

Growing up I took part in numerous activities including ballet, gymnastics, and swimming. I was pretty active all through to high school and managed to stay in a healthy weight range for my age and height. Then in university when most people usually gained the "freshman 15", I did the exact opposite. I lost a huge amount of weight in a rapid amount of time. So much so that my own mother didn't recognise me when she picked me up at the airport when I went home for Christmas holiday! At my lightest, I was down to 118 pounds at 5'7" -- that's a BMI of 18.5, which according to the charts is borderline "underweight". I can't remember how or why I'd lost that much weight so fast but I do remember being sick of the unhealthy, greasy canteen food at the dorms so I began eating less but still went to the gym for 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Sure, I was skinny but I wasn't strong skinny because I made up the caloric deficit in alcohol and pizza on the weekends!

  

Circa 2004-2007

After graduating and moving on to the working world, it became easy to slip into a sedentary lifestyle. With my job and commuting taking up most of my day and weekends spent partying and nursing a hangover, there wasn't much time to join an activity or a sport. But heck, YOLO! I had fun all those years! However, as I entered my 30s I felt like I was burning out. So here I am in my 31st year and in the next stage of my life where I've decided to make a conscious effort in treating my body better and, thus, feeling better overall!

What I Do
I work out 5-6 days a week for at least 30 minutes a day. I do a combination of running/jogging, swimming, and strengthening exercises. I usually run using my C25K app 2-3 times a week for my 5K training, resulting in approximately 6-10km a week. Once or twice a week I swim at least a mile (I'd like to swim for longer but the pool opens at 8am and I have to be at work by 10:30am). The rest of the time, I focus on strengthening workouts such as core exercises. I like to change it up so not every week is the same. This way my body doesn't get used to the repetition and it saves me from getting bored. I listen to my body and do what it feels like that day.

I usually work out in the morning -- this gets it out of the way and if anything pops up after work, then that's me done for the day! It's tough getting up early but I know that I'll feel better once I've exercised and I find that I'm in a much better mood the rest of the day too. There are days though when I can't find it in myself to wake up early so I make it a point to work out when I get home in the evening. Sometimes, when I have energy to spare, I'll even workout twice a day.

I've become more aware of what I put in my body. At the moment I am counting calories (with MyFitnessPal) and simultaneously consciously making an effort in choosing healthier meal options. I like having porridge with fruit for breakfast, a salad with protein for lunch, and maybe a sandwich or soup for dinner. I also like to squeeze in a filling snack in the middle of the day so I'm not starving by dinnertime. I try to drink at least 2L of water a day; it's important to stay hydrated especially after a workout and living in the tropics (30C average daily weather!).

What I Don't Do
I don't follow a strict schedule nor an eating plan. I'm sure if I did, I'd probably lose more weight quicker. So far I'm happy with the results so I'll stick to what I'm doing for now.

Although I've read that weight training helps burn fat and is good for strengthening muscles that I need for running/swimming, I have not yet touched any weights. I've done it before but once I stopped, I gained a lot of weight very quickly as compared to when I just focused on cardio. So, I think I'll stick to cardio for now and maybe add weights later on.

When it comes to food, I listen to my body. Not every day is the same, even if I try to eat as healthy as possible. I do get cravings and if I can't take my mind off that chocolate chip cookie, I'll indulge in one instead of three. I'm scared that I'll end up bingeing if I don't give in to that tiny craving! I try to stay away from fried, oily, and fatty foods and have not had McDonald's in two months (this is an achievement for me!). I love pasta too and it's something I cannot give up, but I've put a limit on my carb intake. I've also cut out sugary drinks like Coca-Cola, Nestea, etc., and alcohol has been brought down to a minimum. I'll go weeks without a drop of alcohol and since I've been off it for a while, I've become a cheap drunk! ;)

It's been 7 weeks since I began this new journey of a more active and healthier lifestyle. I feel better about myself and my body, I'm happier and less moody, I'm more alert, my skin is clearer, I feel strong, and best of all I'm gaining my confidence back. To top it off, I've lost 6 pounds too. Here's to more positive results in the upcoming weeks!

My little helpers

We all know how tough it is to start something new. We are, after all, creatures of habit so it takes a while until we get used to new ways of doing things. As expected, it was tough in the beginning of this lifestyle change. It's been over a month now and although it is getting easier to adapt, there are still moments when I have to push myself. It's so easy to just fall back into the old ways because, as they say, old habits die hard! I'm pretty sure it will take at least a full year of consistently being aware of what I put into my body and staying active to really get INTO this new way of life. I'm also sure that there will be moments in between where I'll stumble but nothing else to do but get back up and keep going. Only time will tell! :)

I wanted to share with you some things that helped me get started and continue to help me everyday on this journey. We are so lucky today with technology that allows us to easily and conveniently track our activities and food intake and access workouts and training plans with a simple swipe or touch of a button. Here are the apps/gadgets that I use on a daily basis:

MyFitnessPal by Under Armour
MFP is an app that helps you record your daily meals, water intake, and exercise. In your profile, you can include your weight, nutrition, and fitness goals. When you've completed your entries for the day, it'll even tell you how much weight you'll either lose or gain if you continued the way you did that day. You can also connect with friends who are using the app and follow each others' progress.

Photo from MyFitnessPal.com

I started using this app a few years ago when I was going through one of my gym/workout phases and re-started my account early this year. I find it very useful in letting me be more aware of not only how much I eat, but what exactly I put into my body. It also helps me stop from boredom eating (when you want to eat just for the sake of it and not because you're hungry) because I know I'm going to have to put it in the app and see what junk or unnecessary calories I'm taking in.

Speedo Fit
This app logs your swims and also lets you search for pools near you. It's also a social app that allows you to connect with people to compare and compete with friends. The app also features How-To videos to improve your swimming technique and even virtual swim challenges.

Photo from Speedo.com

Since starting swimming again this year, I downloaded the app to help track my swims. Not only does it let your record the distance you've swum in a certain pool, but it also breaks down the distance in how many laps of which stroke or drill you did. It also calculates the calories burned based on distance and time according to your personal profile.

Sworkit
"No gym. No excuse." That's Sworkit's tagline. This app allows you to customise and play personalised video workouts. You can choose from strength, cardio, yoga, or stretching videos and any time from 5 minutes to an hour.

Photo from sworkit.com

I first downloaded this because I was leaving for Paris for 2 weeks and wouldn't have access to a gym. So I researched and found Sworkit to be the most user-friendly app that would help me with simple and quick workouts in the convenience of my hotel room.

C25K
This is a training programme to help you get your butt off the couch and training for a 5K. The app trains you for 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week, for 8 weeks. The audio coach tells you when to warm up, walk, run, and cool down so you don't need to keep the screen in front of you so it's easy to use whether you're on a treadmill or running outdoors.

Photo from c25kfree.com

One of my goals this year is to RUN a 5K but didn't know where to start. My ultramarathon runner boyfriend told me to Google training programmes for beginners and the C25K website popped up. The workouts looked feasible and non-threatening and I was delighted to see that they had an app for it, which made it even better! I've just finished week 3 but by week 2 I could already feel the improvement by being able to run for longer and even a faster pace. It's not easy but I feel like I'm definitely getting somewhere. Now to set a date for my first 5K!

Garmin Vivoactive
This ultra-thin GPS smartwatch has built-in sports apps including GPS-enabled running, biking, golfing, swimming, and daily activity tracking. It pairs with your smartphone through the Garmin Connect app and displays alerts and notifications even when you are away from your phone. The battery charge lasts up to 3 weeks in watch/activity tracking mode and up to 10 hours using GPS.

Photo from Garmin.com

I have an old Suunto heart monitor/watch and when Ross bought his Suunto Ambit GPS sports watch and saw all the cool things it could do, I wanted a watch that could the same but could also track my swims. The lovely BF helped me research on the best watches and I finally decided on the Garmin Vivoactive. I'm so in love with it and slightly obsessed with it! The GPS tracking is awesome for when you go on your outdoor runs and it also records your daily steps and vibrates to remind you to move when you've been inactive for a certain period of time. It also tracks your sleep - the depth and your movement - which I think is one of the coolest features so far. I haven't taken it swimming yet because I haven't hit the pool since before Paris so I'm excited to test it out in the next few days.


So these are just a few things that are helping me achieve my weight loss goals and journey to a healthier, cleaner lifestyle. It's so easy to depend on these apps though that you also have to remind yourself that at the end of the day, it's up to you to make the change. It is a good help though especially to get started. Once you get the hang of it, you start getting to know your body more and become more knowledgeable in what you eat and how to stay active. Probably the biggest thing that's helping me so far though is having family and friends who are supporting and encouraging this new lifestyle. Special thanks to Ross for inspiring me every day, believing in me, and kicking my butt if I start to get lazy! ;-)

If you're looking for apps/gadgets to help you get started, I highly recommend the ones I've talked about above. However, do your research and test out other apps/gadgets because not everything works the same for different people. What's important is to listen to your body because it will tell you what it needs! :-)