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! :-)

A new journey

It’s been 3 months since my last blog post and between that and the post before it there was a one-month break. I started this blog without any real direction and even mentioned it in my very first entry but I had topics and ideas that I wanted to write about, which I did and published. Then I started writing things that were quite personal and had second thoughts about clicking the “Publish” button and it got to the point where I was unsatisfied because of the pointless direction I was taking. Then the New Year came and I realised where I want to go with this blog. As 2016 ushered in and I turned 31, I wanted to make a lifestyle change and decided that I want to take you along this journey with me. This tiny space on the World Wide Web will be a place for me to record this major change to become a healthier and happier person, physically and mentally.

Photo from Takbo.ph's Instagram @takboph

Growing up I was never really great at sports, but the one thing I was relatively good at and good enough to be confident in was swimming. I was on my school’s swim team from 6^th grade and joined the varsity team my freshman year of high school. We competed against local schools as well as traveled around the Asia Pacific region to race against other international schools. I have always loved the water and the smell of chlorine brings me comfort. Yes, it’s true! Haha :-) Training and racing was fun all throughout school, but unfortunately I didn’t go on to swim during my years in university. It had been years since I’d stepped into an actual racing pool to do serious laps and I’m proud to say that I finally jumped back in the water a few days before my 31^st birthday. It was not easy but I swam my little heart out and finished 1KM. (Note: I was a long distance swimmer back in the day so a 1KM back then was nothing!) That day I realised how much I missed the water and the solace it gave me. I finally found my “thing”. Ross always talks about the peace he gets when he’s outdoors and running and I often wondered “how can your mind just go blank?” and it did just that as I was doing those laps. Some people do yoga and meditate, others run… but I swim! I love the comfort and peace-of-mind it brings me.

I’m sure many can attest that after leaving school it takes a little more effort to lead an active lifestyle… Unless, of course, you’re a naturally active person. I’ve gone through “health” phases but never managed to keep consistent. I had a lot of fun going out and partying for many years but as time has passed, it’s taking me longer to recover from a hangover and I hate the time I waste moaning in bed about never drinking again when I could have been up and about doing something productive. Plus, in the past year/year-and-a-half I stopped going out as much basically because I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. I also tend to experience phases of depression, which the alcohol didn’t help at all. I like that fresh feeling when you wake up sober and starting the day early so you can tick off a lot of things from your agenda. There’s a feeling of satisfaction waking up and accomplishing so much before the clock strikes 12 (noon!). There’s also the fact that I’m not getting any younger and although I’m not “ashamed” of my age, I want to prolong the ageing process and keep this body as healthy as I possibly can!

Photo from Instagram @thegoodquote

My number 1 cheerleader on this journey!

Three weeks ago I started swimming again and I also started training for a 5K run. Running is something I’ve never been good at but I wanted to add on another challenge for myself. So 2016 is the year I make a change for a happy, healthy me… the year I will RUN a 5K (3.1miles) race… the year I will lose 14kg (31lbs) to get my “bikini body” back ;-) A “31” theme for my 31^st year!

Circa 2006

Thank you and I hope you enjoy this journey to a better life with me! :-)