Becoming Smarter At Losing Weight

I registered 68 kilos on the scale for 2 days in a row – so I’m claiming that as true. That’s 4 kilos down from when I started at 72 kilos last November.

Yay! 😀

I don’t really have a problem with my weight since I’m 5’8″ tall and with an athletic frame – but I’ve always wanted to be slimmer. I figured now was the perfect time, while being a SAHM, to really focus on it.

Here are 3 basics that are really working for me this time:

1. Not relying on exercise to lose weight.

Exercise is the fountain of youth. In terms of aesthetics, it’s what makes our bodies look bikini-hot as opposed to flabby-thin. But in order to lose weight, it’s still hands-down what and how much we eat that truly tips the scales. (I wish I realized this a year ago).

Getting clear on this saves me from being complacent about my eating habits and deluding myself into thinking I can always “burn it off with a workout later”.

2. Finding out my REAL “why”.

Okay so here’s a confession: I’m a bit vain 🙄 And it was only last November when I accidentally stumbled upon my REAL why. I was playing some sort of fashion game on my phone when it hit me: I wanted to be slimmer because for me that would make it more fun to dress up. Apparently, all the health benefits I could recite at the bat of an eyelash weren’t the real motivators. It was the pleasure of having fun dressing up. Eureka!

Totally superficial, I agree but hey, it continues to light my fire. I’ve been able to stick to my eating plan and having more fun exercising since I embraced this [superficial] truth 😀

3. Focusing on sustainable behavior changes – not on quick fixes.

In my experience diets only work while you’re “on”them. The radical changes that diets require are often not sustainable long term and only teaches dependency.

I’d rather expend my time and efforts on making lasting behavior changes. Small but consistent steps like, only drinking water (and my morning cuppa!) will add up over time.

A lot of my friends right now are taking this weight-loss tea … but I honestly don’t see any weight coming off. (And they’re waking up at 3AM and have no idea why). Worse, they continue to eat as before thinking the weight-loss tea will do all the work! I don’t think it’s smart to be dependent on a diet “crutch” to loose weight safely and for the long haul.

this image found here

I was happy to observe that I did not gain weight over the holidays with this new approach. I also do not feel unhappy or constrained. My workouts have become more fun because the objective and expectation to lose weight through activity is no longer there. I’m making it my goal to land at an ideal weight and physique comfortably and safely – and for good.

Share Your World 2015 Week 47

In your native language which letter or character describes you best?  Why?

Hmmm … I’d probably be a question mark followed by an exclamation point 🙄 Why? I’ve been called flamboyant, a bit difficult to please (hello! type A perfectionist!) eccentric, a watered down version of Simon Cowell, colorful, funny and with infectious enthusiasm. I think of myself as complicated, moody but also cheerful and fun-loving.

So yeah, definitely a question mark followed by an exclamation point 🙂

What is your greatest extravagance?

It used to be books and perfume but now that I’m a SAHM I think it’s yarn and fitness wear/home exercise equipment. Then again, being in Indonesia is only temporary, so I suspect that when we move again to perhaps a more permanent place I’m going to develop other extravagances. (Likely!) 😀

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?

I exercised both with gusto in my previous life but nowadays I’m leaning more towards physical exercise.

I prefer to exercise at home since it’s more time and cost efficient. I love to do strength and flexibility exercises. I’ve also recently discovered dance fitness (on YouTube) and I’m having the time of my life! XD On this note, I generally exercise 5 times a week, Mondays through Fridays.

List at least 5 things that make you laugh.

1. Anything comedy – movies, videos, shows, books, comics, and jokes (those that I like!)
2. Hearing my daughter’s laugh as we tickle fight before sleep
3. Coming up with funny voices and silly stories for my daughter’s plushies
4. Singing certain songs in a silly way when home alone – a good example would be Salve Regina from the movie Sister Act
5. Myself XD

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week ~

I’m always grateful and happy whenever I get new followers, and I got several more last week. (Warm welcome, beautiful people!) I feel so stoked each time somebody grants me entry to their reader.  THANK YOU! ❤

~ and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’ve discovered a 10 day flexibility challenge on YouTube that I’m quite excited to incorporate in my workout routine starting this week 🙂 A good stretch is just, priceless!

~oOo~

Written for Share Your World by Cee Neuner.

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Monster Appetite and Lethargy: The Downsides of Exercising?

Happy Monday peeps! I hope everyone’s off to a strong and positive start 🙂

Now let’s see … where do I start giving updates on my ‘motivated to move’ initiative for September? It’s difficult to think when you’re feeling lethargic

Quick Progress Report:

The combination of exercise type variety and group class obligation has served me well the past week. I’ve been able to stick to my goal of doing two exercise types on most days by being mindful of combining high impact with medium to low impact workouts.

Pitfalls:

1. Exercising in the mornings makes me feel lethargic throughout the rest of the day.I don’t know if my body will adjust in due time, but for now, I need my coffee and noontime siesta. Badly!
2. Meal schedule has been thrown out of whack. Because of my group fitness classes, I now eat brunch and then a heavy snack mid-afternoon. And if I’m not careful, a very late dinner too!
3. My appetite has definitely increased. I half-expected this to happen though, what with the sudden increase in activity
4. I munch the whole time. I alternate between craving sweets to salty food. I think this has much to do with the lethargy I feel the rest of the day.
5. There’s much less time for crochet 😥

So what’s the plan?

Moving for fitness is all well and good but if I am not mindful of what and how I eat, I am basically just shooting myself in the foot.

I am therefore going to focus on 2 things diet related this week:

❗ Prepare enough food the evenings prior so I can eat better (albeit warmed up food) the following day.

Leaving for the gym at 7:30 AM does not leave me enough time to prepare my own food. As well, I am usually too tired and hungry after a workout to even think of cooking. The result is that I reach for readily available junk food – refined carbs and heavily creamed/sugared coffee mostly – to fill my tank. This has to STOP! because it is only temporary relief from hunger and does not do me any favors, energy and weight -wise.

❗ 14 hours intermittent fasting.

This means no food after 6pm, and no food before 8am. This is just really disciplining myself to eat dinner earlier to facilitate better sleep, and so I can train my stomach to crave breakfast at around the same time each day.

 
And now comes the hard part – consistent application. Wish me luck you guys! 🙂

Motivated To Move!

An amazing Monday to you beautiful people! 😀

Mondays are my time to review goals that are usually fitness related, and this time around I’m happy to sum everything up with the words “motivated to move“.

The catalyst is undoubtedly the group fitness classes I’ve been attending since last week.  They are fun and energizing both physically and mentally 🙂 Being in the company of people has also somehow given me back my exercise mojo – which I had lost since my daughter started school back in July.

So why motivated to move?

1. Group fitness classes. Initially I only intended to attend twice a week, but I have now increased that to thrice a week 🙂
2. Strength training with my all time favorite, Fitness Blender.  I bought myself another Fitness Blender workout program to take care of the strength training part of my fitness routine.
3. I’ve also joined this at home 14-day power yoga challenge to help me gain more flexibility for my in-studio yoga classes.
4. On rest days, I am going to walk/jog at the oval, while listening to Indonesian language classes on my iPod.
5. On some days, go swimming with my daughter.

The general plan is to do a combination of 2 exercises on most days to -hopefully- see results in the shortest amount of time.  I’ve learned that there’s no better way to motivate yourself than to see immediate results.  So I’m starting strong and deliberate with variety and fun in mind 😉

So that’s what’s up with me fitness wise for the month of September.  How about you?  How are you getting your fitness on? 🙂

Woo-hoo! The First of The “~ber” Months Has Arrived

Back home we always believed that once the first of the “~ber” months comes a’ knocking, December will be upon us in a blink.

Well, I hope not 🙂 I love to savor.  How about you?

So it’s that time of the month to do a review of previous month’s goals and here’s where I’m at:

1.  30 day plank challenge

Being a housewife/stay at home mom/ lady of leisure is no excuse BUT, I have become sedentary

I took on the 30-day plank challenge as a last ditch effort to keep my abs in check because, here’s something you don’t know about me: I don’t care so much about the rest of my body, but having belly rolls is something my vanity just cannot allow 🙄

So I am somewhere around day 17-18 already where I need to hold my plank for 90 secs. The 1st 60 is okay, anything past that and I begin to shake 😀 But I’m getting there.

source

2. get a solid yoga foundation

I came as far as enrolling in a professionally designed online yoga class.  But then a nasty skin allergy on my foot derailed me.  I took it as the Universe telling me this wasn’t the way to go.  So this goal is on hold for now.

3. 6 new meals project

What 6 new meals project?! (LOL!) XD

4. finish the granny square blanket

It’s coming along nicely and should be done next week, the latest 🙂

5. indoor plants

Britney and Jeanette seem to be doing okay.  But Eleanor (the tiny pink one) has shed leaves in the mean time. She still looks okay though, she still has 2 big leaves and 2 baby ones and doesn’t look dry or wilting. We’ll see in the next couple of days.

I like having plants around the house 🙂 I’m thinking of adding more, but I really want the flowering kind.  As you can see, my environment could use some color.

And yes, I already thought of making a doily for that table 😉

6. Finish a MOOC

Good Lord, I used to not have any problems sitting still and wolfing down information.  I used to be in Marketing for heavens sake! But now, I just can’t do it 😮

The course I’m taking is called Parenting In The Digital Age offered by Canvas Network.  It’s a very relevant course, and no doubt very well coordinated.  But I just can’t sit still to read! 😮 I get restless and I can’t even do 30 minutes without finding some excuse to stand up.

Moving on ~~~

New entrants

We have discovered a nice clubhouse with a gym and a swimming pool.  My daughter is now taking swimming lessons there and my husband got busy buffing himself. While accompanying my daughter I also met a nice lady who very enthusiastically invited me to join their Zumba class.  They also do yoga once a week.  Score! 😀

So I bought new swim wear and a skipping rope.  And because the 30 day plank challenge is proving to be really doable, I’m taking this on as well.

I will not go down the sedentary hole without a fight! 😛

And now it’s your turn!

What are you bringing into your life in sexy September? 🙂 ❤

Mondays Are For Recommitting to Fitness & Vanities 😗

I am convinced that no matter how challenging things may get, there’s never an excuse good enough to not take care of yourself. For me, this is usually in the form of exercise and proper grooming, or what I fondly term ‘vanities’.

Admittedly I have allowed my fitness to fall by the wayside ever since arriving in Indonesia. Diet has especially taken a big hit, so as sleep and exercise. Nevertheless, whenever Monday comes around it always reminds me not to let myself go just because.

The last time I talked about exercise was when I found solace in a huge oval for runners/walkers. I had vowed to make good use of that oval, even buying myself some fancy neon colored Nikes for added fun. However, a consistent schedule has been difficult to lay down. There’s the irregular rains as well as my new responsibilities as a homemaker.

So what’s a domestic diva to do? Yep, purchase a structured exercise program by trusted fitness experts to do indoors at any time of the day 🙂

I’ve slid so much down the fitness ladder ever since my last program that I needed to start with something basic. I also do not have dumbbells yet. So I chose the 4-week Fitness Blender Reach program for flexibility and toning. The combination of pilates, yoga and stretching is perfect to serve as a warm up to a more strenuous program eventually. (I’m already excited about their 4-week bodyweight only program!).

source

The beginning is always the most difficult, it’s easy to postpone or skip an exercise, making sore muscles and/or a loose schedule an excuse. But therein lies the danger as we all know. I started the previous Monday and am happy to report that – with the help of my daughter whom I’ve designated as my coach – I haven’t missed a single day of the program yet 🙂 We’ve also started to add a 5-10 min Zumba routine for some cardio.

On the vanities side, I bought myself a new toy. Ta-daaaah!

I’ve never been particular about curling & straightening before but I figured there’s always space for something new in your life so, might as well 🙂 And it’s purple ❤ ❤ ❤

How about you, how are you taking care of yourself lately?

Hula the Hoop!

This month I’m trying on a fun twist to my fitness routine:  hula-hooping 🙂 According to this site hooping is not just a fun way to relieve stress, it also improves your balance and posture, increases coordination and improves flexibility.  But wait!  There’s more!  Hula-hooping also relieves back pain, tones your arms, waist, thighs and … dan,dan, daaaaaan – your derriere.

Oh my, please count me in! 🙂

I like that it’s an exercise that doesn’t require much space, is inexpensive and is something you can do while watching TV. (There are actually a lot of exercises that you can do while watching TV, but hooping is probably the most fun!)

Let’s see, right now I can only do 2-3 full rotations before the hoop is down by my feet! 😀 But this nice tutorial should help me along just fine.

Are there any of you out there who know how to hula-hoop?  How long did it take for you to become decent at it?