I don't know about you but my world is far from perfect.
So although there's a lot of stuff floating around on the internet (including what I write) and many well-meaning people who stuff THEIR experience and knowledge down your throat, be sure to discern if something works for your body, your health, your life. I don't stuff stuff down your throat, do I? I'm just sharing what I am going through; struggling to get off my butt to get healthier. I must admit, I do get inspiration from watching before and after weightloss videos and reading about how they overcame their obstacles. I also read alot about the different schools of thought when it comes to different diets.
In my opinion, know first what you want.
I know I want to bring my Blood Pressure down.
I know I want to make an effort to stop eating sugary and salty foods.
I know I WANT to be as thin as I was when I got married. Haha. YES!
Our old and trusty personal Blood Pressure equipment
(not sponsored by the brand in any way to post this)
Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015
Actually, I did lose all my pregnancy weight after my second child. I did become thin again. Breastfeeding helped speed up the process. But we all know that mothers are never the same ever again after giving birth. Then I just put on 1 KG a year. That's all it took. 1 KG a year. Sounds ok until you add up the years, until you add in hormones gone amok.
My son asked me how we came to be where we are now (we meaning overweight hubs and overweight me). Good question. How did I reach this state? I think the answer lies in being very tired with your busy work and personal life as a whole. Then you just get so caught up with all your duties that you forget to take care of your body. You're trying to be a wife, a mom, a child, an employee, a friend. Everything. You know what I mean. I was talking about you but referring to me. But of course.
Suddenly, my kids have grown and I have a bit of time for Me, Myself and I.
Suddenly, I saw myself and didn't like what I saw.
Suddenly, I want to make a change.
So here I am.
Happy days are here again!
So anyway. I'm eating a lot more fruits:
Bananas, Grapes and Mangoes
Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015
Them dang mangoes looked so nice but they weren't ripe. I ate one last week and it looked the same and it was so sweet. Sheesh. I was misled by the reddish skin (which you cannot tell from the picture) that it was ready to be eaten.
I've incorporated rebounding into my weekly exercise routine and my dog (and my husband) doesn't seem to fancy it much because of the creaking springs!
My (old) dog, staring at my rebounder
Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015
My dog acted really weird yesterday. I know the creaking of the springs when I am rebounding annoys her. Some days, once she realises I'm going to be rebounding, she'll walk to the room door and ask to be let out. How does my dog do that? She scratches or bangs the door with her paw. That's how. Some days, the choice of rooms OUTSIDE of mine may be less desirable (kids' music annoying her) so she prefers to just stay put on the floor mat outside our ensuite bathroom and sleep while I rebound. I guess my oldies music annoys her less. Yesterday, though, I had no idea what she wanted of me. She just stood up and stared at the rebounder. I opened the door to let her out but she didn't want to. She just went back to near her mat and stared at the rebounder. So I let her be!
Back to knowing what works for you.
What doesn't work for me at the moment is a gym. I've never liked gyms. Firstly, they are usually air-conditioned and I find exercising in that makes my mouth go dry very fast. Also maybe it is because I feel daunted by the fact that the in-house gym instructor doesn't care two hoots about assisting you unless he or she is also your personal gym instructor (by that I mean you PAY for the time, lah!). It's definitely my insecurity because I've always felt so clueless amidst those people who seem so expert like with the equipment. This is the reason why I have a gym membership which I do not use at all. I won't say I will never go into a gym. I'd probably move on to toning up my muscles once I've accomplished the small goal I have set for myself. Meanwhile, I feel very happy and carefree bouncing on my mini-trampoline (yes, rebounding on my rebounder)! I love it!
I'm not feeling any aches in my thighs today (from THE jog). I intended to go for a run yesterday evening but it was dark by the time I had finished my chores (see what I mean about the not-so-perfect life) and didn't fancy running in the dark beside the bushes. Not scared of humans. Scared of insects or creatures which might decide to fly out of the bushes and attack me!
So anyway, I did 30 minutes on the rebounder and incorporated some HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). Quite a mouthful. You can find out more online but basically, there were pockets of time where I really upped my game and ran on the rebounder with alternating legs (left leg, right leg, left leg, right leg) at a very fast speed and for about 10 secs. Then I would stop, rebound slowly and then take it up again. 10 secs is too short but I am still new at this and I could really feel my heart pumping wildly. Don't wish to die of a heart attack while trying to get fit! So I am still trying to work myself up to 30 secs per period.
Did I mention that I am also carrying small weights while I rebound?
Wrist weights from Daiso
Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015
I bought four wrist weights from Daiso. They cost me SGD2 each and weigh I think 250g each. Although the kids have dumbbells, you can understand why I refuse to carry dumbbells. Most times, I have my hubby lying on the bed near to me and sometimes, I have my tiny dog lying just next to me as I rebound! I can hardly risk letting the dumbbells slip out of my hands and land where it's not welcomed!
These wrist weights have velcro so that you can attach them to your wrist. The first time I rebounded with them, I found it very uncomfortable. They felt nothing like the more professional ones our family used to own (years ago when sporting goods cost an arm and a leg in Singapore). I could not put on 2 at a time (so that it would be 500g per arm) so the next time I rebounded, I just grasped them, 2 at a time in each hand. It has worked well. I can just drop them off or pick them up again during my whole rebounding session. Do they help? Yes! They sure do. For S$2 a piece, it sure has helped strengthen my arms. Now, when I rebound without weights, I can say, it's easy peasy.
Hubs saw me doing jumping jacks for about 10 minutes straight yesterday with the 2 arm weights in each hand. He shook his head and said I really have endurance. I think what I really have, is a huge mirror. LOL. My bathroom door is a reflective mirror so I can see my fats very clearly as I move. It helps me a lot to stay motivated when I can see the improvements to my body and see the parts which still need a tremendous amount of work. So, take note, it helps to be able to see yourself as you work out! I guess that's why gyms always have mirrored walls!
Finally, let me end by saying hubs patted my belly yesterday and said, "Wah, why so small!?" Haha. I told him it is really smaller now and that every morning when I wake up, I stroke my stomach and cannot believe that it is not as bloated as it used to be. Personally, I know it's nearly 'that' time of the month and yet, I only feel a slight twinge of an ache but not the bloat! How's that for progress? Onward, I say! Onward!
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