LIFEBOD

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  • What To Expect When You Lose Weight Quickly

    I really wasn’t going to write a post today, but two things happened yesterday that made me think, well yea I totally should. I made someone who is usually nonchalant jump out of her chair, and bumped into a friend who almost couldn’t recognize me.

    So I better show people often what I look like now because this is how people remember me…


    (I looked like this until Feb of this year)

    And this is what I looked like yesterday morning…

    OKAY! So now you’ve seen the pics, I’m sure you can appreciate why people FREAK OUT when they see me.

    I imagine they freak out because I kinda look like somebody they know, but not really. But their intuition leads them to go in for the dive,

    “Jackie is that you?”

    Me: Hi, good to see you!

    Them: Hi!!! OMG, I almost couldn’t recognize you!!!

    Yes, some people will go BALLISTIC. Sometimes it gets so sensational that I even hear a symphony of loud cheering going on in my eardrums as they raise the pitch and volume of their voices in disbelief!

    It’s always a pleasure of course. After all, I’ve always been a bit cheeky and this is the best practical joke anyone can play ever. I live for this stuff!

    But really, I want to prepare you for what’s to come. When I decided to lose weight, I didn’t foresee this sensationalism happening. I really didn’t think about what other people were going to think, do or say about the personal choice I made.

    I could however do with the aunties backing off about telling me how I’d look better if I lost weight. Which was one of my motivations, because all my life I’ve been hearing my mom and aunties tell me to lose weight. That made me insane!

    They don’t realize the impact it has on a person’s psychological welfare. I just want to live a normal life. One that doesn’t involve the fat-thin convo. (How ironic now I have a blog about it)

    I used to get so annoyed I’d say, “There are only 3 possibilities for the rest of my life. I gain, I lose, or I stay the same. Then I’ll die. So can we move on now?” That’s how much I hated it.

    But if you think that losing weight is going to stop all the Asian aunties bugging you about your weight, you’re so wrong.

    THIS IS ASIA, BABY!

    Everyone is wired to think it’s okay to obsess about weight. It’s not going to stop, I found out.

    The only difference is now it doesn’t make you feel like crap anymore.

    When you lose weight, the aunties get even LOUDER!

    “WOW! How did you do it?!? I want to lose weight too!!!”

    To make matters worse, now even the uncles join in with the cheers, whereas otherwise they’ll avoid being rude by avoiding the subject altogether.

    You’ll be getting it constantly from uncles, aunties, friends, people at stores you frequent. It will be a nonstop onslaught of sensationalism, most of it will be good, but sometimes it’s overwhelming. By the time you hit the 100th person reacting like a giddy schoolgirl, you’ve already told the story 99 times.

    It’s startling just how much it means to them that you’ve broken your own boundaries, giving them hope about how they might overcome theirs.

    But then you’ll also get these really concerning comments like, “OMG you’re not doing it unhealthily are you?”

    Or so far, what has been the most interesting experience is looking at the elation turn into worried looks, when people tell me not to lose any more or too much weight.

    I get it. People don’t think anybody can do it so fast naturally and healthily, and they worry I might have some eating disorder, which I don’t.

    Did you hear that Jackie? They don’t think you’re fat anymore!

    All I can say is, be ready. Be ready to deal with all of that every time you step out of the house. Because it is never going to stop. THIS IS ASIA, BABY!

  • The Week I Conquered One of My Biggest Fears

    To be honest, I haven’t really had a chance to progress very far in my weight loss goal. It’s still hovering around the 68 kg mark, and a big part of that has been because I caught this nasty bug and I have been coughing and coughing and coughing out micro-organisms that aren’t supposed to be a part of my fat-busting anthem.

    More importantly, it was the unfortunate week of the passing of my buddy’s dad, who died from liver cancer.

    I’m not very good at these things. I can’t even watch horror movies at all, let alone deal with any form of confrontation about the inevitability of death.

    It scares me so much it took two good friends to drag me to visit my mother’s grave two years after the funeral — and in dramatic fashion it had to rain like a scene out of a Korean drama while I was crying my eyeballs out.

    If I had it my way, I’d never want to ever visit a funeral parlor, attend a funeral or pass by a cemetery.

    But I couldn’t really escape this one. This was one of my out-of-town buddies, whom I was there for when his mom died. Though all this time had passed, I couldn’t really be MIA for the passing of his remaining parent. Not being there would make me a stinking human being by God’s standards.

    So I planned my first visitation to the funeral parlor with some friends. It had to be at 10pm at night when it’s all dark and I had to drive there alone. Freaked out as I was, I pretended to be okay but I was really shaking like a scaredy cat.

    I survived it because there were lots of people I knew.

    Then by some stroke of luck, I caught that nasty bug and was too sick to do anything for a few days.

    But I couldn’t just be sleeping my cough away, when my friend posted something on Facebook about a final prayer being held at the funeral parlor on the last night. He added that he’d appreciate it if people who are in KK would turn up. That just broke my heart. From past experience, I know the people you want to show up never shows up to these. Usually it’s relatives or a bunch of religious strangers who are there to do what would bring them good karma.

    I’m not trying to proselytize, but I happen to be a practicing Christian and this story is deeply connected to my faith. (Please pardon my repeated references to “God.”)

    I heard God calling me to go, even though that would mean I would be on the verge of a panic attack thinking about zombies and ghosts. Throw in the irritating cough that made my body weak, it was just not going to be a comfortable experience but I went anyway.

    I went because when my grandfather passed away earlier this year, not a single friend showed up at the funeral parlor or funeral. Except for one who dropped in when I wasn’t around, because she happened to be there to visit another person and my grandfather was just next door (God bless her). It really sucked not having people to come remind me that they care, especially since I’m lousy at these things.

    It sucked so bad that, thinking about that time made me drag my ass to the funeral parlor that evening in spite of my crippling fear of dead people.

    I knew nobody social would show up to these and it would mean everything just for my friend to see a familiar face.

    In the midst of the prayers, while I was imagining the collective sorrow that had filled the walls of that room, I started thinking about this blog. LIFEBOD began as a blog about how to care for the living body, but I had never considered about care for the soul.

    What about uncle over there? His body is without life anymore, and that’s going to happen to each and every one of us even if we pretend it won’t happen. So what’s everybody doing and is it important enough that if they died tomorrow, they’d have no regrets?

    I also began thinking about what cancer does to one’s body. My grandmother died of liver cancer too, and I wish I knew then what I know now so that maybe I could have made a difference to her lifespan. What can I do to help people avoid cancer?

    My friend came and sat right next to me during the prayers, concerned about the eulogy he was to deliver that night. We didn’t speak much during the session but I know it meant a lot to him that I was there. There was one moment when I turned to look at him, he had his eyes closed, mumbling to himself in what appears to be a look of fatigue mixed with grief and duty.

    I turned my head back down and said a little blessing for him, thanked God for giving me the courage to be there for my friend.

    I’ve lost a parent and I can tell you, it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever experience in your life. It’s so hard that, I pity the people who still have both their parents, because they don’t know what’s coming for them. You also have instant empathy when you learn that someone has lost a parent because you know how hard it is.

    Your entire world comes crashing down, because from the moment you were born you’ve had your parent there to guide, love and support you. People may come in and out of your life, but your parents are steadfast. In one swooping moment, that part of you ends suddenly and you’re left with this unimaginable void.

    You’re now on your own to carry on their legacy, because even your surviving parent doesn’t have the genetic memory that is buried deep within the fibers of your existence. You are now the only thing that remains of them, they’re gone for good. I don’t mean to freak you out, but that’s the kind of thing people deal with when they lose a father or mother.

    Anyway, I’m glad I went.

    Early the next morning, I asked a friend in LA who is a chaplain how not to freak out about dead people. I knew I’d have to pay my final respects and look at Uncle before they transport him to his final resting place.

    LA friend told me,

    “Think of the body as a shell for the soul, a representation of memories.”

    That’s such a beautiful thought, and armed with that I headed over to the funeral.

    I was a few minutes late, and realized everyone had taken all the seats in the back (surprise! surprise! I’m not the only one uncomfortable about being near a dead body). I got ushered right to the front with another two friends I bumped into.

    It was uncomfortable being sat so near the casket, but every time I got ideas I would look toward the direction of my friend and his family. I remember the feeling during my mom’s funeral, it was deja vu all over again. You just go numb and hope you pull through the entire thing without losing your cool. You hope nobody notices you’re about to fall apart any second and tell yourself, please please please don’t cry. You gotta be strong!

    Putting myself in their shoes made the fear go away. I finally was able to look at Uncle, even though I had avoided that the last two times. I know that day his soul had been set free, and miraculously, I had no fear at all.

    There’s a reason why I’m telling you all this morbid stuff. I learned a few big things this week and I think it might help some of you in your own journeys.

    Firstly, that it really means a lot when you show up to comfort people when they are shell shocked from a sudden death in the family. Please don’t underestimate the importance of simply showing up, attending a funeral, paying your respects, and sending your condolences in physical form… that’s if you care to live a high-principled life.

    Secondly, although I’ve read it a hundred times before, I only saw this verse as a motivation to calm my fears in the past, but it was never actually experentially true for me… until now.

    Taken from the Christian bible, 1 John 4:18 reads,

    “There is no fear where love exists. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love.”

    The wisdom is profound.

    I found out that the love I have for my friend had banished my crippling fear of dead people, at least at the time. I know it’s a process, that I won’t undo years of trained phobia overnight, but because I experienced the freedom from fear at moments I thought I was going to crumble, I now know it can be overcome with enough practice.

    So whenever you are scared about something, just think of the faces of the people you care about and your happy times.

    Finally, I found out that you can truly love someone platonically and have that be one of the most beautiful expressions in your life. This kind of love is divine and taps into something beyond your own need of fulfillment, be it emotional, spiritual, physical or intellectual. Whereas in romantic relationships you’re saying I got these needs that need to be met, in a friendship you’re throwing all that out the window because it doesn’t matter what they did or did not do. It’s unconditional, just like the love God has for us.

    It’s simply an honor to love another soul on behalf of God.

    It really helped me see the true sense of what being a friend to someone means. That in this social age we use the term “friend” so loosely, but the true litmus test of your character and sincerity is whether you will go beyond your port of call and comfort levels to be there for a friend when they need you most.

    You may think well this has nothing to do with fitness and wellness. You’d be wrong to think so. Thinking about death makes you aware about what you’re doing to yourself.

    Moreover, spiritual well-being has everything to do with your body’s cell health. It helps you let go of stuff that doesn’t matter and focus on the stuff that does, so that you’re not mutating your own cells by way of negative feelings like hate, stress, fear, regret, among others.

    I’m so grateful to learn all this in one short week with nasty bugs camping in my body. I feel like a hacking mess, but this is the week I conquered one of my biggest fears through love. And I thought I’d share that with you.

  • When It’s Time To Change Your Pants

    When I decided to lose weight, nobody told me that one of the dilemmas I would face is that my clothes would fall off at some point. I mean it’s not like I don’t know this, but when you’re going through it, it’s not like you expect your favorite pants to get too big for your shrinking bum. Like I shared in a previous post, I am still the same person even though I lost all this weight.

    But one recent day, my beloved chirpy aunt started to laugh, referring to my shorts as “baggy-style” while walking behind me.

    I told her they’re not meant to be baggy, and that it’s something that happens when one loses 35 lbs! She couldn’t stop laughing to herself. Whatever, I brushed it off.

    So today I wore baggy pants out again because it didn’t really register why she was laughing at me that day. Passing by some of the mirrors at Suria Sabah, I caught a glimpse of how funny I looked.

    I looked like a child in adult’s clothing, that’s how ridiculous I looked!

    That’s it. I’m going in to FOS to buy me a pair of shorts that fit!

    I looked around the racks, and tried to look for my regular Asian XL sizes, but they didn’t look right. Thinking that I would probably be an Asian size L now, I looked for those instead. But looking at the pants, they looked like they’d fall off too!

    Finally, I found a pair of shorts that looked like they’d fit. I looked for the label to see the size (just in case my eyes played tricks on me), and to my shock, it read US size 6.

    US SIZE 6? No freaking way!

    Now let me tell you how that felt. The last time I shopped for a pair of pants, I was a US 10, (UK 12/AU 14). Maybe I was being delusional I thought. I mean I lost weight, but it sure doesn’t feel like it was enough to jump from a US 10 to a US 6 in 8 months (UK 8/AU 10). You only read stuff like that from Biggest Loser contestants.

    I don’t even remember ever being a size 6 in my life. But yea, okay, sometimes FOS gets the sizes wrong and it’s best to just find a couple of more items and head to the fitting room. I took a few other size 6s in different designs and headed to the fitting room.

    First of all, I could zip and button ALL THE SIZE 6 pants up, even though admittedly some looked a bit too snug for comfort. But man, let me tell you. Fitting into size 6 pants? INCREDIBLE!

    Anyhow, I decided to get just one pair of shorts. Yes, it was a size 6. I still have to pinch myself.

    When I got home, I took off baggy pants to compare it with the new one I bought and here’s what the difference looks like.

    I still can’t wrap my head around how I managed to squeeze my bum into size 6 shorts. So I guess my advice to you is, don’t try to obsess over what size you are. Just work out and eat right. One day, you’ll just fit into a pair of size 6 pants without knowing how the heck you did it.

    To motivate you (even though I already shared it on Facebook), here are some leggy shots from last Sunday. Even elephant trunks can get toned yes?

    My secret? Skip, run, squat, lunge!

    Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go put on those pair of shorts one more time to believe it!

  • Recipe: ‘Leon-Inspired’ Superfoods Coleslaw

    When I was living in London, I used to love this healthy fast food chain called Leon.

    They serve low GL, low saturated fat, wheat free, dairy free, gluten free and vegetarian options.

    More than anything, I loved their Salsa Verde Grilled Chicken, which they served with brown rice and a healthy coleslaw that uses plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise for the dressing.

    Brilliant idea isn’t it? The rich-creamy taste without the calories, sugar and oil. Plus you get your serving of probiotics!

    I loved it so much I’d have it once a week. Now that I’m not in London anymore, the only coleslaw I can get here are the mayonnaise-laden, super-sweet variety and I hate it because it’s so rich and sweet it makes me barf. So unless I make it myself, I’m doomed to a life of bad coleslaw.

    Thankfully, I was blessed with a bit of culinary know-how, so made an organic super foods version of it myself.

    I personally think it tastes a lot better than Leon’s original slaw because I have given it a garlicky twist, used organic vegetables and grated them using Japanese graters (which yields a much thinner and finer cut, making it easier and more pleasant on the jaws).

    I’ve also added pumpkin seeds and raisins to give it some nutty and tart character. Try to use organic ingredients, it makes a difference!

    Jackie’s ‘Leon-inspired’ Super Slaw Recipe


    Ingredients



    • 3 cups of grated red cabbage

    • 1 carrot, grated into thin strips

    • 1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly (optional)

    • 3 heaping tablespoons of plain yogurt

    • 1 pip of minced garlic

    • 2 ounces of pumpkin seeds

    • 2 ounces of raisins

    • Salt and black pepper to taste

      • Instructions


      Grate your vegetables and put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well and serve immediately or within the hour. Tip: If it gets a bit thick, just add some drinking water to loosen it up.

      P/S: Some people don’t like raw onions, so if you’re one of them you can leave it out. It goes really well with chicken!

  • The Biggest Advantage of Losing Weight…

    I just thought I’d share this with you.

    I was a big girl a year ago, but I was also content with my life. I’m not the type to sob about how fat I am, and let that get in the way of what my soul was put on earth to do.

    I traveled, learned new things, ran 2 charity campaigns successfully, and had a lot of love from friends and family.

    The weight didn’t really affect who I was as a core person, and it didn’t snub my light.

    But I was heavy.

    Now let me tell you what being heavy means. It means that when I went to Bali to learn how to surf, they had to replace my 9ft board with a 12ft board that was 3-inches thick, because my weight sank the board whenever I tried to push up to stand on the water.

    It was incredibly hard to spring up because I had to carry my own weight to do the things that other girls didn’t have to.

    For surf instructors to tell me my weight was the reason I couldn’t get up and ride the waves like my lighter counterparts was frankly, depressing. Because I’ve always wanted to be a surfer girl.

    I didn’t get to stand up that day, and the brochure said they guarantee you’ll stand up or you get to come back until you stand up. I eventually went back another day for the free session (alone) and was able to stand, but that day with my friends, I felt like such a failure because I was the only one who didn’t stand up.

    Heavy also meant I was slower, because I had to push 85kgs of weight forward when other little ladies only pushed 55. It was a lot harder to do all the active stuff that I loved, and I love the outdoors and being active.

    And I found out a few more stuff about what heavy meant in Bali.

    One day, a bunch of my friends and I decided to go to the Waterbom. Sliding down the slides was so scary!!!

    As the law of gravity states, the heavier something is, the faster it drops!

    Imagine the kind of speeds I was reaching coming down what were supposed to be fun waterslides. Easily I would have gone at least 30% faster than everyone else, since I was 30% heavier. It was PETRIFYING!!!

    So while other chicks were screaming like cute girls getting a cheap thrill, I thought I was going to die from a heart attack from being airborne for a few seconds, and being expected to land back in the slide. What if my ass was so big I missed the landing, injuring and paralyzing myself in the process?

    Being heavy also meant that doing wall climbing made my fingers feel like they were going to dislocate, and when I ran it was really hard on my heart, and my knees hurt.

    So the biggest advantage to losing weight for me hasn’t really been about the way I look, but that I could do the things I love with a higher rate of success and be a lot healthier.

    It’s just so much easier to do things and get around when you’re lighter.

    I’m a lot lighter, faster, and agile now, though I definitely can get better, faster, lighter, and more agile. So you saw how I looked like a year ago above.

    Now here are some journal shots to document how I look like today. I look like a different person huh?

    Losing the weight means I have longer limbs to catch on to stuff without all the padding getting in the way. It also means there’s a lot more space in between for rapid movements without knocking into my own body.

    That has been the biggest advantage of losing weight for me. Looking better is just a bonus.

    A word of caution. I hope you won’t go on some crazy dangerous diet just to lose weight for the sake of losing weight. Do it healthily, and do it for the right reasons, and do it gradually.

    For me, losing weight is about freeing my body to do what it was made and designed to do. By keeping it in peak healthy condition I can live my life to the fullest!

  • Tip #3: Learn how to Eat Like a Korean Girl

    It took me a long time to find the perfect portion formula that works for me.

    To be honest I use a few strategies, not just this one but today I’ll share with you just one way the pounds melted from my body. I needed a formula that guarantees that when I eat out with friends, I can still eat whatever without making me pack on the pounds.


    Like many people, there was a time when, if I were served a plate of noodles or rice, I’d have to wallop every single strand of noodle and grain of rice on the plate because that was my portion – the portion that I felt was due to me.

    After all, weren’t we all taught not to waste food when we were growing up?

    But earlier this year, I learned how to pick on carbs from my Korean boyfriend. I’d watch him use chopsticks to scoop bits of rice while eating mostly protein and vegetables, and pretty much abandon 3/4 of the bowl of rice.

    At first I thought it was crazy how anyone could eat so little, and was pretty scared that I’d have to eat like that around Korean people just so I don’t attract any attention. Korean people don’t eat like the Malaysian-Chinese do.

    They pick on their food and serve small, beautiful portions.

    The Malaysian-Chinese are all about attacking banquet tables like that was the last meal they’ll ever eat.

    I had ALL sorts of theories on why Koreans pick on their food. Cultural conditioning from survivalist attitudes due to scarcity is one (which I’m not entirely wrong about), and you see that in the way they preserve and conserve everything from kimchi to gochujang to samjang.


    I watched how Korean women behave around food, especially the ones with beautiful bodies. The ones with perfect body lines, without an ounce of fat don’t live to eat but eat to live. Korean food is generally healthy, but more importantly these ladies practice table etiquette that shows off socially-desirable values like grace and self-control.

    Naturally, that also means that they hide the fact that they are hungry on a table full of guests, and always eat portions that do not attract attention no matter how famished they were.

    Once I went to a dinner party and my Korean lady friend cooked a whole table full of food for her guests, yet she alone was merely picking on a little bit of egg just to show that she’s involved. But really, she didn’t eat anything.

    Anyway, I’m not saying this is the way you should live (we can’t all be Koreans) but this is why Korean women have beautiful bodies. They don’t go all crazy around food. I watched and I learned and I tried it out.

    One day I’ll expand in detail how to eat like Korean women, but for now just know that portion control is one of the most important factors affecting your weight loss and maintenance success.

    So the first thing I learned was how to treat carbs like a delicacy and not a stomach filler.

    Treat grains of rice like caviar instead of bulk that fills you up. Use vegetables instead to satisfy your hunger.

    Practice that long enough and it will surely become a habit, like it has for me.

    Now walloping a whole plate of fried rice or noodles for a meal is just something I don’t do anymore. Mainly because I know if I went back to the old way of eating, I wouldn’t have a tight sexy little body anymore.

  • Tip #2: Reward Yourself Once a Week

    Just as the God of Abraham created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th, so should your sore buttocks and calves. Pat yourself on the back. You’ve done well for 6 days and on the 7th, you can rest and do whatever you want.

    Chill out, get a massage, eat what you like.

    Yes. Even if that means cake or pasta, if that’s what you fancy.

    You see, it’s really important you don’t become tyrannical and stop yourself from enjoying life and have fun like normal people, even though you’re on a quest to look like a swimsuit model or Thor.

    If you want ice cream, go get ice cream. KFC? Go get a dinner plate, but not a bucket. Even if you want noodles and bread, go for it. Anything you want within reason. You can reward yourself with what you like as long as you’re not doing it to a point where you undo your entire week of effort.


    For me, I usually just eat whatever I want, though I generally don’t want stuff that makes me feel sick no matter how yummy it is. But if I have a craving for something, I’ll go have it.

    Some of the fit ladies I know prefer to reward themselves in other ways that does not involve food. Like getting a manicure/pedicure, facial, massage, or buying themselves a nice little black dress.

    Whatever makes you feel like you did a great job, go do that!

    It’s important to reward yourself so that you don’t lose sight of your reason for living. That way you’ll get right back on the program when the new week starts and know that you have something good waiting for you at the end of that week.

    So what do you think is a good way to reward oneself? Let me know in the comments section below!

  • The Importance of Strength Training For Weight Loss

    I have to admit. I hate, hate, hate hated, hated, hated doing weights. I believe women were created to be graceful beings, and carrying heavy things just makes my face twists like godzilla in pain.

    Which is why I did little or no strength training to lose my famous 15kgs of lardy baggage. But when you go from an inflated 84kgs to 69kgs, your body shrinks in size but the envelope doesn’t shrink at the same rate. The result is soft, saggy and untoned excess skin.

    The bigger you are and more rapid your weight loss, the more saggy your skin.

    So after consulting my friend Sam who owns a gym and is an ACE certified personal trainer, he told me the only way I was going to achieve my goal of having a tight little sexy body is to do strength training. No exceptions.

    Ahh, really?! Do I really have to? Ughhh.. fine!

    Because I want that tight little sexy body, I began to do some strength training (hated every minute of the first week of it).

    So after about two weeks of working in some weights, pushups, ring rows, etcetera, I started to see the flappy tightening.

    And the truth is, I’m beginning to love that I’m getting physically stronger too (in a graceful way of course), so naturally am enjoying the training now.

    I wanted to show you what I look like today after 2 weeks of strength training (see above). Whaddya think? Tight little sexy body coming soon?

    Oh, and if you live in Kota Kinabalu and are interested in learning the proper techniques or start a personal training program (you see faster results), you should definitely give Core Fitness a try. They have a 7-day trial, which gives you a pretty good idea on what you’re getting yourself into.

    Here’s an article on how to lose weight without getting saggy skin. Don’t lose weight too fast (I was pushing it a little, which is why I’m slowing it down), or your skin will not be able to get back to its tight form.

    So that’s it for my second tip of the day!

    Have a GREAT WEEKEND folks!

  • Tip #1: Listen to Sexy Music

    Back in the days, I was one of the worst kinds of music snobs you’ll ever meet from New York.

    I was part of an elite music community that included some of the most creative DJs in the U.S. I also spent a lot of time at Virgin Megastore and would hunt for rare music in really cool record stores all over New York and LA. I was so ATAS (up-there) about my music collection that I’d judge people based on their music tastes.


    (Download MP3 of Summer Time Love here )

    But those days are long gone. These days I tolerate nights out with people who go insane when the Village People’s YMCA starts playing over the radio, and have Oppa Gangnam Style as my ringtone.

    Though I take the mickey out of cheesy music now, deep down I still have a very intimate relationship with what I deem as “good music.”

    This is the stuff that energizes me, makes me dream, and feel like a cross between a sexy Sports Illustrated supermodel and superwoman when I press play.

    (Even though in reality I am was totally overweight.)

    And that’s the kind of music you need to help you reach your goal. The kind that turns you on.

    The kind that makes you feel so sexy that you begin to imagine yourself running in a bikini at the beach in slow motion, with wind in your hair, in an MTV music video!

    If you’re a guy, an eau de toilette model like David Gandy then. Here’s his 15-minute gym-free workout feature from Men’s Health TV for you boys!

    The reason you should listen to music that makes you feel sexy is because you can’t put a lid on a good feeling. You’ll start working out to match your body with the feeling.

    So go out there and really look for music that makes you want the body of your dreams.

    To help you along your way in your sexy campaign, I’m going to share one of my favorite funky Japonica tracks from m-flo with you. (the track in the video above)

    It’s called Summer Time Love. (right-click to save the MP3)

    ENJOY and please tell me how you like it!

  • Fitness Components: What It Really Means to Be Fit

    When gym buffs talk about fitness, I used to see it as a celebration of strength and speed. Upon closer look, fitness is actually a whole lot more than that.

    According to this article, the components of fitness are:-

    • Strength
    • Power
    • Agility
    • Balance
    • Flexibility
    • Local muscle endurance
    • Cardiovascular endurance
    • Strength endurance
    • Coordination

    Phew! That’s a pretty long list of stuff to have just to be fit don’t you think?

    I know I have some level of cardiovascular endurance, but my flexibility is so poorly I can’t even touch my toes or sit up 90 degrees with my legs outstretched. It’s so bad that every single time I attempt to do yoga at a class, I end up seeing stars, sweat unhealthily during mid-pose, and even puked up my lunch once.

    Does that mean I should just remain as stiff as a log though? Of course not.

    It just means I have do yoga at my own level and pace. If I can’t do the full poses, I just do what I can. The idea is to improve my own flexibility, not to do what Miss Twisty is doing on the other side of the room.

    Also for flexibility, I do stretching exercises at home that I learned both from the gym and my physiotherapist in New York.

    But you don’t really need go to New York to learn them! All you need to do is Google stretching exercises… REALLY!

    My point is, we’re all going to be good at some components and bad at others, unless you’re just super unfit. Then you’ll need to just start from wherever you are at…. slowly. 🙂

    And while I LOVE MY GYM and go several times a week, I don’t really have to go there to achieve fitness in some of the components like balance and flexibility. I simply need to know what to do safely, and do them at home or when I am out staring at the beautiful Bornean sunset.

    By paying attention to the components of fitness, I know now to improve in all areas to achieve true fitness.