Update! Resolutions 2011

Time certainly flies by when you're busy living your life! I can't believe it's the end of January already! I haven't even gotten 'round to pimping out the blog for everyone. Well, I plan on making full use of the upcoming CNY holidays (2 days thanks very much) to get some blogging proper done. I might even try to plan some posts and schedule them to be published.


Onto the more important matters at hand - how have I been faring with my 2011 resolutions?! Overall, I have to say it's a dismal outlook. I haven't been to the gym much thanks to work draining all my energy (draining so much energy that I caught the flu and went down with a FEVER). But I maintain that all this will turn around in February! I am going to make it turn around :)


Resolution #1: Learn Arabic


Happy to report that I've had 2 lessons so far and I'm liking it. It's a lot more difficult than I imagined though. Maybe my older brain finds it a lot harder to unlearn and relearn, but I am pushing through!! Watch out world. I'm going to be awesome in Arabic pretty soon.


I have a new sub-goal to add to this Resolution! I am planning on holidaying in Jordan and Egypt this June so it would be fantastic if I could converse at a beginner level and be able to talk about directions, shopping and food! Imagine being able to speak some Arabic by June!

Resolution #2: Become Financially Savvy

OMG I failed at this in January. I received a MASSIVE CREDIT CARD BILL! And to add to the depression it's only my SECOND BILL EVER (Yes! Ever!! as in ever in the history of ever owning a Credit Card - which only happened in December 2010!). 

Not to worry though. I paid off the bill in full and am determined to cut off myself from the world of shopping for the next month! 

I have been reevaluating my financial budgets that I've set up for myself since October and have since changed a few things. For one, I'm saving more (thanks to MUA aspirations and a kick-ass June plan) and I'm also cutting down SEVERELY on expenses. I'm literally budgeting my weekend expenses now.

I also noticed that since taking on a few more assignments outside of work hours, I've been taking taxis everywhere. I need to STOP this bad bad habit and start using public transport MORE. Which basically means that I need to be on time or early for everything starting this month!


Resolution #3: The Health & Fitness Renewal


This one is gonna come in parts...


1. I ran the mile ONCE in January. FML. At least I can say I have a base timing. I need to search up some ways to improve stamina and running speed!


2. Thanks to the wet weather I have NOT been swimming AT ALL. Double FML.


3. Triple FML. Work is keeping me active sure, but there was no way that I was in the gym everyday in January. 


4. HMM. This one I think I haven't been doing so well on. Purely because I have an erratic lunch schedule. I need to work out a proper mid-morning snack and lunch timing for my everyday work day. Less sugar has been a YES but I've had relapses with the amount of MILO I've been drinking lately. I think I'm gonna need to add some flavor to the water I'm drinking so that I'll be more tempted to drink water instead of Milo all the time.

Update for Resolution #3: I decided that I will run a 5km in July (Shape Run 2011) and that I will run a 10km in December (Standard Chartered 2011). I still have a few months to decide on the July and December one but that's my plan for this year. Gonna improve on my timing from previous years. Will do a separate post on this later on :)


Alright so that's been a recap and update of my resolutions. I'm glad I stuck to 3 instead of a billion! 


Despite all the depressing updates, I'm pretty sure I'm going to turn it around in February. I am planning my days at the gym now. Hopefully I can make it to the gym everyday!! YES EVERYDAY. I have a fitness goal and I need to ACHIEVE IT. Gonna make sure, workout buddy or not, that I will be in the gym working on mah fidddnesssssssss. 


Alright lovelies. 

Peace til the next post!

The 5-5-5 Workout

So my 'workout buddy' (yep, that's what she's called now) tried to find a more effective way to do cardio while using gym equipment. And she read that one of the most effective workouts would be to basically pump out everything you've got for 30 minutes without a pause or a break. 

10 minute segments on each of these three equipment: the treadmill (classic gym equipment), the elliptical (everyone's biggest nemesis but secretly your best friend), and the exercise bike (I hate the stationary bike. I don't know what it's positives are).

So that means 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the bike. From what I understand that's the order you're supposed to do them in. No pauses, no breaks (drink water while moving between machines!), no slow-downs or cool-downs til the end. 

We did our own version of what I'm calling The 10-10-10 Workout - we did The 5-5-5 Workout version. Same deal, just for 5 minutes on each machine.

I was super surprised (and this is why this post is tagged as Resolutions 2011) that I could handle running on the treadmill for 6 minutes at 7.8 speed (who really knows what that means, it's just the number that was there). 6 minutes got me to about 800m. Which meant that if I kept running at the same speed, at the same pace, I would get to 1.6km (aka 1 mile) in 12 minutes.

Yea, yea. It is a pretty sucky time for a mile run but I have not run a mile in the LONGEST TIME. I have the worst stamina, the worst breathing - just the worst everything!! 

Anyways. I kinda like the 5-5-5 version of this workout. I think I might try the 10-10-10 version tomorrow after work. 

Let's see if I can do the mile in 10 minutes. Else, I better run the mile first and then switch to the other machines :)

Alright. Peace lovelies. It's Friday tomorrow. Get the TGIF banners ready!

Til the next post!!

Remember Ben?

If you don't remember my post on Ben, click here. 

I was innocently watching Fox News the other day and guess what? Ben was on as part of one of them Health/Medicine segments! They were talking about his weight loss and basically how he lost weight just by running! 

Kinda jolted my memory about my 2011 Resolutions that I've not been following for the first full week of 2011. :( Well I hope to be able to pick it up again tomorrow. I am going to be bringing my gym clothes to work and I hope to be able to catch the 3.30 KB class. 

It made me realize that it's important to have inspiration around you so that you are reminded of your goals and targets. 

I also decided to add a 5km run into my goals for this year. I was to be able to run 5km in less than 30minutes. I think it might be a lot of work but maybe if I work on it, by July's Shape Run, I might just be able to pull it off!! 

Remember to keep the inspiration around you lovies!

Peace lovelies!

Til the next post!

Resolution #3: The Health & Fitness Renewal

Resolution #3

Get MOVIN' sista!

Why start in 2011?

As the final hours of 2010 bring us closer to the beginning of 2011, I'm going to do what I put off doing since the start of coming up with the whole 'Resolutions 2011' series for the blog - make a resolution to get fit, healthy and drop the lbs this year. 

But instead of just doing it the same way every year, I'm not going to just type 'Lose Weight'. I'm going to come up with fitness goals that I want to be able to measure and achieve throughout the year.


1. Improve on my timing of the mile. We all know that running is key to major weight loss, especially interval training, but I'm not going to just say that I will run more this year. A sure sign that I am improving in my fitness will be my ability to run the mile faster and more efficiently as the year progresses. Expect a page to track my progress on the blog!

2. Swim more! Swimming is great activity, especially for asthmatics like me, but my overall goal with swimming isn't to just swim more - it's to swim better! I hope to be able to learn to dive sometime in the future and possibly learn to surf! (But maybe only when I have amazing ab strength!!)


3. Keep active throughout the year! Probably the most important of all my fitness goals. Whether it is going to the gym, walking around, or just staying home and blasting through Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred, the key to losing more weight is to keep moving about.


4. What would a fitness resolution be without a nutrition goal? Well, for this year, I'd like to eat less SUGAR and eat WELL-PORTIONED meals! 3 meals a day, 2 snacks a day and STAY HYDRATED with loads and loads of water! 


Here's to a happy and healthy new year!!


Peace lovies!


Til the next post!

Resolution #2: Financial Savvy is Sexy

Resolution #2 

Become Financially Savvy

Why start in 2011? 


1. I started working for the first time in my life in September of 2010. Since then I've had 3 paychecks and have done God knows what with them. 

2. I'm a financial retard. And I'm ashamed to say that most women, especially of my age who are not working in the banking and financial sector, are in the same boat. I don't understand money. And because I don't understand money, I don't do anything with my money besides SPEND IT. And we all know how bad that really is for an economy that isn't even out of recession.


3. I just got my first credit card. I'd like to make sure that I don't get into debt and be one of those people who end up with amazing shoes and no mattress. (Yes, people do sell their mattresses to get money to buy shoes. True Story.)


4. I'd like to share what I learn along the way with everyone. But that is pretty much the goal of this entire blog. 


Enough reasons for ya? XD


Peace lovies.


Til the next post!

Resolution #1 Learn Arabic

Alright everyone! With less than a week left in 2010, it's time to start thinking about 2011 and my NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS! I had previously written that I would do a series of posts this upcoming year so that I can track the progress of my resolutions much like how I am tracking my weight loss endeavors. So here it is, first post of the series and FIRST RESOLUTION. 

Resolution #1

Learn Arabic

Why start in 2011?

I have always, always, always wanted to learn Arabic. It is the language that connects me to the roots of my religion (despite the difference in archaic Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic). To me, it feels as though, learning Arabic would be a spiritual undertaking as well as an academic one. Not to mention that I'll be better equipped to travel to places in the Middle-East.


Every vacation since the start of university in 2006, I always wrote "Learn Arabic" on my holiday to do list. Needless to say, I never got round to even starting to learn Arabic. 


Well. Procrastinate no more!!

I just signed myself up for an Introduction to Arabic class at Al-Marqaz, a place in Singapore that teaches Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Classes are $200 for the 8-week Introduction course and subsequent classes at $300 for 12 weeks. They even offer certification courses in MSA that are based on the EU's CEFR for Languages (of which I am currently A2 certified in French). I know it's a financial commitment to learn a language but I am going to dedicate myself to this. 


I can't wait to report on the progress of this resolution!


Peace lovies.

Til the next post!