#letsgetit

When you find something good

2020. What a year, am I right?

We lost so many meaningful people that have shaped and changed the world to where it is today. I’ve lost someone who meant the world to me, someone who was a father figure to me, my uncle, my best friend. I hope you rest in peace my 88 (what we called our Uncle).

I honestly don’t know why I’m writing this but with there’s nothing else to do besides think. 

I think this year really became the year where I have started to think about my life more seriously. Health, love, marriage, family, the four important pillars to me. Of course, don’t forget finances in the grand scheme of things but without those four pillars, money doesn’t matter. 

Health. 5 years ago, I lost my dad to lung cancer. It’s something I’m not afraid to speak about nor do I mind answering questions related to my dad or cancer in general. Life went on, I was a completely different person 5 years ago. I focused all my energy into working and moved jobs until I was finally at a comfortable place to take a step back and reflect. The one thing I’ve always neglected was my own health. 

It wasn’t until this year with Covid-19, my “wedding”, and my uncle passing (not from covid, thank God) did I take my health seriously. I used to think “oh, I’ll start tomorrow/next week/next month.” And even though I did managed to get one day’s worth of work in, I continued to make excuses about continuing. Truly, it’s all a mental game. I woke up at 5AM everyday in February, commuted into the city which took roughly an hour, and worked out for an hour before getting into work by 9AM. I promised myself I’d at least do it for a week and preload my phone with different workout apps and all (I do recommend the SWEAT app if you’re willing to spend a little money and prefer a preset program provided for you).

Then, I let myself go. In March we were forced to work from home and stay quarantined indefinitely. I stopped working out because I broke out of the habit of habit of having to wake up at 5AM and there’s no more commute time. I can literally roll out of bed 5 mins before 9AM and “be at work.” There’s also no equipment at home besides a yoga mat and I just can’t do yoga everyday, I find it too boring (good for like a 5 min stretch, personal preference). 

And then I got so sick of myself, I felt so gross and disgusted whenever I looked at myself in the mirror. That was until I found Chloe Ting on YouTube! Her workouts are all free and she also provides workout schedules depending on what you want to target. You don’t HAVE to follow her schedules to the dot but that’s just what she recommends for you to get the best results within the program duration. 

Since starting in April, I weighed a hefty 190lbs (86kg for the non-American folks), honestly just plain disgusting. Slowly but shortly, I started with her 4 week ab workout program, then her 2 week shred (where I just wanted to die everyday), finished the booty program and now I’m on the slimmer thighs program. Not gonna lie, I’ve slacked through summer because it is just too damn hot/humid to find an F to give. But now that it’s September, 5 months later, I’ve lost 15-20lbs (7kg). I’ve been taking progress photos and it’s actually quite shocking to see how different I look (debating if I’ll ever post these pics lol).

But working out is only part of it right? Exercise is 20% of the battle and diet is the other 80%. I’ve managed to cut out processed carbs as well as cooked a lot more thanks to quarantine. My diet now consists mostly of coffee (I still indulge in some creamer), green tea, whole wheat bread, eggs (a TON of eggs), sausages, sandwich meats (not good but a few slices here and there don’t hurt when you run out of things to eat), dumplings (backup option), yogurt, meatballs and a lot of water. Yes my diet is boring but when you’re like me where you don’t want to think and just make something quick to eat to get you through the day, this works. I’ll try to mix things up where I make omelettes with eggs and some sandwich meats, maybe sprinkle a bit of cheese if I have. All in all, it’s not too crazy. As for dinner, I eat whatever the FIL/MIL is cooking less rice. I try to load up more on the vegetables and protein.

I struggle so much with dieting, but discipline is key, as cliche as that sounds. It’s so easy to give into temptations, other people can throw you off the track easily with “oh just one won’t hurt you,” “it’s not that bad” tactics. Don’t. Listen. To. Them! Trust your gut! You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are, don’t let yourself go so easily! You remember how hard and long the journey was to get to where you are now, don’t put all your efforts to waste! It also gets easier once this becomes a habit. After a while of eating “clean,” I can’t stomach junk food as much nor as easily anymore. And shockingly, I’m glad.

Again, I don’t know what the purpose of this post is but I figured I’d just write down my thoughts. These sort of thoughts run in my mind constantly especially when I’m working out. I’ve always grateful that I have a comfy “office” job that I am currently doing at home and I can practically do my workout whenever it is convenient for me. I’m blessed that I have all this opportunity and time in my disposal and only I know what’s the right choice for me. I’m blessed that I can start taking care of my health now before it gets to late. 

If anybody wants to talk life, fitness, love, marriage, family, let’s talk!