5th Year Into Fitness Journey: What works

Hi yall, 

I suddenly had this weird urge to write. I've just completed a 10 minute HIIT workout, sweating in my tights. 

Anyway for the past 5 years, I've been quite consistent with the workouts. It helps that I'm working by myself, having the luxury to arrange my schedule, at the same time adding workouts to my schedule as if it's part of work. 

Years of tweaking and adjusting and I know what works for me:- 

1. Last heavy meal by 7pm - The only times I break this rule is for family gatherings or date nights. I do have snacks sometimes at night but nothing heavy. 

2. More noodle soups than rice - It helps that I've always loved mi hun sup, kuey tiaw sup, ladna and the variety. I don't miss rice that much. I love noodle soup with lots of veg (the only time I binge on vege variety). I skip rice many times a week with pleasure. 

3. HIIT workouts - I swear on PAMELA REIF's HIIT workouts. Keeps me fit & maintains my weight. I feel GREAT after a HIIT workout. I first started doing them because I needed a workout routine that doesn't take much time. I'm talking about 10 minutes here! I used to only do HIIT workouts 5 times a week but felt like my body needed something else. Hence

4. Pilates - No, I don't even pay for it. It's all on Youtube! I love Lilly Sabri's workout. You get sore afterwards but over time you feel stronger, tighter and your body feels more sculpted. So I alternate the days of pilates with HIIT excercises. If you feel that this is too much work, imagine me spending 15 minutes TOPS everyday. A tiny chunk of my day but doing it consistently. 

5. No store bought juice in the fridge, order warm water as much as possible when eating out - Basically cut out sugary drinks at home and outside. My only exception and 'treat' is having MILO at home, no added sugar. 

6. Morning park walks - We go to the park as a family every weekend morning, usually 3000-6000 steps. The kids complain but they always finish the track and they get ice-cream afterwards. Sometimes we alternate with hiking trails. 

These are tried and true. Being fit is a lifestyle and especially if you're mom and wife, you have to get your family on board. Luckily hubs is just as committed on his fitness journey, although HIIT and pilates in front youtube is not his thing. So when he wants to go to the gym, sometimes I'll tag along. 

I also hope that our lifestyle rubs off on the kids as they grow older. I can safely say, nowadays the kids seldom gets sick, eats well. The only thing is, I always wish they were chubbier like when they were toddlers but alas you can't have everything can you?

Moving forward, I'd like to take care of my food intake better, eating more variety of vege and fruits. It's been a challenge because we lead such hurried lives. Fruits and vege don't last long. It's extra effort to go buy fruits and vege every few days and you can't guarantee you'll finish it all before it turns bad. I don't always cook at home, so it's been a challenge to balance healthy eating. 

Also, last May, I fractured my wrist. Was put in a cast for 1.5 months. That prompted me to research brittle bones. As it turns out, our bones lose density as we get older and one type of exercise may help which is weight training. I just bought dumbbells 2 months ago and incorporating weight training into my exercise routine. Weight training is a bit slow and boring for me, personally. I guess it works well in a social setting, but I'm not giving up. 

I would say, it's an effortless effort for me to be fit. If I let myself go, I would definitely gain alot of weight and get out of shape. As you grow older, it's much easier to put on weight so you have to adopt a fit lifestyle somehow. But by having a "lifestyle" you don't actually feel like you're putting in too much effort, it's just daily life if you know what I mean. 

My motivation has always been to be ready whenever a zombie apocalypse comes. I need to be able to sustain running, jumping, and eating little. It's a joke but not really. Last December, we felt an earthquake from our apartment. Me and my daughter ran down 18 stairs and it wasn't a big deal. That's what I mean. 

My body has to be ready for anything that can happen in this crazy world. 

So there, if you made it to the end, thanks for reading and all the best to your fitness journey. 

Do you have a fitness routine? Share your thoughts <3