healthier & fitter lifestyle pt 1

"Fitness is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition" 

Back story:

So I've been getting less and less happy with my weight, appearance, my sedentary activities, eating habits and overall physical well being. I used to be thin, not stick thin but small thin. I don't blame the baby for the weight gain because 2 weeks after I gave birth to Bonchie, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight and was at my best form. Then I got back to work. I guess its the stress. The job requires more creative thinking, analytical skills and higher expectations. I was able to handle the work load but I did so by stressing out too much. I guess I can correlate my workload to my hungry tummy. The more work I have the hungrier I become and the rest was history. So by the end of 2014, I resolved to do something about it by this new year. I know we're nearing the 3rd month already but it is a slow process. I am aiming to lose at least 5kgs from my current weight and 3in off my waist.  

Task # 1: Do something about the 20% - Exercise!

So with the help of my ever supportive husband, he helped me address the 20%.  Towards the start of the year, he bought me my very own folding bike. He did not ask me if he can, he just did. Maybe if he asked me I'd have so many reasons why I don't need or want a bike. But he took the first step so I followed. I won't lie, I literally had to drag myself the first time we had to use my bike. I was weak, the road which I thought was easy, was not. My legs were wobbly, and it felt like my legs are literally falling off. I took a while, yes a while, before I scheduled another ride again. But after several convincing from my husband and myself, I did follow through. And I'm proud to say that I'm already in my 3rd week of consistent riding schedules for the week. I ride at least 2-3 times a week, Yes, the frequency is still not that much to say that it's a sustainable number of data points but this is already a big step for me.

PS: He even bought me a cute bike helmet to inspire me to keep riding. He knows me too well.

new bike - Swiftie with the cutest accessory ever!

Task # 2: Address the 80% - Eat healthy!

Ok, I know I know. Some of you geeks out there silently thinks this is very much like Pareto's principle, the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few, the principle of factor sparsity and it is.(Geeez, that was SO GEEKY of me! Sorry!) So with the 20% already taken cared of its time to address the bigger population. My diet. I love food. I love to cook. I love to eat. I love fats. I love chicharon. I love junk food. Need I say more? So you see how difficult it is for me to eat healthy. I've been trying hard to do this even before 2014 ended. I've established a diet of only 1 rice meal a day - usually breakfast. Oatmeal and ulam for lunch and salad or bread and whatever for dinner. It worked for a while until it didn't. I'm guessing its the snacks in between, my everyday Starbucks with syrup and cream, and the unending need to stress eat. So again, the problem won't be solved by itself and it is time to do something about it. 

So this week, I signed up for those very popular diet food delivery service. A week's worth of food with 1200 calories per day delivered daily to your doorstep. Price ranges from 1800 to 2500. I've inquired with a lot of providers but unfortunately only a few delivers to my area for free. Those that delivers to us with additional shipping fee totally blows up the cost, so I ended signing up with Healthy Diet Delivery. I'm on my 3rd day now, and I could say that I've stuck to the meal plan by 95%. For what its worth, I lost 1kg already since Friday. I can't say if its the diet or the exercise that I've started on weeks before. But I did lose a kilo. Let me save my feedback for Healthy Diet Delivery for a different blog post. But I'd like to share, every time the food gets delivered I am always shocked with the small portions and every day I get surprised how those small portions is sufficient for the day even with the added work out. So lets see. I am very positive that I'd be getting good results. 

My MUSTS

With the workout and small food portions I require myself the following:

1. At least 6 hours of deep sleep
• I used to have a lot of sleeping problems specially when Bonchie came. I guess the sleeping problems are mostly stress related. I used to stress out so much on who'd be caring for Bonchie while I rest. Good thing that now that he's a little grown up, he has already learned to trust other people aside from me. And it gives me a good days sleep (yes, I work at night and sleep through the day). And sometimes a little dose of my favorite anti-histamines does the trick too! Thank God for allergies and AH! Lol! 
2. 1-2L of water per day
• I'm not a water drinker but I've realized the added water intake helps keep the stomach feeling full. I don't get to drink 2L everyday but I try as much to get to.
3. Scheduled meals, work, day to day and Bonchie activities 
• As you may have noticed by now, I stress out to much when I don't get things under control. Having a schedule helps me lessen that stress, so I make sure that I plan everything out beforehand . This may sound very controlling of me, admittedly I am a control freak and it works out most of the time 
• I used to not have any meal schedules which often results to me overeating because I've starved myself. So since this week, I see to it that I stick to my meal schedule - breakfast @ 7pm; AM snack @ 10pm; lunch @ 12am (with or without meetings); PM snack @ 3 or 4pm; and dinner @ 7am.
• I have a very demanding job, I just got promoted and the pay is very good. So I make sure that all my deliverables are delivered within office hours. With the exemption of an upcoming deadline that I may be behind with, I see to it that I only work during office hours so my out of office time get to be spent on other important things
• I still don't have house help, so after office I do chores like house cleaning, feeding the dog, Bonchie's bottles, laundry, going to the market, etc. I don't need to do the cooking during the weekdays because my Mom helps me out on it. All these tasks are scheduled along with my exercise routine. I used to feel very overwhelmed with the number of chores I had to do, as you can see there's a handful of them and they aren't easy but the routine really took away all my stress with when and how I can get my hands on doing all of the things needed to be done. Yes, I am superwoman. I think all moms are (or they ought to be). By 10am, I should be done and sound asleep.
• Bonchie is the biggest factor of them all. I remember the time when I couldn't trust and rely on anyone else to take care of him. I guess that's when all this stress eating started. I couldn't get to sleep long hours, I couldn't rest, all I do is worry and watch over him. Not really a very good combination. So until recently, we've finally ironed out a schedule between me, Von and my mom on caring for Bonchie. So when I arrive home from work in the morning, my Bonchie shifts starts. It ends when I go to sleep, and its Von's turn. He passes Bonchie over to me or my mom when its time for him to go to work in the afternoon. Bonchie and I take afternoon naps together. When he wakes up too early I leave him to my Mom so I can complete my sleep. I have to be up by 6pm and do chores that I have on my list. After dinner (my breakfast), I wash Bonchie up and prepare him for bed. I leave him with my mom again until Von comes home from work. Oh yes, I am that detailed. I have to if I want the peace of mind.

My daily cheats

So as I've mentioned, I adhere to the meal plan by 95%, the 5% I leave for cheating. Am crossing my fingers that the effect of this little cheats is also 5% of the overall impact of my new routine.

1. Iced tea! Ever since I learned to drink juice, it has been my first drink of the day. I've been doing it since I was young. My breakfast should always be accompanied by super iced iced tea or else my day would not be complete. I used to drink liters of it in the morning specially in the summer but I've lessened the amount to just 22oz everyday. Nestea claims a glass only has 20 calories, so it shouldn't be that bad.
2. Coffee. I drink half a cup of black semi sweetened coffee everyday along with my AM snack. I feel that the coffee helps make me feel full and wakes me up as its supposed to :)
3. Taho - not daily though. I take taho when I go riding. I'm the type of person who faints when tired and hungry and I try as much as possible to avoid that. I don't want to faint in the middle of UP while I bike and go through all the hassle of people taking me to the hospital etc etc...

So there. I didn't intend for this to be a long post but it did. I'm hoping for best results when I next check in here. I started off with a quote and want to end with another one. Let me end it off with this...

"Everything is always hard before it gets easy..."

Staying positive,

Vin