Designer of Me

New gadgets and quick check-in (no weight)

2012-02-24T17:56:00.004+08:00

I sprained my ankle during badminton lesson this past Sunday so I've been taking this week nice and slow, which means no exercise except just me, my legs and my pedometer.

Speaking of which I got a new pedometer! <--- see photo

It has more functions than my old one: count, distance, kilocalories, fat burned (g), time of continuous walking, the works.

I have to confess that I haven't been walking as much this week though. One, I wanted to rest my ankle, two, it's been pouring rain in Taipei! I know, I know. Excuses won't get me very far. I was fifty steps away from my daily 10,000-step goal yesterday too and forgot to do something with the last fifty steps. (I was gonna walk around at home till I get to goal, at least). OKAY no more excuses though. I WILL get to GOAL today.

Another new gadget I got is this:
HTC Sensation XE

Isn't it a beauty?!!

I can go on forever about how much I love my new phone but really, I should spare you. Simply put, it just works SO much better than my old LG phone in all ways possible.

I probably sound more excited than usual since it's Friday afternoon and I'm about to get off work HEHE.

Have a greeeat weekend y'all!!

Happy (late) V-day!

2012-02-15T16:45:00.004+08:00

I weighed myself first thing this morning and this is what I saw on the scale.

Weight as of 2/15: 69.20 kg

Hmm I should know I had this coming. Another week of no losses. I had a big meal on Monday eating out with some friends, but I have been gearing up my workout schedule this past week so maybe I did expect to see a tiny dent in my weight, if any at all. Hopefully next Wednesday will see a 1-kg loss though.

I had a massage appointment this morning as I've been feeling really tense all over (workout schedule below). I also went to Body Combat last Saturday and I think all the punching and jabs just killed my shoulders, back and arms. Plus I had to use and work those same muscles playing badminton these past few days, so no rest at all there. I can feel this constant tension in my shoulders. Ahh I could really use a big hot jacuzzi now.

After my 1.5 hr massage I was still a little low, and had this for lunch.

Haven't had fast food in a while

Not the best of food choices, I know. It was a 6-piece chicken nugget, medium fries, and coke zero combo meal. And this is what was left of it. I ate until my cravings were satisfied, and didn't finish the whole thing. I haven't had anything 'nutritious' today yet, so I think I'll go look for something more nutritionally balanced for dinner, before my badminton games tonight.

My workout schedule this week (2/12~2/18):

Sunday: Badminton lesson 2.5 hrs *** / Circuit training 1.5 hrs ***
Monday: Badminton lesson 2 hrs ***
Tuesday: Badminton lesson 1 hr ** / Kickboxing 1.5 hrs **
Wednesday: Badminton games 2 hrs **
Thursday: Badminton lesson 2 hrs ***
Friday: (rest)
Saturday: Badminton games 2hrs ***

(* for intensity)

Plus daily goal of 10,000 steps

Oh and I spent Vday night (yesterday) kickboxing with three friends at the gym LOL.
Happy Valentines all!

Grrrrr.... no losses for Feb.. yet

2012-02-09T17:33:00.011+08:00

Weight as of 2/8/2012: 69.30kg

My weight hasn't gone down this week! It's a little frustrating since the month of January went by so well, and in comparison my weight decline has completely slowed down this month.

I'd say it's partially because of hormonal balances and water retention during that-time-of-month, and if so, hopefully things will pick up again REAL soon. And that I can see a good 'loss' by next week (mid Feb! eeks!).

One thing I've started doing is counting steps. I found a year-old pedometer lying around at home, and decided it was time to start tracking again. I've been counting steps for 3 days now, with a daily goal of at least 10,000 steps. I think my daily average is probably around 5,000-6,000 without exercise, just getting to and from work/lunch etc. So to achieve 10,000 steps I do need to make an effort to walk after work, or to make it to the gym and hop on a machine. Today I'll be heading straight to badminton practice (just games) right after work, so my 10,000-step goal should be well taken care of.

I will be tweeting my steps everyday since I can do that from my phone. Wish me luck eh :)

Oh and here's my workout schedule for this week (2/5~2/11):

Sunday: Badminton lesson 2.5 hrs ***
Monday: (rest)
Tuesday: Spinning 45 min ***
Wednesday: (rest)
Thursday: Badminton games 2 hrs **
Friday: Cardio 1 hr **
Saturday: Badminton 2hrs ***

(* for intensity)

Shoes that fit my feet

2012-02-01T17:45:00.001+08:00

My badminton shoes have been bruising and torturing my feet and I decided it was about time I went out and got a pair that didn't hurt. This is what my old pair looks like:

Old badminton shoes, a size too big

I got these shoes around 2005 during my college years (they actually don't look quite that old since badminton shoes are for indoors only), and it wasn't until today that I realized they were actually not my size. I usually wear 24.5cm, and these were 25.5cm. DUH. No wonder I've been getting blisters and bruises. I thought these shoes must have been getting way too loose for me.

Let's see how I do with the new pair.

Shiny and new!

Badminton shoes have thinner soles than those of running or basketball shoes, and the bottoms are especially designed to have more traction/grip to adjust for sudden movement and direction changes required on court.
I'm really no shoe expert though...

Buh-bye old shoes (left)

I'll be playing badminton for two hours tonight so hopefully my new shoes fit well!

Post Chinese New Year update and January check-in

2012-01-31T16:08:00.005+08:00

Just got back from a 9-day holiday break over this past week and I think I did pretty decent for a long break! Not to mention it was the biggest holiday in Taiwan and a week-long food fest too.

I had a friend visiting from Japan who stayed with me for 6 days, and thanks to her small appetite I didn't gain any weight. Although I encouraged her to 'try' everything, I tried to eat only when I was hungry. Plus we ate dinner quite early and tried to refrain from late-night snacking. We also did a lot of walking and I recall spending most of the week in my sneakers. All in all I did alright I think :)

Slow but steady loss

Weight as of 1/31/2012: 68.70kg

I plan to participate in an amateur badminton competition taking place mid-April this year and I just began training this past Saturday. I've been playing badminton since middle school, but I've always played on and off and was never quite in the right shape for it. Hopefully this time it'll be a good start for long-lasting good habits hehe.

I'll be playing badminton 2-3 times a week and working out 2-3 times on top of that. This is how my workout/training schedule looks like this week (1/29~2/4):

Sunday: Badminton lesson 2.5 hrs ***
Monday: Light cardio 0.5 hr *
Tuesday: Cardio and conditioning 2 hrs ***
Wednesday: Badminton games 2 hrs **
Thursday: (rest)
Friday: Light cardio 1 hr *
Saturday: Badminton 2hrs * / Training 2 hrs ***

(* for intensity)

It sounds like a lot of exercise (and is probably more exercise than what I did in the month of December all together), but the overall intensity is not that high, yet. I plan to add more stuff as I get closer to April. Especially since I'll be playing singles, I need to be able to run/sprint 10-15 minutes for a match and not pass out on court, which will be a long ways from the physical shape that I am in right now. But hey, starting NOW or just starting ANYtime is a good start yea.

Byebye late-night snacking

2012-01-18T15:08:00.002+08:00

Been doing grrrreat these past two weeks and seeing a steady loss on the scale. I feel and look better, my clothes feel a tad bit loser, even my face is a little less bloated than it has been around Christmas and new years. All that FOOD! I'm so relieved that I've gained back my exercise routine and healthy eating habits. I eat 3 meals a day, and I snack a lot less in the afternoon and I've cut back on late-night snacks altogether. In the afternoon now I usually have hot ginger tea, hot chocolate, and/or some raisins. And I try to eat only when I'm hungry. Sounds simple but it works!!

Plus I'm blogging more regularly now, that definitely helps keep me in-check. I've rejoined the Healthy You Challenge @ Scale Junkie's so there's a lot of support there :) Even just knowing that there are many others with me along the way helps.

Chinese New Year is coming up this Sunday and we're off this whole next week on vacay. Nine days to be exact, including two weekends. I have a girlfriend who's visiting from Japan and she'll be staying over at my place. I'll try to bring her places (without so much food) and hopefully it'll be an active week and maybe a few more pounds/kilos lost by the end of this month.

Bruised my toe playing badminton

My weight as of 1/18/2012: 69.05 kg

I have a tiny bruise on my big right toe from too much running in badminton LOL. It's gonna be there for months until my nails grow out completely.

Well at least you know those are my feet heh.

New bag for new adventures (Another new thing!)

2012-01-11T19:00:00.008+08:00

I got myself a new shoulder bag today! The color is ‘mocha’ and it’s made by a relatively new French designer. I like it ‘cause I can wear it two ways, on my shoulder or across my body, and it’s a dark enough color so I can use it when I’m out n about, or in the rain, etc. I am going many new places with it this year J (Like Europe in August!)

I’ve been eating a lot healthier in the past few days and I am SO relieved that my weight has gone down a little.

I'm the type of person that needs VOLUME to get and stay full. I CANNOT eat like a bird and convince myself that I'm not hungry when I really AM. So I try to eat a lot of healthy stuff and in a ‘healthy’ order, which means I have the filling and less fattening stuff first and the calorie-loaded and more fattening stuff last.

If a regular meal for me consisted of rice, veggies, soup, and meat, I would eat it in this order:
soup -> veggies -> rice -> meat.
And it'd help me get fuller without the guilt, and on good days, I'd leave behind a few bites of the higher-calorie stuff, instead of the other way around.

I’m also exercising more, since my 2012 resolutions (also here) are to:

Workout at least 3 times a week, every week
Get to 58 kg and maintain a toned body shape
Blog at least once a week

I’m going to play badminton tonight, so that would be my 2^nd workout so far this week. Not bad for a Wednesday eh?

Down 2.6 kg since last week!

Weight as of 1/11/2012: 70.10 kg

New scale, new beginning! (Happy 2012!)

2012-01-03T15:39:00.022+08:00

I've been putting off weighing myself for the past few weeks, and this morning when I finally did weigh myself, things got a little ugly. I gained 5 kg in the past two weeks just from eating out with friends who were back in Taipei for Christmas/new years. Ohhhh NO.

My girl G suggested that I put a scale in the house, and after thinking it through I finally got one during my lunch break today. Voila.

Its packaging

It's so tiny! and pink

It's called Body Scale Petit, and I got it in pink hoping it would cheer me up a little every time I have to face the grim reality of my body weight.

(Hopefully the number will become less 'grim' though).

I've decided to start weighing myself regularly again, but I haven't figured out how often yet. Any ideas?

So this is what I weigh as of today, after lunch.
Weight as of 1/3/2012: 72.70 kg

Gaaaaaa!

I did, however, make it to the gym today. I did a 10-min warmup and a 50-min latin dance class that wasn't as intense a workout as I had hoped. Maybe I'll stick to the treadmill or Elliptical on most days, we'll see.

It's always hard to start again. Because it feels like I've done so much and then I'm back in square one. But I guess I won't give myself too much of a hard time and just GET WITH IT. Here's to a great new year and lots of happy things!!

HERE GOES!

Updated version of me. In Taipei

2011-11-02T15:27:00.019+08:00

I'm back. In a different city, with a different job, different surroundings and different people around me. I moved back from Tokyo in March this year to be with my family, and to take care of some things that I've been putting off for some years now. It's not easy to go through changes, but I'd say I'm adjusting quite well.

A LOT has changed this year, but what's important is that I am HEALTHY and that I still have the ability to make myself HAPPY and to go after the things I want in life.

I still do the things I like, the things that make me 'me.' And I figured writing/blogging was one of them. It is when I write and read that I feel at ease, and I love the support I get from the blogosphere. And it so happened that when I was blogging in 2009-2010 I was also at my fittest.

And yes I am still trying to be/become healthy and fit, and to make the right (or better) choices every day.

I joined a new gym in June, called Being Sports at Q Square (right by Taipei station). I'm trying to get back into a consistent workout routine, so do let me know if you're looking for a gym buddy! (see my Wanted notice here)