New(ish) year, old me

Not sure if it's just the demographics of my peers (ie aging ajummas like me), but increasingly, I've been noticing a trend of fatigue towards the whole "new year, new me" phenomena that used to be so popular everytime the year ends/starts. 

As the title of this post suggests, I'm still obstinately in the whole "review the past year, and set new resolutions" mindset. In fact I tend to do a "big" review twice a year, probably because my birthday falls nicely in the mid-year point and that's another time that I like to reflect on what I have achieved and set new goals (or refresh old ones) for the rest of the calendar or birth year. 

The main change I have observed in myself though, is more grace and kindness in accepting when I don't always achieve everything I set out to accomplish; or allowing myself to set the same priorities year after year. Simply put, the things that are important to me are not likely to change over time, the main thing that I try to change up now is to try and vary my approach, to troubleshoot what hasn't worked before. 

So true to my form, here are the key resolutions I have set myself for the (not so) new year:

- Staying active: Keeping the momentum of healthy habits I have set for myself for daily activity, gradually increasing my daily steps target (have upped that from 10k to 11k earlier this year), rebuild the strength I've lost from slacking off due to various issues the past years, and achieve some performance goals like doing at least 1 pull up and achieving a full split by the end of the year.

- Social connections: Quality > quantity as always. I've fallen off on keeping in touch with some close friends over the whole pandemic period which was strange overall for everyone, and am looking to rekindle some of these friendships while also reinforcing some newer friendships that have been magically forged in recent years too.

- Interests: Keep putting time into things I love and enjoy doing, with greater consistency but also more reasonable targets. Trying to do everything all at once just never worked for me so I really should recognise that I am not a bot who can fully utilise every minute of every waking hour. Haha. A couple of these include writing, music, dance and yoga. Did I say I was trying to be realistic?? Ah well, let's see how we go. 

- Self development: Setting some targets for myself to learn and improve my skills and knowledge too. Professionally I would like to learn to develop better project management and leadership skills, and fortuitously I'm actually in a place that this is something I have room, space and support to do that. Personally it's probably more in the crafting and language arena, the former for pleasure and the latter for utility in picking up that third language of French to better converse with the man and his family/friends. 

That's the main bulk of it, I think. Like I said, the key thing I'm trying to change this year is to be more specific on how I plan to fulfill these, but with a huge dose of patience - it doesn't matter if I start later than expected - the most important thing is to actually start, then keep it up. Hence me sharing this only now - I'm allowing my "year" to start proper in Q2, with the first 3 months as erm, warm up. Time is relative anyway right? Heehee. 

Let's see how we go this year. With luck you may actually get a review of this on this space in December this year. Excited. :) 

Trying pre-workout

Been reading up and studying sports nutrition and supplements more extensively, in a bid to learn more about how I might be able to use some of these - in moderation - just to give a mini boost to my exertions.


Nothing crazy, but really just curious to test out how some of these might help give better results. Still not going into the whole creatin/casein shebang, but just venturing a bit more into BCAAs for muscle recovery, and the continued quest for a yummy protein shake that doesn't come with dodgy long lists of chemicals in their ingredients.


So after hearing mixed reviews on the effectiveness of pre-workouts, I bit the bullet and bought a pack of it to try out. Picked this one that had some good reviews on the taste and ingredient mix, and tested out a small shot of it before my run today.


Pretty much like a fruit punch so no issues with the taste. I was conservative with the serving size too so it didn't make me feel like jumping out of my skin, but gave that nice buzz that I sometimes feel, that slight antsy feeling which just makes me feel like getting to move and do something, anything but stay slouched over my keyboard and desk.


Verdict? Pretty positive, and I'm keen to see how much it will help to get over that dreaded inertia of starting a workout. Now to make sure I don't succumb to the inertia of fixing this up too! Haha.

Cheers

Gym time, me time

Stole away for a couple of hours to get the muscles moving after a week away on vacation. We walked loads, but I missed my machines and dumbbells. Heehee. :p

As much as I relish the days when I make it for a lunchtime workout during the week, I love the rare peacefulness of the gym whenever I manage to fit in a weekend session. I don't need to worry about the time, and can just focus on my workout plan for the day, with the trusty iPod streaming pumpy or groovy beats while I pump away at the machines, or stretch out the muscles on the mat. That time to myself, to recharge, to think of nothing but the breathing and the reps. Bliss. 

recipe for a lovely weekend arvo

Green, brown and yellows

Not my favoured colour palette usually, but there's just one exception when this combination brings me lots of smiles and joy.

Specifically when I am tucking into a delicious hearty lunch post gym session, with all these colours in their naked glory - fresh, unadorned and undressed. Mmm hmm. 

These salads from The Daily Cut impress with their generous and tasty protein options that definitely fill you up. In fact, I seldom get them on days that I don't work out - it almost feels like I haven't done enough to need such a hearty meal! Also their dedication to taste never fails to impress, even with my mediocre tastebuds, I can tell that they are constantly working to make their selections appetising without compromising on being clean and natural with their cooking. When even their tofu taste good, you know these peeps mean business. 

A happy meal, everytime. Also because when I have these for lunch, it meant that I made it to the gym for a workout. Double win. ;)

All my faves! And no, I don't eat with a pen, heh.

Sunday gym date

Gotta say I'm really enjoying the gf's new "cult" membership. Bright and early one Sunday morning, she and her partner came by and whisked me off to the gym since we were all intending to go for a workout at the same time that day.

Funnily enough, we strode into the gym together, then went our separate ways for our individual workouts - them to their respective aerial yoga and Powerplate classes, whereas I needed a hard-ish leg workout, something I tended not to have the luxury of time to do during the week. It always feels good to not have to rush through my session and feel like I've done enough to exert the muscles on all fronts for some proper DOMS to come.

Then some 1.5 hours later, we reconvened at the gym's lounge area, and proceeded to the basement for a quick lunch.

As much as I am used to my originating outlet for Virgin Active at Raffles Place, I really do enjoy this new Tanjong Pagar outlet. Not only is the space larger and more equipped, the shops and facilities in the spanking new Tanjong Pagar Centre is really quite a fun mix. It was such comfort to tuck into some hearty clam chowder at the Seattle Pike Chowder in the basement of the building after an all-out workout. Moreish and satisfying, it was just the right balance of saltiness and creaminess. According to J and D, who have tasted the real deal from the original shop in the States, it's pretty legit and a proper franchisee. Let's hope that this nifty outlet hangs around for a while more.

Thereafter, we adjourned to Jewel coffee upstairs for a lovely cuppa each, fortifying and reassuringly strong. Yumms. Being the all-out friends they are, they then dutifully gave me a lift back before going on their way home.

What an awesomely wholesome Sunday. Definitely looking forward to more of such healthy shenanigans! Hehehe. :D

My yummy chowder - no pics of gyms cos we are all serious athletes. Oof. :p

New gym buddy!

So chuffed that the dear galfriend finally caved and signed up to be a member at the gym I go to. Whee!! How fun.

The woman, who has a willpower of steel has managed to stay resistant to the lures of this awesome "cult" (her words, not mine) for months. She's heard me raving about this wonderful place I race to during lunchtime and whenever I could squeeze in time, then subsequently when her partner joined the same gym and morphed into an even more avid gym-goer than he already was. I guess that piqued her curiosity even more and when the new outlet opened with her favourite Pilates Stott machines, it kinda sealed the deal.

Was amused to see and hear all the classes she's been signing up for. For some reason, she never struck me as a "group class" person - this lady doesn't like to waste time so individual classes afford her the maximum she can get out of an hour or so. I guess it speaks volumes on the quality of the instructors available at the gym.

Quite frankly, neither of us are the type who needs an actual gym buddy for our workouts. We don't do heavy weights that require someone to help "spot" the exercises, nor do we need a "gym date" to motivate ourselves to go for our workouts. But it's just fun to be able to book classes for each other, and once in a while when our schedules tee up, attend a class together, or head there to do our separate training, then reconvene for a coffee or meal thereafter.

I just love that we have yet another option for our catch-ups, other than the usual weekday lunches, the bar, and/or theatre or other random activities. Heh.

What's in my gym bag: workout essentials

Workout buddies!

Thought I'd do a frivolous post today, on what I pack in my gym bag when I'm headed for a workout. These are my essentials and each serves a specific purpose for my workout, be it prior, during or after the session.

Gym bag - A trusty companion that has been with me to the gym as well as on various travels. A lovely birthday gift from a dear galfriend from years ago.

Workout plan - A practice I started sometime last year when I attempted the famed Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines. Thereafter, I learnt to appreciate the effectiveness of having a plan in place whenever I do my strength training - it just saves so much time as I don't need to think about what I want to do next, although sometimes it does involve some switching around, depending on the availability of the machines or weights I had intended to use.

Wireless earphones - I have to say that these totally changed my enjoyment of my workouts, and helped ramp up my focus. Music is not only a great motivator, but also made an immense difference in shutting out the world and just focusing on the muscles and breathing. With the right playlist, it felt like I was just having fun playing with the weights and machines to those groovy beats. Woots. Of course it doesn't hurt that my earphones are gorgeous with pretty good quality sound. Heh. #bimbo

Ipod touch - This nifty gadget that was gifted by AB last Christmas has turned out to be an awesome workout essential. Not only because it provides the music I just mentioned as mandatory for motivation, but also because using this instead of my phone (which I relied on for this function prior to having the ipod) made me concentrate better as well, with no messages or notifications to distract me. Little things that make a big difference. I also discovered to my pleasant surprise that it shows me the battery level of my bluetooth earphones - something I had to guesstimate previously.

Deodorant - well, this is kinda self-explanatory I think. Basic gym etiquette, like wiping down the machines after use so the next person doesn't have to touch your sweat. If you scrunched up your face and went EWW at this description, imagine the revulsion of the person who was actually subjected to such inconsideration. 'Nuff said.

Waterbottle and supplements - Other than the obvious function of keeping me hydrated, I had also started to delve more into sports nutrition to get the most of my workouts. Cue BCAAs that help for strength training, and protein shakes for recovery after. They are not mandatory by any means, but I definitely can feel the difference when I take them. Helps when they are tasty, and in a cute purple bottle too. Hehehe.

Conditioner and shower gel of choice - My gym provides nice toiletries, but I still like to use my own conditioner, since my hair apparently never takes to these complimentary ones in the shower. The shower gel is just something I like as I'm a very "scents" person so it makes me extra happy to use a shower gel I like after a good workout.

Body spray - This is something I like to spritz on prior to my workout to avoid smelling offensive, and also something light before I leave the gym. It's just a breath of fresh air, literally speaking. Heh.

Not pictured:
Sports gear - The gym provides the basic top and shorts as well as socks for working out, but while I appreciate the service to help make it less cumbersome for gym-goers, I hate wearing generic uniforms, and would just bring my own workout gear that I have tried and bought for myself and are most comfortable and (let's face it) confident in. Sports shoes are part of the equation as well.

Makeup - On most days I really just need my eyebrow pencil and a light fuss free lipstick, occasionally some concealer if the face got too flushed from the workout. All just to ensure I don't scare people when I leave the gym.

So there you have it - you will realise that these all boil down to either maximising my workout performance, basic social consideration, or just things to make me feel good.  In truth, I don't NEED them for a workout (well, other than the apparel and shoes obviously), but they just make the exertions happier - I do really enjoy being active anyway, but making the effort to prepare all these for myself is all part of a self-care routine which helps to incentivise the activities. :)

Australian Open finals: the battle of the veterans

The highlight of my Lunar New Year holidays has to be catching the Men's Singles finals of the Australia Opens 2017, ha.

For some reason, all the finalists for this year's Aus Opens are the true veterans - the Williams sisters pitted against each other for the Women's Singles category, and Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal, his nemesis for most part of his career. Amongst them, Nadal is the youngest of the lot, and even he is all of 30 - which in the world of tennis is actually considered old. :p

I can't describe my elation at Federer's ultimate victory, after they played out the full five sets, over close to 4 hours. It was intensely nailbiting at many junctures, and I'd admit that there were moments when he made unforced errors and conceded crucial points to Nadal, that my heart plummeted and I feared he wouldn't prevail.

Fortunately, he regained his momentum and form, and eventually claimed the title. YAYYY! Such sweet, sweet victory. *happy dance*

I'm not even going to attempt describing the match, though I'm sure you would all have read about it by now - but if you are interested, read some of the reports here, and here.

To be honest, I don't follow most of these championships, even though I do read the coverage when I come across them. That said, when I heard that Federer made it to the finals, I squealed in excitement and declared to AB that I was determined to catch that. Heh. I knew he didn't have much patience for the sport, and didn't expect him to catch it with me. The good boyfriend did it anyway, so kudos to him for that, even if I bought him beer and truffle fries in return. Heh.

There were two main reasons why I was so hung up on watching this match: first being that Federer is my all-time and only favourite for this sport. I admire the techniques and skills of the other top seeded players in the world, whom I definitely think are all amazingly talented, but to me, Federer is just unparalleled in his class and demeanour. AB nailed it when he quipped, "He is very classy and has such an elegant style - he never fidgets when he plays, whether in between serves or even preparing to serve, and he clearly knows his game well and plays tactically." Yes, exactly that. 

That, and obviously given his age and form, I won't be surprised if he retires soon, or whether he will make it to another Grand Slam final anytime soon. That just makes this match all the more special, and I was so glad that I managed to catch all of it.

All these made watching his winning speech at the prize presentation even more poignant.

“Tennis is a tough sport, there’s no draws but if there was I’d be happy to share it with Rafa tonight.”

Roger Federer, 2017

Wow. That man is truly, the epitome of class.

Thank you, Roger Federer, for making me see how tennis should be played. You've made me appreciate the beauty of the game, as well as the grit, tenacity and resilience that's required to excel in the game, the same which could be said of life as well. I hope I will still get to see some more of your playing, however longer or shorter that plays out. 

Woohoo!

Naughty vs nice: having a (mostly) clean diet

One particular night, after having whiled hours away just pottering about doing nothing of importance till it was rather late, I suddenly realised I was starving, and having a fierce craving for a hearty bowl of instant noodles. Specifically a serving of that Nongshim spicy veggie flavoured korean ones I had just heard a friend rave about and been all eager to try since buying it just the day before. 

When your craving is so specific, you know it's a serious one that can't be simply diverted with some celery or carrot snacks.

Heh, noodles it is then! To make it less sinful, I rummaged through the fridge, chopped up some of my favourite greens to add to the noodles, and there I have it, a truly veggie-filled spicy noodle soup. 

It may have been chock full of sodium and empty calories, but at least I also got in a very healthy portion of vitamins, nutrients and fibre. Not to mention that satisfaction of a mad craving. Priceless.

No regrets. :D

Late night indulgence

Eating well has never really been a huge problem for me. I love my vegetables since I was a child, and don't always need meat, so most days my meals are rather light. My diet is 70% clean and generally wholesome, and I (thankfully) have a nonexistent sweet tooth so it isn't tough at all for me to resist sweets - the truth is, the hard part is often in how not to appear rude when I decline sweets offered, like, I'm not even trying to pretend to be good, but I really don't fancy cakes and pastries.

That said, I do have quite a "spicy/salty" tooth, and do occasionally indulge in savoury junk food - cue chips, fries, curry puffs and instant noodles (especially those of the spicy variety). Essentially, I am quite the carb fiend.

I don't feel too guilty about it - it's all about moderation and balance after all: I work out and maintain an active lifestyle, and I eat instinctively most of the time, having learnt to listen to my body for what it needs, both in exercising as well as what I feed it for substenance. As I get older, I do find that I'm naturally increasingly inclined towards whole and unprocessed foods as well - those naughty treats may still be enjoyable, but somehow just don't taste as good anymore, and I actually crave them much less often that I used to. I'd like to think it's a reflection of the palate getting more refined and discerning on what truly taste good - natural, fresh organic fare, as opposed to the highly processed junk in well, junk. But once in a few months, that craving still strikes, so when that happens, I just go with it. And it's perfectly fine.

Although, I did make up for the noodles by doing an extra workout the next day, so all good. Like I said, it's about balance. :p

Happy plate! :)

Anti-gravity Yoga: Fun!

Happy space :D

The gym often feels like a giant playground to me, and this is one of the reasons why. Incidentally it was also a big pull factor when I decided to switch to this gym when I wanted to switch my membership.

I love, love, love this class - to me, it's reminiscent of various different activities, which are all fun stuff I enjoy doing. All while getting some strength training in. So much win. Yaay!

First off, it always reminds me of a super swing, which is also my playground fave, except you can do so much more, and it's considered working out.

And while it's technically a yoga class, it's much more dynamic in some ways than a regular practice. While I recognise the yoga postures that have been improvised to incorporate the use of the "hammock" to help you deepen your bends and stretches, the various inversions and flips actually reminded me of all the fun tricks we used to do back in my wild high school days - I say wild cos I was a tree-climbing, flip-around the parallel bar, tent-pitching Girl Guide - which just sounds like one of those uncivilised elf living in the woods. Heh.

The difference from then and now? Doing these flipping around now require much more strength from the arms, legs and core, since you are doing all these using a piece of cloth hooked to the ceiling. There were quite a few positions that can be a bit tricky to get into during the first attempts, and you really need your arm and core strength to hold yourself steady while manoeuvring into place. That awesome burn. 

Did I mention that all the poses sound super bad-ass as well? Superman, Bat, Queen Bee.. I can't help but grin and feel like a superhero when getting into these. Not forgetting the swinging using your core to balance, tummy down and using your arms and posture to propel you into bigger, higher swings. I was transported back to that exhilarating experience with the trapeze one holiday in Bintan some time back.

And that's why after every class, I walk out on a high, not sure if it's from all those inversions rushing blood to the brain, or just because it felt like a fun hour at an air-conditioned playground. Heh.

Either way, I'm definitely hooked. ;) Now to convince myself to set aside more time for this, despite the low caloric burn. Because it makes me a happy, happy girl. :D

blue withdrawal

Currently bemoaning the lack of ready access to a pool - the one at AB's place is undergoing renovation for all of this month, which will only be completed by end of the month.

I have been thoroughly spoilt by this pool - while it's a tad smaller than an Olympic sized one, it's of a nice size and shape that's conducive to my preferred swim duration of 30-45 minutes. Many happy afternoons and a handful of mornings/evenings were spent in it, typically for 40-50 laps, just enough to feel that lovely stretch in the limbs, and still be refreshed, not exhausted after. I do remember very occasionally completing some 70 laps in it, particularly craving that slight tremor in the muscles as I emerge from the pool. Have yet to attempt a full 100 laps though. Heh.

Obviously I didn't get to do any swimming in December, and obviously the construction would take place this month, not while I was away, since Murphy just loves me. Ah well, it's just going to be a week or so more to go. They better complete the works in time! *scrowls*

I miss my favourite sport, even if I sound quite annoying whinging about it. It's not even a real problem after all. Should I really desire, I could just go to a public pool to get my fix. It's seriously not that far to travel. Plus, I have many other choice exertions that I enjoy too - running, gym, yoga, and if all else fails, I can do my own home workouts too. I truly have no reason to grumble, other than being in a self-indulgent "brat" mode. :p

Counting down to the end of Jan! Hopefully I won't be tsking at myself for not utilising the pool enough then.

emo-blue

Catch up with the sis

Between the wondersis being based in the States and me stuck in full-on "navelgazing" mode for the most part of last year, we haven't been as connected as we used to, and I've definitely missed that. One of my key priorities to address for the new year. :)

I promptly booked in a catch up with her the week of my return to Singapore, which eventuated as a run-date in her hood, and a chance for me to have a sneak preview of her renovated flat. Such fun!

We did a short 3km jog along the track just downstairs of her place - love that it's so near and convenient. At my parents', there was a running track a stone's throw away but still a 3 minute walk. This was even easier, we literally could start running as we left her block!

It's always a treat to run with her, or rather just doing any workout - this girl is my most frequent jogging/workout companion. It might or might not be due to the fact that we used to live under the same roof, and also since yours truly here only have a tiny handful of people I would actually bother to arrange to exercise with - I'm quite the lone wolf for my exertions, since the social factor was never my motivation, plus most of the time exercise is my me-time, which I am highly protective of, if you don't know by now.

With the sis, it's different, and much of it owes to our #samefactory traits - we enjoy each other's company, often in complete silence, and are so attuned to each other that we don't need to really say much to communicate either. While we used to have similar pacing, I can no longer count that as a plus since she outpaces me by a large margin these days, and often just accommodates to my snail speed instead. :p

So yes, we did our odd silent but comforting run, after which we had a wholesome yummy dinner cooked by her, whilst conversing on all kinds of random topics veering in all tandems late into the night. Best. 

It was splendid sister (and some brother-in-law) time, looking forward to more to come. : )

My dinner - check out that chunky thigh! ;D

First run of 2017

Also known as my very first time running in the snow. Well, more accurately, it's on snow, since it was just a very thin layer, and in many patches, it had already melted.

It was so much fun!

I was all ready to just head out in the same ensemble I had donned to run in NYC's Central Park when it was the same 0-1 degree-C temperature (pants, running singlet and a thick wind-proof jacket), but the over protective boyfriend was having none of that. So on went a pair of running gloves and a bright red ski jacket of his. :p

I'd admit that it kept me snug as a bug and probably lessened the coldness I felt by at least 20 percent. I looked pretty ridiculous, but then the advantage of being in a foreign land meant nobody could recognise me. Given how bundled up I was, I was fairly sure that people who might know me wouldn't know it's me if we meet, either. Heh.

Running is the easiest choice of exertion over here, since I obviously have no access to weights and I conveniently forgot to bring my trusty TRX along (ahem, tends to happen when you do last minute packing - there is bound to be one or two non-essentials that get omitted! Oops). No matter, it's the ideal choice anyway, to maximise that breathtaking landscape. The only thing is you kinda need to get out early, no later than 5pm, unless you are really prepared to run in darkness and much lower temperature.

As much as I often jibe at AB for being disgustingly fitter than me (he barely breaks a sweat or gets out of breath when we go running as he matches my pace, ugh), I do enjoy running with him very much, especially on countryside runs like this where he probably knows his way even blindfolded (an exaggeration, but probably only a slight one) - the man knows his directions well, and had different routes in his repertoire, so I am assured of a variety of scenery each time, with no fear of getting lost. All I needed to do was to focus on keeping up, while enjoying the aesthetics before me.

For this run, we covered just over 10km in roughly an hour, with some slight slopes that were just enough for the heart to pump hard, but not threaten to jump out of my throat. We even took some moments to pause and take in the expanse of snow, skies and trees at some points. AB, who usually rolls his eyes at my inclination to take pictures of anything that caught my fancy, even obliged me with some photos taken on his phone cam so I can have them for memory's sake (I didn't have my phone with me). Hehe.

It was a perfect first run for the year. It felt really good to hear the feet crunching in the snow, and even the slightly scary parts where the paths were wet and you could feel yourself slip ever so slightly with each step and needed to be on high alert, were pretty fun to add a bit of thrill to the activity. Not to mention that it was a nice distance, too. Decent mileage that didn't exhaust me too much.

Mis-matched, don't care

Treated to a lovely sunset

To more runs together!

Snow, snow and more snow

much more than nothing

When a certain sports brand came up with the slogan 'Impossible is nothing', I was pretty taken with it. Three words that capture the essence of the never-say-never attitude for sportsmen and women, professional, amateur or leisure. Thumbing your nose at the seemingly unattainable goals - oh so nonchalently cool.

But as I pushed through long runs and trainings, I took a different take from it.

Impossible is not nothing. It's sweat, blood and even tears. Not forgetting lots and lots of mental strength and self-discipline.

So, nope, it's not nothing, it can't be written off just like that. To achieve the impossible, it's way more than that.

But that immense satisfaction that you earn with going for it with all you've got? All so worth it.

gift from the gang

My new gym gunny, all comfy soft and roomy, to lug all my stuff to work on gym days.
Belated it may be, but I still love it. Thanks guys! :)

listening comprehension

After a long day at work, all factors were conducive to hop into yoga at the gym tonight - location, timing, I even lugged all my gear.

Yet.

The body was really craving for a good long run. Which I did. Heaved the heavy gym bag back home, then went for a mind-emptying jog at the park.

The bliss from listening to that lil voice of truth is simply incomparable. Not forgetting the immense satisfaction of fulfillment too. Too often, it's so easy to ignore that nagging small voice of logic and truth, drowned out by the lazy drawl whispering all manners of temptations and paths of least resistance into your ears, playing into your every weakness that who else but yourself would know best. I suppose that's why the inner devil is the hardest to fight.

But I'm slowly learning, listening more carefully to that quiet murmur. And as I learn to refocus my attentions, it gets a lil more firm, a lil more clear. And I'm reminded, of how we can be our worst enemies, but our best friends too. :)

dream came true

except that it wasn't a good dream. :p

On Sunday morning, I woke up at 7.15am. Early it may be, but still way too late, considering that flag0ff for Shape Run was 7.30am!?!

*silent scream*

I was strangely calm though, perhaps cos it was really too late to do anything about it, and also cos while I was a tinge disappointed that I missed it, it's not life and death. But yes, it's always been a fear that I will oversleep and miss a race, and it's finally come true. Gaah.

Well, seeing that I crashed back into sleep after weighing all options, to awaken only after noon, I reckon that the body must really have been too tired, and I would not have performed well anyways. So best to listen to the voice of reason and rest up.

Just need to note that this doesn't happen come December. Or I guess I will really scream. =P

thank you

Just thanking some individuals who have been motivating me, knowingly and unknowingly, in my fitness journey.

To you..
Your resilience and all-out enthusiasm has been infectious. That, coupled with your encouraging messages, have saved me from a number of times when the resolve weakened and temptation beckons to jus head home rather than fulfill the workout plan. Not to mention a fantastic wheely-date kaki. Thanks to you, I'm slowly rebuilding that much-needed momentum, and enjoying it too!

To you..
I used to admire your fitness levels and how you're just naturally more inclined towards sports than I am. I used to be that lazybones whom you could never get to play badminton with, and it's amazing how much we have evolved. You may not be as strong or active as you once were, but you never lost that love and passion for sports. I'm just glad that we share that now. I love running and swimming with you cos we have similar pacing, and it's quality time too during and after that. I also tell myself that with enough work, I might just have those trim slim legs of yours too. Heehee.

And last but definitely not least..
To you..
It's incredible how we uncannily find ourselves in the same situations more than once. I'm so glad that we have grown out of envying each other for what we can never have, and having that slight sour note in our voices even when we really want the best for each other. I'm loving the sms-es we have been sending frequently and spontaneously to report progress and give that needed nudge. It feels so much better knowing we are working hard towards a common goal, genuinely wanting the other to fulfil her goal too.

You know who you are. Thank you. :)

watered

Everytime I go for a swim, I would feel wonderfully refreshed and promise myself that I should do it regularly. And almost unfailingly, I end up staying on dry land for weeks, sometimes months, before I repeat the same experience.
:p

So last night was another nice sesh at the pool. Compared to the previous hassled experience I had, it was sweet relief to be able to swim in peace, focusing on cutting cleanly through the water, just the kicks, the strokes and the breathing. Managed to accomplish the 20 laps I set out to complete, almost non-stop, safe for slight pauses to adjust the goggles.

All happily watered, the evening was then rounded up with comfy company over light bites nearby. It's cool to have chums working close by I say! Sharing fitness plans and progress is a great way to provide more motivation, methinks. :)

I should really do this watering routine more frequently. *crosses fingers*

On another note, while strolling over to the complex after work, bumped into my cousin who was on his way back after a swim. Glad to see him looking somewhat more relaxed, though his eyes are still sad. It's consolation to know that he's carrying on with life, picking up the pieces rather than sinking into depression. I just hope that's a true reflection of what's on the inside as well.

out of my mind

What is your definition of madness?

For bemusedtots, what constitutes craziness changes and shifts according to situation, mood and other random factors.

At the moment, it is perhaps.. looking forward to a 10km run this weekend, AND getting all excited about the increased distance offered at another run I was planning to sign up for.

Just realised that the venue for this 2nd one would not be at Sentosa, but would still have the killer sandy part.

Almost died running on the sandy parts last year. And I'm actually seriously tempted to attempt the longer distance offered this year. It's exciting and scary at the same time!

Well, since registration has not started yet, I have a while more to decide just how much I wanna challenge thyself.

:p