GreySneakers Diaries

I was never a tomato fan. Whenever I found tomato in my food e.g Chicken Rice, I'd remove them or gave them to whoever's dining with me. I knew tomatoes contain anti-oxidant and what-nots but it was very difficult to get my taste bud accustomed to the sourish taste. However, lately or was it after my confinement period I found myself not really in favor of having tamarind juice in my cooking. First, I replaced with Asam Keping but it didn't enhance the taste. Next, I tried adding slices of tomatoes in my sambal tumis and everybody loved it. Now I'm adding them in almost all of the dishes; curry, sambal udang, sambal ikan, gulai ikan, pasta sauce (of course! now I'm adding more). I'm sure I'll be improvising more recipes with tomatoes in the next few months. After doing some readings, I also found out that tomatoes are good for the heart. For someone who used to have hypertension this is surely a good news. So, my healthy eating progress this December: 1)...

I've been trying not to take too much meat since I started suffering from gastritis. According to the doctor, it was caused by poor digestion. I remember I always chewed my food quickly and swallowed them. I was always in a hurry during those days but I couldn't remember why. The doctor prescribed the usual gastritis medication and advised me to changed my eating habit. It was a strict diet and I lost about 8kg after about 4 months. It was a no oil and no chilli diet. I was only allowed to have fish, chicken and vege. Meat was my biggest enemy back then. When my health improved, I tried eating meat once in a while but my system took longer time to digest. I felt uneasy and sleepy after the meal. Eating meat during festive season usually would take a toll on my system. It also affected my bowel movement pattern. Finally, a few years ago I decided that I'd only survive with fish, chicken, seafood, vege and fruit. If it's Hari Raya or entertaining friends, I'd limit...

Music can sooth the savage beast (unless you play them Metallica numbers from the late 80s...) I've been experimenting with music since I was small. I'm no musician and when I say experimenting it's more towards testing how the genre fit to my own ears. And guess what, we should also test how they fit with the rhythm of our hearts too. There are many health articles published which relate to genre of music and how each of them can affect your way of thinking and certain physical reactions. Take classical music for an instance. Studies found that it's best to play it at restaurants and while studying (I suppose it's more suitable for students who are trying to memorize facts). Classical music is known for its smooth and harmonious sound which helps us to eat slower and giving the body ample time for better digestion. Same goes for the students. They need to digest and memorize facts. Classical music's tempo tells the brain to take its time processing informat...

The Power Of Love Love has the power to break all chains  - Swim the deepest seas  - Endure the strongest pains  - Love is the glow in the darkest night leading you on until you have sight.  - Cristoto *Images from fanpop.com

I found this really interesting article on cardio exercise . I have to agree with the author (who happens to be a certified trainer with vast experience in helping people get fit, lose weight and achieve impossible dreams.... having a six-pack for example). Traditional cardio exercise is seriously boring. I admit I was torturing myself when I did cardio training on those machines. Lately I only spent 15 minutes on each trainer. There's no fun in doing cardio. You get to watch TV and listen to music but the quality of exercise is questionable. I tend to give up easily when I do cardio especially when there's no personal trainer to push and motivate me. I was always like, well.... there's nothing to chase, I'm not in a hurry. So the exercise became a walk in the park and the result was disappointing. I noticed that I started to lose some weight and getting a more toned body after I frequently joined BodyCombat and BodyPump classes. BodyCombat is a lot of fun. I ge...

For a better health and happier life, sleep more. Seriously.... it solves a lot of things while giving your body and mind the much needed rest. When you decide to sleep on a certain matter, you'll get a better resolution the next day. *Image from weheartit.com

It's a movie with quite an unusual backdrop : Beirut. When all I could think of was oppression and war, the movie gave me a totally different view on the women at that side of the world. One woman was having an affair with a married man. One woman was having trouble accepting the fact that she's growing old. One woman found herself attracted to beautiful women. One woman was a muslim, about to get married but kept a dark secret from her fiancee. One selfless woman had to take care of her elder and senile sister. The movie also showed the other sides of the story. One woman, who's trying to please the husband without knowing that he's seeing another woman. One man, who was admiring a woman he couldn't get from far. One husband who neglected his wife and kids and went out openly with his girlfriend. One senile woman who was just confused with her surrounding, but wanted to be cared for. One old man who showed interest in an attractive old woman and tr...

  'In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing' - Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966. Copy pasted this from Ruby Ahmad's FB status. I'd love to buy and read this book called The Second Neurotic's Notebooks. Image from weheartit.com.

Today I rushed to the gym at 5pm with the intention to join BodyVive class. I was watching the class in progress about two weeks ago and decided it's not high impact and perhaps I could try it out. It took me 30 minutes to reach FF IOI. When I've changed into my gym gear the class have already started. I went in and headed straight to the front. Except for a geeky looking guy and the instructor, there were all ladies in the class. After the first track, I noticed a really old Ah Soh in the line behind me. I thought she must be already in her 70s. She looked frail, her hair was all white, her face and hands were all wrinkly and her movement was very slow. But she followed the class anyway. The instructor was also very considerate. He showed the old lady the right moves and explained them clearly to her during every track. It turned out, BodyVive was a very low impact exercise. I only started to sweat during the 5th track. But it's a good starting point for newcomers. A...

Dear men, all women wants to be loved and they deserve that. Full stop. Dear women, all men wants to be loved in return. They need that. Why the book 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus ' is a bestseller is understandable. All women thinks that men are so complicated and difficult to understand and vice versa. Perhaps, it's about time to tell the world that we are not a complicated species. Don't let a book make you feel miserable. It's quite tough to fully understand men, especially those we truly love because women tend to over analyze things. Men don't want to be analyzed, just let them be. Women don't like to be criticized, just make us happy. *Image taken from weheartit.com

You can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends. At times you'll feel trapped among strangers whereas they're your own flesh and blood. There will be times when you can't figure out a way out of the problems in the office or with the neighbor. Perhaps, some mornings you wake up and wish that you're someone else or living another life. Sometimes you even wish that everyone you dislike would disappear and replaced with nicer people. There are also moments when you wish you could trade with another woman's (or man's) shoes. Sadly, we won't get to do those things. Life is not a fairytale or a badly written Hollywood spoof movie. However, it's still okay to escape once in a while. Even three hours a week should be sufficient. Some people go as far as an island far far away from home, leaving everybody and everything behind for a few days. Some won't even have this luxury, but we can always spend a few hours at the movies with some cl...

Only 2 things are certain in life: everybody ages, everybody dies. Each passing day most of us try not to think of these two. Let's not blame ourselves, let's just go with the flow. Signs of ageing can be seen even in our early twenties. The crow feet, the lines on our forehead and underneath the eyes are among the early ones that will surface and they're like a sudden knock on the front door, 'Knock! Knock! You're getting old and wrinkly.' The other sign is joint and back pain.Blame it on calcium deficiency, unhealthy eating, cheap mattresses and even laziness. Still, they're signs that age is catching up. I had a terrible lower back pain that started in the early 2nd trimester of my recent pregnancy. The doctor told me it could be the ligaments' problem. Our joints and ligaments become quite tender during the 9 months. Since I never had it before, I thought it must be the age. 35 is not a recommended age to get pregnant, by the way. I bought ...

As advised by friends and colleagues, I consulted my gynae regarding the workout sessions that I'm planning to have for the next month or so. Surprisingly, she told me that I should only start joining the aerobics classes, BodyCombat, BodyAttack and  other high impact exercises after 6 months. That means, I can only start those exercises in March 2010!! Awwww...!!! In the mean time I can only do the low impact ones like the elliptical trainer, wave machine, rower, stationary bike and treadmill (no running though). I should also be wearing the tummy binder during my work out session. I have already started doing some resistance training but limited myself to the lightest weight possible. This is going to be like starting from zero all over again. Taking baby steps for the next one month and later increase the resistance and speed gradually. By right everything should be back to normal by April 2010? Yes? No? Don't know yet. My gynae also advised to defer hiring Personal Trai...

I'm a thirty something mother of 3 who also happen to be slaving myself in the office from 9 to 5 daily. Some background: - I was born and raised in Bera, Pahang - I went to a primary school in Pahang - I went to the superfamous Sek Tun Fatimah from 1987-1991 - I did a diploma in UPM in Agricultural Engineering for 2 years - I graduated from UPM in 1998 as a proud degree holder - Bach Of Engineering (Electronics and Computer) - I have been working in the IT industry since 1998 - Up until today, I've been working for 2 IT companies Useless facts: - my wardrobe is color coordinated - my right foot is slightly bigger than my left - I hate satay perut - my favorite food is cucur ikan bilis Important facts: - I have been struggling with my weight since 1988. - Size 16 fits me nicely (sometimes) - Size 18 fits me better (for certain designs) - Size 20 comes in handy at times

Hello dearests.... this blog focuses on health and fitness so you can expect a lot of stories about healthy food, struggle at the gym, diet programs, food supplementary and tips for a healthier lifestyle. All the posts containing health products in this blog are not sponsored. I'll write reviews so that my readers can benefit from the product (if they're good and effective). I advice my readers to consult their doctors prior to doing any of the exercise mentioned in this blog (that is if you've been a couch potato for the past 5 years or more).