Tomatoes

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) Minimize meat in my dishes. 2) Eat more tomatoes.

Meat

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 myself to only a slice of meat.
There were times when I did consider becoming a vegetarian but realized I was not fully prepared. It's a huge step and a lot of things and habits need to be changed and I was just too lazy for them. Perhaps I might do it slowly. The first step is by omitting meat from my diet. That shouldn't be too difficult....

Music

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 information and there's no need to rush anything.

Hard rock, dance tunes and heavy metal might not be suitable to be played for people who prefers fine dining but they're not bad sounds either. Fast tempo and loud noises somehow help to pump one's adrenaline to get onto their feet and do something. Hence the tracks selected for group exercises classes usually consist of the 3 genres of music. They signal the brain to get things moving - well at least your feet would start tapping. Having said that, it doesn't mean students can't listen to those music. I found Mathematical problems can be solved faster when I have these musics playing on my walkman (at least they were some 15 years ago).

During my uni times (when there's no iPod but life was pretty much simpler) I had to carry a huge bag to the library just to make sure I have all the necessary cassettes available. Just imagine, different music for different subject. Van Halen for calculus, Bryan Adams for High Speed Network, Rod Stewart for Microprocessor, Bon Jovi for Assembly Language etc etc...

These days I continue on experimenting with music even though I don't have to study much. Still I need different music for different situation. Nickelback for cardio sessions, Bee Gees when I do weight training, Beyonce when I need to write nasty emails, Pussycat Dolls when I need to focus on the road etc etc etc...

However, I don't need music to fall asleep. Looking after 3 kids is tiring enough to make me enter La La land easily.

Power

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

Cardio?

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 get to kick, punch, shout, laugh and not to mention interact with many people in the class.

BodyPump is quite a challenge. It seems easy, but after the 6th track, you're lucky if you could still feel your legs and arms. After the class ends, I always find it quite difficult to lift my arms. But, as my friends told me, sore muscle after exercise is a good news. That means you managed to work them.

I love it anyway, as everytime I go to these classes I'll surely sleep soundly at night.

*Images from weheartit.com

Sleep

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

Caramel

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 tried his luck.

One woman took the risk to be liberal.

One woman had to let go of her daughter as she's getting married.

The story revealed many aspects of women that society tends to overlook. Dealing with day-to-day issues at times requires the women to make a lot of sacrifices. We can never understand why women make a fool of themselves when it comes to love; even when they know the relationship not heading anywhere. We can also never understand why some women decide to live in denial. Would a woman neglect her own flesh and blood in order to find the love of her life? Watch this movie, you'll get some answers.

* Images from weheartit.com and Googled.

Arithmetic Love Quote

 '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.

Tired

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.

After the class ended, I went to the bar for a few glasses of ice lemon tea. Then, I checked the timetable wondering what's the next class. The Ah Soh was standing near me and she asked what class will start soon. I told her it's Kick-Boxing Fusion. I totally have no idea what Kick-Boxing Fusion was all about. The Ah Soh asked me whether she could join. I got a feeling that it's a high impact class. I didn't know what to tell the Ah Soh. She looked really interested to sweat a little bit more. Perhaps she was quite bored with the BodyVive; perhaps she was looking for a more challenging exercises.

So, I told her that kick-boxing is a form of martial art, have some similarities with Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do. She nodded and asked me again whether she could join. I felt really bad because I didn't want to encourage her to do something that might cause her injuries. So, I told her to go and talk to the instructor who was chatting happily with a few guys behind us.

She walked slowly towards the instructor but before she could open up her mouth to speak, the instructor rushed inside the class as it was about time to start Kick-Boxing Fusion. The Ah Soh then followed the instructor in and she was standing right in front of the stage, ready for some action. Encouraged by her passion and confidence, I followed her in and stood on her right.

When the class started, again I was surprised when the Ah Soh proved that she's a lot more than the frail looking old lady. She was doing really well with the boxing and kicking. Thank god she was not overdoing it and I was so happy watching her enjoying the exercise.

As for me, I only stayed until track 6 as it was already 7.15pm and I had to rush back, otherwise I might miss Maghrib prayer. Although I didn't manage to complete the class, I thought Kick-Boxing Fusion is not that high impact as BodyAttack. There's a lot of optional movements for older (or fatter) people. I'm tired now after the two classes but determined to do this again next Thursday.

* Image from weheartit.com

Love Me

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

Escapism

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 close friends or alone, it doesn't really matter. As long as we can take our thought off of all those depressing things at home or office. I found talking silly with close friends helped a lot when I need to de-stress. Pampering ourselves is another good option to keep our sanity checked.

Escape doesn't mean running away. Escape is just a way of gathering thoughts or clearing the mind before evaluating problem solutions. Some problems don't have any solution, we just let some wounds heal through time. Escape could mean meeting new people with fresh or intriguing ideas (or easier on the eyes). When we get to know new friends, we'll go through a process to discover ourselves all over again and later we'll be able to look at things from a different perspective.

So, the next time you face a very challenging problem or stuck in a difficult situation it's okay to escape for a while. It's okay to tell the people around you that you need some time for yourself before you could come up with something solid. It's even okay to buy some time after someone apologizes. It's good to forgive but a deferred forgiveness works wonders on a relationship.

Dear women all over the world, escapism is an important word in our dictionary. Don't know where to start? Try reading chick-lit, watching chick-flicks or pay a visit to the national arts gallery.

Support

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 this back support so that it kept me standing and sitting straight during daytime. I didn't wear it to sleep. Slouching will only make the pain worse and unbearable. Without the back support, I usually had to get up really slowly from my chair and walk in slow-mo heading towards the washroom. I walked like a 90 year old granny because it was impossible to straighten the body right away after getting up from the chair. It would feel like all your bones were falling apart.

This back support helped me a lot to get through my days at work. I was thinking of getting a very long MC if I had to walk around the office like an old granny.

After the C-sect (day02) I started putting on this tummy binder. It provided the much needed tummy support and I was able to breathe normally. Remember, the first exercise after your C-sect is doing the proper breathing. I practiced the Yoga style breathing which allows more air to enter you lungs. At the same time, it clears the mind and you'll feel refreshed after only 5 minutes of this breathing exercise.

Another good Yoga position you can do right away is the corpse. Just lie down, hands on the sides, legs apart, head turned to the side, close your eyes and relax. It's so easy; and if you're lazying at home in this position and your mom nags you, just tell her you're exercising. Life can be a bed of roses for some people who really know how to manipulate the people around them and get away with things easily. You agree with me? No? Don't worry, the choice is yours.

*Images taken from OPPO Medical.

Step One

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 Trainer; have to wait and see. If the incision area is strong enough by then, it's ok to hire a PT. Otherwise, go swimming la maybe...
It's not too bad I think. Yesterday I did 15 minutes on the wave machine and rowed 2000 meters and was drenched in sweat afterwards. Come to think about it, I need to sweat in order to detox. Slimming down is not the top priority right now. Will discuss this again in March 2010! Remind me, ok.

Whoami?

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

Intro: Hello World!

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).