Happy 2011 – is it time for new year’s resolutions again?

It is a new year which usually means everyone has made some form of New Year’s resolution. Magazines, Twitter and many blogs are full of New Year’s resolutions. and all of friends and colleagues talk about their New Year's resolution. I for one generally don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. What’s really the point of them? If something needs to be changed about your life like eating more vegetables, spending more time for the family, drinking more water, exercising, say hello to your neighbour or being a happier person, why wait until the new year to change it and then only stick to them for a few months before falling off the wagon which then leaves one even more unhappier. Not a good start to a new year, I reckon.

This year however I got a tiny bit sucked into the wave of New Year’s resolutions. The break over Christmas gave me time to stop, take a breath and reflect on the last year. I am happy with my life where it is at at the moment. But I believe a few things can be improved to make my life even more happier and healthier. 

So here are my goals for 2011 ( Would I classify them as New Year’s resolutions, probably not. And are goals for the future actually New Year’s resolutions?)

• So this year I want to work on being a more relaxed and calmer person. I don’t get worked up about little things and explode anymore. Think of my blood pressure and all that wasted energy which I could use on something more useful, more meaningful. I want to be able to take a step back and breathe before tackling the issue which irritates me. Maybe I should start with meditation and read self-help books?
• This brings me to my next goal: I would like to be more efficient with my time and manage it better, work wise and privately. I want to enjoy my free-time more and spend more quality time with my loved ones. I would like to be able to take the moments in and cherish them more. I want to appreciate the little and fine things which make my life more happier even more. Any tips on how to achieve it?
• I would like to be more bold by wearing more colourful and more unusual fashion, have more coverage to sport a bright lipstick and do something different my hair every now and then. Doesn't colour make you happy too?
• I will continue being healthy and fit and will look after myself a bit more. I cannot influence if I become ill with some disease or get hit by a car (I don't want to jinx it here!) but I can work on being the healhiest I can be. I will give myself a break from beating myself up about not achieving certain goals and stop comparing myself to other people. I will start to appreciate what I have achieved in my life and be grateful about it. I guess the two points above come into the game here. Being more relaxed, calmer and have more time for things which make me happy also leads to being healthy. Your body and mind have a very close connection. A body cannot be healthy without the mind being healthy. Sounds little bit too spirituous but it is true. I will also train for the Melbourne marathon this year. Running a marathon is one of the items of my “bucket list”. I think this year is a good year to do it as I am the fittest I have ever been which is a good foundation to build on.
• I would also like to get involved in some charity. I believe I do underestimate how blessed I am with my life and sometimes don’t value my life enough. So it is time to give something back. I read recently that doing some form of charity brings you more happiness in your life. If that isn’t reason enough? 

What else is on the agenda for 2011? Of course more travel: Broome in April and a trip to New Year, LA and Las Vegas in August/September. I am so excited and have started to save my spending money. I am also looking forward to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in January, celebrating the wedding of 2 closed friends in March and many 30^th birthdays in the first half of the year, having my little sister over for Christmas and spending 3 weeks with her and her family.

2011 already looks damn good to me packed with more adventures. 

Morning runs and yummy breakfast

I have been avoiding running outside for the last 6 months. Mainly because it is way too hot in Singapore to run outside and we live also in the CBD. So I did my running on the treadmill in the gym in our apartment building. Oh man, I got so bored with it. Not only made it me feel like a hamster, I also noticed that it does not get my heart rate up high enough to burn any calories and fat. What's the point of running on the treadmill then? 
I switched to interval training instead. For example, 5 minutes warm up, then 2 moderate speed, then 1 to 2 minutes sprinting, then pull back to moderate, then increase incline and so. I do this for about 30 - 45 minutes. Depending how I fit I feel and how motivated I am because I still feel like a hamster when I run treadmill. 


Besides my other gym workouts,the hubby and I enjoy doing something active on the weekends. Usually we would explore one of the many reservoirs in Singapore. (Did you know that Singapore is actually very green and it is more like a city surrounded by rain forest?) Our favourite reservoir is Macrichtie which has many different trials, from 3 km to 14 km. Usually we are also to see some monkeys along the way. A few Saturday mornings ago, I suggested to the hubby that we should run instead of power walk the track - just to challenge ourselves. Suddenly there we were, running the cross country track for about an hour. Boy, that was hard work but it also gave me this awesome "running high" which I did not get from the treadmill training. The "running high" makes the hard work worth it. The realisation that I can run outside in Singapore (yes, it is bloody hot and you sweat like a pig - not a nice picture, I know) motivated me and also anger me to do it more often. 


It became our little routine that we would go for a run instead of walks on our Saturdays. And now I have started to run by myself during the week too. I run along the river here, from Marina Bay where our apartment is, passed Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay. It is a nice and peaceful 45 minute run because it is not packed with the tourists yet and hardly any of the cafes/ restaurants are open yet. 


So this morning I bounced out of the bed when the alarm went off, despite being super tired, had my cold green tea and a banana to get some energy and I hit the pavement. Man, this morning it was so hard to run my usual track. My legs are so sore heavy and slow from kick boxing yesterday and the little man in my head was screaming at me to stop. But I made it. I ignored the little man and the feeling I made it felt even better than normally.


The best part after a morning run: a yummy breakfast. This morning I had porridge with natural yoghurt (for protein), cinnamon (good fat burner) and strawberries and some great Oolong tea. 

Is eating healthy while travelling impossible?

My passport will be the proud owner of many stamps of, at least, 8 different countries by the end of this year. Not bad effort, don't you think? That I am struggling with the fact to hand over that passport when I will change my name officially is still a small issue though. I like those stamps and I like travelling a lot.

There is only one thing about travelling which I seriously loathe: it is nearly impossible to eat healthy while travelling. Working out while travelling is more easy, just your pack your runners and gym gear and hit the hotel gym before breakfast or go for a run outside.

I started to watch my diet more closely and became a little health nut lately. My husband would probably describe my eating habits as “eating for the thighs and butt instead of the stomach”.  (Baby, that’s not a bad thing since you are the one who has to put up with my thighs in the long run.) So I discovered eating healthy while travelling is possible, maybe not as healthy as at home, but still.  It just takes some planning, preparation and discipline. This is what I do: 

• I eat before I fly. Not just snacking at the airport or so, eat a proper meal.  
• For longer flights (more than 2 hours), I request a “low fat” meal when booking my flight. Just go to special request and tick the box.  Just like as if you would request a vegetarian meal  or a kids meal. The best part is you get your meal served before everyone else.  While everyone else eats, you can use the toilet and you don’t need to queue up and you get to go to sleep much earlier (if it is a night flight). (Oh, did you know a normal inflight meal contains 500 - 1000 calories - this is without counting the drinks? Just google it, you will be surprised to see the results.)
• For short flights, I eat before the fly and say no to the snacks/sandwichs what are served on the plane. 
• For any flight, I pack healthy snacks like apples, nuts, vegetable sticks, you name it. That also helps me to have a snack while driving to the hotel or before a meal at the destination. Often I arrive at weird times and due to the time difference, I may be hungry when I land. 
• I also take an empty plastic bottle with me and fill it up with water or I buy a bottle of water once I passed the security check. As everyone would know, the dry plane air dehydrates you plus I never know when I will be able to drink some water after I arrived.

These few pointes have really helped me to stay on track with my healthy eating habits. The only and biggest problem I faced so far is when flying back home or during a stop over, there is only McDonalds, KFC or Starbucks at the airport. I still cannot believe that there are so many people out there who are happy to queue up at McDonalds. 

Exercising has changed me (yes, it is true!)

While running on the treadmill and listening to the Glee soundtrack this morning, I thought about how much exercising has changed my life in the last few years. Yes it is true - I am not making it up.


I became a regular gym person when I was 20. Growing up, I was never into sports. My parents never enrolled me in a sports club when I was a child and I hated the PE classes in school, in particular running. (I don't need to point out that I was rubbish at all types of sport too.)
However I started going to the gym when I just moved into another city. I think I only joined in order to meet new people. Meeting new people in the gym is kind of hard, I found out later, instead I discovered that I enjoyed to doing step and Body Pump classes and really got into Thai Bo (Thai Boxing exercise class). 
The main reasons I went to the gym were I always wanted to lose weight (probably like most young women) and most of my friends and colleague went to the same gym. So going to gym and working out was more like a task, a "duty", like cleaning my apartment or feeding my cats. Never something I enjoyed. 


About 3 years ago, I began to do the so far impossible: I started to run regularly. Something I would have never thought of doing before, not even in my wildest dreams. I was one of those people who says adamantly "I loath running. I do not know why you would to that to yourself. I cannot do it." Me and running was like "salt in a coffee", two things don't work with each other (although I saw Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf sells Salted Cappuccinos these days, but I guess you get my point). First I began to run only for 20 minutes and built up slowly over time.
Around the same time, I also became bored with my workouts in the gym and started to do boxing classes and took personal trainer lessons while keeping up the running.
Only then, I discovered that I can get so much more out of exercising, not just burning calories. It helps me to de-stress. It challenges me mentally a different way my job does. It makes me feel so much better. I can achieve the impossible. I started to see my body in a different way, I started to actually respect it for what it is capable of. 


Running remains my passion. Yes I know that sounds probably a little bit odd. If I could only do one form of exercise I would choose running. I love running along the Yarra River on a quiet morning with some great songs on my iPod. 
I strongly believe that running contributes to reducing depression - it always helps me if I feel a bit "down". Running gets me "into the zone" - it is just me and nothing else. I still can't believe that I ran the Melbourne half-marathon last year. Sometimes when I feel giving up and stop running, I try to remember that awesome feeling when running along Flinders Street on the way to the MCG thinking "Oh my god, I am running a half-marathon and I am feeling fantastic."


The other thing I thought I would never enjoy is doing weights training. The thought of going to the weights section in the gym amongst all these posers and muscular guys and girls just intimidated me. My personal trainer Chris knew how much I feared weights training and slowly introduced to weights and showed me that there is nothing wrong with a normal chick doing weights training. I kind of have to admit that I love the feeling when I can lift more weights now than the guy next to me. 


I don't think I will ever stop exercising. It is now a part of my life. I would lie if I would say I don't work out to maintain or lose weight. I like food and wine too much so I cannot afford not to exercise. But I don't exercise anymore purely because of this thought in the back of my mind "I ate chocolate yesterday so I must run for an hour today." I need exercise to stay sane and I want to be and stay healthy. Isn't your health the most important thing in your life?

After a detox week...

... I feel better. I feel healthier, have more energy, I am more conscious again on what I put in my mouth and yes, I feel lighter. But I don't do a detox for weight loss. It would be silly of me to think that a detox will lead to long term to weight loss. That's a myth.


So how did I go? Well, given that I am not working at the moment, also did not have uni last week and the hubby was out of town, it was actually pretty easy. I enjoyed the fruit salads, soups, salads, fresh juices. One night  But you know that feeling when you know you can't have it, you want it even more. That's how I felt on the 4th day about a piece of dark chocolate - but I stayed strong and had an orange instead. 


Well that was the food part of my detox but there was also the other part: the "colon hydro cleansing". Fancy name when you consider what it actually is involved. 
Half way through my first session, I was thinking: "Why the hell am I doing this?" And then I remembered all these articles I read and the benefits.


Colon hydro cleansing promise to effectively remove the toxic waste that is lodged in the wall of the colon. Some of the waste can be up to 10 to 15 years old. Colon hydro cleansing promise to make sure that the digestive system function optimally and auto intoxication is reduced. Colon hydro cleansing helps to reduce bloating, constipation, indigestions, skin problems and the list goes on. 


The first session was very awkward and exhausting and yes, very strange. I mean who likes to have a tube up the bum and watch his/her own poo coming out? Sorry to be so blunt but that's what happens. The staff at Hydro Health was really nice and made even funny jokes like "It will just feel like doing a good sh!t". 


I had in total 4 sessions last week and will go back when I am back from all the great trips I have coming up (I write about it tomorrow). They recommend to do session of 4 to 5 in a row to ensure that all the waste built up in the colon is gone and then have one session about 4 to 6 weeks for maintenance.


Do I feel a difference now? I definitely do not get so bloated the whole time, I feel lighter and my skin is better. I also feel good that I have done something for health. 
If you want to know more about colonic hydro cleansing, you read here and here.


Oh, and I did not have a coffee in almost 2 weeks now and don't miss it. I did have a couple of glasses of red wine on the weekend which I didn't enjoy and gave me a headach. Not sure whether it was a bad red wine or my body responding to some "bad". 

It is detox week!

After vowing to stay healthy while we are in Singapore, I have decided to take it a little bit further - yes,  it is time for a detox. 
With the hubby travelling again this week (this time to my home country), it is a good opportunity to do a detox over the next 5 days. My detox program means no sugar, salt, coffee, processed food or meat but lots of fruit, vegetables, herbal teas, water and fresh fish and Hot Yoga. 
There are other ways to detox, like excluding dairy, wheat and fish as well but I am not going to that far this time. 


Why detox? Well, let's put it this way: Over the last year or so, I probably drank too much alcohol (in particular the red vino), ate in way too many great restaurants, travelled a bit, drank a lot of coffee and experienced a lot of stress (moving house, job, planning a wedding, moving to a new country). And then, I read this article about colonic hydrotherapy (or also known as colon irrigation or for my German readers - Darmspuelung) and its benefits last week. So I thought, hell, yes, I am going to try this while I am doing my detox. Er, yes, you read correctly - colon irrigation. My hubby said politely the other day: "My wife is up for every sh!t". Um, sorry for that word.


So today was the first day of my detox and my first colonic hydrotherapy. Well, it was weird and quite exhausting. I promise I willbwrite more about it at the end of the week once I have finished my sessions so I can write more about the benefits I have experienced.


And now, I am going to make myself a fresh ginger and lemon tea and watch some soccer.

The Challenge to stay healthy in Singapore

I would have never imagined that I would say this - It is hard to stay healthy in Singapore.Yes you read it correctly. Did you say "Hang on, Jasmin, isn't Asian food healthy? Aren't there all these hawker markets with the amazing offer of food?" 
Well, you may be right. BUT (yes the big but), only if you don't eat anything which is deep fried (which I don't because I don't like it), avoid the meats (generally it it fatty chicken, very fatty chicken) and have the tofu instead get an extra serve of veggies and less rice (half the plate is full with just plain rice) AND even then, do you know how much oil they used for the cooking and what else is in the food like MSG? Don't forget to add the local specialty, sweet iced lemon tea, probably with tons of sugar in it.


Eating out is definitely much easier for us here. It is cheaper (food in supermarkets is more expensive), more convenient, not to mention that our kitchen is not fully equipment to cook up a great meal. 
The big problem with eating out is, you never know what is actually in it. I read that a meal which has been cooked in restaurant has on average 40% more calories than if the same meal would have been cooked at home. 
Interesting, huh? 


Singapore currently promotes healthier eating. It says everyone should eat 2 serves of fruit and 2 serves of vegetables a day. In Australia, 2 serves of fruit and 5 (!) serves of vegetables are the goal. In the US, it is 5 serves of fruit or vegetables a day. After reading this, I was not surprised that I am struggling to eat enough veggies a day. Seriously, I miss my veggies, I even crave them. Funny enough, I also miss home cooked meals.


In light of the "30 days of health & well being" starting next week, I decided it is time to take control again. Why doing all these work outs and yoga if it is ruined every time I eat out? Time that I will cook more at home again or if TD is in town, he will cook. (Thanks honey!). 
Today I did a big shopping, spent a small fortune and I cooked myself a nice dinner. Salmon with broccoli and asparagus. Yes, it sounds a little bit boring, but it tasted great.