Hmmm, I used to take between 3 cups of coffee per day and sometimes more when meeting customers in my corporate days. On the contrary, my beloved wife cannot consume more than one as she gets heart palpitation and has problem sleeping at night. Recently, I had been going bananas over coffee, literally :)

Due to my decluttering exercise(still ongoing) , I found my old blender sitting there idle and not serving its due purpose. So, I had been blending bananas, kiwi ( not my favorite as it has a spicy aftertaste) , papaya ( yummy, must try) and mango (OMG), etc. thus far, bananas is my number one since my son takes it daily as well. 

People often talk about diet change, kicking bad habits and all. It seldom works as it is contrary to what the mind has been conditioned to do. Instead, simply REPLACE it with a new habit. PRESERVERE in the new habits till it become second nature. how long you ask ? glad you asked!

It depends, really. I am now drinking my morning coffee once a day and replacing it with the fruits at midday and snack time. You should feel natural about the whole process and not counting the days nor stars to chart your progress. Our body is a great feedback mechanism and it shows you signs and wonders if you pay enough attention to it. There is no need to swear and goto extreme to wean off coffee or whatever you like (unless really bad items like smoking and drugs). 

In your journey of this new adjustment, listen to your feelings. Do you feel wonderful, happier and excited with this new change? What are the benefits if you adhere to it and if you don't? What are your friends saying lately about you? That you look better, more radiant, energetic ? These are positive feedback and will motivate you to keep on going. 

Will you default on this change? Of course since we are human beings. There might be a old friend catch up session and everyone is happily gathering at the cafe. So , it is fine to still go for your coffee and not feeling bad about it. After all, one does not meet old friends everyday, right? When you have some form of flexibility in your new habits, you feel more relaxed and in control rather than sticking to a stiff schedule, bland and boring.

Takeaway ?

1) replace not eliminate the habits
2) listen to signs and wonders body tell you
3) exercise flexibility

Have fun along the way:)

To your health , cheers!

Enough is enough! 
I had just cleared 4 bags of overdue statements, notes, brochures, etc that were stacking up like mountains on my study table. It took about 40 minutes but at the end of the clearance, I must say it is worth it. Isn't it interesting? We tend to think it does not matter months ago when it was lying there. We probably think we might use it someday and someday has become months and months turn to years. And we still did not touch it from the time we file it away. Gosh!

Declutter these unwanted items is a healthy way as it definitely makes the mood lighter and relieved. Why wait till year end or CNY to come before doing it? We should do it from time to time before it adds up. The higher the mountain, the more motivation we need to overcome ourselves to do this simple yet necessary task.

Isn't it the same when comes to maintaining our physical body? It is recommended to do light to moderate exercise 20 minutes 3 times a week. Yet many busy people tend to defer it for reasons or excuses like work commitment, running errands, etc. So, how can one despite all the busy schedule we have still find time to exercise?

Here's 3 easy ways you can use to kickstart the exercise you sorely need but been procrastinating :


1.Buddies

You may find people with the same interest to join in the sports activities that you like. Unless you are well disciplined, sometimes, it become tough to do it all by yourself. Having a buddy helps as he/she could motivate you and cheer each other on towards your health goals. I used to run with a colleague twice a week to Marina Bay in my corporate days. It was something that I looked forward to each week. We pushed each other on during the journey and our working relationship has improved because we have a common interest.
Alternatively, you could join classes organised by various agencies as well. That way, you would be able to make friends with same interest , eg Yoga, Boxercise, swimming, etc and keep fit at the same time. 

Resources : Find out more from your HR department if they have any employee wellness program. If not, you can visit those in community centres.

Community Centres in Singapore


2. Monday

It is the first working day and to me it is the best day to start the exercise regime rather than pushing it to mid week. Throughout the day at work, keep reminding yourself that you will be going for a light run after work. Then on the way home, keep thinking of the run. The breeze that you will feel , the scenery along the way and the after exercise feel you get. Here's the most important part : 5 minutes to reaching your home, picture yourself hitting to your room, to get changed to your running attire, put on your shoe. This must be done asap so that your mind does not wander and finds excuses you should not run. 

It has proven to work like magic for me when I was in my corporate days. I walked faster than usual from the MRT to my home. Along the way, I would think which route I would like to run today. Upon reaching home, I quickly get changed and am out of the house within 2 - 3 minutes. The moment I am out , it will be too late to return without getting the exercise I thought of.

Resources : Put into your To do list on phone, PC, set alarm to remind yourself.

3. Weekends
Instead of falling into the usual routine of eating and shopping which most people do on weekends, plan ahead your activities. This is even more crucial if you have a family as your children will be influenced by what you do. Get into the parks, there are plenty here and there is no charge to it. Botanic Garden and the various reservoir are my favorites. Pack some fruits, light snack and water along. 

Parks in Singapore 
Beaches in Singapore

For a start, have it once a month before increasing the frequency. Nature has a natural way of communicating with us and one can find peace, calmness and answers to their challenges often times when they are relaxed. I have also like bringing my kids to the pool or beaches as well. 

Resources : Plan ahead, by friday if you have not firm up your weekend plan, it is likely you will drift to what you usually do on weekends and when Monday comes, you will find it a chore to go to work. Why? Because your weekend is boring, doing the same old stuff over and over again. 


So there you go, the 3 simple ways to kickstart your exercise program right now ! BMW which stands for Buddies, Monday and Weekends. I like to keep things simple than get myself entangled and unnecessarily busy with the latest gadgets, bootcamps and all.  Once you get the habits going, you would be on your way to discover more interesting things to do like joining competition both local and abroad. 

Get healthy before wealthy :-))

The new year is over and some may have forgotten what they had committed at the beginning of the year. Still remember your New Year resolutions ? Is health an area you want to improve on?
These are my suggestions that one can keep fit without expensive membership, finding buddies or lots of time to do the contortion pose you see online.

1. EXIT

If your office is located on the twelve floors, hit the 10th floor button and head for the EXIT. Climb the stairs twice a day. 
In the morning, when you go to work and when you return from lunch. That is 2x a day , 10 x a week and 40x a month.
Time : 5 minutes maximum 
Process : step by step, normal climbing of stairs. No need to sprint up, take double or triple steps, nobody watching except you.

2. Blue

Have you notice there is no blue burger, pasta nor fried chicken around town? The answer is simple. Blue as a color when applied on food is a natural food suppressant. So the tip is simple. Bring this blue bowl, (you can also find the disposable ones in supermarket) when you go for lunch. Scoop half the rice where you bought from the stall and put into this bowl and take your lunch. You would notice the effect and would not gobble down as much like before.

3. Stand up

No, no this position. Just simply stand up with your back straight and make that calls you need to your colleagues, vendors or clients. You would notice that the voice projected across is much more confident, clearer and also you tend to keep it short and concise. Standing up gives you the mental alertness, like you are prepared for something so that your mind will not wander too much. Plus, it burns some calories each time. Why not ?


4. Tummy Tuck In













Not what you are thinking! I am not referring to abdominoplasty or stuff like that. This is a great secret of mine, hehe.
Each morning when you walk to the bus stop, MRT or carpark, tuck in your stomach muscles and firm it for a good 5-10 seconds. You can count with your fingers or mentally in your head, it does not matter. Once you get the hang of this exercise, you can do it as often as you like whenever you are waiting for the meeting to start, the train to come, the lift to open, in the queue, etc. 
Time : 5-10 seconds


5. IMAGINE

That's what I like best and that's why I leave it the last for you. Because it is non tangible in forms to the mortal eyes and some find it hard to focus on the mental picture they have in their mind, they tend to give up easily. Imagination is the key to your success and that includes health as well. The above are merely the means to an end, the end when it is fulfilled will bring you happiness, joy and excitement. 
What's nice about it is this resource is available to all, regardless of race, age or gender. 
Time : 1 minute


I hope you find this 5 easy tips useful and feel free to forward to your friends and loved ones. 
Till my next post, to your health, cheers !