Category: Wellness

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2020 Habits Resolution

“How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them.” – Benjamin Franklin

2019 seemed to be passing us fast and 2020 is just around the corner. As new year is approaching, lots of people will be looking into their new year’s resolution. As for me, yes, I do have my 2020 goals and this blog today, is not about my goals.

Recently, I have sent out a survey with the three -(3) questions below:

  1. What is the one habit change goal that you want to achieve in 2020?
  2. How do you plan to achieve the goal? What strategies and action steps that you are going to take?
  3. What challenges do you foresee in your journey to achieving the goal?

I have to thank my group of friends who have taken their time to complete the survey. I will not be sharing who they are to respect their identity and I do believe that it will be good to share their response for others to learn from it. My sincere gratitude and please find the contribution to benefit the readers as enclosed.

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(1) What is the one habit change goal that you want to achieve in 2020?

– Daily light exercises and swimming at least once a week.
– Taking time for daily prayer.
– Overcome procrastination.
– Waiting for the right time Habit —-> Just do
– read more books
– Be empathic leader
– To wake up at 6am
– procrastination
– More exposure
– Conscious choices: With eating (vegetarian), Active lifestyle (workout weekly), Education ( leadership courses/studies), Community (volunteering)
– Remove self-doubt
– Breakthrough business goal and keep doing exercise to maintain good health.

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(2) How do you plan to achieve the goal? What strategies and action steps that you are going to take?

Note: the answers below are related to the response from question #1.

– Involve my spouse for support and as an accountability partner.
– Awake early in the morning, and start my day in prayer. I’ll need to go to sleep earlier to be sure to get enough sleep.
– breaking down bigger tasks to smaller ones that are achievable and focus on now instead of tomorrow. start with smaller ones.. even a simple task.
– Forget everything, just do and learn from mistakes
– to wake up early to finish books.
– 1. Involve myself in CSR allow me to slow down and give space . 2. Listen empathically and understand message behind
– To wake up earlier than usually, I need to sleep earlier (11pm)
– setting deadlines
– Training & Development. Enough time to speed out the internal & external.
– Accountability Partners, sign up for courses, go to group workouts, sign up for volunteer work.
– Track my past records, list it down and place it where I can see it. Do self-reflection on the records, have a sense of gratitude and thankfulness on how God has blessed me all this year. Reaffirm that in my mind and remove any room for doubt.
– Remind myself should do all things with the best effort, learn from books, experts, and discipline

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(3) What challenges do you foresee in your journey to achieving the goal?

– Procrastination, loss of momentum.
– Being consistent and not being disrupted by travel.
– this habit is 20 years old… it’s gonna be quite a challenge
– Lose some gain some
– not waking up early
– 1. Patience
– Sometimes there will be dinners and possibly late meetings that might prevent me from achieving this goal.
– other issues coming in
– Limitation of internal capable staff.
– Influences, time management, commitment.
– Self-demonising and sell myself short
– VUCA WORLD, AI & technology can change to the way we work, change the customer habit on buying and using services (can be online learning, more practical, short training – 1/2 day and doing quarterly). Companies can cut down working time of HR, using more automation, work from home, so skills for employee can be shifted to adapt to virtual interaction, …

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There you go… it is never easy to work on the goals that we want. It makes it more meaningful when the goal is hard and you achieve it. The key here and a reminder to myself, I need to keep going, do it until I achieve what I need to and rest if I must but keep moving forward…

Have a great year 2020 and beyond.

“Your habits, your future!”

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Thinking habits

Today is kind of special as it’s my first time using the WordPress app to write this blog… enjoy reading!

“The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking thoughts of excellence. Really, it’s a matter of programming our minds with the kind of information that will set us free.” – Charles R. Swindoll

We are constantly thinking and some of us are overthinking. My mentor used to tell me… “Dion, overthinking kills!”

Truthfully, till today, I am still thinking and I’m not asking anyone to stop thinking… just be mindful and practice Awareness on what are we thinking of?

What thoughts do you have in mind? More of positives or negatives? What’s the pattern? Being aware is the key to start changing.

For some of us, we are concern about how others are thinking of us… frankly speaking I believe people are only interested in themselves. So do not worry too much on how people think of you as they are busy thinking of themselves!

Thinking can help us to decide on what’s Important versus urgent. Guiding us to prioritise our activities and helping us to achieve our goals.

“Positive thinking is a valuable tool that can help you overcome obstacles, deal with pain, and reach new goals.” – Amy Morin

After reading some articles on thinking habits, I would like to share some key learning points I have gotten on good practices. Here we go…

1. Awareness about our thinking

First things first… Awareness before change as whatever we think and feel affects our attitude leading to our action and behaviour making our habits… if there is a pattern you realise that is not helping you, time to change.

2. Decide to have open mind to learning continuously.

Expand our understanding… find new topics and things to learn. Invest some minutes leading to hours to learning new things, reading value adding articles / books… there are endless learning tools out there, just have to start learning… pick one that you can start with.

3. Think agility, be flexible

There is a need to avoid being judgemental, accept different perspectives and viewpoints… be neutral and listen first… consider new ideas… then gauge whether they are align with your values. Flexibility trumps rigidity!

4. Humour helps

Humour is a good catalyst to positive emotions and vast thoughts… being too serious and over-thinking will affect our creativity. Humour helps us to be more productive and contributes to stress management. How can you start being humourous?

5. Empathy… Seek to understand

We need to practice more empathy… connecting and relating to others via listening. Listen with the intent to understand (as the late Stephen Covey mentioned). It is a skill that needs to be developed and done deliberately at first. And one day… it will be automatic.

6. No right, no wrong…

If you think it’s right, you are right… if you think it’s wrong, you are right!

When you read an article, the writer is just expressing via his/her own understanding, knowledge, experience and views… if needed, do your own research. If you do not agree, learn to voice your opinion and decide your own stand.

7. Imagination is more powerful than knowledge

Like Albert Einstein, we need to start dreaming, fantasising and think about the possibilities… keep visualising and be flowing with creative juice… do not let the dream stealers rob you of your greatest ability to imagine…

8. Be amazed and appreciate life which if full of wonderment

Discover and go with your passion. What are the things that make you feel amazing? Be in the moment to feel good creating memories. Today only comes once in your lifetime.

9. Risk if you need to…

Like what we have been exposed to the phrase… “no risk, no gain…”

Anyway, everyone’s risk appetite is different. To grow, you need to venture out of your comfort zone… unknown territory and not sure what you are going to get yourself into… whatever it is, it may not have to be a gamble. Set SMART goals that are meaningful to yourself and stretch your own limit. Great if you can think big and have a responsible plan to achieve the goals! And if you can find people who can help to support you… that’s a bonus!

10. Focus

There are so many distractions in our lives today. How can we learn to be more focused? We can start by praying or meditating, anyway that works for you. We as humans can only do what we can do… the rest will be up to God! What is stopping you from this thinking that you are not able to change? Take action to make it your habit!

I have this believe that someone has done it before… it’s a matter of how we can reach out to that someone and learn for him/her.

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” – William Shakespeare

“Your habits, your future!”

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My mission trip reflections

The mission team… arrived and ready to serve!

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

This month I have decided to share this one blog on my mission trip reflections. My second mission trip to West Kalimantan since the last trip in 2017. There is so much things to learn as we serve others. This trip has made deeper impression on me and please find my reflections as below:

What I have learnt?

It is important to be fit and healthy to travel, how can we serve others when we are not fit. That is why we need to take care of ourselves before taking care of others. We cannot give what we do not have, in this case, strength, stamina and ability to help others in anyway that we can.

What we have planned for may not turned out as how we want it to be. We have to expect the unexpected. We can plan and prepare so much and when the rubber meets the road… the situation may differ. Just be flexible, enjoy the journey, stay calm and learn as much as we can.

Everyone has their own struggles, and what we can do is to help as much as we can, avoid judging others and do not burden others with your own troubles and hurts.

Simple actions can impact people without you knowing it. Do what we can, with what we have, wherever we go…

Be prepared mentally for unforeseen circumstances and be flexible to change. “Blessed are those who are flexible as they will not be bent out of shape!”

“Some of our finest work comes through service to others.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley

One of the workshops I helped to conduct with my mentors…
The villagers may not have much and they are devoted to worship. Really love their faith and especially the children.

Self realisation:

I really need to be consistent in my fitness regime, it may not be easy to follow the schedule… just need to be creative and do what I can to be in shape!

All the answers are in the bible; in my opinion, a lot of people are searching via worldly things and relying on other people… when all that we are searching for, is in the holy book. I will need to be more diligent in reading the bible.

Pay attention to details and the rest will be in place accordingly. It may not be easy to ensure everything runs like a well-oiled machine and when we do, all things will fall in place. Better for everyone and especially myself.

Give the best that I can; with who I can be, what I can do and what I have. The key is to giving without expecting anything in return (no expectations) and we will be happier plus meaningful.

Be generous and have abundance mentality. The more we give, the more we get… it may sound illogical… at times in life, there is no logic, no need to think too much. Just do it… Now!

Devotions as a habit… as food is to our physical body, we need food to our soul and spirit. We are what we eat… and input to our brain.

Be patient with others; never underestimate anybody. Everyone has their own strengths, talents, ability, experience and they contribute in their own ways. Who are we to judge?

Experience helps to make us better and in the know. Should any similar events happen again, we are ready for them and know how to deal with them. Life is an adventure, get as much experience as we can. Make more mistakes, learn from others and we will be wiser.

“Being of service to others is what brings true happiness.”
– Marie Osmond

This is where we conduct our teambuilding for the hospital staffs. What a view!


One of the groups for the teambuilding session. We ROCK!

There were a lot of photos and videos taken for the trip. It is not possible for me to showcase everything in this blog. If anyone of you is interested to know about the mission trip, please contact me and we can have coffee with me sharing stories with you… some are really funny.

Looking forward to serve more and may God bless the people in West Kalimantan.

“Your habits, your future!”

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Sleeping Habits

“Tired minds don’t plan well. Sleep first, plan later.”
– Walter Reisch

There was a time when I was sleeping very early… yeah, early in the wee hours of the morning like after 2:00 A.M. That’s early, right?

Then I developed this new habit of sleeping before 10:00 P.M. Well, this new sleeping habit definitely working for me. Not all will agree with me, there are some who prefer to sleep late as they can work better late at night or they can think better?

This is not an easy topic to write as some may or may not agree with what I am writing. I am writing for my own reference and sharing to those who can resonate with me… no offence to those who cannot agree. One man’s treasure is another man’s trash…

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Why sleep?

For me, when I have enough sleep, I felt that I can perform better the next day. I can think clearer and my mind works faster than when I am deprived of sleep. I am no professor who is doing any research on sleep. I just felt that sleeping is part of our lifestyle… anything to do with lifestyle is a journey in life and it is somehow linked to our habits.

Please take some time to read the extract below from this article:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency


== QUOTE ==
Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.

The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.

The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.

The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.
== UNQUOTE ==

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There are a lot of articles and sharing in the web on the health benefits of sleeping and the consequences of sleep deprivation. I will not go into the details of that… Just know yourself, in terms on how many hours will be enough for you. You will need to experiment the right amount of sleep time. I believe at different age, our needs will be different…

Can you imagine… there is a body called the “National Sleep Foundation”… I wonder what do they do there? Sleep? Jokes aside… they came up with the research on sleeping time… I am referring to the majority here, not to those super man or woman who may not need to sleep. Please refer to the link as below for more information:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times

About the National Sleep Foundation

The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Founded in 1990 by the leaders in sleep medicine, NSF is the trusted resource for sleep science, healthy sleep habits, and sleep disorders to medical professionals, patients and the public. For more information visit sleepfoundation.org or sleep.org.

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Some tips on How to sleep better at night:

  1. Spend some time outdoor to get some dose of sunlight. Make time for the exposure.
  2. Reduce blue light exposure in the evening and your body may be tricked that it is still day time. Rest one hour before snooze time.
  3. Heard from some experts… less or no caffeine late afternoon or evening.
  4. Monitor your nap time. You can practice power naps… experiment the dose of naps needed.
  5. Be consistent with sleeping and awake times. You body needs time to adjust; consistency is key.
  6. Movement and exercise can help to relax those tight muscles, plus it will help to provide better quality sleep at night.
  7. Alcohol sounds good to some people to help with sleep but according to some smart scientists, it does not help but disrupt sleep patterns.
  8. Bedroom is a place for sleeping not watching movies or playing games… ensure the environment is optimized for sleeping. And not forgetting the temperature too.
  9. Avoid from over-eating or supper at night… instead of sleeping, your body is digesting the food and disturbing your sleep.
  10. Place all your worries on paper… or somewhere you can refer to the next day. Sleep is more important than your problems… you need a fresh and active mind to solve problems.
  11. Take a good, relaxing and warm shower to relax those muscles of yours to get better quality sleep.
  12. Ensure your bed is good to support you and you are comfortable with the bed… remember about those pillows and bolsters too.

Pssstt… there are also good talks from www.ted.com as below for you to learn from:
https://www.ted.com/playlists/223/talks_to_inspire_you_to_go_to

“Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health. When sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease. And when sleep is abundant, there is vitality and health.” – Matthew Walker

Should you have any great tips to share on sleeping habits, or any good resources for reference. Do let me know… till then, I am getting ready to sleep as tomorrow is another great day. Good night!

“Your habits, your future!”

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Eating Habits

“One cannot think well, love well and sleep well if one has not dined well.”
–Virginia Woolf

This topic will resonate with most people. Do we eat to live or live to eat?

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How can we maintain a healthy lifestyle through eating? As a person who loves to eat myself, I find it hard to resist good food and especially when there is great company to eat with… I tend to eat more. Therefore, I have been thinking about whether to write on this topic or not?

There are a lot of areas to discuss when it comes to this topic on eating… this time I will focus on eating healthy as part of our daily habits and if you have any ideas, please do share and write to me, thank you.

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“The chief pleasure in eating does not consist in costly seasoning, or exquisite flavor, but in yourself.”
– Horace

I believe when it comes to eating, it boils down to making choices. It is definitely not easy as our emotions will be stronger than logic. We know we have to eat healthier food options, just that at times, the craving for not so healthy options will take over and we gave it to the craving. Then regretted for that action… who have not experienced that before?

Please find some sharing on how we can be more aware and to have better plus healthier options when it comes to eating…

It starts with WHY?

What is your compelling reason for eating healthy? Why do you want to eat healthy? First things first, it starts from within us. Who are you and what identity do you want have to embark in this journey of healthy eating?

How can it be done?

Everyone is unique and requires different calorie count per day (to lose or maintain weight). That means, you will need to do some research on your own lifestyle; what will your daily activities be and how much energy do you need to get through your day? How are you keeping track on the food that you are going to eat? What is your plan when it comes to your meals? How about rituals (drinking water, eating fruits before meals, etc.) and supplements (vitamins and minerals)? If you are cooking, how do you plan your menu… weekdays, weekends… special days.

What are some of the TIPS?

  • Research on the types of food that is good for you
  • Eat lots of vegetables (leafy ones) and fruits (I believe everything in moderation… haha)
  • Eat more fish (brain food), of course fresh ones, oily ones (salmon, sardines, mackerel) and not so oily ones (tuna and local fishes)
  • Cut down on sugar and salt intake (processed and non-processed ones as well) and especially processed food – biscuits, cakes, sausages, canned food, fizzy drinks, pastries, cereals
  • Eat whole and fresh produce / food
  • Get properly hydrated… drink that H2O and not get thirsty; water is a better option than sugary drinks even fruit juices!
  • Have proper meals and not get hungry, snack healthily when necessary (as when we get hungry, we tend to over eat…)
  • Check the nutrition label, learn how to read them
  • Eat mindfully and be aware of what you put into your mouth (this is also a self reminder to me…)
  • Just be flexible with yourself… at times we need to indulge and when we do… do it responsibly and mindfully…

Anyone who has just started will feel the difficulty to sustain as it is not going to be easy in the beginning. As what Jack Ma of Alibaba said…

Image result for jack ma on messy in the beginning

“Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.”

Let’s all start today and be rewarded tomorrow.

“Your habits, your future!”

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Conversation on Positive Mindset

“Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive.” – Matt Cameron

Happy Lunar New Year to those who are reading this blog. This year, I am taking a longer break from work to focus on one of my passion, cooking… rest, relax, cook, eat, chit-chat and repeat again for the past few days. So far, I am enjoying it.

Why writing this blog when I am on a break? I felt that I have to share this conversation / experience that I had with my father-in-law. The conversation was yesterday before dinner time.

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It is never easy for anyone to go through challenges and difficulties in life. Especially when you suffered stroke twice! I have to respect my father-in-law for being a fighter and survivor.

Compared to his first dreadful experience, where he was really determined to get back to his normal routine (walking, writing and driving). In the early of his stroke-stricken days, he was unable to perform his normal routine; where we could see and sense that he was really frustrated. That did not stop him from being determined to fully recover. He was really hardworking and disciplined to practice, go for physiotherapy and having a strong sense of purpose – to recover and get back to his normal routine. Ultimately, he was successful; being able to write (sign his name), walk and drive to his favorite food stalls and restaurants to eat.

As what Simon Sinek shared in his book, “Start with Why”… having a strong WHY will lead to the HOW and WHAT… as shared in the earlier blog on his “golden circle”… as below, just in case, you have not seen it before;

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https://startwithwhy.com/find-your-why/

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” – Willie Nelson

Yesterday during my conversation with him, I sensed that his enthusiasm was low, did not show any eagerness and from the feedback gotten from my mother-in-law, he is not as determined and disciplined as before… somehow, given up and letting go of his exercise. I believe that he has lost his “WHY”; no reason and real purpose for him to recover fully.

Doing my part to share with him on having a sense of purpose… to have a “WHY” is important and needed now, especially when you do nothing about the current situation, it will somehow further deteriorate. As what I have learned from Tony Buzan’s seminar some time ago… “If you do not use it, you lose it!”

I shared with him that similar to our brain power, our muscles in our bodies, when not used… will be useless sooner or later. It can be seen that immediately he was motivated and started moving his arm. Part of the advice shared with him, was to allocate a certain time to move, stretch, stand… as long as he is moving his muscles – I really pray that he does the exercises for his own good and wellness.

To learn on Positive Mindset, you can visit this site:

https://www.success.com/7-practical-tips-to-achieve-a-positive-mindset/

The behavior model from Dr. BJ Fogg is also worth learning:

https://www.behaviormodel.org/

According to Dr. Fogg, (based on my understanding), the important part of the equation for behavior change will be the “trigger”; we all have the ability and motivation to change… what’s missing is the “trigger”.

There is an urgent and important need to “trigger” my father-in-law.

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” – Lyndon B. Johnson

“Your habits, your future!”

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Habit on Developing a Healthy Perspective


Source: pixabay.com

“The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective.
You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.” – Chris Pine

I believe most of us have encountered events; positive or negative ones from time to time. Some of the daily events; traffic conditions, weather, dealing with people, news, unexpected happenings, not getting the promotion and many other events that have happened before or may happen some time in the future… most of the events are not within our control. 

What I have learnt from my mentors and coaches, the events or happenings may be perceived differently from people to people. Some may see it as negative, others may be glad and view them as positive. It is depending on the PERSPECTIVE on the person experiencing the event.

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Jack Canfield (author of the Success Principles and series on Chicken Soup for the Soul) mentioned that Success Principle #1; “Take 100% Responsibility of your life” with the formula:

E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome)

Whatever the Event may be, depending on the Outcome we want (positive or negative), we Respond accordingly (think and action). Please read the article as the link below to learn more about the formula:

https://www.jackcanfield.com/blog/the-formula-that-puts-you-in-control-of-success/

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” – William Shakespeare

In this blog, I would like to share some pointers on how we can develop the habit of healthy perspective (inspired by Jeff Keller) in my own words, understanding and suggestions, please feel free to share your thoughts with me;

  1. The challenge(s) that you are experiencing versus your entire life journey. What will this matter 10 days / 10 months / 10 years from now? Of course the issue at the moment you are experiencing it may seemed enormous, just bear in mind that it is not the end of the world. It takes practice on awareness (mindfulness) and decision to NOT let the issue cloud your mind for the day(s).
  2. What is your end in mind? As this is the journey of your life, there are roadblocks and distractions along the way… focus on your mission and keep going. As one of my mentors said to me… “Don’t sweat the small stuff… look at the big picture!”
  3. As long as we can wake up in the morning, we should be HAPPY. The attitude of gratitude and not taking anything for granted is important. Decide to be glad and celebrate life.
  4. Have an open mind to events, adventures, experience, people around you and all the happenings have learning to teach us to be better. We have the power to reflect, observe and learn from the experience. What can we learn? How do we want to learn?
  5. Help others, pay it forward, do as much as we can (with any means necessary) without any expectations. Whenever we are able to give, it is a blessing and as long as we are able to serve and give… we should be counting our blessings that we are able to do that. Moreover, by focusing on others, we do not have time to think of negative events… giving ourselves to others will make us whole (sense of fulfillment) and happier.
  6. Birds of the same feather, flock together; choose your friends wisely. In this case, we have to be selective in choosing the right, positive and worthy friends. Whether we like it or not, people surrounding us will somehow influence us (no matter how strong your will power is). Better to be around people who are positive, spreading joy and happiness.
  7. Decide to view every events as an opportunity to learn, grow and be better. Of course by certain events, we may feel the pain… let’s put it this way, the reason we are feeling the pain, is because we are still alive (isn’t that something to be happy about?).
  8. Words and phrases have energy (positive or negative) effect on people. Be wise and choose the right words / phrases to use with people; not forgetting our own self-talk. Train your brain, make it a habit to talk more positives.
  9. Practice spiritual connection as people with strong spiritual beliefs tend to have healthier perspectives. Especially when we have strong beliefs and purpose, most of the time we are more resilient and focus on the big picture. We tend to be more grounded, having sense of confidence and knowing that things are in order.
  10. Leaders are the combination of the word “Learner” and “Reader”. Like what Zig Ziglar mentioned, motivation is like taking a shower, you have to do it everyday… How? one of the best ways, by reading. Hence we can earn more knowledge, skills and better perspectives.
  11. Exercise and move more. I strongly believe that we are built to move… get that body moving, heart pumping and release endorphins (neuro-chemical) that helps with making us feel good (fighting stress). When some of the people I met said to me… “I don’t have time to exercise…”, what I am hearing is that, exercise is not their priority! If it is very important to you, I am sure you can find time to exercise.
  12. Laughter is the best medicine… when you laugh, blood circulates better as your heart is pumping when you laugh. In India, there is an exercise known as the “laughter yoga”… you may find out more and do some research on this yoga to experiment it.
  13. Learning to say “NO” to activities that are not helping you to get nearer to your goals, mission or dreams. As we have limited time and time is a very precious commodity… we have to be selective to activities that provide us balance and getting us nearer to the results that we want.

“Each person does see the world in a different way. There is not a single, unifying, objective truth. We’re all limited by our perspective.”
– Siri Hustvedt

“Your habits, your future!”

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Habits on burning calories

“To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise.”  ~ Gene Tunney

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”
~ Hippocrates

What does it take for us to be healthy, my definition of being healthy is being self-reliant, being able to move (walk, jog, run, cycle, swim) and enjoy every moment of it versus being out-of-breath, lack of stamina, feeling tired and immobility (you know what I mean).

I believe there are a lot of people out there (I am one of them), who are wondering, how and what are the activities that we can do to stay healthy and especially if one is a food lover… how to maintain (or lose the extra) weight while enjoying the lifestyle of having good food plus drinks.

There is no easy way out, it takes a lot of hard work, discipline and determination (at first). Sooner or later, should we be consistent in practicing the exercise as part of our lifestyle, it gets easier and more enjoyable.

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This sharing is not the ultimate guide to having the best body nor quick weight lost program… it is just some of the activities that I find useful and you may consider in practising them as good habits (daily)…

“It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” ~ Socrates

Please find the things or activities that you can experiment to make them part of your lifestyle habits:

  1. You can invest in an exercise ball to sit while watching television or as an office chair. By balancing, sitting up straight, it will help strengthening the core muscles. Or you may opt to do planking (this can also strengthen the core muscles).
    What I have discovered, more muscles, more calories burn efficiently.
  2. Sitting and sedentary lifestyle is the new enemy. With technology, which makes our lives easier, we tend to sit more that move about. Take some breaks in between to stand or move to the pantry to grab a glass of water to drink. Be aware, practice mindfulness or set an alarm to remind you to move after 20-30 minutes of sitting down. Another idea is to walk around when taking a call; that will burn about 100 calories if you walk and talk for 5 minutes (how about that?)
  3. When there is a need to discuss or brainstorm, walk to your colleague rather than sending an e-mail. It is better to send the message in person (if you are not geographically challenged), as that can help you put extra steps to your pedometer and get your blood flowing to get extra oxygen to freshen up your brains. Imagine if you burn just 50 calories a day… in a year, it really adds up.
  4. Chunk the activities down; if you cannot have 30 minutes in a stretch for exercising, you can deliberately set 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch (find a place further from the office to have a meal) and 10 minutes in the evening (after dinner as a bonding time with the family?).
  5. Find ways to take the flight of stairs; not that you cannot take the elevator, how about taking the elevator half way or three quarters of the way and the rest by stairs, will that work for you? At least you get your heart rate up to burn some calories. You know yourself better, please do not over exert yourself. Be mindful of your own health, best to go for check-up and find out your level of fitness.
  6. Shopping therapy can be one of ways to get extra steps and burn some calories. You may use your mobile phone (install some apps to help keep track of your steps) or invest in smart watches or pedometer to monitor your daily steps. You can also set goals for yourself or have fun by getting an accountability partner or community to challenge yourself.
  7. Perform some strength training; add some extra weight to your backpack or take the dumbbell or water bottle when you go for your walk, jog or run. Building muscles help with metabolism rate and burning the extra calories. Everything in moderation, bit-by-bit and remember we are not focusing on intensity, the key here is consistency.
  8. Pet lovers especially if you are having dogs, you can go a walk or jog with your dog. This can be a good activity to pursue with your family as well, instead of delegating the task to other people. Have fun by going for different routes.
  9. If you have a bicycle, you can always have this extra activity as a variety to your daily exercise activities. Just be extra careful when you cycle on the road; get the proper gear for safety (helmet, gloves, lights, etc). Or join a cycling group for more excitement. At least it is not only walk, jog or run… now you can also cycle!
  10. Some people like to swim; if you are one of them or the property you are living has the pool facility or if you have a club membership (which has swimming pool), this is also a good exercise to burn calories and release stress. As long as you move, keep the heart pumping (at least Zone 3 and not over Zone 5; please do your own research on your Heart Beat Rate zones; for some information, you may refer to this site, please also check with your physician before doing any activities that may cause any harm to yourself, https://www.physiotherapy-treatment.com/karvonen-formula.html)

In my humble opinion, different activities for different people. You have to find the right ones for yourself. As for me, depending on where I am and what I feel like doing… apart from doing all the activities mentioned above, you may also want to look into your own passion projects (for motivation, joy and fulfilment).

“We do not stop exercising because we grow old – we grow old because we stop exercising.” ~ Kenneth Cooper

 

“Your habits, your future!”