Milestone

It has been about 5 month since I started my journey towards a fit and healthy lifestyle. Happy to say that I am making good progress. Actually better than I anticipated. I have come a long way from my initial goal to lose weight. Now the ballgame has been completely changed . I no longer aim for weight loss because I notice when I just train to improve my stamina the weight just melt away. As a bonus my weight now is 81 kg. I have lost 9 kg since I started the quest. My aim now is to achieve milestones in my new healthy hobbies of running and cycling. It is true those activities can be addictive in a good way.

In the month of June, in running I have reached many milestones. I have clocked a total distance of 120 km this month. I achieved my first 10 km in running early in June and by the end of June I was crazy enough to do the half marathon distance of 21 km time trial. I did it in one crazy evening of June 30 in 2 hours 6 minutes. My best time  for 10 km run is currently sub 50 minutes. However, I realized these times (notice I did not use personal best times) were pushing it a bit too hard at my age (at almost 90% effort HR 160-170). Furthermore, the runs are on an indoor treadmill even though I put it on 1 degree incline to mimick outdoor running. Now to avoid injury and blowing myself out, I have tuned down my exertion to about 70% effort HR 140-150 (which still falls under anaerobic hardcore category)

I have started to clock some saddle time as well. So far I have ventured out alone on my Boardman roadbike around Nusajaya to Puteri Harbour & Kota Iskandar in the morning clocking an average 30 km per trip. That's about the distance I have to cycle for the Powerman Sprint event (32km), which will be my first event no more. My first event will be the 11 km BHP Orange Run in KL on July 15. A day after the Men's Health & Shape Night Run in Putrajaya, which I was late to register for. That'll be another milestone. I am already planning to register for more running events in 2012 calender which are the Putrajaya Night Marathon on October 20 and the Singapore Marathon on December 2.

With the fasting month of Ramadan approaching, I need to plan my training even more so as not to disturb the ibadah of fasting and other religious activities which are encouraged during Ramadan like performing taraweeh prayers, reading the Quran and reciting dzikir. I will cover this topic in my next post, Insyaallah! In the meanwhile, I just get on with my running and cycling to build up my distance, confidence and stamina.

Lastly, I would like to share an article below which succinctly summarizes all the lifestyle changes that I am doing right now. In fact, I would like to add a couple of things.

- In habit #1 avoiding liquid calories (sugary, sweet drinks) should be mentioned because I used to love to drink soda and cordial drink with my meal.
- And add habit #9: Get enough sleep, at least 6-7 hours good night sleep is good for your weight, and even for your overall health.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Get up and keep working out my friends!

8 Healthy Habits for Weight Loss

Losing weight is not just about dieting. More important are making lifestyle changes 

that can be helpful for losing weight and keeping the weight off. 

Here are some simple strategies.

By Dennis Thompson, Jr.

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Losing weight and keeping it off is a matter of cutting back what you eat and increasing 

your amount of exercise. "The simplest equation in the world, calories in and calories out, 

determines your weight loss," says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, of Sarasota, Fla., 

spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

But if that's all you do, you may find yourself ultimately regaining the weight you worked so 

hard to lose. The reason: Weight loss is a matter of lifestyle and, if you don't adopt the healthy 

habits necessary to sustain your weight loss, you could backslide into overweight and obesity.

Here are some tips aimed at helping you create a healthy lifestyle that will improve your 

chances for successful weight loss. They might seem like common sense, but many people 

committed to losing weight neglect these healthy habits and end up struggling to succeed.

1. Watch Your Portions

Portion control is a key challenge to Americans pursuing weight loss. "The best way to 

control the calories is to go with portion control," says Dr. Gerbstadt. Piling food onto your 

plate can make you feel pressured to eat it all. Start with small portions, and go back for 

(a little) more if you're still hungry. Keep in mind that your stomach will grumble early on, 

until it has shrunk to adapt to the smaller meals you're now eating.

Portion control is doubly important when eating out. "Most people are catching on to the 

fact that when you eat out at a restaurant, the calories are two to three times what you really 

need for that meal," says Gerbstadt. "You might get a salad and an appetizer and call it a 

meal, rather than get a salad and an entrée."

2. Eat Slowly

It takes a little while for your body to realize that you've eaten and to stop sending signals 

of hunger. If you slow down and savor your food, you probably will eat less before your body 

acknowledges that you're full.

3. Eat Your Vegetables First

Vegetables contain plenty of fiber and bulk but few calories. By eating them first, you might 

eat less of any fatty or high-calorie items on your plate.

4. Don't Skip Meals

Skipping meals sounds like a good idea, but it actually undermines your weight-loss plan. 

Your body thinks it is being starved and starts building body fat in an attempt to store energy 

away for later. On top of that, you're likely to be even hungrier for your next meal and eat far 

more than you would have otherwise. The best course is to eat three small meals, with two 

or three small snacks in between.

5. Drink Plenty of Water

Water helps you feel full throughout your day, aiding your weight-loss efforts. Water also 

provides innumerable health benefits to your skin and your digestive and circulatory systems.

6. Switch to Healthy Snacks

Swap out the high-calorie or high-fat snacks in your diet for healthier alternatives. Fruits, 

low-fat string cheese, peanut butter, and whole-grain crackers are some good options. 

Create snacks that combine carbohydrates and proteins, like peanut butter on apple slices, 

as they will make you feel full longer.

7. Exercise as Often as You Can

Burning calories through physical activity is essential to weight loss. If you don't burn more

calories than you eat, you won't lose weight. "People think they're too busy to walk 20 minutes

a day or do a little weight training or ride a bike, and then they wonder why they can't lose 

weight," Gerbstadt says. "If you try to diet without exercise, it just takes that much more effort."

Any physical activity, even long walks, will help.

8. Keep a Record

Food diaries are a proven aid to people pursing weight loss. Keep track of what you've eaten

and how many calories the food contained. If you also keep a record of your exercise, you can 

compare how many calories you're burning to how many calories you're consuming.

Healthy and sustainable weight loss does not occur overnight, despite the promises of fad 

diets. Losing a pound or two a week is normal, and shows that you are adopting weight-loss

habits as a part of your lifestyle.