Junior college was probably the time of my life, when weight-related issues became real. I wasn’t as involved in sports due to heavy council duties and commitments. Food in my school was too delicious and had generous portion – especially the chicken cutlet from the Western stall. And so I began to put on weight, like how you would expect with greater input and less output. I tried to lose weight after the ‘A’ levels. I even persuaded my Mum to purchase a weight loss package for me before, but saw limited results. After that failed try at the weight loss centre, I decided to run 45mins every day but had to stop due to the stress to my knees from the daily runs. Slowly, I switched to daily swims which were less taxing on the joints. But swims are less effective in weight-loss so I didn’t achieve much breakthrough in the years after. I looked back at my university/dating photos (courtesy of Facebook memories) and realised, hey my face was so round!
So my turning point came in August 2014 when we decided that our wedding would be in December 2014. And that was a good 5 months away. I signed up for a gym membership not for the reason of losing weight, but more for toning myself so I would look good in the wedding gown. I went for Pilates classes diligently and ran on the treadmill for 30mins either before or after the class. I continued my swimming routines and amazingly I managed to achieve visible results and earned much compliments from my friends and relatives. While weight loss on the weighing scale was minimal, my body saw great changes. My lower body was slimmer and my arms became more toned. I credited the results to Pilates classes and the challenging workouts. I really enjoyed Pilates and I have never looked back since.
Pilates, swims, occasional runs currently form the core of my weekly exercise regime. My body has been very comfortable with these exercises for a good 1.5 years. And I was looking for something to give my body a new challenge. I stumbled across ‘Bikini Body Guide’ by Kayla Itsines while on Instagram and saw the transformation photos of followers worldwide. I recalled that a good friend of mine have embarked on this BBG journey and asked for her feedback. After reading online reviews as well, I decided to give the BBG workout a try. At this point of writing, it is Week 1 Day 2 for me and my thighs are aching badly. It is a good ache because it means my body has been pushed and challenged. I am not certain if I have that discipline to complete the 12-week programme but I am going to try for as long as I can. I am not sure whether I can handle waking up at 6am for 3 days of the week, but having a gym 5mins from my current workplace is a big plus point for a satisfying lunchtime workout.
I am not following the diet plan as well, so I am not sure what results would I be seeing. But generally, I am trying my best to eat more healthily. So bring it on, BBG and all the best to me!