The King's Breakfast

Rule number one in my journey to lose another 7.5 kilograms is not to skip meals, especially breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, since it provides you the energy to go around and do your activities. So it's important to have a hearty meal.

My favourite of mine is oats and berries. Every morning, I prepare oat granolas with sliced almonds and sweet raisins. Oats can be a little bland, so I use blueberries and raspberries to add some freshness to the bowl. I mix them with natural plain yogurt and I sprinkle some chia seeds on top.

Oat Granolas with Slice Almonds and Raisins

Fresh Blueberries & Raspberries

A Newfound Determination

I love to work out. I used to go to the gym five times a week and go to a yoga studio almost every day. All changed because of a very disabling condition, lower back pain. It happened for the first time in 2013 and has been recurring for about five times in the span of two years.

Every time it occurs, my activities become more limited, preventing me to maintain my body shape to the point where I couldn't go to the gym and gaining weight instead. I was really frustrated. The more I became frustrated, the more I ate. The more I ate, the more frustrated I was. And the vicious cycle went on and on. In the span of two years, I gain almost 13 kilograms from 58 kg to 71 kg. I exercised only when I taught Antigravity Aerial Yoga and Power Swing classes, which were not too often. 

62 kg, Phuket, January 2014

The picture was taken one and half year ago. I wasn't that ripped at the time, but at least I was quite toned and that's exactly the shape I want to achieve. But my chronic lower back pain is very problematic. Due to the conditions, I can't do any heavy weight lifting or strenous cardio exercise. Achieving my goal seemed to be impossible. For the last several weeks, I've been asking around, reading articles about LBP and the suggested exercises.

67.4 kg, Jakarta, June 2015

Suggested by my physiotherapist, I started swimming. It's been almost a month now and I have lost 3.5 kilograms. I gain back my optimism. Don't get me wrong, my lower back can get very uncomfortable every once in a while and I can be very panicky when I feel sharp pain on my lower back, but despite the debilitating condition, I found this newfound determination. So, for the next three months, I will share my exercise routines, diet program, and my progress. It's going to be my exercise journal and I hope it can inspire you to achieve the impossible.

A Realist

Such a cliche phrase to say, but time does fly.

The span of two years can make big changes.

An optimist turns into a realist.

The Pursuit of Beauty

Gained 5 kilos in a year.

It was not a wanted gain.

The unwanted excess is hoped to be gone in 2 months.

I have prepared my gears.

Wish me luck!

The Neurotic Mind

Living room.

Sometimes i think to myself, it is such a heavy name for such a simple room.

Or maybe I just think too much.

The Universe

Sometimes,

I sit alone under the stars

and think of the galaxies inside my heart

and truly wonder

if anyone will ever want to make sense

of all that I am

-Christopher Poindexter-

The Age of Distraction

Sometimes I wonder, how did the great names in the scientific history came up with those great big ideas and theories. I remember when I read Freud's Interpretation of Dreams. He mentioned a lot of references to the field of dream interpretation. I found it very impressive since we know that there was no google nor wikipedia when he wrote the book. Can you imagine how many hours he spent, reading those books and research articles on dreams? Not to mention the time he spent writing the book, going back and forth in his library when he wanted to quote something from one of the articles or books he read before.

As a full-time part-timer, I find it difficult managing my time juggling between tasks. Don't get me wrong, I do have more than enough time in my hand, it's just that most of the time, I succumb to those great temptations we know as internet and television. I can't sit still for too long doing the same thing for hours.  I even rarely read books nowadays due to my reduced reading attention span. I used to love reading, spending one whole fine day, finishing a book. It used to be fun. But it feels like too much of an effort now when you can get instant gratification without having to do much.

Before I write this post, I should have done some literature research on the matter. But guess what, it's just too much of an effort. And I'm bored already now. So, see you guys on my next writings.


Ciao Bella!