/ˈfərvəd/ Fitness

What an over-dramatic title, huh? Well, I'm back! I had a great 11 days away from reality, downing ramen and sweet treats while on a flexible  IF protocol. To be honest, it's actually difficult to stick to a set fasting and feeding window. With an itinerary involving long distance traveling, I couldn't actually predict meal times. I was also on the road with my family and needed to feed while they fed. Therefore, my fasting window changed daily, from 14 hours to 16 hours - sometimes 18 hours. Also, almost everyday of the trip, I broke fast with ice-cream (#noregrets). In terms of physical activity, it was below my usual. I'm a writer/editor - my day job requires sitting at a desk - and my weight-training makes a huge difference. During the trip, I did zero weight-training and spent about 25 hours in the car. Despite completing a few hiking trails, and approximately 30km of cycling, I was definitely not working as hard as I'm used to. So, with all that said,

*click-bait title is click-bait* Let's be honest, I'm not quitting fitness for life. Come on, why would I waste all my hard work? However, I am putting it on hiatus for two weeks - this and the next. In fact, this is a scheduled post. And to answer the question of why? Well, I'm on vacation. I'm away for eleven days on a self-guided tour around Hokkaido. It's a trip I've been planning since last year. Finally, the time has come! I'm also using this break to put intermittent fasting to the test. I've taken my body composition reading the morning of my flight, and will take another reading when I return. Many have said IF is sustainable and beneficial when on vacation. I certainly believe it's sustainable - being an eating pattern. But, I'd like to see if it's truly beneficial. Whenever I go on vacation, I always return a kilogram heavier (of mostly fat). This often makes me feel like I'm working out for a vacation - that my rout

Back in 2014, I experimented with the skipping rope (as we call it here). I designed my own regime using only the rope, and worked my way to 2000 skips a day. As skipping rope is low impact, it provides a great cardio session without taxing the knees. A skipping rope is also an inexpensive equipment. So, if you're new to exercising and have no idea where to start, I recommend skipping. HERE'S WHAT I DID: - 100 side-to-side skips - 100 front-to-back skips - 50 single (right) leg skips - 50 single (left) leg skips - 100 high-knee skips I ALSO THREW IN: - 10 single leg push-ups - 15 sets of renegade rows (with 3kg dumbbells) - 10 sets of plank oblique twists This whole combo counted as one giant set. I started off with three giant sets and increased to five giant sets, for six days a week. Now, you probably have questions. So let me try to guess them: 1. Were there results? Yes, there were. Did I tabulate them? Unfortunately, no. Even if I did, they're pr

As many have mentioned, health starts in the kitchen. Yes, exercise does wonders to the body. But without healthy eating, one wouldn't see any change. We all know this. It's not top secret. However, getting healthy is difficult. Switching your diet overnight, and sticking to it for the long run, requires determination and discipline unbeknownst to men. For most, transitioning to a healthy lifestyle takes time. The passion to eat right and exercise is developed over a season. So if you're just starting out, fret not. It may seem difficult now, but it'll be second nature one day. At the moment, take it one step at a time with the first, most important step: eliminating sugar. Disclaimer: I do consume sugar. I have a sweet-tooth - I love chocolate and ice-cream. But as I share my sugar-cutting techniques, you'll see that I consume little of this 'useless' carbohydrate without sacrificing my occasional cravings. Also, the word 'sugar' in this post