Frannywanny

"Health is Wealth " This saying is so true as I hear stories of family friends, relatives or friends of friends falling sick. Be it one who's in their senior years or another one who's in his 20s, falling sick can really take a toll not only on one's body but on his financial being, his family's well-being and more. I come from a family with very strong genes of cardio-vascular problems like stroke and hypertension. From my Amah and my Angkong, both of whom have experienced having a stroke or dealing with super high blood pressure for most parts of their lives down to my mom and her siblings who, despite trying so hard to keep a healthy lifestyle, also ended up stroke patients themselves. When I gave birth to my twins, my blood pressure shot up to 200/120 which wasn't a good sign at all. Prior to that, I was tested to have gestational hypertension so I was on meds round the clock which got me so worried if this will affect my babies in the long run. I ...

" What was I thinking?!" This was predominantly my thought as we got nearer and nearer to the day of The Music Run . Well, back in July, when Paul and I decided to sign up, the main objective was because we wanted to get into a healthy lifestyle for our twins. The plan was  to train for this run at least 3 months ahead thus making the 5K distance an easy peasy challenge for us. Well.. that  didn't happen. We barely prepared for this run and we were already telling friends that we might just walk all the way. Luckily, I still had the presence of mind to sign us up for the Fun Run  so that lessens the burden than signing up for the timed marathon. We also had considered not showing up or backing out. The race fee wasn't that expensive and for fear that we might just breakdown during the race.. we thought of letting it go. But... we're not the kind who backs out that easily. So..there we were on the afternoon of November 17 together with thousands of avid ru...

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." My fitness journey is pretty much a long-running one. I began working out at the age of 14 when my parents decided that I can't be that big, chubby kid who lives an incredibly sedentary lifestyle. Back then I was weighing close to 160lbs and that's considered obese for a 14-year-old. With daily swimming classes over the summer break and daily gym workout, I entered my junior year in high school at 145lbs. Not exactly skinny but the shape of my face has transformed from what used to be a perfect circle into one that thankfully has a more defined jaw line. This was also the time that I got into the habit of going to the gym and eventually frequenting the classes, trying out new routines every so often and making new friends too. Would you believe that once upon a time, I used to train for weightlifting and I used to be a regular Body Jam student too? I'd say that from that point on up until ...

Fitness talk on a Friday? I know it's not the most normal thing to do but change is always good and so today, we push aside our usual "Fried Food, Friday" to talk about something else. Aside from pushing myself to cook more at home, one of my resolutions when I first moved to the Lion City was to get into a fitness routine. It wasn't easy, I have to say. I started really slow and it was only when my sister got engaged and we were months away from her wedding that I found the real motivation to go to the gym regularly and to aim for my weight loss goals. After her wedding, the holiday feasting began and I tell you, the struggle to get back to my 3x a week gym routine was hard and real. Luckily, I will always have Paul and my friend D who will always motivate me to go and work out. Add to the fact that I discovered indoor cycling and I've been so in love with it for more than a year now. That's true love and commitment, you guys. :) Then early this year, I...

2015 is finally here and we're filled with so much optimism that this year will bring more luck, love, success and good health. Let me do a quick re-cap on the top 5 highlights of my 2014: 1) New friends, old friends As you may have noticed, Paul and I do love our friends dearly. We're blessed to have a handful who have stayed loyal and loving to us through all these years (some have been there for us for decades already!). Being away from home may have put our friendship to the test but it's such joy to be able to catch up with them every time and it's so easy for us to pick up where we left off making us realize the true friendship knows no distance . When it comes to new friends, we have the NKids whom we love and consider as our family in the Lion City. We're so lucky to have met them and to share a number of foodie adventures with them. C, I and O will forever be mainstays in this blog so do watch out for that. 2) Happy travels Finally, we're ba...

Months ago, I chanced upon another Facebook post (I swear, I must be the target audience of these fitness ads!) about the first-ever Hello Kitty Fun Run here in Singapore. This was to celebrate Hello Kitty's 40th Birthday and being a big Kitty fan that I am, I quickly filled up the sign up form even with no specific details on when the run will be and where it will be held. Yes, I was THAT big a fan. Days after that, a more detailed website announcement was put up where it led us to do our final confirmation and to really sign up for the race. It was a 5K fun run in Sentosa on the 1st of November . With no marathon experience whatsoever in the past, I just took a deep breath and hit that submit button to confirm my participation and quickly paid the S$65 participation fee too. Fast forward to last Friday, they started handing out the cutest race kits that I've ever seen! Paul was the one who went to claim for me and he said that he was impressed at how organized the di...

I strongly believe in the saying that "health is wealth" . After all, the worst thing is to spend your hard-earned money on medications and hospitalizations when you can try to avoid all these in the first place. I'm glad that as I'm trying to up my physical activity level lately, I'd come across local activities that would challenge me to go even further. No more excuses now and I'm learning to push myself to the limits and to see what else I can do. A month ago, I came across a Facebook sponsored ad about a fun yoga and wellness event in Tanjong Beach Club, Sentosa . The name is Soulscape Singapore and browsing through their website, I was immediately drawn towards the two exclusive yoga sessions -- Sunset Yoga and Yoga Rave . It was to be conducted by True Yoga making it even more enticing. I asked my dear friend D, who has been a great influence to me to eat healthy and to stay fit, if she wants to join as well. It only took D a few minutes to brow...

It has almost been a year since I finally said I Do to Paul's Will You Marry Me? . In less than 4 months, we will finally say our vows in front of God, the priest and everyone who means so much to us. Just a year ago, I made a promise to myself to begin a more healthy way of living by eating well and to exercise more. Sure I did this for a month or so then I would go easy on myself then get back to the treadmill then out again. I'm down to my last four months where I have to have that ideal body that I've been dreaming of my whole life. Can I do it? I know it won't be an easy walk in the park and for most times I would probably scold myself for, once again, cramming . However, I know that by being more disciplined and determined then I might be able to achieve some positive results. No, I won't starve myself to death. Instead I will seriously eat healthy and will begin a more regular exercise routine. Great timing that Del Monte sent us a pack of their delicious ye...

After years of indulging in the best tasting dishes and enjoying dinner outs , 2010 is the year to be healthy and to take on a more active lifestyle. This is the main reason why I immediately said yes to an invite to try the latest exercise workout called Barre3 . This was brought in by its Managing Director Tanya Tan after spending 5 years in the USA and loving the combination of yoga, ballet and pilates. So, I went straight to The Spa at the Bonifacio Highstreet after work yesterday. Entering the building, I was greeted with the soothing sound of water that immediately made me feel relax and a bit sleepy. The strong minty scent makes me want to go up to the second floor to avail of a massage treatment. Then, I had to stop myself as my main goal was to try Barre3 and to torment my body who hasn't worked out for quite a while. Entering the Barre3 studio, I was greeted by Tanya Tan herself who happens to be my sister's batch mate in high school. After exchanging his, hellos...