A Health and Fitness Article of Transformation

Step by Step Guide to Healthy Lifestyle Series

Abstract

This article is written from the author’s lifestyle change that resulted in a transformation of his health from being a ‘Tablet Taker’ to  a ‘Wardrobe Changer’. 

Taken in 

2011                                                            2022

 

This Article has 5 Episodes

How do you get your efforts to pay off?

Many years went by when I made New Year resolutions to start exercising. After the first week or two, such resolutions did not last very long.  While setting health and fitness goals is an excellent idea, we need to be watchful. When we fail our set regime, we feel it’s too hard to catch up and eventually we let go of the goal.  

Changing your Lifestyle: 

Let me share my story, I weighed, as I mentioned in earlier episodes, 84 kgs and suffering from Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol. I did not have an exercise regime.  

On a Saturday afternoon in January 2020, I was sitting in my living room and waiting for a Zoom assignment to help a church in Johore. At that time, I heard in my head a word – “Change”. After the church Service I also coincidentally received a call from my longtime friend Chan inviting me to join him to exercise. I decided to take action and join him. 

At the start it was not easy for me as I was forcing myself every day. 

Chan shared with me that I needed to adopt this regime as part of my lifestyle. He shared that only when it becomes a part of me, I will begin to love what I am doing.

Creating a behaviour is like growing a plant. It all starts with the seed – the thought, and you must keep watering it. In the beginning, it has to be deliberately woven into your life’s fabric by way of discipline, adaptability and balance. 

Don’t fret when you miss a schedule, always look beyond today . A friend who is equally or more motivated than you is an asset to help you work through the discipline. 

First, let me share some misconceptions which we need to dispel to get consistency. 

What is your exercise plan?

Health and Fitness are deemed by many to be related to aesthetics but it’s more than that.

  • It defines the way you feel.
  • It defines the quality of your life. 
  • It defines your focus you have at work.
  • It determines your ability to move.
  • Finally, it influences your psychological State. 

If you know that Health and Fitness play such a critical role, it will not be an overstatement to say it determines the gap between life and death. 

Setting an Example: 

When you choose a Healthy Lifestyle what are you really doing, you are not only bettering your quality of life, you are setting an example to your family and friends that it’s possible to determine the quality of life you want to have. 

Did you know it will have a positive effect on your relationships? 

Did you know it lowers the risk of disease?

Finally, did you know that your investment in Health and Fitness gives you an overall healthier and happier world. 

I began to realize these facts as my discipline started to change into a lifestyle. I was not longer a fuddy duddy who had low self esteem , low energy levels and low passion in my work, in my dealings with my family and also my community. I could not believe that I had so much zeal and drive to do things which I couldn’t even imagine previously. 

Learning Behavior Changes: 

It is not about diets anymore, nor is it about workouts, these are very unrealistic goals that many fail to achieve. I began to see a new community of friends, who like me, was on this remarkable journey, I began to have my community understand what I eat as well. Even the coffee shop man or the restaurant knew my changes and they started to respect my desire. 

Whether it is at work or on a holiday I never let my guard down.  I began to balance the change. Recently I went to India, I loosened  my diet and also my exercise regime as it was a new place to me, after 30 plus years of living abroad. I gained weight, however even during my stay I was always unconsciously starting to slip back into my fit lifestyle, as it had become part of me. 

When I returned home to Singapore, I started to lose the weight I’d gained during my trip to India. 

So here is the antithesis: when you fail to convert it to a lifestyle, you fail to be able to adapt when your routine gets disrupted.  Nowadays, I pack my travel bag with resistance bands and use benches and stairs, when a workout area is not available. 

Lifestyle leads to Consistency:

People get results with extreme dieting or strenuous workout challenges. However, the percentage of people who follow these plans is extremely tiny. Challenges only last for a short while and is always accompanied by strict guidelines of success and failure. This takes a toll on your physical and emotional health. 

When you fail, you get messed up.  But, when your expectations have been shaped by your new lifestyle your body gets used to it and you are more likely to stay consistent and “enjoy the ride”.  If I eat something like an ice cream or skip a workout due to my workload, I learn to get back into the flow, because it is now an integral part of my lifestyle. So, this leads to more consistency in my exercise and diet pattern in the long term. 

Some tips to make it more enjoyable: 

  • Find an exercise you enjoy:  It’s important to find them enjoyable to stay consistent in your exercise so that you don’t feel physically or emotionally drained when you finish the exercise.  Consistent low-intensity exercise will always triumph over inconsistent high-intensity exercise. 
  • Be patient when it comes to reaching your physical Goal: Remember results take time, be easy on yourself, nothing good comes easy. Learn to fall in love with the process and the person you’ve become throughout the journey. 
  •  Don’t give up the food you love: I strongly believe in not starving myself or depriving myself, but learning to adapt and adjust to accommodate. Get creative, create your own healthy version.  
  • Don’t compete with Anyone: Each of us is in our own journey and no two of us are the same. Never compare yourself to others. As long as you’re consistently leading your new lifestyle you are on the right track.  
  • Try new things: Step out and be bold to try new things.  I was doing high intensity training on Thursdays and then I went on to try circuit training on Sunday mornings. 

 

My final message to all my wellness-minded Karunyans: Stay motivated, inspire yourself and others by switching to a new exercise regime. May this become a passion that will result in a permanent lifestyle. 

I would like to encourage all of you to be a Life Changer – Change the game. Lastly let me encourage you all with my favorite verse from the book of Deuteronomy in the Bible: 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6

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