How I Beat Sleepiness While Driving

Sometimes when I drive and get stuck in a traffic jam, I get really sleepy. And that's very bad since you can't simply take a nap in the middle of the road, right, so I figured out some ways to beat sleepiness. 

1. I SING. 

I sing like I am on American Idol, One in a Million, Akademi Fantasia, The Voice, or whatever singing show you have on TV these days. Surprisingly, singing high notes of Agnes Monica songs keeps me awake. 

I butcher the songs too, of course. I wouldn't even be called for the next round of audition. I would be eliminated right there and then in the middle of Federal Highway. 

But takpelah, at least I'm awake. 

2. I SNACK.

This is awesome. Sometimes when I do Option #1, my voice cracks and my throat becomes sore, so on days when I don't feel like massacring Agnes's songs, I choose to munch instead. I have a balang of roasted almonds sitting in my car right now. But you need to make good choices when it comes to snacking!

Which brings me to the actual point of this post ---- 

This is my snack of the day! 

almonds, dried organic goji berries, dried apricots

It's my first time trying goji berries after reading its benefits. Some call it a superfruit because of that. I have to admit, I don't particularly like how it tastes when I first tried it, but I believe I can train my tastebud for anything, especially if it's for the good stuff. It tastes better when I eat it with plain yogurt. 

It's slowly growing on me though. 

The Wannabe Healthy Guide For Ordering at Starbucks

Most of my friends probably know my deep attachment with Starbucks by now.

I do think it is my third place especially when I didn't have a car back then. Taking the public transportation would mean I'd have to sit somewhere and do my work and more often than not, I'd end up at Starbucks.

Back then when I wasn't concerned about health much, I'd order my favourite green tea frappe every single time.

Once I went into the health/fitness mode, I learned that sugar intake shouldn't be taken lightly and it is the easiest cause for one to gain weight, apart from portion size.

And these designer drinks at Starbucks, oh boy do they pack the calories.

So how do I manage when I go to Starbucks, after being enlightened on health and fitness?

I play by these rules now.


RULE #1 : It's okay to have a frappuccino every now and then 

Starbucks has done away with its 10% discount using Jusco card and introduced the Starbucks loyalty programme where they give you a free drink (grande size) with every 10 hand crafted beverages purchased. Since I can't really take dairy because of PCOS (gynae's advice!) I would order hot/iced tea - Starbucks has an awesome range of teas that you can choose from - 10 times, and for my 11th drink I would gladly choose a frappuccino. I go to Starbucks often so that 10 mugs of tea pass by rather quickly. I usually take my tea with absolutely no sugar but there are days that I want it sweet, so I'll just use pour the sugar syrup myself.

RULE #2 Change your milk

So when I do order a frappucino, what do I ask for?

Always ask for low-fat milk, or skinny milk. If you prefer soy milk, by all means, go ahead. Just don't take full fat milk.

RULE #3 Whipped cream, no!

Stay away from it! My sister was hooked on whipped cream before but she managed to train her tastebuds to NOT have whipped cream. One day while she was ordering at Starbucks, she saw two really overweight men licking on whipped cream. That sight alone was enough to put her off whipped cream for life.

RULE #4 You CAN say no to sugar

Nowadays when I order iced shaken lemon tea, I would request for zero syrup. If I want some sweetness in my drink, I can go add syrup on my own at that little corner where they store straws and sugar packets. The key is YOU control your sugar intake.

RULE #5 Drink water

It is always good to drink plain water, even when you already have your hand crafted drink. Water aids weight loss!

To me, Starbucks is not all that bad if you are smart with what you order. A woman already claims she lost weight, but I personally think sticking to one restaurant or food chain to lose weight is just as good as a fad diet - it makes you lose weight but can you keep the weight off in the long run?