Ashley

Ashley Greene after a work out session. 

Even celebrities work out. If you want to look good and feel good you work out. You don't give me crap like 'but I want to lose weight' and still sit on the couch, okay? It pisses me off.

Cycle

This is what you get when you put an Englishman in Australia. 

Despite the entire country experiencing heatwave right now, our Brit boy who grew up in the dreary-weathered London city went on a bicycle and started cycling around Adelaide! 

Still a good form of exercise 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?

Listen

I finished reading Edward de Bono's How to Have A Beautiful Mind the other day. 

It's an interesting book I must say. My favourite chapter is easily 'Interruption'. 

de Bono's thoughts on Interruption: 

"When is your turn to speak? Is interruption necessary, or just bad manners? Interruptions are generally rude and break the flow of what is being said. So there needs to be a very good reason for the interruption. If someone is simply going on and on, there may be a need to indicate that a conversation is a two-way affair. 

"Interruptions are often ego-driven. Someone wants to be noticed or feel important. Someone wants to show he or she is smarter than the speaker."

Couldn't agree more. 

When was the last time you interrupt someone's speech? Or when was the last time you fail to listen to your partner?

Failure to be heard is often very frustrating. I remind myself to listen and not interrupt when people talk after reading this chapter. 

The Secret Diet Pill

Adilah sent me this the other day. Hilarious! I honestly wish I could send this to all the women I met who complain about being fat but refuse to do anything about it! I do not (usually) call people names or criticise their weight, but when you complain about being fat and wish a weight loss miracle to happen without wanting to make any effort? PLEASE. Nobody is forcing you to lose weight, you need to WANT to be healthy and fit for it to happen. If you are not willing to go the extra mile for what you want, then shush!

FOOD: Making My Own Snack

Most of the stuff we buy at the stores contain more sugar than it should have. I read that while yoghurt is good, flavoured yoghurt often has more sugar than the plain normal yoghurt. 

So I bought a tub of plain normal yoghurt and put some flavaaaah. 

Ingredients: 

Low fat plain normal yoghurt (Any brand would do, pick one!)

Muesli for crunch and texture

Maple syrup (you get to control the sweetness of your yoghurt, how cool is that!)

I also cheated a bit and used canned peach slices, so happens that they were leftovers in the fridge. Tasted as good as it looked. Feel free to use fresh fruits like strawberries or kiwis for this! Be creative!

FOOD: Oats and papaya.

Had lemon water, papaya cuts, and oats with muesli and a dollop of Waitrose peanut butter. This sort of breakfast usually fills me up until lunch time.