Last week, I mentioned my pursuit of limtiing my refined carbs and sweets.

I'm on week 2, and I've been successful! :D

For starters, it has really helped that I declared my diet goal on Facebook. When I got my intention out to my friends (and their support through their likes), it made me really want to stick to my own promises.

I admit, sticking to it in the first week was absolute torture for me. But once I got over the hump, I no longer had constant sweet cravings. In fact, it was a scheduled cheat day yesterday, and I wasn't even looking forward to any sweets!

To have a refined carbs-free breakfast, I'm rotating between:

- Lartizan's whole-grain bread with poached egg (as pictured) or peanut butter
- Oatmeal with peanut butter
- Greek yogurt with fresh fruit (no sugar or maple syrup!)

This weekend, I'll give myself a treat with some whole wheat Belgian waffles. :)

For dessert, what has kept my sweet cravings at bay have obviously been some fresh fruit, like bananas, and yogurt. My favorite has been Greek yogurt with a teaspoon of Baguio strawberry preserves, where the strawberries are still whole. Yum.

Here at the BelleToday office, even, we have fresh fruit smoothies available. The other day, I treated myself to an avocado shake, which was literally one whole avocado pureed with ice. It was creamy and lovely.

I did this before, and so I know I can do it again. :) Onwards!

I must say, the best part about working at BelleToday is our corporate membership at The Spa. My monthly spa trip really does wonders not only to my fatigued muscles, but also to my mental well-being. And to think I nearly didn’t renew my membership this year! I changed my mind when I found out we were getting upgraded to the annual Ruby membership, which includes 12 executive (private room) massages, villa/suite upgrades (that I plan to give to my mom for her birthday later this week), and a bunch of treatments that I always wanted to try out.

One of those is a recent addition to The Spa’s services, the Athlete’s Body Cure. When I booked my appointment at my favorite branch, the angels at reception (Val, Clarence, Lori) assigned me my favorite therapist, Che, even if I didn’t make the request. It was really nice of them to remember that preference.

I’ve been a member of The Spa for three years now, but this was my first time to get a non-massage full body spa treatment. It was a nice surprise when I saw a tub and a shower in my treatment room, something the massage rooms don’t have.

Photo courtesy of The Spa's Facebook page

The bed was covered with plastic, in preparation for the moor mud wrap for my body. The mud didn’t smell like mud at all; it was fragrant, almost like mint and cucumber. It felt cool on my body, soothing my sore muscles. When Che closed up the plastic around me, it felt welcomingly warm in contrast to the chilly air conditioning. Plastic never felt so good.

After 15 minutes in the wrap, I was made to shower off the mud, and it smelled like earthy chocolate or coffee. I then had an hour-long deep tissue massage, which is why I adore Che. She has been the only therapist who actually fulfills my request to really work on my aching calves, which get the most abuse from my workouts. Instead of the usual massage oil too, she used a lovely sweet-smelling citrus lotion for the massage.

I felt so awesome after that treatment. Not even the Friday payday traffic on the way home could sully my mood. :)

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If you know me well, you know that sweets are my biggest weakness. That I try to follow a three-times-a-week dessert schedule. And that I keep on breaking that schedule.

This June, I want to make an effort and be more serious about it now. I’ve been doing all this resistance training. But if I actually want to get flat four-pack abs and cuts in my arms, not only do I have to do the proper workouts, but I have to limit my carbs, particularly my refined carbs.

See, getting a flat tummy isn’t about doing sit-ups every day. Most of it is really dependent on your diet, particularly carbs. I'm OK with the workout part, including HIIT cardio on occasion through Turbo Fire. It's really on my diet where I have to do the hard work.

It’s not realistic for me to totally take out carbs from my diet. I love them too much. So, as BelleToday teaches you, start with small steps and realistic goals.

I’m starting by cutting out my refined carbs at breakfast. That means no pastries, cakes, and white bread, which I would usually eat for breakfast.

What are my breakfast options then? I should be OK with whole grains (whole-grain bread or cereal) and protein. I hope I can find a large tub of Greek yogurt, and I could eat that with fresh fruit and nuts, or use it in fruit smoothies. I could also go back to my old oatmeal habit and think up of new flavor combinations.

And of course, dessert just three times a week. Not three days, but three TIMES. Doing so would also curb my sugar cravings.

And alcohol just once a week. Maximum one liter at happy hour.

Dear Lord, help me.

Props to Jana and Erica, who have been flaunting their hard work on their Instagram feeds, and in part for inspiring me to start doing this.

So, yes, that's the effort it takes to get a flat tummy. If it were so easy, we'd all have flat tummies by now. :) I just have to remind myself that having and seeing the result will be a testament of all this hard work. :)

See you on Friday, my precious

Hey Belles! I mentioned in my last entry that I’ve started Turbo Fire workouts. Two weeks in, and I’m hooked! Here’s why:

1. The closest you’ll get to a gym experience at home
You know how it’s sometimes a drag to have to work out at home? A gym membership, in a way, forces you to attend, since you have a venue to go to. To simulate this, the Turbo Fire workouts stress the “class” concept, so it feels you have something to look forward to. At the top of each workout, Chalene, the instructor, welcomes you to class, saving you the best front row spot. The camera is positioned precisely to make you feel this.

In class with you is a bevy of beautifully sculpted beings. I don’t think I’ll ever look like them (I’m not following the Turbo Fire meal plans), but it’s still somehow motivating to work out with them.

As an added bonus, if you mess up on your moves (which I tend to do often), you won’t feel embarrassed since you’re at home anyway.

There is also a set class schedule to follow, using a set of 12+ DVDs, but more on that later.

2. It’s a fun all-around aerobics class
Turbo Fire seems to combine high/low and kickboxing aerobics, designed to maximize toning all around the body. There is A LOT of arm movement, so it’s perfect for toning flabby arms. You’re also advised to contract your core muscles while doing the moves, so you get a head start during the aerobics classes (Fire and EZ classes) before you get to the more targeted Sculpt or Core classes.

3. High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
Turbo Fire also makes good use of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sequences, referred to as “Fire Drills”, that last for 45-60 seconds. I lost most of my 30 lbs with HIIT, so I can vouch for its effectiveness. The Fire workouts contain about 2-3 HIIT sessions within the aerobic workouts, while there are also dedicated HIIT days, where you do between 6-10 HIIT sessions. Gulp! There are at least 60-second breaks between HIIT workout, to let you catch your breath.

4. A breakdown of the choreography
A live aerobics class features the instructor teaching you the moves if you’re new in class. On the DVD’s main menu, there is a “New to Class” feature which you can turn on, and Chalene slowly goes through the choreography of the sequences, including the HIIT sequences. It’s filmed and edited so that the transitions between the class and the breakdown are seamless; it’s pretty impressive. If you’re feeling confident, you can turn it off and perform the workout as intended.

5. A class schedule to follow
I initially balked at the thought of doing 6 workouts a week. But as it turns out, the variety of workouts outlined in the class schedule kept me motivated and made me look forward to each workout day. And that’s even if I felt dog-tired during the previous day’s workout.

I won’t strictly do 6 workouts a week, but I am following the suggested sequence of workouts, including not performing two consecutive HIIT days.

Like I mentioned, I even bought an app to track my progress, so here’s a  sample week:

6. Chalene Johnson, the instructor
Karen described her as “a soccer mom hopped up on her kids’ Ritalin”; I described her as a Stepford Wife on speed. And we both mean that in a good way. She is the personification (and the creator) of this high energy workout, bouncing around like a bunny onstage, and injecting some dance moves to make it all fun. Her charismatic energy really is infectious, and it keeps you going through a whole hour of intense cardio. Her signature line is “Good news! You’re not tired!”, and I hurl expletives at my screen when she chirps it. It’s OK. I do that to all my favorite workout instructors.

7. The use of a resistance band
The Turbo Fire kit comes with a rubber resistance band. It’s amazing how much torture that little rubber band can inflict. The magenta-colored resistance band allows up to 20 lbs of resistance, giving me an ample challenge on bicep curls (which I thought I do well), tricep curls, and rows. I pretty much max out on 5 lb dumbbells.

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I have the license to not strictly follow the recommended schedule of 6 workouts a week, since I’m not doing this at all to lose weight, just to maintain it. I’m even taking an unscheduled break today, since I felt fatigued during yesterday’s Fire 45 workout.

My one quibble about it would be the Stretch 40 classes, my least favorite class of the program, but it’s only because I am not a yoga person.

Where to find Turbo Fire: The company bought this kit in the US, where it’s available by mail order, but you might be resourceful enough to find it gratis. (Please don’t ask me for the link; I wouldn’t know where.)

Hope you consider this as a summer workout, Belles, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

You know I'm always delighted to find a cheap and healthy lunch option, specially when I don't have to resort to a salad.

Let me introduce to you the vegetable sandwich from Metro Gourmet, the deli shop attached to Metro Supermarket. I don't think I've ever been so happy to eat vegetables.

The whole sandwich is as big as my face and only costs 120. WOW! They also use freshly baked rye bread, and the roasted vegetables are liberally seasoned with balsamic olive oil vinaigrette. It's the acidity from the vinaigrette that makes this so addictive and tasty.

Since the sandwich was so big, I thought I'd only eat half. Nope. I finished the whole thing. But since the sandwich only had vegetables and mushrooms, I didn't feel kadiri after.

When Metro Gourmet's deli first opened at their Market Market branch, my mom remembered me and got me this vegetable sandwich and a tabbouleh salad to go. Awww. See, even my mom knows I like healthy options. I forgot about it for a few days, and even when I had a sloppy sandwich, it was still good. Now that I had it freshly made, it was a revelation. :))))

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Next up, I've just started Turbo Fire.

We're rather fortunate here at BelleToday that we have a few of these workout kits that employees can borrow. It's only available in the US, and it retails for over $100.

I've only gone on the first two workouts so far, and it was punishing. It was brutal. I LOVED IT.

Karen had already warned me, after I'd told her I planned on trying Turbo Fire. And she was right. I've done aerobics classes before. The first workout was a combination of my old aerobics classes—step, hi-lo, kickboxing—but at triple speed. Ho-lee cow.

Turbo Fire also features "Fire Drills", or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions. These just last about a minute, but at the end of that minute, my heart would be beating out of its chest. It's the best way to burn fat, and I agree. My old jump rope sessions were a variation of HIIT, but I didn't know it then.

I decided to go on Turbo Fire after I got bored with those Jillian Michaels kickboxing videos, and I didn't think the exercise was intense enough. Well. With Turbo Fire, intense is what I'm getting.

I don't intend to strictly follow the Turbo Fire program. The original program is 5 months long, with 6 workouts a week. I still intend to stick to my 4 times a week schedule, and even move it up to 5, if I don't feel tired enough. I won't be following the meal plans either, and there are comprehensive meal plans. I'm doing this to bring my cardiovascular conditioning back, and ideally get rid of a little paunch on my hips.

I even bought an iPhone app to track my progress with Turbo Fire. My starting weight right now is 107 lbs (so you know why I'm not going to follow the program strictly), but I'll keep you all posted as to how it turns out.

FINE. Finally updating my BelleToday blog to publicly shame myself into pulling through with my promise to go back to kickboxing next week!

A good bunch of people here at the office took up boxing for the New Year. And I last took kickboxing four (GASP) years ago.

I'm doing a Jillian Michaels kickboxing workout video now, but it doesn't cut it. And some of the girls there annoy me with their crappy form. Fine, their abs are better than mine, but they kick and punch like...girls.

But I'm only doing a one-off for now. I have to see how my bum right ankle holds up with the impact. We shall see, we shall see. Digging up my pink boxing gloves and purple wraps from the closet!