Tag: Healthy Lifestyle Index

Over the years, Kin Mun (mrbrown) and myself have sort of egged each other on to do stuff. Some good, some dumbass.

When he used to work for an agency, he used to drive a car and didn’t get to exercise much. I took him to run at the NIE track twice a week, knocking the wind out of him each time while denying my own health by smoking a cigarette after each run.

Almost ten years and one major health scare each later, we’re still trying to nag each other into keeping healthy. Both of us don’t take any sugar in our drinks, and we haven’t had any soft drinks for years – in fact, I think if you made me drink a soda pop now, my eyeballs would pop out.

We’re both family men, and we get our kids to eat as healthily as possible too (though sometimes the stuff at kids’ parties can’t be avoided). I remember Kin Mun telling me: You need to get healthy cos you wanna be able to run after your kids when they’re able to run.

I used to play rugby in school and in my 20s – well enough to play for a club in the NSW suburban competition – but with changes in work environment, family commitments, sporting activity of any sort has dropped off my radar completely.

Up until last week. Naomi got me an introductory pilates session which eased me back into exercising. At first I thought, ah, chicken feed lah. How hard can some stretching be?

The answer is still biting me in every muscle group after two sessions. Boy am I unfit, and boy, do I have a long way to go before I catch up with my old friend who’s fit enough to cycle all over Italy.

I’ve also been on an alcohol fast for three weeks now, and as a friend who’s doing the same puts it, it’s been refreshing. I’m not as sluggish as I was, and two kilograms simply melted away in my first week.

So people, if you haven’t already done so, go online to http://bit.ly/HLIsgBM and collect as many rivals as you can – and make them do the index. The more of your friends/rivals complete the index, the higher you’ll jump up the leaderboard, which currently stands at a mere 42 rivals.

Come on, Facebookers of Singapore! You can do better than 42! You have a gazillion FB friends each! You’re giving up a chance of winning prizes, some more:

 

I have to admit I haven’t been faring too well with food choices lately.

I have a penchant for junk food at rehearsals and script meetings, and the recently completed Kumar show probably saw me put on a couple of kilos because of the curry puffs, fried chicken and other assorted fried foods.

A post-show party did me no favours either. (Sorry housekeeping!)

I’m good to go now – on a proper, healthy diet consisting of more vegetables than meat, with less oil, less carbohydrates and less volume.

As far as the rivalry between mrbrown and myself is concerned, I think I have some ways to go before I catch up. But plans are in the works: My wife is scheduling regular pilates classes, and I am spending more time on my feet in the office instead of being seated (it also prevents you from checking Facebook, so you get more done in a shorter time).

The bicycle will come out of the storeroom soon, as I work myself up to a decent level of fitness to be able to ride to work and back.

Everyone should think before they do anything, and whenever the chance arises, take the healthy choice: stairs against escalators/lifts, walk against a short bus ride.

Better yet, start off by doing the HLI at http://bit.ly/HLIsgBM, pick as many rivals as you can, and stand a chance to win prizes up to $3,000.

There’s a new leaderboard feature on the Index as well. Go check it out! The more people you refer to do the HLI, the more chances you have to win prizes.