The End is Near

Pictures, writings, video recordings... all bring us back to a time,

 

a place,

 

 a phase in our lives

 

 that has moulded us into the individuals that we are today. Whether we like it or not, we are part of a larger community. What we do affects the life of someone else.

 

As we ponder on pictures, writings, video recordings, may we delve into the pain, hurt, joy, anguish once felt. It is the best touch of realisation that there is so much to be thankful for,

 
 
So much to work for,

 

 

so much more to achieve.

 

The end of the year is nigh. Have a meaningful preparation to embrace the new year ahead.

 

Xoxo c

Get Rid of Holiday Weight Gain

2 weeks of holiday bliss, and I come back to my dear friend and colleague agreeing that I had gained weight!
 
Well, if you compare these 2 pictures:

Charlene Mixfm and Ryan Mixfm

Charlene Mixfm and Ryan Mixfm

You can see that even slight weight gain on me is pretty obvious on my face.


Ryan was really sweet, not wanting to say anything at first, but, even I had an inkling that my crazy food marathon for the 2 weeks of bliss would make me pack on the pounds ( even if slightly):

Now you can imagine why the weight gain... I'm such a foodie! I usually stick to one full meal a day, coffee, fruits, and the occasional "kuih" or "cake". But this was food fiesta everyday!

 

I did try to control the weight gain a little by hitting the gym. But still, there is only so much your body can burn each session. Goes to show, you become what you eat. Each unhealthy indulgence has thousands of calories your body DOES NOT NEED. And while you consume it, you usually only burn about a few hundred calories per session at the gym( might I had, I kinda HATE doing cardio training). Because of that the body gets kinda chunky like this :

Charlene Mixfm Gym

Instead of smaller and slender like this:

Charlene Mixfm Gym

So it's back to a stricter diet now and more cardio exercise.

DIET
No Carbs
Minimal Sugar
1 main meal
1 small meal
Heallthy snacks ( fruit)

No Cake
No Chocolate
No Rice
No bread
Less oil
More Vegetables

It's pretty basic choices really. Just watch what you eat. I still had mutton and Vege for my main meal today. It is not very healthy, but what Busy Working Malaysian with a budget can survive without going to the hawker stalls or mamak for a meal? I think it's a practical method to dieting.

WORKOUT

2 types of cardio works well for me.
The first is the cross-trainer:

Charlene Mixfm Gym

Why I love the Cross-trainer
It works the arms (triceps, upper back muscles, shoulders depending on which direction you pull and push)

It tones the leg muscles especially the thighs and gluts.
Tip: Think of the muscle you are working out when you exercise.

The second is the cardio-wave:

Charlene Mixfm Gym

Why I love Cardio- wave:
It burns alot of calories. It's a good workout for your thighs and gluts. It also works the core muscles when you do not hold on to anything and maintain balance while moving in a skiing motion. It's actually one of the most fun cardio machines.

I usually try to do a practical 20 minutes on cross-trainer and 10-20 minutes on the cardio-wave. Fingers crossed I will be photo ready in no time!

Disclaimer: This is in no way professional Health or Nutrition or Nutritional advice. Try at your own disgression.

Haunt

I never thought life was like an ocean
no beginning, no end, no direction
just futile perception.
I never thought life
would be a constant struggle
at the edge of a cliff
Grasping for sharp edges;
it stab, slits, slashes, pierces the depths of the soul.

I never felt the need to ponder on life's purpose;
it was as clear as the eye in the sky
burning its profound omnipotence
while blinding the eye that sought It
It's constant warmth a reminder of existence

How calm were the Songs of Innocence
How peaceful were the slumbers of the sleepers of this quiet earth
How jovial were the days spent in warm company
bursting with goodness, love, comfort with no haste

Now how the Songs of Experience sing in throngs
Reminding one of the illuminating grey
that's searching,  hunting, hovering nigh
to choke, to suffocate, laughing at the throttled gasping for life

I never thought life is like  a pursuit
of discovery, of conquest, of battles to be won
While winding vines of thorns thrive,
the warm sunlight  peeps mild bright;
like a child on Christmas morning's sight
sings of joys in innocent merriment till night.

Perhaps there is hope in all
Perhaps there is none at all
But the plight of the young should only be
Not to be or not to be
but to pursue, to relinquish, to cherish life
in the bravest form of dignity in strife.
For the day shall come when all will perish
and return to The Maker that only He would cherish.

Parkour for Beginners

I love doing things that are:

 

KickAss

Cool

Challenging

Skillful

Creative

So I tried Parkour. It's actually kinda like freestyle running developed from military obstacle course training. Super awesome. The pros do all kinds of stunts but I stuck to the basics for an impromptu workout after a morning jog.

Parkour for beginners. Here's what I did,

Step one: Jump up a step.

Charlene MixFm; Parkour Step 1

Step 2 : Jog while picking up the speed to gain momentum.

Charlene MixFm : Parkour Step2

Step 3: Jump down.

Charlene Mixfm : Parkour Step 3

Step 4: Continue the circuit while picking up speed. Experiment with different styles of jumping.

Charlene MixFm : Parkour Step 4

It really beats doing lunges and cardio machines at the gym as this fun activity gives you a good cardio workout while jumps work the gluts.

Your focus when you're new at it is mantaining good balance ( jumping on and off), getting creative with jumps, and picking up the pace ( for good cardio workout).

 

Can't wait to be able to do these soon:

 

Image thanks to Google images

 

Lemme know how it goes. Have Fun!

Lazy Gym Day Workout

Charlene Mixfm : Workout

Honestly, after the novelty of going to the gym wears off, it can be quite the chore! But here's what I do on a lazy gym day.

First things first:

 

Forget

I'm tired

I'm so lazy

So jam lah

Gym so boring

My body's aching

I rather go ...

 

because all these reasons have much truth behind it. Chances are, they would convince you not to go workout. So take control of your mind and just get yourself to the gym, "just do it".

 

I find thinking about things I love keeps me distracted from the "malas-ness" of gyming. For me, music, and dance is perfect. With that in mind, start your workout with some stretching.

One of my favourite ones to do:

Charlene MixFm : warm up 

 

How: Just find any machine or bar you can prop your legs on and start loosening the muscles. (Just make sure no one is eye-ing the machine for it's rightful use before hand though)

 

Also, with my slight dance background, getting into dance poses while stretching is also another fun way to keep yourself motivated.

Charlene Mixfm : Machine Stretch



How: Again, any machine including cardio machines which no one is using. Think Step Up or Black Swan as inspiration.





Step Up : Image thanks to Google





Black Swan : Image from Google

 Get into any pose that you think looks cool and hold for about 15 seconds. Most importantly, listen to your body: your muscles , your joints, makesure you stay attentive to muscles stretching so you would know how much to stretch. Mild discomfort is good , but not pain. Be careful not to overstretch as recovering from a muscle tear can take years. I could do side spilts no problem till I tore the muscle due to lack of warm up. I still feel a slight piercing pain if I am not fully warmed up before attempting a split.

After about 5 minutes or more of warm up, I like to start off with cardio ( to get it out of the way) . But if I'm really lazy, I'll do some abs exercises on the A-bench first.

Charlene MixFm: A-Bench Abs workout

 How: There are 11 different movements that I do. The one in the picture is the hardest; legs elevated at 45 degree angle. You have to make sure you keep your back flat on the bench while focusing on holding the angle with you abs especially the lower abs. I used to do normal crunches before I learnt this repertoire. Normal crunches gave me strong abs, but this 11 movements one gave me a better sculpted mid section.

For a lazy day, I'll call it a wrap after a minimum of 20 minutes cardio. I would probably die if I didn't have my ipod with me. David Guetta usually does the trick. On an ultra lazy day, I usually choose to do some cardio wave. It's like skiing. Burns tons of calories in the shortest amount of time. The picture below shows 430 calories in about 20 minutes. Then again, I feel it a bigger chore when I run for 20 minutes. Doesn't show that much calories being burnt but I feel way more tired. I should defintely check out why is that the case. But the thing with cardio wave is, you have to keep the speed up. You can check out what speed is recommended on the display. Think of it as your personal trainer telling you what to do.

Keep telling yourself you have to be done with everything within 45minutes to keep you on your toes. By the end of your workout, you WILL definitely feel happier. Lemme know how it goes!

Disclaimer: This is in no way professional health and fitness advice.

Solace

It's comforting to realise that there are many broken hearts out there... and that there are people in the world who can describe exactly how you feel about .... I found solace in Christina Perri. Hope you do too...

MixFm and Hitz for Earth Hour

It's a lil late, but better late than never right? ;)

The event was geared towards bringing people together to create awareness for Earth Hour (people usually rather not care, unless they feel their comfort zone's disrupted?) 

So while the whole place was in darkness, the celebration with it's lights, sound , and entertainment was the "light at the end of the tunnel" kinda thing. An Honest Mistake was one of the performers for the night:

And the crowd got quite comfy:

AND the announcers had heaps of fun:

Steve and Ryan

Natalie and I

And of coz, we had to go slightly crazy:

The Mix Team (missing JD and Dilly who were bz in Penang with a make over)

Anyhow, fun part aside, I guess we could be a lil bit more aware of taking care of Mama Earth, afta all, Mama Do need us ... heh ( got that from PixieLott!)

All Pix thanks to Ryan =)