1%

I got this in an email from GratitudeLog.com and I really like it. I am part of GratitudeLog.com, it's almost like Facebook where you post up in your status what you're grateful for so it's very positive and incredibly heartwarming to see what people around the world are grateful for!

I would like to express my gratitude right now, how I am feeling despite all the ups and downs I encounter - I am so grateful for having this opportunity to experience life the way I am meant to experience it!

What are you grateful for?

Hi there,

I recently came across this powerful value statement
that really resonated with me.

What is it?

* Aim for a 1% improvement every single day

That's it!  I think all of us could agree that a 1%
improvement is something we are capable of.

Well, the power of this is that if you do this every single day,
then you will completely transform yourself and your
life in less than 1 year.

In fact, if you will be 3,700 times better by the end
of this year.  This is also why Einstein used to say
that "the power of compounding is one of the most powerful
forces in the world."

Now, please don't take this example literally.  Why?
Because a 3,700 % improvement is impossible!  If I could
do that, perhaps I could fly.  :-)  The key idea that
I am trying to communicate is this:

* Aim to be better today than you were yesterday

I think gratitude is one of these laws that helps you
easily and effortlessly achieve that goal.  I think that
by being grateful, you are instantly 1% better off every
single day than if you forget to express gratitude and
the effect after one year will be just as massive.

So, if you have not yet taken a chance to be grateful
today, do so now.

http://www.GratitudeLog.com/

I like you and I am grateful to have the opportunity
to serve you.

Mike

"This is your mission. Today you are given the task of being part of the solution to help the world be a better place, regardless of the size of your actions. The success of the mission is imperative to know at the end of the day you did your best and have a good night sleep. That is all." - Rozi Yunos

Repeat after me "Thank you universe for I am grateful for allowing me to live another day to experience at least one positive emotion, to make at least one thing right no matter how large or small my action is, the world will still be a better place." - Rozi Yunos

Some Things Don't Change

It's nice to know some things don't change! A perfect example is every night, I have to figure out what to wear to work the next day. And especially if I am heading off to the gym in the morning and going straight to work from there, I really have to think about what to pack in my bag. At least if I was at home, I could try on a couple of outfits and finally settle on the one that works for me that day. 

Conclusion: No matter what size you are, beautiful dresses or comfortable outfits or fashionable attire, you still have to figure out what to wear! And that part has not changed for me at all. LoL!

Rub Rub Rub

I had this question in my head over the past few weeks - if someone was thinner, would their thighs rub together when they walk or only overweight people would have such a problem?

I recall how wearing a skirt or baju kurung on a hot day could become torturous because you start sweating and then your thighs become damp and the next thing you know, the more you walk, the more the skin on each thigh rubs against one another and then, you realize after getting home that you have a RASH! Then to cool down the rash and to make walking bearable I used to slap on a lot of talcum powder to "dry" it out and then put on some pants so that my skin didn't have to touch. After maybe 1 or 2 days, the rash would have subsided.

After many occasions of that happening, I then decided one day to start wearing pants on the inside of all my skirts and baju kurung. That made it much more comfortable! I think I wore pants on the inside of my skirts for 2 or 3 years and never had a rash again.

Now though, 35kg weight loss down the road, I had wondered, what if I didn't wear my pants inside my skirts. It was not exactly an awkward feeling but I had just wanted to know and I guess appear "normal". My thighs looked as if they were still touching each other. Should I risk it? And I did. I was again delighted! (All these little discoveries just make me so happy!) Thighs did not rub against each other! Therefore, no rash! 

My earlier question, I think no matter what size we are, our thighs will still rub together. I'm just grateful my thighs don't rub together to form a rash anymore!

Sticks & Stones

You can't win. When you're fat and overweight, people will talk. When you've lost lots of weight, people will talk. I have been told recently that I have a new name and it was emphasised that it's actually a compliment because they have seen me go from so big to now a smaller size. If I was to analyse it any further, it does not come close to a compliment! The new name is:

Zana Anorexic

Anorexia is a disease. I do not come close to being in this condition mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I think over the years, I have gotten immune to the "fat" names that I guess now I only need to get used to the "skinny" names. I also have come to realise that sometimes when people talk and give names or labels such as these, they do so unconsciously and also their intention may not be necessarily to hurt the person. 

As I was reflecting on this, my ego wanted to go into being self-righteous and explain to them the process I was putting myself through. But I knew that would not resolve anything. What was the point of trying to explain to the many people out there who have passed judgement? So I made the choice to strengthen my resolve that what I am doing is ultimately for MYSELF only. It is not to prove anything to the world. Nor is it to win a popularity or beauty contest. My intention has and always will be on this journey is to be fit and healthy and the weight loss was part and parcel of that process.

So as they say, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. Call me what you will as many people have done so in the past. But I will not hold on to that for at least I now KNOW what SUCCESS LOOKS and FEELS like!

Limit-less

Last night I took Julia for a dance trial at the dance studio. I wanted her to trial the 2 new dance teachers - Jhung and James. And she had a ball! We were both high on endorphins as we were having dinner afterwards and we shared excitedly about dancing! 

While Julia trialed with Jhung, I had a class with James and we focused on Samba. What makes the experience interesting is that James not knowing me and him being very young does not know my limits. And because he does not know my limits, he pushes me to do things which I actually found difficult but I did it anyway! So it goes to show, I have been the one setting myself limits! The world truly is my oyster but only if I chose to do something about it and also if it fits in with my life purpose. I could have been that model-actress-singer-dancer-teacher-mentor-life coach-speaker ages ago! But this is a process of self-discovery and it's funny how that process has been further accelerated with the weight loss. I am just simply amazed with everything so far and I feel truly blessed with my life.

So now dance is happening 3 to 4 times a week and on top of that squeezing in time at the gym. I just signed up with Jhung so that should be an interesting experience since he does not know me and hence he does not know my limits! How far will I go? Only time will tell. I know for a fact, I am truly making progress in more ways than one!

Validation: Size 14

That's two weeks in a row that Kath has been my workout buddy on Fridays. We normally concentrate on arms and abs and today, I'm aching from the workout! A good sign I am using all my muscles!

After the workout was done, Kath gave to me my birthday present. She bought me two tops from Marks and Spencers on her recent holiday in Kuala Lumpur. Regardless of being hot and sweaty, I just had to try them on. So there we were in the changing room of the gym admiring me in my new tops! I was jumping up and down with joy that it was a size 14! 

The clothes I have been buying all this time don't necessarily indicate the size and it's just a nice feeling to know that if I were to walk into M&S, Dorothy Perkins, Top Shop etc... I just can head for size 14! And also, this is validation, I am smaller!

Previous Dress Size: 20-22

Current Dress Size: 14

Well done Zana!

8.5km/h

I have finally made use of my gym membership!

I have gone to the gym a few times and enjoying every minute of it. I can even now jog on the treadmill! I recall the days when I first started out gym and my personal trainer first asked me to walk around 5km/h and he increased that to 5.5km/h and then he got me to jog at 6km/h and then he tried increasing that to 6.3km/h and finally to 6.5km/h. I could do it, but I could not sustain long and it just felt so heavy! Plus with everything bouncing twice as hard, it hurt to run. 

Fast forward to today, where I am no longer carrying an equivalent of 3 bags of rice, running or jogging suddenly seems so much easier. 

The first time I went to the gym, I was thrilled to find out that running at 7km/h did not leave me too breathless. The second time I went to the gym, I decided to try 7.5km/h. That was do-able. Then the next time at the gym I ran at 8km/h. I was thrilled. I decided to stick to that a few more times and then yesterday, I tried 8.5km/h and I could feel it was a little bit tiring yet, I could do it! I was so thrilled! I am going again tomorrow to see how many intervals of 8.5km/h I can do. My time on the treadmill I alternate between 2 minutes of brisk walking and 2 minutes of running. My new iPod Shuffle keeps me on the go with brilliant music all compiled by Kel - Thank You Kel!

The workout is then supplemented with resistance training. More entries on Adventures at the Gym to come... it suddenly seems like a whole new world out there!