Valen’s Vanity Square

Went to our favorite park this morning, looks like we are resuming our weekly outdoor exercise routine after months of ‘inactivity’! Although I tend to get headaches after that, somehow I feel much more healthier.

We like to go that park, although it’s quite far from our house, is because it’s not only a place for exercise, as the park is always buzzing with healthy activities and frequented by people who want to live a healthy life. It truly represents a healthy outdoor recreational area, whether for groups of family to do a picnic by the little stream running through the park, or for mountain bikers and roller skaters to practice and showcase their skills and physical endurance.

For anyone who wants to pick up mountain biking as a hobby and wishes to learn the basics or find out where to get the necessary equipments, you can just go to the park in the morning and ask any of the bikers there. They may not know where to buy curt trailer hitch, but they surely can tell you where to get the best hitch bike rack with the best deal.

And, oh, the bikers all look goooood and fit, hehe. Hubby is so envious of their shaped body and toned muscles, and that kind of spurred his desire and commitment to get rid of the spared tyre around his waist,  haha!

Oh no, weekend is coming to an end! What have I still not done?

Have spent hours on the internet to get some online work done. Nope, I was not searching for office supplies online for my new office, nor browsing for Coach handbags. Just some website projects that I have implemented in hopes to make some money to sustain my shopping habits, haha!

Now, it’s time to get some exercise.

Bought a book yesterday; a book written by a Korean mother who managed to lose 20 over kg in 3 months!

Yeah, we all heard about dramatic weight loss stories quite frequently, but whether the methods are practical or sustainable will always be a question. I usually don’t put my eyes on this type of weight loss books. What made me pick up the book is the simple exercises that she teaches. Those that can be done while one is watching TV, and takes only about 15 minutes or so.

Of course, this has to be coupled with a healthy diet, that most of us know what that comprises of. The important things to remember are never ever to starve oneself or limiting the diet to just a type of food. Try to eat frequently, but in small amounts.

In fact, the author eats up to 6 or 8 meals a day, just that she emphasizes on well-balanced meals, piles up on vegetables and fruits, keeps the portion reasonably small and eats as soon as she feels hungry. And when she’s out with friends and family, she eats what other people eat. (This, I like!)

She also emphasizes on the overall shape of the body, instead of the weight. So her exercise regime is focusing on shaping the body, to what a woman’s body should be. The right curves at the right places.

I shall write no more. It’s time to go and do some body shaping exercise!

Hubby has gone to JB for meeting, and will only be back after a few days.

Before we got married, hubby had also been traveling quite a bit. And when he was out of town, I knew that he missed me the most. But now, after being married for 8 years, I guess he misses his favorite exercise equipment - an elliptical cross trainer - more than he misses me. Haha!

Hubby will be stranded in meetings after meetings these few days, he won’t have time to exercise. He has been enjoying working out on the elliptical exercise machine a lot since we bought it. Even just 30 minutes on the machine makes him feel healthy. (He’s a guy who is very conscious about his waistline. :P) It would be a great torture for him not to be able to exercise.

That’s why I said he will miss the machine more than his wife! Let’s bet, the first thing he does when he comes back this Friday, would be to spend some precious time with his beloved elliptical machine. Haha!

Hubby’s new ‘toy’ is here - an elliptical cross trainer machine from AibiGym! (So sorry that I had always called it a stepping machine, haha! Well, this just says how much I’m into sports…)

This cross trainer machine was not the one we saw initially, this is double the price of what we had in mind earlier. The monthly installment is still cheaper than signing up for a gym membership though. And just like you have to read up an adipex review before you decide to try the diet pill, we asked many questions and tried ‘pedaling’ on the machine before we made the purchase decision.

The first cross trainer that we saw was cheaper, but it uses a belt-driven system, which may start to break down after 1 year of regular usage. The warranty period for this is only 1 year. The machine is lighter, so when a heavy person (such as hubby) pedals on it, the machine tends to be a bit ’shaky’. Moreover, the gliding is not smooth; it will be quite harmful for my left knee, which is prone to knee pain after climbing stairs (oh no, sign of aging!).

The elliptical cross trainer that we bought is built on a magnetic system. The gliding is smooth, it will last longer than the belt-driven system, and the supplier is giving 3 years warranty for the magnetic system. The size is slightly bigger than the previous one, but still much less bulky than those you see in the gym centres. It is stable and sturdy. There is also a small digital setting device to help monitor the calories burnt, the pulse rate, and the speed of pedaling.

The machine was delivered before lunch time. I haven’t started using it as I was rushing to meet a project deadline, and now I’m catching up with all my blogging activities. Oh well, since this is hubby’s toy, I will let him do the ‘official opening’ and be the first one to ride on it. Haha!

When we were in the shopping mall yesterday, we went into a couple of fitness equipment shops to check out the price for stepping machines. Hubby is still undecided - to sign up for a gym (which he may not have time to go and waste paying the monthly fees) or to have an exercise machine at home.

I made it clear that I don’t allow bulky treadmills in my house, but I can accept a stepping machine, which takes up much lesser space than the former. And I can use it too! I don’t like doing treadmills coz I tend to slip or lose balance on it, haha! Stepping machine is suitable for me, because it’s gentle on the knees. It would be quite enjoyable to watch TV and exercise at the same time, haha! Furthermore, I heard from hubby that there may be a trip to Mount Kinabalu in the first quarter of 2010! So it’s time to start some physical training, including strengthening up the muscles of my legs!

We did see one stepping machine that looks sturdy and has a reasonable price tag, but we didn’t buy it yet. At least we know how much it cost and if hubby gets his bonus next month, he knows how much to allocate for the purchase.

(Another reason that hubby wants to have an exercise machine at home is so that I can use it too, coz he said I have already ‘expanded’ in my waist and butt, and wants me to lose weight! Grrrrr!)