Getting Six Packs

I made it my aim to get a six pack for 2010 and by October that year, I claimed partial victory. The problem was that the six pack showed up on a part time basis - that is, I have to stand in a certain position while flexing them and they tend to disappear after a heavy meal.

Throughout 2011, almost everything took a back seat as we prepared for the birth of my son. After CNY 2012, I've decided to overhaul my entire life, taking a look at what my priorities were and how I can change my life to fit that. There were many motivations, and one of the things that we started doing was focus on health and how we can eat better. That added with exercise and I'm pleased to say that I've finally offered my abs a full time position (with off days for long weekends and festivities).

I want to share a few pointers with all who are aspiring to get theirs as well.

Abs are made in the kitchen. 
I've been exercising pretty hard and all for 2 years but still the 6 packs weren't showing up. The biggest change I made was changing the food I consumed. We cut down on processed foods as much as we could and focused on eating wholesome foods. Instead of eating out we brought our lunch box to work. We allowed ourselves to eat out once or twice a week though. Foods that we ate more of included a variety of vegetables, lean meat (fish, chicken), sweet potatoes, etc.

Salmon + Spinach + Cheese + Garlic Bread

Interestingly, before we started out on this, my weight was hovering around 64-65 and now it's 62-63. I didn't lose much weight, which wasn't my goal in the first place, but lost just enough for the six pack to appear. Make time also to eat the sinful foods that you crave, don't totally cut it out but work around it. I've mentioned about ego depletion before and forcing your body to an extreme may cause a backlash.

Another thing to note is don't eat too heavy a supper. The main meal should be dinner and then maybe a light snack an hour before bed, overeating at night is very bad for your abs.

As for workout routine. I do both cardio and strength training with every session with more emphasis on strength (30%-70%), but this depends a lot on the individual.

Honestly I don't think there's one magic thing you can do to get a six pack, but rather it's the combination of habits, diet and exercise. So just keep at it, don't give up and let me know how it goes for you.

Why Does Time Go By Faster Every Year?

I read something last night that I think makes a lot of sense.

'...Michel Siffre, a French chronobiologist (he studies the relationship between time and living organisms) who conducted one of the most extraordinary acts of self-experimentation in the history of science. In 1962, Siffre spent two months living in total isolation in a subterranean cave, without access to clock, calender or sun. Sleeping and eating only when his body told him to, he sought to discover how the natural rhythms of human life would be affected by living "beyond time."


Very quickly Siffre's memory deteriorated. In the dreary darkness, his days melded into one another and became one continuous, indistinguishable blob. Since there was nobody to talk to, and not much to do, there was nothing novel to impress itself upon his memory. There were no chronological landmarks by which he could measure the passage of time. At some point he stopped being able to remember what happened even the day before...As time began to blur, he became effectively amnesic. Soon, his sleep patterns disintegrated. Some days he'd stay awake for 36 straight hours, other days for eight - without being able to tell the difference. When the support team on the surface finally called down to him on September 14, the day his experiment was scheduled to wrap up, it was only August 20 in his journal. He thought only a month had gone by. His experience of time's passage had compressed by a factor of two.'

Sounds familiar? The feeling that an event has sort of snuck up on you when in fact it's always been the same date every year? (What? Chinese New Year over already??? or that sort of thing) It is interesting how Siffre's results have implications for us. The above passage is an excerpt from Joshua Foer's 'Moonwalking with Einstein : The Art and Science of  Remembering Everything.' I first came across Joshua Foer's article in the NY Times Magazine last year regarding his attempts at training his memory for competition. The book is a more in-depth account of that experience. He does a lot of research not just on the art of memorizing but on how the brain functions and this is one of those detours.

He goes on to say 'Monotony collapses time; novelty unfold it...If you spend your life sitting in a cubicle and passing papers, one day is bound to blend unmemorably into the next - and disappear. That's why it's important to change routines regularly, and take vacations to exotic locales (agreed!) and have as many new experiences as possible. Creating new memories stretches out psychological time, and lengthens our perception of our lives.'

My wife has always laughed at my penchant for choosing the same option repeatedly - if I really like a certain dish (say curry chicken chop kon lau mee), I can eat the same dish everyday for 5 days in a week, 2 or 3 weeks in a row. She, on the other hand, will seek to add in as much variety to everyday choices. I remember before we got married, we would always eat out once a week on Sunday and what vexed me most at times was the rule that we must go to a new place every single week. I'll always suggest KFC, and say that we've tried all the restaurants in KK already and she will always suggest some obscure place I've never heard of. But she's right. She's on to something.

I've not thought of a resolution to aim for this year, but if anything, this will be it. To experience life from another perspective and as differently as I possibly can. To try anything and everything (within legal means) at least once.

Oh and to answer that question - why does time go by faster every year? It doesn't. 

'Life seems to speed up as we get older because life gets less memorable as we get older.'

2010 New Year Resolutions - Kao Tim!

Earlier this year I set two goals to focus on for 2010.

1) Get six packs.
2) Blog at least 50 times this year.

The six packs are there (though they show up on a part time basis. They're also a bit shy and may require some flexing and adept positioning of lights to see clearly - but its there trust me!) and this is my 51st blog post for this year. So I think I've achieved terms to declare victory for the first time. Ever!

Hang on Ted, I thought you were going to learn to read Chinese as well?

Err... yes. I did mention that as a goal, but if you read carefully I did not mention that it has to be achieved this year *evil grin*. I did however spent the earlier months of 2010 going through some of the lessons but the habit died off somewhere in April. So its...

So what do I do with the rest of this year? The slacker in me tells me that I can pretty much stop blogging this year and eat fried chicken every other day. Fortunately, I do enjoy blogging and keeping fit so his vote is vetoed. I'll work on offering my part time six packs a full time contract before he does a Wayne Rooney.

As for next year, I'll need to plan my resolutions more carefully and specifically - with the focus on leaving as little leeway for loopholes and procrastination as possible. Oh and maybe I can have a 2 month head start on learning to read Chinese. Maybe...

Aiming higher?

January has gone by so fast and uneventfully that I hardly noticed it. An evaluation on progress made to my new year resolutions were in order.

1) Get six packs

2) Blog at least 50times this year

Hmm...seems that I may have set the bar for 2010 a little bit too low. It just occurred to me that I can hit my targets tomorrow by using some marker pens (or going to buy some beer) and posting 50 nonsense blog posts (that's the problem/beauty of setting vague goals for yourselves - you have loopholes should you need to utilize them*grins*). Come December 31st 2010, will I be able to look back at this year and say with certainty that I've worked hard and achieved all that I've set out to do?

With that in mind, I think its not too late to add some new resolutions. Some considerations are...

1) Be a better man/nicer person.

One of the hardest things about setting goals about character improvement is that success is hard to measure. So let's just ditch this one... I'll work on it continuously and without a time frame.

2) Learn to swim.

Something that I've been thinking of since primary school. Unlike the previous one, results for this goal can be accurately measured - swim or sink. However the thought of going to a pool with little fabric over my loins and spending the afternoon with other 6 year olds kicking in the pool is such a put off.

3) Learn to read Chinese.

Being a Chinese and not able to read my own language is a handicap that I've endured for quite a long time. Previous efforts to rectify this problem have always ended in failure.

A book my wife bought me a few years back

Reading this two pages will take me longer than watching a footbal match

Trying to pick up a new language is never easy. It will take a lot of time and effort. Maybe I'll just stick to two new year resolutions for this year and be the guy with the great torso that has a lot of opinions. Come 2011, I'll consider working on my procrastination...