Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts

A&D's Journey to Fitness: The Road to Losing Weight and Getting Fit

Here I am again in this losing weight and try to get fit challenge... It's been two year since I told myself I want to get back in shape, not really go back to my pre-pregnancy weight but to get fit and stronger, the losing weight (and abs, ASA PA AKO hahaha!) part will be just a bonus. Fast forward today, ano na teh? Haha! It's been two months since I've subscribed to a diet food delivery and a month since starting pilates. How do I kept on going? Read on!

Pero mag kwento muna ako... My clothes were starting to feel tighter and snug during the summer. Sh*t! I don't want to size up and buy new clothes again!!! My husband knows that food is the way to my heart and stress. Kahit na ilan beses ko pa sabihin na ayaw ko tumaba! He loves me no matter what size I come in. LOLz. I knew that but I want to become a better version of me. When it comes to exercise and eating healthy, I really do get bored easily. Parang the max amount of time I can to eat healthy is two weeks then I would get sawa (and I don't see results kasi! Impatient monkey naman ako!) and go back to my usual food. As for exercise, I also get bored easily. Sa totoo lang, when I heard that exercise gives you happy endorphins, I never understood that because I never felt it even being at the gym for an hour. All I felt was exhaustion and I was too tired to do anything else when I get home and that feeling made lazy and not look forward to going to the gym, ganon ako. And who likes that feeling diba? Kaya I always go back to square one. UGH. I hate the feeling of seeing other people, my friends going to the gym and getting stronger and I was getting fat and eating my emotions instead of motivating myself to be better.

What worked for me? I am no expert ha. This is all based on the last 2 months.
1. I subscribed to diet food delivery. It may be expensive but I know me, I know I won't be able to make my own food. I am a very busy mom with no helper. Having food delivered to me saves me A LOT of time and I only cook or buy food enough for my husband and kids.

When I crave for something, do I give in? Yes, but it depends on my mood din. If I really want to it, I will give in but will eat it in moderation. But if okay lang kahit wala, dinadaan ko na lang sa tubig. Water makes my cravings go away. So drink lots of water! But on weekends, I allow myself to indulge on food, baka maloka na ako pag hindi ko makain mga gusto ko. Trying to snack healthier too! 
Eating and cooking healthy food can be a task. I'm happy I subscribed to Fitness Gourmet :)
Healthier snack alternative! Chicharooms and Veggie Chips! Looking for more healthier snacks like this? Any recommendations?

2. Find a form of exercise you like and stick to it. I've been looking for a workout that I will really like and stick to it. I've been to a gym, tried working out at home but somehow I feelI'm glad I attended a reformer pilates class with Jackie, Michelle and Chessy at OneLife Studio last month. Nagkayayaan lang and I'm so happy I went because I've been going twice a week for a month na! And loving it. I realized how much having pilates buddies and a workout place with super nice teachers and staff gives me motivation and look forward to my next pilates session. Now I understood na the happy endorphins with pilates!
Smile pa din kahit masakit! Loving every session!

3. Time, commitment and willingness.
Make time to exercise at least twice a week. Commitment not only to your workout but also to your diet and last is willingness. I've tried and failed on my diet and exercise so many times because I lack willingness and commitment. And all of these go back to number 2, I found happiness in pilates and that happiness fuels my commitment! Bow.
To date, I have lost 4.7kgs in two months. I haven't weighed myself again because I've been cheating on my diet food haha! I took a photo of myself (and tummy) during summer and last week I decided to take the same photo to "see" if I was having progress, and I was surprised to see how my tummy have shrunk, malaki pa din siya ah! But I see progress and that's what matters! Abs, magkikita din tayo!

Y's Super Fun Experience With Ready Steady Go Kids Philippines!

I was never a sporty person, I learned a few sports when I was young, swimming one summer then badminton for a few years then now, nada. I try to be active and exercise when I can and sometimes I wish I learned this sport or that. So for my kids, I want them to be active and introduce as many sports as they can until they find what they like and that's what Ready Steady Go Kids is all about.
Ready Steady Go Kids (RSGK) is Australia's leading preschool sport and exercise program (aged 2.5 to 7 years old). It has been operating and running classes across Australia since 2004, that's 11 years already! And Ready Steady Go Kids is now in the Philippines! Their high quality, physio-designed program introduces preschoolers to the fundamentals of 10 different sports (soccer, tennis, basketball, hockey, golf, AFL, rugby, athletics, cricket and T-ball) in a fun, non-competitive and team based environment!

All of their coaches have (as a minimum) a Level 1 Coaching qualification under the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme from the Australian Sports Commission and extensive on the job training to give them experience in conducting lessons for preschoolers. One of the trainers at every lesson is also trained in First Aid for preschoolers. 

If you are following me on Instagram, you would know by now that Y has graduated from her 1st Term in RSGK Philippines. Yay! And now that it has ended, I can tell you more about it! Each term (10 weeks) covers 5 sports and each class is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Y started around second week of January. Sports covered were soccer, basketball, golf, cricket, and athletics. Our classes were held at Treston Internation College's Multi-Purpose Hall, every Fridays from 4:00PM-5:00PM.
Classes always start with circle time, where Coach Sonny or Coach Pat gather the kids around and sings their "introduction" song for the kids and their classmates.
I like their teacher-student ratio. With a small group, the coaches can focus on each student. This was the one time I brought R with us for a trial class.

Then they do warm-ups. I like that they make warm-ups not only fun but also a learning experience for the kids.
Ready, steady, go! And they gallop like a horse!
R and Coach Sonny. I like that it's non-competitive and they encourage and cheer kids on when they are behind or slow like R haha!
After the warm-up, they gather again for circle time to do more stretching! Here, they're reaching for the stars!

The first sport Y learned was soccer. They teach the basics on how to kick the right way. Soccer improves balance and eye-foot coordination.
Warm up and play!
They teach the kids to pick up their own ball after kicking and putting it back on their markers.
They always do 3-5 sets of each basic technique
The coaches encourage and cheer them on!
They also do obstacle courses and a fun one at that! During this class, they pretended to be pirates!
I was happy to see Y engaging and doing everything her coaches tell her.
They also go around the obstacle course 2-3 times.

Our second sport was basketball! Basketball enhances speed, balance, ability to respond quickly, timing and control. With the kids' little hands, this sport improves their gross motor skills as well as their hand, foot and eye coordination.
They were taught to dribble, catch, and shoot the ball.
Y is a very straight person. She listens to instructions well, no wonder she got the Most Attentive Award in school. Hehe!
And just like in school, they get stamps at the end of the class.
At the end of each class, Coach Sonny talks to each of the kids and give them a pep talk, which I liked because he encourages Y to do the best. He makes the kids excited for the next week.

Third sport was golf! RSGK has introduced Y to sports she never knew existed haha! That's one of the reasons why I like this sports program. It's perfect for a non-sporty family like ours.
Gold improves limb control, develops a child's ability to generate energy from different muscle groups to strike the ball more forcefully and effectively.
It also enhances spatial ability, accuracy, and aim and improves concentration. The kids are also asked to pick up their own balls. They make counting more fun!


RSGK is not all about sports, sometimes it's also about fun and games! These games test the kids ability to listen and follow instructions/directions and basic concepts of colors, numbers and shapes.
Kids getting and returning "cheese" from the mouse.
Here, Coach Sonny instructs the kids which item to get from the hula hoop.
Get as many balls as you can!

Our fourth sport was cricket. Cricket is the national sport of England, also a popular sport in Australia, India and South Africa. It is a bat-and-ball game. The kids were taught how to pitch, catch and bat!
Cricket improves focus, upper and lower body strength, endurance and stamina. It enhances balance, coordination, accuracy and aim. It also promotes teamwork and cooperation.
She needed a little help with the bat. It was a bit heavy. The coaches guide the kids when they need their help.
Kids listening intently to Coach Pat.
"Get 5 balls!"
Throw the ball as hard as you can!
"Scoop the ball like an ice cream" How cool would that be?!

Our fifth and last sport was athletics. Athletics consists of running, sprinting, shot-put and long jump. Ready Steady Go Kids introduces the concept of 'sportsmanship through encouraging kids to take turns, play by the rules,  provide encouragement and cooperate with peers.
Sprint training enhances blood circulation, improves lung capacity, and tones muscles.
Shot-put enhances spatial ability, aim, accuracy and limb control.
Coach Sonny demonstrates the proper form of how to do the long jump. Long jump training improves flexibility, balance, leg strength and leg power.
 Running reduces the risk of having lower limb injuries. Running is good for kids!
And as always, Coach Sonny tells Y that she did a great job!
At the end of the term, the kids get to have their graduation! They still have their regular class but at the end of the class, the coaches make a course where the kids get to do the 5 sports they learned for the term and there's a podium in the middle for picture taking! It was so cute!
Coaches setting up their graduation course. Heehee!
Congratulations Y! You did a great job!
And thank you to Y's coaches: Coach Sonny, Coach Robert, and Coach Pat who were all so patient with the kids and for encouraging them to the best of their abilities! I've seen kids threw tantrums and they've handled them well. Y always looks forward to her RSGK class because of the coaches! 

At may pahabol pa! A week before the graduation, Coach Sonny approached me and asked if they can invite Y to be part of RSGK's Media Session live demo. They also invited other kids from other venues to be part of the demo. Of course, I said yes! 
They did a mini-class.
With photographers pa. Heehee! I wonder this would come out of any magazine because I want a copy! Haha!

Thank you RSGK and coaches! She's now more confident and independent, although she's shy pa din at times, RSGK has helped Y with her eye-hand-foot coordination. She's more interested in sports now and teaches R what she learned in her 10 weeks with RSGK.

If you are interested in enrolling your kids with Ready, Steady, Go Kids this summer, 2nd Term starts this week and they're also offering a Special Summer Program!
You can enroll for a trial class if you want to try it first. You may call (02) 631-1497 or mobile numbers (0917) 863-0094 for Globe and (0919) 993-6189 Smart to check availability of slots in any of their venues. Trial slots will be limited during the summer period.

For more information on Ready Steady Go Kids Philippines, please visit http://readysteadygokids.com.ph/

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