Keeping Fit with Amore Fitness - Part 1
You know how some couples end up getting fat together because they’re happy together? It’s true.
When I met Yang, I wasn’t exactly stick thin, but thin enough. I was 42kg - at my lowest, I was 39 or 40 kg? It may sound alarming, but sheesh, I’m just 1.54m tall yo. And to be honest - deep down inside I was really unhealthy and unhappy back when I was at my skinniest. As the years spent with Yang passed by I realized that my husband was getting more and more rotund. And oh god. So was I!!!!!
at around 40-42kg (was one of my skinniest times lol) you can see my arms were much smaller and i was er, flaunting them hahaha. i’ve always had problems with losing weight on the top half of my body and these pictures were totally not photoshopped!
2011. OH GOD THE HORROR. This was for Shiseido’s mailer. I have no idea how I looked that big in the photos.
I used to be able to wear size 32 shorts (going by UK sizing) - and now I need a size 36. THAT’S TWO SIZES. 2. DUA. TWO! It was really depressing for quite some time but I wasn’t eating _that_ much! : (
For you entertainment only okay.
This was how I looked like when I was trying out wedding dresses hahahahaha admittedly this was a super horrible shot of me taken by my unprofessional husband. (I should have called off the wedding when he uploaded this picture!!! wahlao!)
A little history about my lifestyle.
I work late. I do design. I prefer working at night. So usually, for the past 7 years of my life (or more), I’ve been sleeping at 3-5am, and waking up at 11am-12pm-ish, eating my 3 meals a day still (supper counts) and I absolutely HATE exercising - especially RUNNING. I abhor it. I’d rather dissect a frog than run my 2.4 in secondary school.
I know I’m not fat-fat, obese fat, but I have a muffin top and flabby back. That coupled with flabby arms which I have lived with all my life. But, when my thighs started to buah against each other while walking, I knew it was time to do something about it.
And along came Amore Fitness.
I was offered a 3 month gym membership + private training sessions, and all I needed was a gym buddy.
And since my time was up to me to manage, I needed to find someone who had a rather flexible schedule.
And that person ended up to be Yina - ran her own blogshop, could schedule her own work time - Check. Want to tone up / lose weight - check. Easy to get along with - check!
(For people who don’t know - Yina and I actually go way back. We met at least a good ten years ago on an online anime forum, and she excelled in art (even till now!) while I was a… Hobbyist heh. We were never more than acquaintances back then, but we started running into each other at events and we’re much closer now!)
Having a gym buddy is the best motivational tool, other than if:
i. you’re constantly being laughed at for being fat
ii. your other half is also losing weight.
In which case, my other half was completely nua for quite a while so I’m glad Yina was there for me the whole 3 months!
We both eat healthy lunches after gymming (try having soup spoon almost every time I see her), and encourage each other (and also take cheat days together, haha). Seeing her lose weight motivates me - it also helps that she runs from time to time, and encourages me to run further if I can because she has more stamina.
Amore Fitness has been around since 1985 - that’s a really, really long time and a testament of how successful this fitness chain is - it is as old as I am!
It started out as a women’s only gym and still primarily is one, but to cater to women with families who still wish to work out, they’ve made their newest CitySquare mall branch into a family oriented one with a kid-fit club, which has planned activities for your kids while you work out - there’s even a wii for the kids to play with! For those who love the water, Amore at Tampines also has a swimming pool and offers aqua aerobic classes! I wish they’d bring that to the west, too.
“Today, Amore has 17 fitness and spa clubs strategically located island-wide, with over 500 fitness classes to choose from every week complemented with a wide array of spa, facial and body treatments!
Wellness comes closer with Amore Boutique Spa, a Category One licensed spa holder for its quality standards, service excellence and professionalism. An extension to the family is Amore Define, share with your loved ones the secret to luxurious spa pampering, for both him and her.
Into the next leap of fitness revolution, the dynamic business presents Amore Living that integrates elements of varied lifestyles, wellness and fitness for the whole family. It serves as a perfect bonding platform for today’s modern family who are hip, savvy and young at heart. More than keeping fit, it’s keeping pace with your loved ones. ”
With the exception of Amore Plaza Singapura, which is in town, Amore has many branches which are located in many of the heartland areas - Jurong Point, Tampines, Heartland Mall, Thomson Plaza, Woodlands Civic Centre, and Bugis junction, all easily accessible by the MRT.
Yina and I chose Bugis Junction because of it’s proximity, food choices in the area, shopping (there’s Kinokuniya!) and also *ahem* availability of parking lots.
I really like the fact that Amore is mainly a women’s only gym, which makes me more at ease. They have all the basic facilities - showers, steam room, lockers, and a station for you to freshen yourself up after some intensive gymming - hairdryer, cotton swabs / buds and tissues. The place is also always kept clean and smells really good (lemongrass, I believe!).
Gym equipment are always clean, well placed and there’s sunlight peeking into the gym since the gym is located on the 3rd level and Bugis Junction was built in a way to let sunlight come through, which I really liked! One thing I really liked was that this branch has laminated floors instead of those rubbery mats.
They also have really spacious and clean studios - I’ve visited branches at Heartland Mall, Plaza Singapura and Bugis Junction and I love how the staff are always friendly and instructors are always very encouraging, especially Lara who teaches Pilates and Stretch fit - her figure is my biggest inspiration at the gym, haha.
HAHAHA this #gymbunny hashtag is an ongoing joke between me and Yina. Ahem.
Since I’ve NEVER gone exercising before, my wardrobe has everything (boots platforms slippers heels) but exercising shoes and clothes, so I set myself on a shopping trip!
Scored myself a decent pair of running shoes (Lunarlon!) from the Nike Factory Outlet - West Coast Plaza has quite a few outlet stores for workout clothes and grabbed a few from Cotton On.
I initially bought a so called yoga sports bra from CottonOn Active, but have come to realize that it was of meh material and offered no support whatsoever. It is extremely important to get proper support for your boobs while you’re running or exercising! I hated those typical sports bras because it was so hard to wear, take off and I had a difficult time breathing cos of the nonadjustable elastic band. was really glad to have found this gem Impression Lingerie - their Sports Bras are SUPER comfy, and the straps are adjustable too! There are hooks on the back to attach tighter/looser, so wearing this is a breeze as compared to squeezing myself into nonadjustable sport bras.
Amore Fitness also has a small selection of sports wear for sale, in case you forgot yours or need a new one or two!
I knew I wanted to tone up and slim down, but I wasn’t sure which exercise to do - cycling makes your thighs big, swimming makes your arms broader, blablabla… so exactly what should I do? I tried those gym ball exercises at home - but fell flat on my back and hurt myself instead haha.
Was glad that Amore Fitness paired us up with our own Personal Trainer, Nani, who did a fitness assessment + body composition analysis (BCA) for us, and specifically asked us about our target areas, problems etc and she was a delight to work out with (despite all the torture sessions haha)!
The fitness assessment determined our heart rate + our flexibility, and she also took our measurements (height, weight, arms, chest, thighs etc). Because I’m not obese or fat to begin with, losing “weight” / toning up for me meant that I use my clothes and inches as a measurement instead of the actual weight.
While looking at the scales is a good indication of how much weight I’ve gained, it is not a number to look at when you’re trying to lose fat, and exercising right because you will burn fat, and gain muscle. Especially for me, since I have super low muscle mass!
Plus, we all know 5 pounds of muscle takes up less space than 5pounds of fat!
image from http://acchupehsprogram.blogspot.sg/2012/04/busting-health-and-fitness-myths.html
The BCA takes into account your height, weight, and tells you your current BMI (body mass index), WHM (weight mass ratio), PBF (percentage body fat) against the normal range, and how much weight you have to put on/lose, etc.
Apparently, though my weight is normal, I have an alarmingly high PBF (it was 36.4% against 28% which is the normal range!!!) and extremely low SMM (skeletal muscle mass) - 15.2 vs 18.4 ~ 22.5 which was the normal range. YIKES!
(I also got a blood test done separately and turns out I have borderline high cholesterol - yes, at my age and at my size. Because… I love eggs, potato chips and seafood.)
The BCA also tells you how much energy expenditure aere each of Amore’s signature classes (1 hr) for your weight - for me, 30 mins of kickboxing burns 232 calories! I’m totally regretting that I never got a chance or time to try this out. Pilates burns about 82 calories per 30mins, CardioBlitz burns 162 every 30 mins and AquaAerobics, 105 every 30 mins! Wah!
So where do I start?
Some people are pear shaped, some apple, whereas I am… the inverted triangle.
what shape are you?
image from http://thestyleaficionado.com/2009/11/identifing-your-body-shape-women/
It is important to know your body shape and identify target areas to lose weight.
I know that I am top heavy - basically it is much, much harder for me to lose weight on top (all my weight gain goes to the top) and I never had huge legs, so to actually have my thighs rub against each other when I walk (the horror) means that I am gaining way too much weight due to inactivity and slowing metabolism. THAT HAS TO GO!
So when Nani asked me what are my problems, I said… “I want to lose weight, be healthy for pregnancy/childbirth, strengthen my core (I have a weak core), and especially, I need my thighs to stop touching each other!”
That’s right. I am actually intending to conceive and like any other woman, I’m deathly afraid of not being to able to shed the postpartum weight. Better to tune up my slowing metabolism first, right?
Nani is actually certified at training pregnant woman to keep fit - how’s that?! I actually have half a mind to go look for her at Amore if I ever have a problem with weight gain during a future pregnancy XD
This is getting too long, so I’m breaking this into 2-3 parts! I’ll post part 2 up soon!
One week pass at Amore Fitness for you!
If you’re interested in getting healthy, but lost on what to do, and where to start, get a consultation with any of the personal trainers at an Amore branch near you to understand your body first - the results might be shocking (and also confusing) - sit down, and let them explain how they can help you. It’s always best to hear words of advice from a professional.
From 20th Dec 2012 to 10th Jan 2013, quote ‘Amore Evonne’ at any of Amore Fitness’ fitness outlets to enjoy a 1 week unlimited fitness pass! No personal training with this pass, but you can enjoy their awesome classes (kickboxing, kickboxing! 462 calories burnt for one hour session!). Go try out their classes now and get fitter before you start all your Christmas, New Year’s and CNY feasting!
Alternatively, if you don’t mind paying a little for a slightly better deal, for the month of December they actually have a promotion going on till the end of December!
The $78 Holistic Wellness Package includes:
- Body Composition Analysis
- 2 Weeks Unlimited Fitness Package
- Botaroma Swedish Massage
Head over and check out the promo now if you’re interested! Good luckkkk!
Some motivational quotes to keep you going (or get you started!)
Note: I do not promote people being unhealthily skinny - I know some people cannot help it and are born skinny - actually, that can be worked on, but that’s a story for another day. I do not recommend crash dieting, or starving yourself because that is just plain unhealthy.
Originally published at www.evonnz.com. You can comment here or there.