Change...

Change.. Transform.. From one to something else..

Changes are part of life. Sometimes we change for the better, sometimes we hope we do but Murphy's Law prevails and what we hoped for, did not happen.

An acquaintance told me, in marriage, the man always hope that the wife does not change but they always do, and a woman always hope the husband will change but they never do

What I interpreted this quote was the husband will hope the wife will always be in the 20s, curves to die for, sweet, sweet face that will never age, and always as hot as muffins from the oven.. in the bedroom...

I can assure you it is all men's dream, but the reality is uglier than one would expect. After 2 children, the wife would be far from the perfect 34-24-36.. A single measurement can represent all the non-existant curves, or blob, whichever you like. The wife would probably fake a headache more often than she would showers, just to avoid sex. She'll be tired from juggling roles as a worker, as a mother, wife, maid etc etc.

I have always been very conscious about how I look, but I suppose age is no fool. Being a mother of 3 at the age of 30, juggling between carrier, family & study, tiredness is part & parcel of my daily routine. Not being a fan of vitamin supplements, I tried as much as I can to take healthy, balanced diet but my resolution is usually short-lived & needed renewal every few days. I got weak-at-the-knee whenever I see anything with the word "beef" on the menu. By the end of last year, after a long day at work, I'd hit the pillow at 9pm. I was constantly exhausted!

I told myself, something needs to be done. I was 65kg at 1.62m height, giving me a BMI of 24. I have the perfect numbers but my energy level was at the brink of extinction.

Recently I joined the Fitness First as my new year resolution. It costed me about RM180 per month, giving me entry to 9 gyms in Malaysia.

Initially I managed to do a mere 20 minutes on the treadmill, before I stopped, puffing & panting, not unlike when I was at a labour room 12 months earlier when I had my son. But hey, "endurance wasn't built in a day".. So I persevered...

And now, 3 months later, I must say I am totally ecstatic with the results. I might not be a 35-24-36... But I have a healthy tone to my body, glow on my cheeks (er.. top one), and I have more energy to do things in life, past 9pm. My weekly routine would include 2-3 exercise sessions at the gym, which consist of 2.5km on the elliptical, 1.5km on the treadmill and 1km on the rower, burning minimum of 300kcal per sessions. And I can still speak in full sentence after each session, holding my dignity walking in a ladylike manner to the changing room, not stopping after a few steps to take a breath like when I first started.

I might not be the 22 years old "gal" my husband married 8 years ago, (I was a 34-26-38) and I might not fulfill the old saying criteria "a chef in the kitchen, a mistress in the bedroom", but at least I feel good about myself.

We always complained about the busy work & having no time to exercise, but tonight, do yourself a favour & time yourself when you watch the TV. If you have one hour, then you'll definitely have time to exercise. The novelty "20 minutes, 3 times a week" notion? Trust me, it'll amaze you what it does when you do it.

We might not be able to stop changes from happening, but at least we can slow it down.. By increasing the pace just one notch higher.. One step at a time...