How I Get My Abs?
How I get my abs is one of the questions that I get quite often from my friends or on Instagram. I thought it'd be best to address the question in a full detailed blog post.
A Little History
Many would have thought that I was blessed and did not have to work out a single day in my life, but this was definitely not the truth. When I was little, I was often made fun of because of my weight. I admit that I do have a high metabolic rate which has helped immensely but I worked hard for who I am today.
I have to admit that I have never taken good care of my body until I was 17. Prior to that, I was consuming junk food on a daily basis and had never worked out a day in my life. In high school, I would often skip P.E classes or even avoid any outdoor activities. It has taken a toll on me, I often felt sluggish, tired, moody and I gained a huge amount of weight.
At the age of 17, I had completed my higher education (IB). I had an eight month break before entering uni and this was when everything turned around. I began to work out on a daily basis, particularly running and had continued to do so until I went to Australia to do further studies.
Unfortunately in my first year of uni, I started to put unnecessary stress on myself to have the "perfect" body. I began working out twice a day (2.5 hours each session) and I started my extreme dieting ways.
Soon, I began to realise that my health was deteriorating - I began to put on tons of weight, my skin started breaking out and I had developed BID (Body Image Disorder). I made a drastic change in my second year of uni in which I started educating myself in nutrition, fitness and the way the body works.
Picture: Left 2010, Right 2013.
So How Did I Really Do It?
A lot of time and patience, your body is meant to work at its own speed. Here I will show you the top 5 things to do to start off with:
1. Exercise:
I work out 5 times a week - it varies based on my schedule but my workouts are a minimum of 30 minutes. Here is a list of the type of exercises that I do:
- Running - 5 times a week, sometimes 6 depending on my stress level. The length of my run can vary from 5km to 10km (30 minutes min to an hour and half maximum).
- Boxing - 2 times a week, an hour for each session.
- Cross fit & Weights - 3-4 times a week.
- Yoga - Every single day.
On most days, I would run a least 5km outdoors, after doing so I would normally stretch to cool down and incorporate my outdoor exercises (lunges, push ups, tricep dips, abs workouts) - More to come in the next post).
On days where I've indulged in unhealthy food; my workout consist of running 6.5km outdoors, an hour boxing and one hour of cross fit.
2. Maintaining a healthy diet:
Having a healthy diet is by far the most important aspect in your daily life. The rule of 80% healthy, 20% unhealthy applies to me and most importantly, abs are made in the kitchen.
A normal homemade meal would consist of 1/2 cup of lean meat (chicken breast, turkey or fish), 2 cups of vegetables (kale, cauliflower, broccoli etc), 1/2 cup of starch (potatoes etc) and carbs (brown rice).
Heres a list of things to switch to:
- Normal Pasta - spelt or wholegrain pasta
- White rice - Brown rice
- White bread - wholemeal bread or wholegrain bread.
- Candy - fruits
This is how a regular day goes by (food may vary):
6:30am - Wake up, down a cup of lemon water & exercise.
9:30am - Breakfast (yogurt, fruits and toast) - (Eggs on avocado toast with a side of mushrooms).
12pm - Lunch time
2:30pm - Fruits (any type of fruits I have in my fridge - normally it'd be mangoes or watermelon).
4:00pm - Snack (Nuts or toast)
7:30pm - Dinner (always with a serving of coconut water).
11pm - Sleep (may vary depending on uni workload)
I do indulge in unhealthy food once in awhile such as ice cream, fries or even as naughty as having mcd's! I am only human after all.
3. Sleep Earlier
I have to admit that majority of the time I advise my friends whom I train, to do so but on the other hand, I would always sleep late.
Those who don't sleep earlier tend to gain weight easier than those who do. Sleeping late can lead to unnecessary snacking such as chocolate or any sweet items. I've been there and done that.
Sleeping earlier helps you burn calories even when you are not working out and also you tend to shop for healthier items if you sleep earlier. Sleep deprived individuals often search for unhealthy or food that are pre-packed.
4. Drinking lemon water and coconut water.
Dehydration can lead to weight gain, believe it or not. When your body is hydrated, you'll be storing less fat.
Similarly to lemon water, it helps detox your body and keeps you refreshed. Having hot lemon water in the morning can jump start your metabolism, getting you ready for your workout.
5. Enjoying yourself
I can't stress enough how important this aspect is. I have a few people ask me, "what's so fun about working out?" or even said "It's so boring". Working out can be boring if you don't set your mind to think otherwise. Find joy in working out, such as putting on some of your favourite music (upbeat) or even thinking happy thoughts while doing so.
Do what you enjoy, if you enjoy doing boxing then sign up for classes or what about badminton? Go ahead and do a sport that you enjoy.
I started off with running, I really enjoyed running as I was able to destress and I felt lighter after a run. Soon I began, incorporating boxing as my other workout in which I thoroughly enjoy.
So please remember to enjoy what you are doing. It will take time, it wouldn't come by after a week of exercising. It took me far longer than I had thought to get to where I am today.
November 19, 2016 - Right after my abs workout.
So have you tried out these tips? If you need help, let me know!
Happy Holidays!
Trainings are available in Brisbane/Brunei.
Social Media
Contact: Nicholle.hon@gmail.com
Instagram: @Ohzoee
