I first started as a part-time Intern for Upfit’s OM team. Used to weigh 76kg, eat a lot of bad foods, like soft drinks and milk tea, and was not very active. I had tried fasting and weight loss pills and teas, but the results were only temporary and basically went nowhere. Then I became a Social media marketing staff for Upfit, with a daily exercise routine. Currently I only weigh 62.4kg, eat lighter, cleaner. Completely abstaining from sweets, I also crave snacks but my snacks are usually oats, trans-fat cookies and black coffee without sugar.
I often joke that I am very lucky when people and colleagues always help a lot. The coaches at Upfit always encourage me and pull me closer towards my training path. When I workout, noticing each obvious change makes me feel more confident about myself. I started exercising as a matter of course to integrate with everyone, because Upfit is a leading company in taking care of customers’ physical health and mental health. So of course, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. I gradually realized that I am more mature after interacting with people, and listening to stories from our C.E.O – Al Morgan about how we have to step out of our comfort zone in order to grow.
“Maturity is not only measured by age, maturity is proven through actions and thoughts and from there will shape a separate lifestyle of each individual. Maturity can also be easily seen in the awareness of the importance of your own health no matter what age you are.”
Then I finally turned exercise into a habit in the last 1 year. Coincidentally, it was the year of Covid. During the first Covid phase, my sleep and nutrition still wasn’t ideal, so my weight didn’t increase or decrease. The next Covid wave was what made the difference for me. From the first lockdown to the second, I went from 71.1 kg to 62.4kg. Because I only trained at home, I lost 3.6kg of muscle, but still managed to drop 2.2% body fat.
5 months of social distancing is really stressful, so I often trained just to kill time. For the first 3 months, I worked out in the afternoon with body-weight exercises that were guided by Upfit coaches, as well as jump rope and jumping jacks. Neighbors often saw me wearing headphones and jumping in the yard, and I was a little afraid they’ll call the police and take me to the hospital because they’ll think I’m crazy.
In the last 2 months of quarantine, I pushed my workout time to early in the morning, initially because I wanted to watch the sun rise. After 30 minutes, I will go for a brisk walk or jog with a target of 16.000 steps (about 1 hour). After that, I’d spend more time skipping rope or strength training with a resistance band. In this 2nd phase, I ate a lot lighter, limiting my salt. With the dishes that are cooked by my family, I often add water and season it again until it’s bland.
I believe that when trying step by step, the results come quickly or slowly depending on how much or how little effort you put in. I am still on the way to upgrading myself to become the best version of myself. But do you recognize that only exercise can bring tangible changes from the inside out, leading us to a better life ?
Last but not least, I’d like to thank Upfit and C.E.O – Al Morgan for infusing me with energy, thank you for believing that “I can do it!”.
