Snapshot of my life, before Chai is born. Jan 2018. Yes. I have realised I am a highly routine driven person. I need routines.
(Context: working at Apple, BDM. Living in Sands Street)
Why am I putting these down? I want to remember what my routines are. They will all be gone soon. Also, gifting myself this time to write this down is the best thing for an introvert.
Week Day Routine:
4:45 – 5:20: Wake up, prepare breakfast for all. Laundry.
5:20 – 6:00: Commute to CWB.
6:00 – 8:00: Gym on Tues/Thurs, in office on Mon/Wed/Fri, reading, writing, email, internet.
8:00 – 5:00: Work (yawn)
5:00 – 6:00: Grocery, commute home. (pick up Jing on Tues)
6:00 – 7:30: Prepare and eat dinner (or go out for dinner)
7:30 – 9:00: House chores, homework play Jing Ying time!
9:00 – 9:30: Get Jing ready for bed.
9:30 – 10:30: More house chores, wind down, email, internet, sleep.
Weekend Routine:
Saturday:
4:45 – 5:20: Wake up, prepare breakfast. Laundry.
5:20 – 5:30: Coffee @ Mcdonalds
6:00 – 7:00: Writing
7:00 – 7:30: Run
7:30 – 8:00: Second Breakfast at Hoi on.
8:00 – 9:50: internet, make breakfast with Jing. Get Jing to swim
9:50 – 11:15: Jing’s Swim class. Swim for 1K.
11:15+: Family lunch and afternoon activities, mostly parks, bookstore, and more parks.
6:00+: Dinner at Mom’s.
8:30: Take Jing back to in-laws.
9:30 – 10:30: More house chores, wind down, email, internet, sleep.
Sunday:
4:45 – 5:20: Wake up, prepare breakfast. Laundry.
5:20 – 6:00: Internet
6:00 – 6:30: Commute to Wanchai
6:30 – 7:15: Pineapple bread @ Kam Fung!!
7:15 – 7:45: walk to CWB,
💩@ office.
😛
8:00 – 10:00: Gym
10:00 – 11:30: Walk to Admiralty
11:30+: Date with Sharon.
Afternoon + Evening: Sharon gets a massage, cook something harder for dinner.
8:30 – 9:30: Pick up Jing. Get Jing ready for bed.
9:30 – 10:30: More house chores, wind down, email, internet, sleep.
Diet (weekdays):
Breakfast:
Nuts Seeds mixed berries oats flaxseeds + (maca/spirulina/acai) + plain yogurt
Blanched mixed veggies (kale/bak choi/Brussel sprouts/bitter lemon/spinach etc) + garlic + ginger + egg
Apple
Lunch:
Salad + loads of legumes @ Tallore or Great or Poke HK or Pret. If I am eating out with friends, veggies only.
Snack:
fruits (grapes, apples, oranges)
Eggs
Dinner:
Eat out, or veggies + 1 portion of meat (fish, beef, chicken, some pork).
Apple/fruits
Nuts
Cheats:
Pineapple bread on Sunday.
Eat out during the week.
Will eat crazy at Mom’s. Could not resist and do not want her to ask too much about why I don’t eat this and don’t eat that.
Workout Routine (1.5 to 2 hours):
5 mins: Stretch
18 mins: 4 versions of HIIT – TRX version/Box routine/crawl routine/machine routine: 1 min session, no breaks. 6 exercises, repeat 3 times.
9 mins: abs routine: 1 mins session, x 9.
5 mins: leg routines: lunges+squats/quickness routine/one legged routine
Back + pull up routine x 3 (pull up removed during back day)
Rotate through Chest/back/shoulder routines + core/legs active break routines x 4. Drop set at the end or pyramid. Rotate through 12/8 reps, depending on the zodiacs.
Chest routine + core/legs active break routine x 1
Rotate biceps/triceps routine + core/legs active break routine x 1
7 mins warm down (if I feel like it. haha)
5 mins: stretch
This particular journey started 6 years ago, around the time when my daughter was born.
It has been an immensely frustrating and humbling journey. I binge ate often. I would go through days feeling very guilty about not exercising for like a day or so. I would be debilitatingly fixated on my body fat %. I would feel so hungry. I would be completely out of balance for months and could not even stay awake during conversations. I injured myself so many times. I would irrationally prioritize my routine over meaningful get-togethers and activities. I dragged my family along (think about eating with a dad that doesn’t eat anything). I would feel elated, or without apparent causes would fall into these engulfing depressions, after a workout.
Obviously I learned a lot too. To keep this short, the most significant learning from this experience, are:
One, sorry, is that 80% is diet. Sorry. Yea. It sucks.
Two, six packs mean nothing. Even my daughter didn’t get the point.
Third, I am surprised by the fact that I am a morning person. I used to go to bed at 4 am in college.
Fourth, bagels taste great, No one with some level of honesty could call HIIT fun, and I still don’t know why I went through this.