COMPLETING THE TRANSFORMATION

It has been a long journey and it was not easy as well. However, it has been a very interesting and enjoyable journey too when I had the chance to revive my life to be healthier before it becoming too late to make it right.I am also glad that I have been able to document my journey in this blog for me to look again at what I have accomplished and reminding myself that there is no turning back when I have reached this far.

My journey....

Alhamdulillah, within almost one year and half from mid of 2015, I have achieved almost all my health transformation objectives and targets. All the key parameters to indicate my health fitness status have shown values within the healthy and fit ranges and I am so grateful for all that. Thanks for the new lifestyle that I have been adopted and has become apart of me as my daily practice. Then it led to the next and the final phase of my transformation where I decided to make it the most ideal as possible.

Working on to  make me feel more comfortable on how my body will  look would be a good way in perfecting my transformation before reaching the stage where I just need to sustain whatever I have achieved. Initially I felt strange about it but in the end I decided that since I was already in it and why not I just do it.

It took me sometime to overcome the mental barrier. To some it may be nothing but to me, it was new and I had some fears and perception about it. Going go the gym is not something that I would imagine I will do when I started my health transformation.

The final phase of the transformation has also involved something that I have never thought of doing due to many reasons which are only known to me.

My wife went to the gym before I did and my first time at the gym was when I followed her to set my foot at the gym floor for the first time.

PERCEPTION

Initially, going to the gym is a totally a different level of health and fitness regime to me. It would be a more serious matter and it requires different kind of commitment, adaptation and commitment as well in time and financially. It’s not free after all, right?

I used to imagine workouts at gym would be less fun because of the nature of the environment. There were several friends asked me to join me at the gym before especially when they knew that I have started my health transformation process but I just said no. I kept telling them that I am not a gym-type of person although I did not sure what does it mean.

Honestly, I did have the fear if I go to the gym and worry about things such as ...

• What other in the gym might think on what I will  be doing;
• Everyone has their own stuff to do and in the same time everyone is free to see what others are doing too;
• Gym workouts are more about muscle building with all the facilities provided.In short, it's all about body building and not for someone like me;
• I did not know much about how to perform workouts with that gym equipment;
• It would be costly too for the membership and other stuff for me to sustain the gym activities.

There were more reasons in my mind that stopped me from going to the gym initially and it is mainly from the fears due to my own perception or mental barriers within myself.

For many years, I have a pair of dumbbell with the exercise mat at home. It is used whenever I feel like to get some sweat out of my body but with no regular routine. Sometime at night, sometime in the morning and sometime after I had jogging around my housing area.

Below are some photos on my home workout with equipment that I purchased.

So, after I started running, I just continued using what I have already had but with better planned routines weekly. I purchased some more weight to my dumbbell set to vary the weight for my workouts.

So, why I finally decided to do it and how did I break my mental barrier and personal fears to start my fitness transformation at the gym?

As my health and fitness transformation progressed positively further towards the end of 2015 through running, I started to have more regular routines after every run and in my weekly workout schedule. 

To improve my running performance, I have also done my own online readings on how I could have better runs and improve my fitness in the same time. This was the period I came across a lot reading materials about strengthening some muscles and joints that will improve my runs. Among them were core workouts that will make my running more comfortable and lower body joints that need to be strengthened. 

From my online readings, there are many workouts to do that are available and look like very easy to be done at the gym with the equipment provided.

At that point, I still believed that there was no need for me to go to the gym to perform some of the recommended workouts. For core workouts, I have already had my own routines based on what I adopted from recommended workouts by some trained athletes/professionals online. What I have found missing from my routines was something that can help me to strengthen my lower body especially my knee. 

To solve that, what I did was to buy the basic weight lifting sets for me to perform some workouts with it at home. Then I strongly believed that I had sufficient tools to perform the workouts to improve my running at home. Still there was no need for me to be at the gym.

Then I started my routines with my new tools for several months it did help me to improve my runs and I felt much better and more comfortable with body. In the same time, I observed some changes in the shape of my upper body and core muscles as well. I was able to see these  changes because it has been my habit to take photos of myself for all my daily activities since I have started my health transformation. It was the positive type of changes and physically it made my body looking better too especially when I put on my shirts or my running and workout vests. 

All that physical changes gave me more confidence in my runs with one improvement after another after every event I participated. In the same time, I feel much better and more comfortable with my physical look as well when my body started to achieve more of its goal in the form of ideal weight and BMI values that I have been monitoring regularly.

Below are some of my photos before I started my regular gym workouts. With the loss of my weight from almost 90kg in May 2015 to over 70kg, it as expected I will look different physically. There were some friends did mention to me about starting to build some muscles and shape my body a little bit after they saw me has lost so much weight and they told me I  looked too skinny. They said my skin will show some sagging and I would not look nice too because the fat that already less under it.

At that point, I did not pay much attention to what they said because my focus was just to lose the weight and be more comfortable with my regular runs. However, after really looking at my photos and sometime in the mirror, I started to acknowledge what I have been told by my friends.

What did hit me further when some of my friends and relatives who have not seen me for sometime thought I was sick the  moment they saw me again.

October 2015 : My chest obviously looks very flat
and almost no curve at all at my arms.

Feb 2016

April 2016

Jun 2016

Looking at this photo reminds me on how skinny I look like.

In the same time, I came across the term of cross training from my online readings. What I understood about it was about to add more activities other than just running into my routines to prepare to run at events. That includes some workouts in the gym. I did some online researches before that on basic gym workouts for beginners and typical gym equipment to be used before the first visit to the gym with my wife.

Finally I decided to give a try to work out at the gym to add more routines in my training for my runs. One evening I decided to join my wife to the gym. I could not really remember when it was but in the end of 2015 if I am not mistaken  but I went there very anxiously  and nervously although my wife keep telling me just to calm down and relax.

The gym is just at the back of our house at the Airport Sports Complex in Nilai. It has been opened since early 2012. It has two levels with the first level occupied by female and most male using the upper level facilities. During the first visit with my wife, I came as a walk-in guest and my wife used her card. She started few months earlier with her friends and mostly she will be on the treadmill and cycling equipment according to her for  about one hour per session.

Then I had the idea, why didn't  I ask the help from the gym personnel or instructor to teach me all that for the first time instead of troubling myself trying it on my own?

That is exactly what I did. When I reached the gym, I personally requested one of the trainers at the gym to show me the recommended equipment to use  and how to use it for a beginner like me. 

While showing and guiding me on how to use it one by one, he explained further to me on how he can assist me further with packages  that are available from the membership that I can consider. I spent about 30 minutes with the trainer before he left to attend another person.

Yes, I did feel awkward on my first time at the gym although I was a little bit lucky because it was in the evening and there were not many people around. I continued my workouts with equipment that he taught me to use for about another half an hour and later my wife joined my at the upper level. We ended the session by having some more minutes together on the treadmill.

Once in a while I am still spending some times with wife and 
the gym whenever we have the time together

I MOVED ON...
The first experience at the gym was very enlightening to me. I finally managed to overcome all my fears with some workouts that I have been taught to me by the trainer. 

After that, I did more online researches on common gym workouts that can help me to achieve my goals to strengthen my core and lower body joints and muscles. 

At that point, my goal was just to make my running more comfortable by complementing my regular runs with some basic gym workouts especially for my knee.  At this period, to have a ripped or muscular body from my gym workouts was totally never came across my mind at all.

After several sessions on the next few months I started to feel  more comfortable with the gym environment as I was getting more familiar with my workouts and equipment to use. From my observations and casual chatting with others at the gym, I learned about workouts that I can perform by trying each of it one by one especially when I was alone or when not many people around.

Then I decided to make the gym session as my permanent weekly routine and I changed my status for my entrance to the gym from a walk-in to paid member with the card where I could enjoy the 10% discounted fee every time I top-up my prepaid card at the minimum amount.

Initially I planned to have one gym session per week on days I am not running and early in the morning before going to work has been my preferred time. This is the time where there will be  not many people around and the ambient in the gym is more fresh to me.

Below are the first few type of workouts and the sequence that I did when I started my gym sessions and later continued until today...

1. Knee joint and muscle strengthening with the weight lifting.

Some of the online materials that I referred to prepare for my gym workouts.

2. Leg press for gluteal muscles or thigh muscles strengthening.

3. Bench press workouts with weight and dumbbell for chest and arm muscles building and shaping.

4. Treadmill.

5. Cycling.

Then I gradually add some variations by trying other equipment at different sessions. What I did further was to integrate my gym time into my weekly workout routines to add to my weekly running times.  

My aim was still mainly to focus on workouts that will help my body to improve my runs.

I tried to mix my gym sessions in between my weekly running schedule. Initially, I tried to have my gym sessions at night after working hours but after some time, I have been more comfortable to have my sessions early in the morning. This is mainly due  to sessions at night will have more crowd and give me less freedom and flexibility to use some equipment according to me planned sequence of workouts.

My gym session normally will last a least between one hour to one and half hour. Sometime it will last up to 2 hours on weekends only with minimum at least once a week.

After getting myself more comfortable with my workouts, finally I have managed to establish my own sets and sequence of routines for every session I spend my time at the gym.

My regular home and gym workouts to strengthen my knee, hips and core have helped me to improve my runs in the same time because throughout the period of early 2016 until the end of the year, I have achieved all my running targets in the form of time recorded at different distance in events.

I have achieved my sub one hour  for 10km in February, did my personal best in 13-15 km races and ran my first under two hours for the 21km race in October. Along the way, I have managed to run my 21km consistently under 2 hours 15 minute consistently on my first year of running that distance.

After some time,  I felt I have been fairly comfortable with my lower body and core strength that have helped me improved my running performance. 

What came into my mind after that and after looking at my own body and physical look, I thought I should have better shape for my upper body. It means I need to build some muscles and shape them up to my physical appearance to look more balance where I won't look too thin or skinny. I am very certain that to be muscular is not one of the priorities for my gym workouts.


That will also make me look much better with my attire for my career and for normal casual outings with my family and friends.

Then I knew that I have to decide what would be my goals for the gym workouts because it will determine what type of workouts I need to perform and the frequency of my gym sessions into my regular health and fitness routine.

At this stage I have much better perception on why people are going to the gym as I often met different type of people as well at each session. At my gym, more of the them are foreign students from the private universities in Nilai.

I rarely met local students. Local are normally working people.I had chats with some of them and for young guys, mostly they come to have better body look or to be muscular and  for those closer or older than my age come just like me which is mainly to stay healthy and to work a little bit to shape our body to look nicer. There are some of them come as far as from Bukit Mahkota and Bandar Seri Putra to perform their workout.

I did feel awkward and weird at the early stages but the moment I started to become clearer about my goals to be at the gym and get myself familiar on what type of workouts with equipment to be used, I started to feel more relax and enjoy my sessions.

Sometime there are some weird or funny characters in the gym as well but as I just keep my thought within myself and just focus on what I am doing. Sometime I did ask others in the gym on how to use some equipment properly and what types of workout can be performed as well to vary mine. Most of the the time they are helpful and don't mind to share something with me.

Based on further online readings on gym workouts,my experiences and observations from my earlier phase of gym sessions, I finally came out with my own set of workout routines and plan for my gym sessions.

Until this stage my planned gym sessions are only at least once a week with the minimum 1 hour for workouts and the most twice a week.

All the must do workouts will take about one hour for morning gym sessions before leaving for work on working days. Optional workouts to be performed on gym sessions at night and weekend/public holiday.

The followings is the my typical routines, the sequence and weekly frequency for my gym sessions.

1.Warming up (5 minutes)-Must do!

• More on  my upper body parts

2. Knee joint and muscles workouts with weight lifting- Must do!

• 10 times/cycle
• 3-5 cycles per session
• Experienced some muscle pain at my knee  and thigh muscles after every session at the early stage or once I stopped more than one week. However the pain will gradually disappear after 2-3 days.

3. Leg press-Must do!

• For thigh and hip muscles 
• This also helps the knee muscle to be strengthened
• 10-15 times/cycle 
• 3-4 cycles per session 

September 2016

4. Bench press-Must do!

• Mainly for chest  and arm muscles
• 5-10 times/cycle ( 3-5 cycles per session)

5.Decline bench press-Must do!

• Mainly for chest and arm muscles.
• Also can feet the intensity at the core muscles every time I lift the weight.
• 5-10 times/cycle ( 3-4 cycles per session)

6.Incline dumbbell flye-Must do!

• 10-20 times/cycle
• 3-4 cycles per session

7.Dumbbell bench press- Must do!

• 10 times/cycle
• 3-4 cycles per session

8. Dead lift-Must do!

• Mainly for bicep and shoulder muscles and other upper body parts
• 10 times/cycle
• 4-5 cycles per session

9. Peck-Deck Flye-Must do!

• Mainly for chest muscles
• 10-20 times/cycle
• 2-3 cycles per session

10. Cable cross over-Optional

• Chest and arm muscles
• 10 times/cycle
• 3-4 cycles per session

11. Dumbbell-Optional

• 10 times/cycle, 2-3 cycles per session
• Bicep muscles

12.  Treadmill - Optional and mainly when I could not met my weekly target for my runs
14.  Cycling-Optional and mainly before running event days

15. Sit ups-Must do as the closing workout at every session.

• Core muscles
• 10-15 times/cycle
• 3-5 cycles per session

To keep my gym workout routines, whenever I go for outstation works, I will continue my workouts at the gym facilities provided at the hotel if available.

Then I reached at  was one stage in my transformation process when I looked back at some of my photos during the earlier stage after losing my weight. I started to realize the imbalance between my working attire when I put it on my body. In short , I felt I did not look neat and sharp because there were always look like empty or insufficiently filled spots especially at my upper body from the waist. 

My shirts were always looked bigger or loose such as at my arm, waist,abs and chest although at some parts are looking alright to me such as neck and shoulder. My shirts and pants are often seen not nicely fitted on my body.

Below are some of my looks  before I reached my ideal weight in 2015 and after I have lost some of my weight in 2015 and 2016 and then when I have reached my ideal weight range.

April 2015

 2016: After I have reached my ideal weight range

• I wore new smaller size shirts and pants that supposed to be at my size but to me it looked bigger on my body.

January 2016

My shirt was for my size but some of my friends told me it looked over sized

January 2016

My shirt  did not fit nicely at my arms and neck.

This was the time I truly see the truth about what has been advised by my friends before. I did not look nice physically although my weight and other health parameters have already reached their ideal ranges.

Compare to the muscular body that often look like body builders, I was more keen to look normal but nicer physically among to the ordinary guys out there. In the same time, I would prefer to look better when I put on my attire for works to look more convincing and professional in my line of career as a management consultant where meeting people has been always my day to day routines.
It is not due to I was the person with the lack of confidence when I was overweight but it is  more about boosting it the different level for me to reach better things in my life and career.


As I get myself more familiar and accustomed with the gym workouts, my online readings brought me to something that triggered my interest which is about getting the lean body mass. In the same time I can see and feel changes in the shape of my body and muscles. I gradually started to gain more muscles at my biceps, shoulders and chest. Then I reached the point where I started to see signs of packed muscles at my abs although it is not nicely shaped up yet. This definitely contributed by my regular core workouts at home and after every regular runs that I have been performing for about a year before that.

The time I started to realise some packed muscles at my abs but not enough curves at my biceps,shoulders and chest.

Then I started to learn more about  other elements that can enable me to have the lean body to complete my health and fitness transformation.

For example, if before this I was only monitoring the common parameters such as weight, BMI, glucose, cholesterol and BP values, I am now have started to look at other parameters such as fat %, fat mass, BMR, metabolic age and visceral  fat rating values as well.

These additional value will help me to have more idea about the progress on my body transformation towards the lean body.

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Below are some guides that I have managed to get from my online readings on body fat percentage for men and women.

From the fat % range, I am now at the range of 18%-19%.So, what is my target?
At this point, if I can achieve anything 15% or slightly below  in 1 or 2 years, that would be another great personal achievement for me.
That will truly complete the ideal physical transformation for me in my health and fitness transformation journey.

The results and the progress
Yes, I can see and I can the difference after executing my own plan for workouts at the gym. Visually I can see the difference because to me it has been very obvious especially around my chest, shoulder and arm muscles.

Below are some photos on my physical changes and looks from 2016 to 2017 and I feel much more comfortable with it now.

• October 2016

• December 2016

• January 2017

• February 2017

• March 2017

• April 2017

• May 2017

• June 2017

• July 2017

Below are some of the progress of my physical looks in my running, working and casual attires from 2014 to 2017.

2014-2017

2015, 2016 and 2017

2015,2016 and 2017

April 2016

May 2016

Aidilfitri in June 2017

Just like running, the gym workouts  has been apart of my lifestyle now to stay healthy and fit. What I have experienced has totally changed my initial perception on what are gym workouts all about and in the same time I understand about reasons why people are at the gym. In the end what matters the most is what is our own reason or goal to be in the gym because that will determine the changes that we can expect to happen next.

With the addition of the gym workouts to my routines to stay fit and healthy for my life, I believe that I have it all already to stay that way in the way forward.

Being where I am today not only about the improved health and fitness that allows me to have better physical capabilities and look but it has changed my entire life to become better. I am also enjoying more of my career and family life as well with the renewed and boosted self confidence to make things better compare to what it used  to be.

I am more comfortable and confident in dealing with the day to day challenges with my improved health and physical looks  now. If feels better to go out there and explore further my potentials in the market.

The key lessons learned over the entire process of changing my life...

• Confirm our true motivation to do it.It must be something important for our own life. Mine is for a better health and fitness for life for my family and career. With six growing children, I can't afford to be a unhealthy father for them a.

• We must start somewhere regardless how difficult it could be. The sooner, the better because we would never know how much more opportunities to be better that we may miss if we keep delaying.Don't wait too long because we will never know what may hit us tomorrow.

• Don't wait until it is too late to make the different or when we can't do much anymore to make it better.

• If we try to find time, we won't find it because it is already there.It's just about to make use of every second that we have differently  or for something healthy.

• Start small and take it from there.We must experience the journey and improve step by step from the learning process. Shortcuts may give us faster results but it won't guarantee that we can stay there for long.

• Prepare to get out from the zone where we feel comfortable but the unhealthy zone.

• Use positive and negative comments to fuel us further and not for us to feel enough or to frustrate us. Every can say and will say a lot of thing on we can act to make the change.

• Changes take time and be patient as long as we are working on it.

• Keep learning and trying new stuff to make our journey more interesting and fun because we have nothing to lose but so much to gain.

• Motivation is for us to start and the discipline will keep us going.

• Balance our health and fitness transformation with our spiritual needs by taking care of our relationship with our Creator. That will keep our mind in peace all the way while facing all the challenges and ups and downs in the transformation.

THE WAY FORWARD

It took about three years from 2015 to reach where I am today in term of health and fitness level. I have reached almost all of my goals and the most challenging personal tasks now is to sustain my healthy lifestyle as long as possible in my entire life. 

It is possible and what needed is just the desire and commitment to take the first step and move from there. Resistance will be there and barriers awareness but the will power will overcome that.

There are too much good for being healthier than I used to be. I did not know that until I experienced the entire journey step by step while facing challenge after challenge. It is not about how others will look or think about me but it is purely about how am I going feel about myself in my life. It is also about how much more I can enjoy my life with changes that I have made and goals that I have been achieved.

I am so grateful that I was blessed with the chance to make it right before it become too late to regain my good health and fitness level.

What I have learned through experiences in the entire journey until today is in life, we always have options but we must make that critical decisions.


However, the right decision often not easy and comes with all sorts of barriers to make that decision.Then followed by challenges and perception to execute that decision and finally to deal with the most challenging phase which is to sustain what have been achieved.

The right attitude and discipline will gradually developed once we have decided and took the first step. It is also does not matter how and where we started but we must start somewhere because what matters the most is where we are going to end up and when we can reach there.

More delays will only result in more lost opportunities to improve our life.  My pathways from the regular jogging that turned to full marathon runs and mixed with home workouts that finally forced me to overcome my perception and fears to be at the gym truly was another character building process in my life.

It has been a truly LIFE CHANGING process and experience to the stage when I found the new and improved version of me physically and spiritually.

Something that I need to keep in mind is all what I have enjoying with the changed life today is to balance it with the commitment and discipline to improve the relationship with Him. He can give me all these and He also can take it back because the test could come in many ways. It is common for us to remember Him during difficult times and pay less attention to Him when we are in good time like what I am enjoying now for my improved health and fitness.

So, the future is for me to stay healthy and to encourage people who are close to me especially my family to follow the pathway to be healthy and to stay healthy as well because LIFE IS ALWAYS BETTER AND HAPPIER WHEN WE ARE HEALTHIER.

" NO TURNING BACK, NO EXCUSES AND JUST DO IT!"