Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Un-Kang (Unhealthy) Preferences

I don't know why and I wonder if other kids are like KK when it comes to healthy dietary choices. His name means "Health" but KK has very unhealthy preferences and the only reason why he is not a fat, sickly child with no teeth is because we have been obstructing him and preventing him from doing what he wants. 


He loves salty stuff, the saltier the better. Many a times, he complained that my cooking was too bland and would request to add salt. He loves eating dumplings and sashimi because he could dip them in lots of soya sauce. Chips, nachos and all those unhealthy crispy fried stuff in a packet are his favourite snacks naturally.


KK also like to eat chocolates. We don't buy any candies so he can't have them at home but it looks like we have to stop buying chocolates (which Hubby and I sometimes enjoy) too. We don't buy fruit juices as well as he will drink them if they are around, instead of water. His teeth are not very strong and every trip to the dentist reveals some decay.


His school has been learning about healthy lifestyle this semester but I'm pretty sure it had little impact on him. He was to keep a "Healthy Living & Lifestyle" diary about how he lead a healthy lifestyle and here are some of his inputs:


Day 1 - Eat all my veggies. (What do I feel about this choice: I feel healthy.)
Day 2 - Went swimming (I feel bored.)
Day 3 - Went Taekwondo (I feel cool.)
Day 4 - Go to fitness club (I feel like I'm going to die.)
Day 5 - Eat chips (I feel healthy.) ~ he insisted he REALLY felt ok.
Day 6 - Eat all my fruits (I feel forced to eat it.)
Day 7 - Eat 500g of chocolate (I feel fat.)


Haiz...when will he learn?


That said, I'm glad he at least likes most vegetables like broccoli and lettuce. He's also very active and gets lots of exercise. Just go easy on the salt and sugar son!



Thursday, August 4, 2011

Health Hopes

The days have begun to turn longer. No longer sunset at 5 o'clock. Yipee! I think the coldest is finally over though it's still not time to head to the beaches yet. Although we have been heading to the swimming pools quite often. Strangely, swimming pools are good places to go for a weekend outing in Winter. Thanks so much to the heated indoor pools that we have. Our favourite is at Melton, where there's a lap pool to exercise, wave pool for the kids (and adults) to have fun and a steamy bubbly jacuzzi to relax in. We go with some friends and food and it's a party! 


The other thing we've been busy doing recently is exercising. Even I have joined in the regime. Lazy me, who hates exercising and sweating and loves watching TV, have signed up for a health club membership for the first time in my life. I'm not turning into a health freak overnight, but I do hope not to turn into an unhealthy freak when I'm older. Hubby has been gently nudging me to keep fit ever since he's got into Tae Kwon Do. Now, he gets to exercise at least twice a week and he feels good about it. 


It so happened that there were some promotions going on and I started by signing up free trial memberships at 2 health clubs with some girl friends who wanted to keep healthy as well. The health clubs are located nearby and we get access to all their facilities and classes. So far. I've tried Body Balance, Pilates, Boxing and Zumba classes in the evenings. And guess what, I'm even doing time on the threadmill! I've never liked threadmills, I find them so boring. You stare at the same scenery all the time when running. I have a small gym at the condo where I lived in Singapore but I seldom use them even though they face the swimming pool. But at the gyms here, they face a row of television screens or have built-in personal TV touchscreens. How wonderful can that be for a couch potato like me? You bring your own headphones, plug it in and hey, you're entertained while keeping fit! I usually go on the threadmill while waiting for KK in his "kids fitz" class (free for kids of members). I don't watch television programs at home cos the TV is always hogged by the kids so ironically at the gym, I get to catch up on a bit of news and advertisements. Then for the sake of watching more TV, I also do some cycling while waiting for KK to shower. I find this a good arrangement.


Knowing myself, I'm a bag of lazy bones. When it's dark and cold outside, I find it hard to put on my track shoes and leave the comforts of home. But if I have a friend going together, I'll have no excuse. And actually, it's nice to leave the kids' bedtime routine to Hubby and have an hour or two of time on my own. 


At the end of the day, I think no matter what exercise I do, as long as it gets my heart thumping harder and my muscles working, I'm taking a step closer to health. So with my full membership for the next year and hopefully with my friends' company, I will keep up this exercising routine at least twice a week.