I can’t believe it’s been two years since my last blog post. A month after my last recipe entry, I joined a non-profit that advocates for HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention. I stayed with them for 18 months before eventually moving to our partner clinic. I was so busy during that period that I never had the chance to blog about my new career path.
One thing that remained consistent, however, was my pursuit of the elusive six-pack abs. My fitness journey has been anything but consistent over the years, but this year has been different—I’ve seen the most progress so far. Right now, I’m working on lowering my body fat percentage to around 12% so my abs can finally show.
I’ve been following a calorie deficit diet, and it’s been effective. For cardio, I stick to incline walking on the treadmill, and for strength training, I rotate muscle groups throughout the week. My current goal for the next 10 days is to double my gym time—either with longer sessions or splitting them between morning and evening. The only challenge I’ve noticed is sleep: evening workouts tend to keep me awake longer. Hopefully, by shifting cardio to the morning and strength training to the evening, I can improve both my routine and my sleep.
My eating habits have also changed. Yesterday was actually the first time I overindulged on a buffet during a cheat day and ended up throwing up—a reminder that balance is still key.
Here’s a look at my workout and meals yesterday:
Morning Workout
-
Dumbbell Row: 22.5 lbs (3 sets of 10)
-
Lat Pulldown: 55 lbs (3 sets of 8)
-
Seated Row: 55 lbs (3 sets of 8)
-
Incline Treadmill: 14 incline, speed 5 (20 minutes)
Breakfast
-
Coffee with Splenda
Lunch
-
Chicken breast
Afternoon Workout
-
Seated Row: 30 lbs (3 sets of 10)
-
Lat Pulldown: 55 lbs (3 sets of 8)
-
RDL: 20 lbs (3 sets of 10)
After the gym, I went to S&R supermarket for meal prep essentials: 3 kg of boneless chicken breast, 3 kg of frozen California mix vegetables, and an entire tray of eggs (I now eat 4 eggs per meal).
I got home just before 9 PM, steamed a portion of the vegetables, and ate 3 slices of the remaining chicken breast. I also prepped my meals for the next day.
