Doesn’t time fly so fast? In just a few days’ time, we’ll be welcoming the 4th month of the year! Crazy, isn’t it? I’ve been checking up on my New Year’s Resolutions and so far, I’m doing quite well with keeping most of them – some, I’m already fulfilling while other’s are already on the pipeline. 😉
The one thing I’m most definitely proud of is becoming dedicated when it comes to working out – regularly! As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not really a health buff. I never exercised and I ate anything I want when I wanted to. Discipline was not in my vocabulary. So when I told my friends that I was going to be doing Electric Muscular Stimulation (EMS) training regularly, a lot of them thought that this was going to be one of those times where I try something new and get tired of it after just a few sessions.
Boy, did I prove them wrong! 😉
‘Before’
You see, I was definitely committed this time. After noticing how weak I am compared to my peers and seeing minor signs of being skinny-fat, I knew I had to do something – fast and effective.
After much researching over gyms in our area, fate practically brought me to the steps of Impulse Studio where I started working out regularly in late January. I was addicted to it by the time we finished our third session. I’ve already finished my 10th session and after seeing the results – not just in the mirror but in the numbers as well – there’s really no reason for me to stop now.
I’ve always gotten comments from people about why I would ever think of subjecting myself to a workout when I actually look like I don’t need it. If you look closely, I was merely skin, bones, and bad-fat. If I had a bit of muscle in me at that time, they wouldn’t have been too useful as they were all too weak. I also got tired and sick easily.
Of course my ‘situation’ got worse when we moved to KL. I was 25 years old with a metabolism that was slowing down. But that didn’t stop me from eating Nasi Lemak left and right. I started gaining weight. Not in an overly dramatic sense but I was starting to feel like my arms are bigger and I was noticing fat rolls on my sides.
I was in utter disbelief at first! That can’t be, right? I’ve always been skinny! I was also feeling sluggish all the time and would suffer from shortness of breath just for carrying two grocery bags for a couple of minutes.
‘During‘
I’ll admit. EMS training is no walk in the park. I workout at Impulse Studio twice a week with each session running for 20 minutes. The first time I tried it, the word ‘torture’ came into mind. They don’t call it a high intensity workout for nothing. But I made it out alive. Little old unfit, junk food eating, non-working out me! It felt good to finish something that felt so hard!
The trainer was going easy on me that day, I’m sure. But it felt like it was the most intense workout I will ever do in my whole life. Wrong! It keeps getting more intense as I progress. Which means one thing! I’m getting stronger! 😉
You actually feel the results as early as your 3rd training session. My breathing has improved, my limbs and core felt stronger, and even my skin looks brighter! The post-gym glow is definitely my favourite look for the summer! 😉
Aside from the crazy-fast results, I keep coming back because of the people at the studio! The trainers are great – they’re friendly, they motivate and push you to do things you didn’t think you can do before (push ups!!), and they really know what’s good for you!
I corner them with questions and my body frustrations all the time and they always have the best advice – what to eat and what we can do next time to improve the part I’m frustrated about.
Even the other people who work out in the studio are nice and friendly!
I guess what makes the intensity of the workout bearable is knowing that you only do 10-20 reps of each movement. That’s much more motivating for me than going to a regular gym where I have to keep repeating the same exercise, say squats, for as many times as possible. I have friends who do 50 to a hundred every training session and that will just make me lazy halfway through!
But even if I do only 10-20 squats per session, I know I’m burning more calories and my thighs and butt are getting toned much faster because of the impulses that make each squat a lot harder and more intense. 😀
12 sessions later
I’ve got friends who have been going to the gym for months and they keep complaining about how slow the results can be. They workout for hours, at least thrice a week.
I’m really happy with how my current workout has been so good to my body and it only took me a couple of weeks to get this far already. I’ve still got a long way to go but so far, after seeing and feeling how EMS training has been so good for me, I know I’ll get there soon enough.
Oh, and here’s the clincher. I haven’t been dieting nor eating ‘clean’! I’m not proud of it. I know I should be eating healthier food as I promised that at the start of this year. But giving up chips and chocolate is quite a feat for me! I tried baby steps but I kept failing. 🙁 That’s why I wasn’t really expecting this right away:
First of all, I’ve always had what people called a pancake butt. My skinny jeans were never as flattering as I want them to be as there is always extra space in the butt and thigh area. To think that I wear really small sizes! From XS to S! It has always been hard to find me a pair of skinny jeans that looked good on me. Those that were the right length were a bit loose while those that hugged what little curves I had were too short.
Nowadays, I’ve got an ample amount of firm butt muscle and I can buy skinny jeans in the right length without the fear of looking like I borrowed them from someone else! And really, I can’t believe I’m telling you guys about it just after 12 sessions. I even squeezed an 11-day vacation to Manila in late February which stalled my regular workouts for a bit! 😉
Oh, and speaking of something I never thought/imagined of having:
Ah, a muscle on my arm! Seeing and feeling it for the first time was g-l-orious!
I mentioned in my previous EMS training post how they measure your weight, visceral fat, muscles, percentage body fat, basal metabolic rate, etc. with a machine called InBody. My latest readings (done right after my 10th session) show that I’ve actually improved even without dieting or doing any other exercise aside from EMS Training!
I gained skeletal muscle and strength! Granted that I still need to increase my protein intake and gain a few more kilos to get into the recommended weight range for my height, this is way better that what I expected!
Now I have to work harder on my triceps and my core to strengthen and tone them! Bikini season is fast approaching (eep!) and I’d love it if I can show you guys a new and improved bikini photo on my next fitness posts compared to the skinny-fat one I posted at the start of this entry!
Stay tuned for another progress post in a few weeks!
Love,
Carol
P.S. I promise to try harder in shunning the junk food away and sticking with brown rice! 😉
