My Workspace

Started off in an Informatics major and ended up being a writer means half of my life is doomed to be in front of a computer. In other words, my chance of having a back problem is severely high. It’s like a time bomb going tick tack on my life watch. Uncool. That’s why I’ve been trying to improve my posture in any way possible. I do back strengthening sports like yoga and pilates. I make my workspace ergonomic and comfortable.

One problem I had with my laptop is that it’s fairly small that I would have to hunch when it’s on the table. Pain pain pain. Then I decided to get me a notebook riser. However, I would also need an external keyboard and I am very picky on keyboard. The only external keyboard I like is the apple keyboard, which ate all my budget so I end up with this:

Seemed like a good temporary solution, even though the ‘temporary’ had turned into more than a year. And now I kind of want to read the screenwriter book. Fortunately for me, I found a nice notebook riser on sale on Amazon and it arrived yesterday! So here’s how my workspace looked like now… TADA!

Bliss .

Tags: health

Exergaming – Part One

In general, I feel that I’ve always been pretty good in keeping my weight in check. I try to maintain a healthy BMI, so I keep my weight between 49-51 kg (I’m 163 cm tall).

Good genes? Yeah maybe that plays a part, my mom always has healthy weight as well. But I’m not the type of person that can eat anything but still keep thin. In fact, I can tell you exactly where the blueberry cheesecake went .

Other secrets?

For me it was as simple as maintaining a healthy eating habit and regular exercise.  No fancy mambo jumbo diet / exercise.

The first step I did was to find an exercise that I love and stick to it. I love swimming but it takes so much time to go to the swimming pool. Not to mention the money spent every time (was a poor student). Running was another option, but I don’t like it that much. I’d do it if I have to but I try to find other option first . Going to the gym, same problem with swimming. Plus I didn’t love it so much (although good gym = good training program).

Lucky lucky, that time in 2006 was the start of exercise gaming. And no, it wasn’t Wii Fit! It was PlayStation 2 Eye Toy Kinetic. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect training program, but it has a training regime and a personal trainer that would yell or motivate me.

Eye Toy Kinetic has some cardio, reflex, strength, mind and body training. Most of it comes in game form, which means people would always find a way to cheat the game, but it means then you’d be cheating your fitness too.

The most important change it made was my exercise habit. I started to exercise regularly, noticing how good it made me feel, feeling the sense of achievement every time I finished a training regime. I didn’t get a six pack tummy… (do you know how hard it is to get a six pack tummy?) but I started to get fit. I can chase the bus without gasping for breath!

Another important change was to my eating habit. Being fit means I am more in tune with my body, listening to what it needs, not what it wants. Unconsciously, we chose healthier food, opting for salads, lean meat, and less sugar. I don’t go for a diet, which means I still eat fries, cookies, and sweets from time to time. But I try to eat proportionally and enjoy what I eat. You see, if I eat a slice of apple caramel walnut cake, I want to enjoy every bite. And as a plus point, when you eat slowly, your body has time to send a message when it is full.

Tags: game, health

Staying Happy and Healthy in Winter

As someone who was born and raised in a tropical area, I never thought that such things really exists when my friends told me so. That is, until this year. It’s my 3rd winter in Bremen, and I’m feeling down. Am I suffering from winter depression?

Read more…

Tags: health, tips