Pilates

I feel like I've been getting distinctly flabby over the past year and putting on inches and weight as well. So I really do need to start more muscle building exercise as my favourite form of exercise, aikido, may be great for many other things but it's definitely not a good way to lose weight. That plus since I've just been having a lot of problems with my left knee so I need an exercise regime where I'm in a lot of control over what I do.

So I finally braved a pilates class at Amore again where I'm a member. I have discovered that I like the instructor at the Heartland Mall branch a lot more as he's more patient with beginners like me and will actually adapt the positions/movements etc so that people like me with weak core muscles can still derive some benefit and actually do something as opposed to flopping like a fish out of water.

He was distinctly more encouraging this time as well compared to the last time telling the class at the end that those who are just starting out need to be patient with themselves and the class since it takes a while to build the strength in the core.

Looks like over the next few months I'm going to be a bit more regular and try and make it to pilates once a week. My Saturday yoga class is already part of my regular schedule so now I have to step things up on Sunday.

Human Pretzel

Yoga stretches parts of me I usually forget about. I'm reasonably flexible about the shoulders and the hamstrings but not around the sides of the waist, hips, knees or ankles. I've resumed yoga practice since joining Amore and as they have a branch at Heartland Mall, I try and make it there on Saturday morning when they have a very good instructor whose name escapes me at this time.

Last Saturday we were doing a lot of asanas which stretch the side just above the hip and twists which work the entire waist including the side. And given I feel like I'm developing a little paunch, I felt it was much needed.

We did an asana which was new to me: do the half lotus tree pose with one's hands together above the head and then bend and hold to either side for at least 30 seconds each time. We also stretched our sides in another asana where we were also in half lotus but with our knees on the group rather than either of our feet and this was a similar stretch for the waist.

We also did a very elegant (when properly done that is) dragonfly pose which involves lying on one's stomach and raising one leg straight up backwards as far as one can go and propping that leg up with the other leg. So it looks great but for me, my foot just kept pulling my track pants down steadily so I would give up at the point where it was going to lead to some immodesty although given that it was a room full of women, that didn't really matter.

Hopefully if I remember to stretch my waist, hips and ankles, they'll slowly become more flexible with time.

Fruit and Veg Juice Galore

I've finally discovered a fruit juice stall that serves exactly what I want and more besides. And it was practically in my neighbourhood too. Or at least nearby in Hougang Street 21. There's a hawker centre next to Heartland Mall and the fruit juice stall has an amazing range of fruit and vegetable juices. I'm highly enthusiastic since it will make my detox days much easier. I'm soooo not into making my own juices because I always end up with too much fibre and hate cleaning the bits off the juicer.

So far I've tried three different mixtures he has. The pineapple and chye sim is fine. Not too green tasting but it's a nice green colour. The spinach and apple is sweeter, without the tanginess of the pineapple and is a slightly deeper green in colour. The beetroot takes the prize for colour with its gorgeous magenta hue ending in a purple-pink foam top which you can see in the photograph.

If I make it through to the end of the day with a detox, I'll go back and try three more. He has a chives and ginger one which sounds interesting but rather strong so I wonder if he dilutes it with some other fruit juice to make it more palatable. There's more exotic drinks like cactus juice and he does have a nice succulent cactus leaf hanging as part of his decor over the stall front.

Overall it's good to see an imaginative hawker who's come up with a much larger range of vegetable based juices to complement the usual fruit juices. And the fact that it seems to be surviving nicely certainly seems to imply there's a market out there for even healthier drinks than plain fruit juices.

His prices are usually around S$2.30 to S$2.60 or so for those of you who are curious enough to want to go try and he lists all the prices upfront. I didn't however ask his opening hours but he's certainly open in the mornings and my guess would be the whole afternoon and evening but I'm not sure what time he packs up. The nearest MRT is Kovan and it's just a couple of minutes walk from the station exit.