How can there be so much fat in me?
I sleep at about 2am daily after watching reality television shows and YouTube videos.
I eat instant noodles regularly, snack often and I hardly exercise.
While my lifestyle habits are not the healthiest, I have often thought I am healthy enough for a 19-year-old. Especially because I do not smoke.
So when I went to the Active Health Lab at Heartbeat@Bedok (HBB) on Feb 28, where your body and fitness levels are assessed, I was confident I'd be in good shape.
During the hour-long programme, I learnt how to measure my own blood pressure and hip-to-waist ratio, and how to use a Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) machine. This assesses body composition such as body fat percentage and muscle mass.
I even exercised with Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, who was there to promote the facility.
To my horror, when I got my results, I discovered my body fat percentage was 31.3 per cent. It meant I was nearly one-third fat, above the normal range, though only slightly.
I stared at the numbers, trying to make sense of them. I did not expect to find so much fat in me, especially since my Body Mass Index (BMI) is 21.2, which is within the normal range.
The report said I should shed 4.5kg of fat and gain 5.2kg of muscle to reach my target weight.
It was recommended that I pick up 16 simple habits for a healthier lifestyle, like drinking a cup of water before every meal and not consuming caffeine six hours before bed.
And you can check in with the Lab again after 12 weeks to monitor your progress.
It helps that the on-boarding programme is free and open to all Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents, and foreigners residing in Singapore. Corporations can sign employees up for the on-boarding programme as well.
Eight people from software company Premium Systems Technology have done so.
It has been more than a week since I got the bad news from the machine at the Lab and I have been going to the gym at my workplace twice a week.
I have cut down on my snacks and even stopped eating instant noodles. I still have trouble sleeping earlier, though.
But as with all major lifestyle changes, I'll take this one step at a time.
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