15% Body Fat Target Reached! | Operation 健康アップ

Sorry that I haven't been updating as often on my blog for my fitness journey at the gym. I still do it frequently on my other social media accounts i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even post videos on YouTube so if you are interested, do connect with me there.

Decided to post an update now because of two things. Firstly, over the past few weeks I've had various strangers reach out at my gym {!!!} or online to tell me how inspired they are by what I have achieved and shared on the blog, and how it has motivated them to start exercising more too. Thank you so much for telling me.. it really makes me so encouraged to carry on and share more of my fitness story.

Secondly, I had a measurement last weekend and finally, FINALLY... I hit my body fat composition target of 15%!! Wooohooo!!! I'd been stuck at 16% for half a year and finally had a breakthrough!! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

The amount of body fat you have is an important measurement of health. Too little fat isn't good as you need essential fat for basic physical and physiological health, while obviously too much fat isn't ideal as well. As a rough guide for women, an obese lady has 32+% body fat, an average lady has 25-31% body fat, a fit lady has 21-24% body fat, and an athletic lady has 14-20% body fat.

It's important to track body fat composition when getting lean as you need to know that you are  losing fat, and not your muscles when training. That's why the numbers on weighing scales don't really matter and how 2 people who weigh the same can look perfectly different when one person trains, while the other doesn't. Since I started training regularly, I've lost only 4kg on the scales but more than half my body fat {32.2% to 15.57%}.

Here are a few ways you can measure your body fat percentage by yourself, or go to a GP. Jen helps me to measure mine at the gym.  

In the grand scheme of health, I don't need to hit 15% body fat as I'm already considered lean at 16%. But I want to, just for kicks ੧(❛▿❛✿)੭ It gave me a goal to work towards, motivated me to stay on track with my training / diet.. and provided me with a measure on how well I was doing.

I probably could have achieved this milestone earlier as I had already hit 16.1% in May 2016. However, I went on various holidays and breaks in my training, and for the past 2 months had to nurse a back injury which disrupted my usual training quite a bit. Other than that one day at CrossFit where I hit my conventional deadlift PR, I have not been lifting heavy for the past 2 months and for a period of time, only trained my upper body.

However, thanks to Superman who conscientiously planned my rehab programs, forced encouraged me to do more heart-pumping metcon workouts & dreaded prowler pushes, and reminded me constantly to watch my diet & recovery.. at long last I reached my body fat target. Appreciate other people at Genesis like Jen and Boon who helped me to plan my nutrition plan and execute my training program, as well as my family for their constant support too (*⌒∇⌒*)

If I have only one tip for you on how to stay on a fitness journey, it is that you really need a village for support. The first few days are easy as you are powered by enthusiasm and positivity. However, after you hit a few roadblocks, feel beaten by tiredness and hunger a few times, or see no significant progress.. you tend to lose hope and willpower. And that's when you need to lean on your village for encouragement and support to just keep going.

I am beyond thankful for mine ❤

So what next after hitting this body fat composition target of mine? Well, Superman thinks I should try to go lower to show my more of my abs by June next year haha. Currently I kinda have 4-pack that plays peek-a-boo with me throughout the day... {another gym client was there when Superman was helping me to take the photos & she told me "nice abs!" though haha}  

Jen also thinks that there's still room for me to decrease my body fat percentage while building muscles and the boy is supportive of this too.

I am ok with just maintaining at 15% but I love a good challenge and if my village thinks I can and should go even lower, why not? (☆▽☆) I will work towards that.. however now I want to focus more on building back my muscles and hitting my strength targets too i.e. squatting at 1.5x body weight, deadlifting 2x body weight and doing pull-ups with 0.25x body weight.

Follow my Fitness Diary posts here or on Instagram {#AiFitnessDiary}.

One-on-On Personal Training Updates:

The Beginning - First 4 Months
Girls Can Pull-Up Too!

Genesis Gym Personal Training Updates:
The Beginning - Signing Up for Personal Training

Week 1 - Getting the Right Form for Fitness

Week 2 - The Right Trainer Matters

Week 3 - Keeping Fit Needs Brain & Brawns

Week 4 - Reality Check

Week 5 - New Workout Programs, New Challenges
Week 6 - Program Progress Report
Week 7 - Training with a Weak Back
Week 8 - Keep Calm & Gym On
Week 9 - Making Sense of Trap Lifts, TRX & Med Ball Slams

Week 10 - Workout Max Out
Week 11 - Rolling in the Deep
Week 12 - Program End Report
Week 13 - Start of Cycle 2
Weeks 14 to 16 - Slow & Steady
Weeks 17 to 20 - Milos Giant Sets
Weeks 21 to 24 - Cycle 2 Program End Report
Weeks 25 to 28 - German Volume Training & MetCon Workouts
Weeks 29 to 32 - What Doesn't Kill You
Weeks 33 to 36 -  Cycle 3 Program End Report
Personal Training - Results 1 Year Later

Wendler's 5/3/1 Program to Reach Strength Targets
15% Body Fat Target Reached!
Good Bye Genesis Gym

P.S. If you want to get fit & have fun with your family, Safari Zoo Run 2017 is coming up!

There's an early bird promo until 30 Nov 2016 and just for my blog readers and friends, enjoy 10% off current rates when you register from now until 15 Jan 2017 using my promo code: SZR2017BGPSAKUHARU10 (*＾▽＾)／

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