Hey guys!
Now that I ended my vacation internship I had more free time and decided to start running before uni started. I'm absolutely horrible at running but I would really like to be able to jog 5 km without being out of breath.
This month I started doing cross fit as well. I joined a 28-day challenge that started on the 18th of February in Canningvale. The work outs are a killer and I almost gave up because it is so intense, but I stuck with it and I'm so glad that I did. I have ditched intermittent fasting since I wanted to follow the nutrition plan provided by the coach and will post before and after shots after the challenge is complete! :)
I've lost about 2 kgs because I stopped eating cake almost everyday but had extra inches when I measured which is probably due to water weight. I'm pretty happy with my progress and excited to continue to try new things!
January updates
Old Measurements (31/01/2017):
Weight 55.3 kg
Stomach 29.5"
Butt 38"
Thigh 21"
Calf 13"
Arms 11"
Waist 28"
Bust 31.5"
New Measurements (03/03/2017):
Weight 53.1 kg (-2.2 kg)
Stomach 30.1" (+0.6)
Butt 37" (-1)
Thigh 21"
Calf 14 (+1)
Arms 11"
Waist 28"
Bust 31.5"
Click here to read about my crossfit experience.
♥ Jess
NAVBARIMAGE
3.3.17
6.2.17
Simple & healthy Kang Kung recipe
Good morning!
It's such a beautiful day today, and why not make it better by trying out this dish?
Kang kung (also known as water spinach) is my all-time, hands down favourite vegetable. It originates from South-East Asia and is so easy to whip up in just 10 minutes. My mom actually grows them in our garden because it's not sold in many places here so I get to make this dish any time I please ♥
2. Chop the garlic, shallot and chilli up in slices then place it in the boiling water. Stir for about a minute.
3. Add your kang kung in and keep stirring until most of the water has evaporated. (Should only take 5 minutes)
4. Enjoy the kang kung! I personally enjoy my kang kung just like this but when my mom makes it she usually adds in a tablespoon on fish sauce or soy sauce and it tastes really yummy that way too.
♥ Jess
It's such a beautiful day today, and why not make it better by trying out this dish?
Kang kung (also known as water spinach) is my all-time, hands down favourite vegetable. It originates from South-East Asia and is so easy to whip up in just 10 minutes. My mom actually grows them in our garden because it's not sold in many places here so I get to make this dish any time I please ♥
Ingredients:
- 4 shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 chilli
- 1/2 cup water
- A generous handful of fresh kang kung
Directions:
1. Place a pan on high heat with 1/2 cup water (my mom usually laughs at the fact I refuse to use oil instead, but while you're using all natural ingredients.. why not?). While you wait for it to heat up, wash your kang kung. 2. Chop the garlic, shallot and chilli up in slices then place it in the boiling water. Stir for about a minute.
3. Add your kang kung in and keep stirring until most of the water has evaporated. (Should only take 5 minutes)
4. Enjoy the kang kung! I personally enjoy my kang kung just like this but when my mom makes it she usually adds in a tablespoon on fish sauce or soy sauce and it tastes really yummy that way too.
♥ Jess
31.1.17
January updates
Hey lovelies~
I've made a new year's resolution to get fit and I'll be updating on my progress every month. :)
I entered 2017 at 56 kgs and hope to drop down to 48 kgs (my weight in 2015!) while still eating out (Nope, can't give up this lifestyle just yet). This month I made myself move. I've been very busy this month with moving out, work, family, etc. that I decided to get into a proper routine starting February and focused this month on reaching 10,000 steps every day which I counted through my fitbit. I also decided to do intermittent fasting (Only eat in an 8 hour window gap) three times a week.
All my measurements pretty much stayed the same. I lost an inch off my stomach and 0.7 kg but I did do a one day fruit detox the day before I took my measurement so that is probably the reason for the slight decrease.
Old Measurements (11/01/2017):
Weight 56 kgs
Stomach 30.5”
Butt 38”
Thigh 21”
Calf 13”
Arms 11”
Waist 28"
Bust 31.5”
New Measurements (31/01/2017):
Weight 55.3 kg (-0.7 kg)
Stomach 29.5" (-1")
Butt 38"
Thigh 21"
Calf 13"
Arms 11"
Waist 28"
Bust 31.5"
♥ Jess
I've made a new year's resolution to get fit and I'll be updating on my progress every month. :)
I entered 2017 at 56 kgs and hope to drop down to 48 kgs (my weight in 2015!) while still eating out (Nope, can't give up this lifestyle just yet). This month I made myself move. I've been very busy this month with moving out, work, family, etc. that I decided to get into a proper routine starting February and focused this month on reaching 10,000 steps every day which I counted through my fitbit. I also decided to do intermittent fasting (Only eat in an 8 hour window gap) three times a week.
All my measurements pretty much stayed the same. I lost an inch off my stomach and 0.7 kg but I did do a one day fruit detox the day before I took my measurement so that is probably the reason for the slight decrease.
Old Measurements (11/01/2017):
Weight 56 kgs
Stomach 30.5”
Butt 38”
Thigh 21”
Calf 13”
Arms 11”
Waist 28"
Bust 31.5”
New Measurements (31/01/2017):
Weight 55.3 kg (-0.7 kg)
Stomach 29.5" (-1")
Butt 38"
Thigh 21"
Calf 13"
Arms 11"
Waist 28"
Bust 31.5"
♥ Jess
17.1.17
Afternoon Tea, The Drawing Room | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Treesha took me to retry my high tea experience in Kuala Lumpur since the place we went to last year let us down. We decided to try Saint Regis, a fairly new hotel that opened. Upon entering the place you can definitely feel the high class elegant atmosphere with the marble floor and immaculate set up. There was a grand Christmas tree as you set foot into the reception and a duo playing sweet melodies by the entrance of the drawing room.
It usually costs 140 RM per person but since we came during the festive reason it cost us 188 RM. As we were escorted to our table, I was really impressed with the cute décor set up and the choice of colours they decided to use. Everything was pastel, and I’m a sucker for pastel. I was already in love with the high tea experience and nothing was even served yet!
There were a wide selection of teas and they all sounded so fancy I was unsure of what to get, so I decided to stick with my classic green tea. Jasmine Queen Tea. Treesha chose Silver Moon Tea, which tasted just as fancy as its name.
Tea selection
Silver Moon ∞ 1817 Black Tea ∞ Royal Darjeelin ∞ Sencha ∞ Jasmine Queen Tea ∞ French Earl Grey Tea
To be completely honest, I’m not used to small portions so when the canapes came in.. all I could think of was how I could put them all together and have them in one bite! There was four options of savoury canapes and to be honest I could only tell the quail egg and lobster one apart. These were delicious, I definitely did not think it would be as good as they were! You can taste that these were made with top quality ingredients.
Savoury Canapes
Poached Chicken ∞ Cranberry Chutney on Rye Bread ∞ Marble Of foie Gras 5 Spices on Toasted Brioche Brittany Blue Lobster, Lobster Mayonnaise on White soft Bread ∞ Black Truffle Quail Egg Mimosa
When our sweet tier came in I was so excited. There were so many pretty goodies in front of me that I had no idea what to start with. I began with the scones as I was scared the other desserts would be too sweet that it would mask my taste buds to less sweet things.
Now, I’m not a scones person but I absolutely adored these ones. It was incredible. The cream and jam complimented the scones well.
Sweet Tier
Minature Buche de Noel ∞ Mincemeat Tart ∞ Macaron ∞ Iced Christmas Cake ∞ Chocolate fountain ∞ Christmas cookies ∞ Strawberry ∞ Marshmallow ∞ Warm Plain and Mincemeat Scones ∞ Strawberry Jam ∞ Clotted Cream
I’m not entirely sure if it is the iced Christmas cake or the miniature buche de noel but basically the red Christmas log looking thing. That was a very soft chocolate mousse like dessert and was probably my favourite one on the plate. The macaroon comes in random flavours, I luckily got a green tea one which literally melted in my mouth and you can really taste the strong tea flavor in the filling. I might be wrong, but I think they get it from TWG since I swear it tastes the same.
The chocolate shooter was certainly an interesting concept. It was basically a cookie in the shape of a shot glass and filled with chocolate milk. Our server explained that we should drink the shot first and proceed to enjoy the cookie. I’m a little bit of a weirdo and don’t like the idea of drinking milk so I sat this one out. Treesha said that the milk was at room temperature and she wasn’t too happy of how sweet it tasted.
After an hour of chatting away while sipping on our never ending tea and munching on our desserts, the grand finale made its entrance! Chocolate fountain with Christmas cookies, marshmallows and a melon (it was supposed to be a strawberry, but I guess they ran out). Don’t let the colour fool you, it was just white chocolate with red food colouring to match the season. I had quite enough of sweets by this time so I only had the melon and one cookie and didn’t try the fountain.
Treesha surprised me with an order of a chocolate mousse cake as an early birthday present. I was actually eyeing this cake when we entered the hotel so I was extremely happy when I saw it. I had enough of sweets but the moment I bit into it… OMG. It tasted EXACTLY like a cake I used to buy in my younger days for all my birthdays until the chef who made it retired. This was the best high tea I’ve gone for, and it undeniably won’t be the last.
I highly recommend trying Saint Regis out for a girls night out or to spoil for fam bam if you’re in Kuala Lumpur. Thank you so much to my dear friend who took me here.
♥ Jess
Location: No. 6 Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: Weekdays 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Weekends & Public holidays 2:00 – 4:00 pm
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Phone: +60327271111
Website: http://www.stregiskualalumpur.com/dining-drawing-room
It usually costs 140 RM per person but since we came during the festive reason it cost us 188 RM. As we were escorted to our table, I was really impressed with the cute décor set up and the choice of colours they decided to use. Everything was pastel, and I’m a sucker for pastel. I was already in love with the high tea experience and nothing was even served yet!
There were a wide selection of teas and they all sounded so fancy I was unsure of what to get, so I decided to stick with my classic green tea. Jasmine Queen Tea. Treesha chose Silver Moon Tea, which tasted just as fancy as its name.
Tea selection
Silver Moon ∞ 1817 Black Tea ∞ Royal Darjeelin ∞ Sencha ∞ Jasmine Queen Tea ∞ French Earl Grey Tea
To be completely honest, I’m not used to small portions so when the canapes came in.. all I could think of was how I could put them all together and have them in one bite! There was four options of savoury canapes and to be honest I could only tell the quail egg and lobster one apart. These were delicious, I definitely did not think it would be as good as they were! You can taste that these were made with top quality ingredients.
Savoury Canapes
Poached Chicken ∞ Cranberry Chutney on Rye Bread ∞ Marble Of foie Gras 5 Spices on Toasted Brioche Brittany Blue Lobster, Lobster Mayonnaise on White soft Bread ∞ Black Truffle Quail Egg Mimosa
When our sweet tier came in I was so excited. There were so many pretty goodies in front of me that I had no idea what to start with. I began with the scones as I was scared the other desserts would be too sweet that it would mask my taste buds to less sweet things.
Now, I’m not a scones person but I absolutely adored these ones. It was incredible. The cream and jam complimented the scones well.
Sweet Tier
Minature Buche de Noel ∞ Mincemeat Tart ∞ Macaron ∞ Iced Christmas Cake ∞ Chocolate fountain ∞ Christmas cookies ∞ Strawberry ∞ Marshmallow ∞ Warm Plain and Mincemeat Scones ∞ Strawberry Jam ∞ Clotted Cream
I’m not entirely sure if it is the iced Christmas cake or the miniature buche de noel but basically the red Christmas log looking thing. That was a very soft chocolate mousse like dessert and was probably my favourite one on the plate. The macaroon comes in random flavours, I luckily got a green tea one which literally melted in my mouth and you can really taste the strong tea flavor in the filling. I might be wrong, but I think they get it from TWG since I swear it tastes the same.
The chocolate shooter was certainly an interesting concept. It was basically a cookie in the shape of a shot glass and filled with chocolate milk. Our server explained that we should drink the shot first and proceed to enjoy the cookie. I’m a little bit of a weirdo and don’t like the idea of drinking milk so I sat this one out. Treesha said that the milk was at room temperature and she wasn’t too happy of how sweet it tasted.
After an hour of chatting away while sipping on our never ending tea and munching on our desserts, the grand finale made its entrance! Chocolate fountain with Christmas cookies, marshmallows and a melon (it was supposed to be a strawberry, but I guess they ran out). Don’t let the colour fool you, it was just white chocolate with red food colouring to match the season. I had quite enough of sweets by this time so I only had the melon and one cookie and didn’t try the fountain.
Treesha surprised me with an order of a chocolate mousse cake as an early birthday present. I was actually eyeing this cake when we entered the hotel so I was extremely happy when I saw it. I had enough of sweets but the moment I bit into it… OMG. It tasted EXACTLY like a cake I used to buy in my younger days for all my birthdays until the chef who made it retired. This was the best high tea I’ve gone for, and it undeniably won’t be the last.
I highly recommend trying Saint Regis out for a girls night out or to spoil for fam bam if you’re in Kuala Lumpur. Thank you so much to my dear friend who took me here.
♥ Jess
Location: No. 6 Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: Weekdays 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Weekends & Public holidays 2:00 – 4:00 pm
4:30 – 6:30 pm
Phone: +60327271111
Website: http://www.stregiskualalumpur.com/dining-drawing-room
7.1.17
Hawker's cuisine | Northbridge, Perth
This place is a saviour when I spend long nights doing assignments in uni since it opens till midnight. Treesha and I usually head out here when we need breaks during our all nighter sessions and it usually is busy, but the crowd comes in and out quite fast that we usually wait 20 minutes tops if it's a hectic night.
For drinks we had ribena and lemon ($4.50), ice lychee ($4.50) and kopi peng ($4.50).
We started off with what I always always order in every Asian restaurant that sells it, sambal kang kung ($15.80). I don't generally find kang kung very spicy in Australia so I asked them to kick it up a notch and double the chilli. This place makes delicious kang kung ♥
We order sizzling tofu ($13.80) as well which came out... not sizzling, but we got it exchanged pretty fast. It might be because they were extremely busy today but the sizzling tofu was not as I remembered it. It was super salty today. The service here is quick and all the staff had their own personal walkie-talkie which is rather cool.
I absolutely love their peking ribs and marmite chicken but since that was the only thing we ever really ordered here we decided to try something new, Bakar fish (price depends on season). The chilli was only placed on top of the fish so the back of the fish was quite bland. It was satisfying, but I think I'll stick with my ribs next time.
Overall, this place is wonderful for dinner. It's probably one of the better Asian cuisines I have had in Perth.
♥ Jess
Location: 40 Francis Street, Northbridge, Perth
Opening hours: 5pm-12am
Phone: (08) 9328 9668
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkerscuisine/
For drinks we had ribena and lemon ($4.50), ice lychee ($4.50) and kopi peng ($4.50).
We started off with what I always always order in every Asian restaurant that sells it, sambal kang kung ($15.80). I don't generally find kang kung very spicy in Australia so I asked them to kick it up a notch and double the chilli. This place makes delicious kang kung ♥
We order sizzling tofu ($13.80) as well which came out... not sizzling, but we got it exchanged pretty fast. It might be because they were extremely busy today but the sizzling tofu was not as I remembered it. It was super salty today. The service here is quick and all the staff had their own personal walkie-talkie which is rather cool.
I absolutely love their peking ribs and marmite chicken but since that was the only thing we ever really ordered here we decided to try something new, Bakar fish (price depends on season). The chilli was only placed on top of the fish so the back of the fish was quite bland. It was satisfying, but I think I'll stick with my ribs next time.
Overall, this place is wonderful for dinner. It's probably one of the better Asian cuisines I have had in Perth.
♥ Jess
Location: 40 Francis Street, Northbridge, Perth
Opening hours: 5pm-12am
Phone: (08) 9328 9668
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkerscuisine/
31.12.16
New year's resolution | 2017
I think it's great to have a list of goals you set yourself yearly since it helps you improve on yourself! Not only that but goals means that you have something to look forward to and it gives you another reason to celebrate when you actually achieve them. This year, I decided to post my goals on my blog so that it motivates me to achieve them even more and makes me accountable to them. I decided to have 12 goals this year, not too little so there can be challenges this year and not too much that I don't complete most of them.
1. Write a blog post at least once a month
Yes, I always get super busy when uni starts and neglect my blog but I'm hoping to change it around this year!
2. Drop down to 48 kgs
I was never a fat kid, I do however have a lot of fats around my stomach/thighs/arms which I could and should lose. Last year around christmas time I was 48kg, and I haven't grown any taller since so that's all fat gains right there! I'm currently 56 kgs and 155 cm tall so I'm looking to trim down a bit to fit into my old size 8 clothes. Hopefully I succeed in achieving this year because toning down and losing weight seems to be my goal every year that never succeeds haha!
2. Do a 30 day fitness challenge
I love fitness challenges! There's so many out there and I love doing them, the only problem is.... I've never successfully finished one. I mean I've done the 30 day shred challenge and 30 day abs challenge but I lasted 28 days and 22 days respectfully. TWENTY EIGHT days, Jess why why why it was only two extra days. I'm going to account my next challenge here so that I *hopefully* won't back out!
4. Get 6 hours sleep a day
Uni life usually leads me to sleep under 6 hours a day, which is horrible, I know. So this year I'm hoping to be more organised and balance my social/work life so that I can get a decent sleep every night!
5. Be able to jog for 5km
This is going to be a big goal for me as I'm really really bad at running. I don't think I can run for two minutes straight without dying.
6. Start a hobby
Right now I'm not sure what it will be, but I'm looking for some sort of hobby that is fitness related like maybe rock climbing, aerials or who knows maybe even kick boxing.
7. Visit my little sister once a week
My little sister is moving to Perth in January! She won't be living with me as she's younger than 18 and I can't be her guardian since I'm not a resident or citizen of Australia :(
So I'm going to try to visit her at least once a week to take her around.
8. Travel Travel Travel!
I want to experience more of the world, so this year I aim to visit a country that I have never been before!
9. Lose my concert virginity
Yup, I've never been to a concert. I've always imagined that my first concert would be Taylor Swift (Swiffie fan woo) but let's see if she tours Perth this year!
10. Get vacation work for the summer break.
I'm going to graduate in two years so I'd like to get as much connections/experience as I can so I can make my mark in the industry. Oh, and money, I want to make the cha-ching in summer too haha.
11. Maintain a distinction average.
Grades are important to me, and I want to keep my grades where they are at despite my other goals of travelling, working to save, etc, etc.
12. Have $50,000
I'm aiming to save enough in the next two years so that I can pay for my little sister to go to university here in Australia. I'm ending 2016 with $30,000 in my savings account since I've been saving for my baby girl for three years already. So $20,000 with jobs this year should be attainable? I don't know, let's hope!
So those are all my goals this year, come at me 2017.
Hope everyone has a good celebration tonight, Happy New Year!
♥ Jess
1. Write a blog post at least once a month
Yes, I always get super busy when uni starts and neglect my blog but I'm hoping to change it around this year!
2. Drop down to 48 kgs
I was never a fat kid, I do however have a lot of fats around my stomach/thighs/arms which I could and should lose. Last year around christmas time I was 48kg, and I haven't grown any taller since so that's all fat gains right there! I'm currently 56 kgs and 155 cm tall so I'm looking to trim down a bit to fit into my old size 8 clothes. Hopefully I succeed in achieving this year because toning down and losing weight seems to be my goal every year that never succeeds haha!
2. Do a 30 day fitness challenge
I love fitness challenges! There's so many out there and I love doing them, the only problem is.... I've never successfully finished one. I mean I've done the 30 day shred challenge and 30 day abs challenge but I lasted 28 days and 22 days respectfully. TWENTY EIGHT days, Jess why why why it was only two extra days. I'm going to account my next challenge here so that I *hopefully* won't back out!
4. Get 6 hours sleep a day
Uni life usually leads me to sleep under 6 hours a day, which is horrible, I know. So this year I'm hoping to be more organised and balance my social/work life so that I can get a decent sleep every night!
5. Be able to jog for 5km
This is going to be a big goal for me as I'm really really bad at running. I don't think I can run for two minutes straight without dying.
6. Start a hobby
Right now I'm not sure what it will be, but I'm looking for some sort of hobby that is fitness related like maybe rock climbing, aerials or who knows maybe even kick boxing.
7. Visit my little sister once a week
My little sister is moving to Perth in January! She won't be living with me as she's younger than 18 and I can't be her guardian since I'm not a resident or citizen of Australia :(
So I'm going to try to visit her at least once a week to take her around.
8. Travel Travel Travel!
I want to experience more of the world, so this year I aim to visit a country that I have never been before!
9. Lose my concert virginity
Yup, I've never been to a concert. I've always imagined that my first concert would be Taylor Swift (Swiffie fan woo) but let's see if she tours Perth this year!
10. Get vacation work for the summer break.
I'm going to graduate in two years so I'd like to get as much connections/experience as I can so I can make my mark in the industry. Oh, and money, I want to make the cha-ching in summer too haha.
11. Maintain a distinction average.
Grades are important to me, and I want to keep my grades where they are at despite my other goals of travelling, working to save, etc, etc.
12. Have $50,000
I'm aiming to save enough in the next two years so that I can pay for my little sister to go to university here in Australia. I'm ending 2016 with $30,000 in my savings account since I've been saving for my baby girl for three years already. So $20,000 with jobs this year should be attainable? I don't know, let's hope!
So those are all my goals this year, come at me 2017.
Hope everyone has a good celebration tonight, Happy New Year!
♥ Jess
21.12.16
Fitbit charge HR review
So I've own my fitbit HR for a year, and I absolutely love it. For those who don't know, fitbit is a brand that sells a wearable motivating workout buddy. It helps you track your steps, heart rate, workout, calorie in and calorie out, how much water you consume, your sleep, weight and just so much more.
I admit I had my doubts of its worth initially and since at that time I had just quit my job and money was tight. Fortunately, I won an instagram competition and scored a $50 voucher to Harvey Norman. God must have been on my side that week because it also happened to be on sale so I got it for $126. Yay me! (Of course now with the new blaze and HR 2 fitbit the price have dropped to almost half of what I bought it for).
Design and Features
The fitbit charge HR is made out of a light-weight rubbery material that rests comfortably on my arm. Currently, you can get it in four colours (Black, Plum, Blue and Tangerine), the black one is the best selling one, because let's face it, black matches everything. It has a small LED strip that shows your features with the tap of a button. Alternatively, you can double tap anywhere on the strap and it should turn on. It automatically turns off in about 8 seconds to conserve battery.
Heart-rate monitor
So the charge monitors your heart-rate via green LED lights. I would say it's fairly accurate just like any other wrist heart-rate monitor. I think this is a neat feature as it lets you know your heart-rate while you are resting, working out, sleeping and basically any time you want. This helps to monitor your calorie count during the day more precisely. This feature for me is motivating especially when I'm jogging or biking I love to just quickly check my heart rate and it encourages me to put more effort if I think my heart's not pumping enough.
Battery life
The fitbit comes with a USB cable that you can connect to your laptop, the plug is a different one from the norm, which is a downside for me. I think that making it a universal plug-in would make it much better since if you lose it you have to buy a new one specifically for the fitbit (happened to me twice, so clumsy). It lasts up to 5 days, so it says. It only takes an hour or two tops to fully charge which is convenient. I usually charge it when I play dota, which is almost everyday so it never really died on me. Sometimes it likes to display cute messages when it is fully charged like "I like you" or "faster".
Tracking activity
The charge tracks daily steps, distance, stair flights and sleep activity. You can adjust the goals according to your lifestyle and it shows all your stats in the fitbit app. To track a workout, you simply just hold the button until the counter starts and it'll record the stats of that workout interval. The fitbit is quite accurate except when I workout. Tracking exercises like running is fine but once you do exercises that have a lot of hand movement like boxing or riding my bike I find it to be off... by quite a bit. This doesn't really bother me much since my usual form of exercise is jogging or strength workout that does not involve me to move my arms vigorously.
The sleep tracker is SO COOL. Like really, I'm so amazed that it can know when I'm sleeping. It tracks even my short naps automatically. This feature is rad, it also lets you know when you're restless or have woken up from your sleep. Another useful feature is its silent alarm, it sends vibrations to your wrist and it's rather hard to sleep through.
Challenges
This. Is. The. Best. Not only do you obtain badges that goes to your profile to show off to people but you get to challenge friends too. According to me, this is the most motivating thing about my fitbit! They have daily goal challenges, work week challenges, weekend challenges or a daily showdown. Every time I see someone above me in the leader board I pretty much walk to uni instead of taking a bus (I live 20 good minutes away from my campus) or go for a walk just to surpass them since I'm quite competitive when it comes to my steps. I love it. I love it. I love it.
Other features
There's other features that I don't really use which exist on the fitbit. You can monitor your weight and it will graph your progress, input your water consumption, see caller ID's from your phone and calorie intake. The food variety is well, not that broad and if you want to be counting calories you're better off downloading an app like MyFitnessPal.
Dislikes
There are a few downsides to the fitbit charge HR, for example it's not waterproof so you can't use it for tracking exercises like swimming. If you're clumsy like me, you will probably scratch the screen and it's so hard to get it replaced as hardly any electronic stores will fix a fitbit screen. Another thing I dislike is, the rubber material. It popped out when I played volleyball and now it looks deformed. I also have super sensitive skin so when the weather is very humid, my skin under the strap likes to form rashes due to the fitbit (usually I would just switch the fitbit to my other wrist if it gets bad).
Conclusion
I think the fitbit charge HR certainly made my life more active by ditching the bus and walking, climb stairs instead of using the lift and even just walking around the house to complete my daily goal. I'd recommend looking into the fitbit charge HR 2 since it has a bigger screen and the strap is interchangeable so if you deformed your strap like I did, you can easily fix it by getting a new strap.
Now that the fitbit HR 2 is out, many stores like office works and harvey norman stopped stocking up on the fitbit HR but JB Hi-Fi (Teal/Plum) has them listed at $98 for anyone interested in one.
♥ Jess
I admit I had my doubts of its worth initially and since at that time I had just quit my job and money was tight. Fortunately, I won an instagram competition and scored a $50 voucher to Harvey Norman. God must have been on my side that week because it also happened to be on sale so I got it for $126. Yay me! (Of course now with the new blaze and HR 2 fitbit the price have dropped to almost half of what I bought it for).
Design and Features
The fitbit charge HR is made out of a light-weight rubbery material that rests comfortably on my arm. Currently, you can get it in four colours (Black, Plum, Blue and Tangerine), the black one is the best selling one, because let's face it, black matches everything. It has a small LED strip that shows your features with the tap of a button. Alternatively, you can double tap anywhere on the strap and it should turn on. It automatically turns off in about 8 seconds to conserve battery.
Heart-rate monitor
So the charge monitors your heart-rate via green LED lights. I would say it's fairly accurate just like any other wrist heart-rate monitor. I think this is a neat feature as it lets you know your heart-rate while you are resting, working out, sleeping and basically any time you want. This helps to monitor your calorie count during the day more precisely. This feature for me is motivating especially when I'm jogging or biking I love to just quickly check my heart rate and it encourages me to put more effort if I think my heart's not pumping enough.
Battery life
The fitbit comes with a USB cable that you can connect to your laptop, the plug is a different one from the norm, which is a downside for me. I think that making it a universal plug-in would make it much better since if you lose it you have to buy a new one specifically for the fitbit (happened to me twice, so clumsy). It lasts up to 5 days, so it says. It only takes an hour or two tops to fully charge which is convenient. I usually charge it when I play dota, which is almost everyday so it never really died on me. Sometimes it likes to display cute messages when it is fully charged like "I like you" or "faster".
Tracking activity
The charge tracks daily steps, distance, stair flights and sleep activity. You can adjust the goals according to your lifestyle and it shows all your stats in the fitbit app. To track a workout, you simply just hold the button until the counter starts and it'll record the stats of that workout interval. The fitbit is quite accurate except when I workout. Tracking exercises like running is fine but once you do exercises that have a lot of hand movement like boxing or riding my bike I find it to be off... by quite a bit. This doesn't really bother me much since my usual form of exercise is jogging or strength workout that does not involve me to move my arms vigorously.
The sleep tracker is SO COOL. Like really, I'm so amazed that it can know when I'm sleeping. It tracks even my short naps automatically. This feature is rad, it also lets you know when you're restless or have woken up from your sleep. Another useful feature is its silent alarm, it sends vibrations to your wrist and it's rather hard to sleep through.
Challenges
This. Is. The. Best. Not only do you obtain badges that goes to your profile to show off to people but you get to challenge friends too. According to me, this is the most motivating thing about my fitbit! They have daily goal challenges, work week challenges, weekend challenges or a daily showdown. Every time I see someone above me in the leader board I pretty much walk to uni instead of taking a bus (I live 20 good minutes away from my campus) or go for a walk just to surpass them since I'm quite competitive when it comes to my steps. I love it. I love it. I love it.
Other features
There's other features that I don't really use which exist on the fitbit. You can monitor your weight and it will graph your progress, input your water consumption, see caller ID's from your phone and calorie intake. The food variety is well, not that broad and if you want to be counting calories you're better off downloading an app like MyFitnessPal.
Dislikes
There are a few downsides to the fitbit charge HR, for example it's not waterproof so you can't use it for tracking exercises like swimming. If you're clumsy like me, you will probably scratch the screen and it's so hard to get it replaced as hardly any electronic stores will fix a fitbit screen. Another thing I dislike is, the rubber material. It popped out when I played volleyball and now it looks deformed. I also have super sensitive skin so when the weather is very humid, my skin under the strap likes to form rashes due to the fitbit (usually I would just switch the fitbit to my other wrist if it gets bad).
Conclusion
I think the fitbit charge HR certainly made my life more active by ditching the bus and walking, climb stairs instead of using the lift and even just walking around the house to complete my daily goal. I'd recommend looking into the fitbit charge HR 2 since it has a bigger screen and the strap is interchangeable so if you deformed your strap like I did, you can easily fix it by getting a new strap.
Now that the fitbit HR 2 is out, many stores like office works and harvey norman stopped stocking up on the fitbit HR but JB Hi-Fi (Teal/Plum) has them listed at $98 for anyone interested in one.
♥ Jess
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