New Year’s Health Resolutions

It’s that time of the year when we reflect upon the past year and whether we have accomplished all that we had set out to do exactly one year ago.

By Loo Pei Fen

More often than not, personal growth and health are two areas most people want to work on in the coming year. The Living Room spoke to ten people to find out their health goals for 2009.

The Ladies

1. Jesslyn Chow/26/engaged
   “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been having a hard time saying no to desserts. I’m a real junkie when it comes to cakes. Next year, I resolve to indulge in desserts only twice a week.
   
   I’m also trying to be more active and will probably pick up another sport on top of my weekly hip-hop dance classes.”
   
   

2. Yvonne Chung/30/married with a one-year-old son
   “For the coming year, I hope to read up and understand more about the nutritional value of food in order to plan a well-balanced diet for the whole family. In particular, I want to inculcate good eating habits for my son to enhance his behavior and emotional wellbeing.
   
   As a mother, I want to enjoy my son’s development and growth, plus give him the right amount of indulgence and discipline. As an individual, I want to learn not to fuss over the small things and to be contented with life as it is. Having my family with me and being healthy is really more than I can ask for, so everything else is a bonus.”

3. Andrea Goh/29/single
   “I have specific health goals for the coming year, most of it sports-related. I’m aiming to complete my first marathon, and this will require me to commit to regular running sessions. On top of that, I want to maintain flexibility by doing pilates and yoga weekly.
   
   With so much going on at the exercise front, I think it’s important to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep daily to recover and recuperate, so I’m working towards that.”

4. Christine Teo/39/divorced
   “In 2008, I successfully cut down on the number of cigarettes I smoke every day. For 2009, I will stop bringing my cigarettes out with me so I will be forced to quit smoking forever!
   
   Otherwise, it will pretty much negate all the other health resolutions I’m planning. I aim to eat more healthily with more greens and less carbohydrates, and cut down on junk food. Where exercise is concerned, I want to get rid of that stubborn piece of flab around my stomach so I need to be more strict with myself and keep up my exercise regime.”

5. Ginny Phang/30/single mother of a seven-year-old son
   “I really want to lose the 15kg I put on over the past year (lost 3kg so far, 11kg more to go!). My schedule as a doula is pretty erratic as I can be on-call anytime during the day or night, and I hope to make time for everything that’s going on in my life— work, play and self.”

6. Candice Yong/26/married
   “2009 is probably going to be a tough year for me physically, since I may undergo a spinal surgery to correct my scoliosis. Still, I’m hoping a diet of less carbohydrates and caffeine, plus more calcium, will help me along.
   
   Time management has always been an issue for me since I never seem to have enough time to do everything I want to do! I’m aiming for better time management on both work and personal fronts so I can travel more before I have kids, and put aside more quality time with my family and friends.”

The Gentlemen

1. Osborn Yap/39/divorced
   “There’s a lot to be done with age catching up on me.
   
   I hope to increase my weekly gym session to twice a week and focus on more weight-training to tone up my muscles. Food-wise, I eat healthily at home with mostly steamed or oven-baked dishes but when I’m out, I hope to cut down on oily or fried foods. That will probably be accomplished much easily when I cut down on my pub nights out, since I indulge in oily pub fare like fried chicken wings there.”

2. Zac Leow/38/divorced
   “2009 will be a maintenance year for me since I pretty much managed to ‘renew my life’ in 2008. I was lethargic all the time and people thought I was already in my early 40s. That made me start watching my diet and exercise more regularly. The results have shown themselves this year since people have commented that I look younger.
   
   So next year, my resolution is to exercise three times a week, pursue good eating habits and allocate more time for rest. I want to have a good quality of living too, so I will still attend social gatherings or go clubbing.”
   
   

3. Tan Pin Hao/32/engaged
   “I am getting married in mid-2009, so I only have six months to lose some weight in order to look good on my wedding day! I’m currently stressed out about losing this weight, and my late-night dinners have not helped at all.
   
   So for 2009, I aim to eat at home more often—it’s healthier and also kinder on the pocket. I also want to take jogging more seriously, since I’ve only put in a half-hearted effort this year. Once I lose 10kg for my wedding, the next step is to stay at that healthy weight!”
   
   

4. Seah Kwee Seng/38/married with a 5-month-old daughter
   “My wife has been nagging me to cut down on my sugar intake. I have to admit that for the past couple of years, I’ve been on a dessert binge. I’m also partial to fried snacks like goreng pisang and doughtnuts, which have now been banned by my wife. I also take my coffee with a lot of sugar, so I need to cut down on that too, or drink more plain water! Looks like 2009 isn’t going to be such a sweet year after all.”
   
   

5. Allen Thio/26/single
   “I got sick a lot in 2008 because I’ve been partying too hard. I really need to cut down on my alcoholic nights out, and get back to the gym. My gym membership has not been utilised much in 2008, and I’d been coming up with too many excuses to explain my laziness.
   
   So for 2009, I’m going to get my health back in shape by eating better and drinking much less. Hopefully, coupled with the regular exercise, I’ll stop falling ill so much!”