transitinparis.

Watching what I put into my mouth these days will be so much easier if I were chilling in Bali and having Sisterfields right at my door step.

My 29th birthday was fabulous in the simplest way possible. Thanks to my current job, I was able to utilize some spa vouchers to enjoy a relaxing massage session at the Banyan Tree Spa in Marina Bay Sands. The pampering session did not end there, as I headed on to The Nail Artelier at Kembangan Suites to fancy up my nails. The service was excellent, the staff were not pushy and the nail art - the most elaborate but fuss free I have ever done. I am definitely coming back!

Bastien, my lonesome boy. Unfortunately, this picture pretty much sums up our sordid and exhausting weekend. Rushed to the A&E on Saturday, only to be properly diagnosed on Sunday evening and out of the hospital today. It was a trying weekend for us post-Switzerland, and I am certainly looking forward to the upcoming week to chase away the blues.

Vogue Spain with Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina Shyak - I can't read Spanish but I am definitely getting this issue of Vogue downloaded!

On a more serious note - Swiss Watching by Diccon Bewes is an awesome book. Granted that I have a vested interest in all things Switzerland, but if you are looking for a light-hearted read punctuated with witty remarks, you should grab this book. It makes an easy read for the daily commute, and one that makes you a tad more knowledgeable about a country supremely regarded in today's world.

Naturally, I went on to purchase "Slow Train to Switzerland" from The Book Depository. Can't wait for the book to arrive!

This May marked my 2nd trip to Switzerland (the 2011 Geneva marathon weekend does not count!) and my only regret now is that I did not document my first trip in 2013, where there were a lot more sightseeing involved! I should dig through the photos and ink down whatever I can remember soon...

Neuchâtel is a beautiful canton in Switzerland. It is the place where my love spent his younger days, and where his parents are running their pharmacy. It is always our home base when we are back in Switzerland, and I personally grew to love the place more and more, visit after visit. It is so different from Singapore it is unimaginable. I have gotten accustomed to rustic buildings being homes to large conglomerates and multinational companies, in contrasts to the skyscrapers we see in big cities; the eclectic mix of shops that are not bounded and clustered by "sections" (a bookstore next to an expensive watch shop! a tabac next to a prominent law firm!) and the quaint tea rooms and chocolatier that are self-run family business unfazed by commercialism. And the lake, or Lac de Neuchatel, as the locals call it, what a sight. I aim to spend a lot more time by the lake the next trip.

It is a funny story how my love of cats has developed just over a year. I have never been a fan of cats, even when B and I started dating, our relationship could not change my mind on how I feel about these felines. Till... I met Alfie, and learned to love her and accept her (i.e. cats) for who she (i.e. they) is (are).

So I was really excited and thankful to have met Tigrou (French for Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh). He is 18.5 years old, which is considered a ripe old age. Initially we thought we will miss him, but I guess he sensed Bastien was returning to see him so he hung on. Of course, he walks a lot slower now and sleeps a lot more, but nothing beats him coming to snuggle up with us voluntarily and purring his way through. 

One of the things I have been looking forward to the past 2 Sundays is to plan my exercises for the week. This will mean going on youtube to find interesting exercises on Tone it Up Tuesdays, or googling stuff like, "Exercises for inner thighs"... you get the drift. But I find a lot of joy finding exercises to do, I think it keeps me very motivated and excited and takes the monotony of things. To top it up, I have been hooked on 2 Broke Girls lately, and watching the sitcom whilst I exercise sure makes the 45 minutes whiz past with ease! So here is what I have for this week:

ABS

1 x 100 normal crunch

1 x 25 double crunch

1 x 25 bicycle crunch

2 x 25 lower ab toner

BUTT

2 x 25 heatwave

2 x 25 tipsy with weights - see video here

LOVE HANDLES / THIGHS

2 x 25 love handle

2 x 25 outer thigh

2 x 25 inner thigh toner - see video here (new love this week! Going to do this a lot more!)

2 x 15 touchdown lunges - see video here

2 x 15 corset lunges - see video here

ARMS

2 x 15 bend over tricep extension - see video here

2 x 15 pushups

2 x 15 tricep curls

CALVES

2 x 15 tip-toe dumbbell calf raises

2 x 15 tip-toe plie squats - see article here (This also works out the inner thighs!)

I am already achy today so I think some of the untouched muscles (or fat) are finally burning it up! On the other hand, last week was also a week for a couple of 1st: I finally got my hands on Lee Kuan Yew's latest book, "One Man's View of the World". I know this sounds crazy but I have the habit of rotating my books so I am actually reading 3 books at one go. I usually pick up the book that suits my mood and then pick up another, depending the time of the day. So far 2 chapters in, and I already wish I have a tinge of his wisdom, so that my outlook in life will be more worldly and mature. Despite what many critics might say, no one can deny the fact that he has done so much for us and we will never be where we are today without him. I am a fan of LKY, and proud to be a Singaporean, largely 'cos of him. The 2nd book I bought is a lot more fun and relaxed, it is le petit nicolas! For those who do not know, this book is a popular one among young French kids, especially ideal for those around 7 to 9 years old. It is actually a series of story books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé. This is such a step-up for me and makes learning French a lot more fun! I finished the first chapter in 2 days - considered slow given it is approximately 500 words and about 5 pages (with some illustrations), BUT when I understood the full story, I felt so accomplished! It was amazing. I'm trudging through the book slowly, and hope to finish it in due time and continue with the other books in the series. Talk about killing the monotony of learning another language! *Yay*

Ending my long weekend break was a very nice dinner with Bastien's friend from Switzerland and her boyfriend. We had the chance to go to Mozza again (always saving nice restaurants for people visiting us!) and once again, not disappointed! If only they could increase the portions for the caprese salad, I will definitely be back a lot more!

I hate to admit it, but after raving much about Insanity on this blog... I decided to pull all stops to this program and resume with my core floor exercises, which I truly enjoy a lot more. The breaking point was one night last week, after Bastien and I had a celebratory dinner for his 1 year in Singapore, I had to go ahead with the program and I was just not into it. I stopped the video halfway and though, "Okay, stop.". I had faith in the program, but I could not deal with the weight gain and the "stress" I feel every day to go home early after dinner to work out. After a while, it was too regimental and not enjoyable.

I decided to head back to my core exercises, which I enjoy a lot more. Now, I don't think I have failed in terms of my resolution to complete a program, nor shall I feel bad about myself, 'cos 1 week into my core exercises (and doing it my way!), I am feeling way better, and toner as well. I will slowly incorporate insane abs and pure cardio into my routine once I get the hang of it. I get most of my inspiration and exercises from Livestrong Women for the Tone it Up Tuesday workouts. Check it out! I do an average of 10 to 15 different exercises, approximately 2 to 3 sets, 15 to 25 reps for each exercise depending on the target areas and intensity required. After the exercises, I will do some intense stretching and I also incorporate some yoga poses to increase the core strength of my back.But just to give you an idea, this is what I will typically do, approximately 5 times a week:

100 normal crunches - done slowly to ensure that you are engaging your core and not a reflex movement of moving your head and your back in a "rocking" motion

2 x 25 double curl crunches - see here

2 x 25 booty lifters - see here

2 x 25 march for cheeks - see same video as (3)

2 x 25 heat wave - see same video as (3)

2 x 25 lower ab toner - see same video as (3), this is my favourite!

2 x 50 side tilts with dumbbells to work out the love handles

2 x 25 slim down love handles - see same video as (3)

2 x 25 outer thigh kicks - see same video as (3)

2 x 15 thigh slimming squats - see here

2 x 15 push-ups

2 x 15 tricep curls

2 x 15 calves dip

2 x 25 standing back leg raises - see 2nd exercise of this video here

Of course, I will find new exercises to incorporate into my current workout, switch out some or have a complete revamp so as to keep this "fresh" and exciting. I enjoy finding more videos on youtube to learn new exercises to work on my core.

Just for fun, I have embedded a video by the dynamic duo and you'll understand why I have so much fun mish-mashing all sorts of exercises together and having more fun than before!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlTfvNm5ZSA]

Fun times at NDP 2013 this year. It was more like a rock concert than anything, but I am so happy that Bastien had such a great time and learned more about Singapore (and our military prowness! *POW!*) Also, I never thought I was a BBQ-person. I don't really like feeling mucky and smelling like a burnt charcoal... but I realize I was wrong. I love BBQs, especially so when I get to play host. :) I attended two BBQs this long weekend, first was with Bastien's colleagues, where we had an amazing array of BBQ dishes and we were taught by the gracious chef on how to prepare some special but simple dishes! And what do we do best... apply what we learn! We prepared a very simple cabbage salad with goma tare sauce - which only Bastien and I ate today 'cos there was so much food from our own BBQ... but I am glad (and selfish enough) to say that I get to finish up the remaining chopped cabbage for lunch tomorrow!

Another trick I learned and picked up from the internet is the wonders of buttermilk. We were a little curious and apprehensive but since I was left to my vices to do the marination for this BBQ - I decided to just give it a shot. it was A M A Z I N G. The buttermilk marination kept the chicken breast milk super soft and tender.. even though the outside was slightly charred as our fire got a little too hot at one point, the insides remained succulent and very juicy. Our 2 french guests gave us a thumbs-up... and I walked away feeling super accomplished and happy.

And as affirmed earlier, I love leftovers, simply because it gives you the freeway to create something out of a mish-mash of stuff in your pantry or fridge. Bastien cooked up some pain perdu for lunch today with the (free) leftover wholemeal bread we got. It is essentially what we call, the french toast, but way tastier as it is bursting with a buttery flavour. Check out the recipe of the fancy version here.

I'm delighted to say that my long weekend is going to be extended... and I will be on a break till Thursday! Can't wait to just vegetate, exercise, relax and spend some quality time with my family. Of course, throw in accompanying one of our best friends who is in town, another best friend for dinner and everything else in between.

This Monday isn't off to a good start. Not at all, fingers crossed and with an attitude switch (I am trying! But still riling in some hot heat at the atrocity of the issue I am dealing with), this short work week will take a turn and be the best one yet.

Keeping things up with these pictures!

I love duck confit. Also, I am a fan of affordable French food, and there is a cute little place along East Coast Road called Le Petit Paradis, where Bastien & I go to for our French fix. The food is simple, fuss-free and affordable.

Always a highlight of the week, except last week it didn't go too well... but always fun to catch up with Aishah, who is the silent supporter of our erratic tennis sessions!

Picture taken by a friend, who is a budding photographer, at another friend's engagement party. I love this picture - it truly captures the essence of our relationship and how I envision the "us" to be.

Over the weekend, I stumbled across Elite Daily, a space where you can find some very interesting (and not-so-interesting) articles. I particularly like the Life section, which served to be a very good weekend read, to which a lot that was mentioned are things I can relate to.

"The truth is, being a healthy woman isn't about getting on a scale or measuring your waistline - and we can't afford to think that way."

Bastien has been consistently telling me that I don't need to lose weight, I just need to tone up, if I really have to push myself this far. I really need to listen to him (and her) more, rather than what the scales tell me, whilst I exercise. It is so much less punishing this way.

Girls! Do the same for yourself! I know how obsessive we can be when it comes to our weight... as long as you are committed to keep fit, eat right, have your cheat day so that you won't nut out... I think we can safely say we are taking care of ourselves, and the results will show in other various ways that does not include the scale.

Press on!

August has arrived! I am super thrilled 'cos that means I am one step closer to a new beginning, and more importantly, another short holiday break with Bastien. This time we are heading to Khao Lak, Thailand, and we will be staying in Casa de la Flora, which is highly recommended by a few acquaintances. Can't wait to bask in the sun (and shade), being near the sea and just ease out of the daily crunch and relax.

(Now I'm sure you can understand why I'm so excited!)

Other than that, I am super happy that Bastien has jumped onto the fitness bandwagon, also known as the Insanity workout, with me! He has been a great source of encouragement and drive for me - even though he has been aching a lot, he is not willing to give up and very determined to strive to the end! It really helps that he is so motivated, as I, myself, sometimes need a lot of encouragement to get through a program that encompasses repeated workouts. It is especially hard to do the Insanity workout on days we play tennis (Tuesday and Thursday), but I am very proud to say that I have not missed out on a single session so far! My body has also recovered from the aches and I am feeling better than before. I know the battle is far from over but I am just glad to have a partner who is as excited about completing this challenge as me. I hope to be able to continue with the workouts in a positive manner, "dig deeper", and hopefully shed some inches in time to come! I just came across this very good article, that well explained the impact of cardio or weights training for weight loss, have a read if you are interested!

Have a good weekend, folks! We are going to catch the HOSSAN-AH comedy this Sunday!

So it wasn't just about Insanity the past week. But I am glad that I survived this week and though I literally almost cried whilst going through some exercises today, I think I am progressing. I have read how people burn up to 1,000+ calories during each workout but for some (like my friend), they can only burn up to 400 calories. I do not have a HRM and am definitely thinking of investing in one, but I believe I, unfortunately, belong to the latter group. Hopefully I will see some results by the end of this program... it's tough keeping up with the tempo of the program, to be honest!

Anyway, my life is a lot more than just insanity workouts. Thankfully! It has been amazing, the past 2 weekends - full of catch-ups with friends and close friends alike, and going to new places that we have never been before. I have also concluded that Bastien is hardly a brunch person, and is not a fan of S$20 plate of meh eggs, bacon strips and what sides they usually come with... he thinks he can whip up a better storm than what we have been served...but when, my dear! Anyway, it is not just about the food but really, the meaningful conversations we have had over chi-chi lattes and artery-clogging bacon. We share a couple of friends who are in Singapore to work under a contracted period of time, so it is quite sad for us to have to bid farewell to a friend that we recently grew close to. But such is life right? Ever since my time in Paris, I learnt to appreciate friendships for what they are, and believe that with effort, such relationships transcend everything. Unless your said friend is still on a GSM network, there is no reason why he or she is not a whatsapp-conversation away.

Another first was to bring Bastien to the Ramadan bazaar at Geylang Serai. I used to live in the vicinity so it was a walk down memory lane for me and a super enjoyable experience showing Bastien around and getting him to try the Malay delicacies. Naz and Aishah, once again, were awesome sports and our time together has always been nothing short but amazing. Super blessed to have a deep friendship with that couple!

And I am super stoked to have found a lovely burrito stand to satiate my appetite for a good ol' Mexican wrap! Shall keep it under wraps for now... but if you are ever interested, please give me a shout-out!

But of course, I always attempt to start my day well... unfortunately it takes way more will power for me to end my day as well as I begin.

Can't wait for the upcoming week to start and obviously end, so that we are 1 step closer to our holiday in September, Bastien will be 1 step closer to closing a personal deal and potentially a bigger place to live in, if everything miraculously fall into place. I mean, miraculously. But never, say never!

I'm back to give a short review of how it has been so far.... firstly, my calves are burning like never before! They are aching as I walk, making it tough to sprint but I am feeling stronger and with more workouts, I know the pain will gradually ease off. This is what I learnt during my intensive swimming training days, when many hours in the pool have left me feeling super sore... my coach always told me that was no excuse to slack off because the more you continue with the intensive training, the faster the aches and soreness will go away. It is true and proven one too many times, and I am following closely to this adage even up till today.

The 1st workout after the fit test was the Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It is a 40 minutes workout in total, but in actuality, it is 20 minutes of hard core interval workout and 20 minutes of warm up, stretching and cool down exercises. What I really like about the Insanity workouts so far is the incorporation of stretching and some simple yoga moves. Shaun T's emphasis on stretching for recovery is something that I enjoy and take very seriously!

After a series of warm-up exercises, which consist of: jogging, jumping jacks, Heisman's, 1-2-3 1-2-3, butt kicks, high knees and mummy kicks (repeated 3x, going faster after each series to raise your heart rate), we proceeded on to a series of cardio exercises which... was super duper tough! Before long I was already sweating buckets, and I was doing these exercises in the comfort of my air-conditioned room and... I am not one who sweats! (I hardly sweat joining 6km in the Singapore heat, can you believe it!) The exercise drills work similar to the warm-ups, repeated 3 times and going faster to achieve more reps than the previous set. The exercises include:

1st series

Suicide Drills

Power Squats

Mountain Climbers

Ski Down

2nd series

Switch Feet

Football-wide Sprints

Basketball Drills (Kill me now!)

Level 1 Drills

Ski Abs

In Out Abs

3rd series

Jabs

Crossjacks

Uppercuts

Attacks

I was dead by the time I reach the basketball drills and was losing my form. Shaun T will tell you, once you start losing your form, take a break! And I did, to try to come back stronger. Each exercise, I do try my best to focus on my core muscles especially my abdominals and try to be as motivated as possible to finish the entire program, following the rep count. It was rather fun as there was a huge variety of exercise to follow, and slightly comforting to know that even the demonstrators are having a tough time (so I didn't feel too loserish afterall!). I was very pooped by the end of this workout. Needless to say I slept like a baby full from milk and woke up feeling happy as a lark the next day (with burning calves, of course!)

The 2nd workout which I embarked on, was the Cardio Power and Resistance. I personally felt less breathless compared to the first day and was able to follow more closely to the rhythm as compared to the first workout. The warm-up exercises are similar to the Plyometric workout, repeating 3 times, increasing the pace and intensity as you go along. Then you proceed on to the following exercises:

1st series

Power Jumps

Belt Kicks (I liked this one, probably the most relaxing exercise of the lot - it's a bit like a karate move)

Hit the Floor

"V" Push-ups (Not a fan of this at all! I already have broad and muscular shoulders so I did scale down the number of reps for this exercise)

2nd series

Tricep Dips

Leg Tricep Dips

Tricep Ball Push-ups (This exercise, I do not get.)

3rd series

Hurdle Jumps

Globe Jumps (I love this one as well)

Moving Push ups (I have a tiny issue with my psychomotor skills, can't seem to coordinate very well but was still able to follow the pace)

Floor Sprints

4th series

8 hop squats / 8 push-ups

I also decided to take my measurements yesterday (waist, hips, thigh, calves) and will take it on a weekly basis to see if there are any progress. I should also get down to buying a heart rate monitor to see how much calories I have been burning. This is a rather exciting journey! I am going to squeeze in the cardio recovery workout this evening before I head out for a tennis game!

I'm sure most of you have heard of the Insanity Workout. I have, with two friends doing the workout rather religiously. Since I am not keen on busting my right knee with more running, I decided it was time to give this home workout a try. Home workouts sound relaxing as you can do crunches in front of the tv, yoga poses in front of the TV and you stretch and exercise through the entire 40 minutes program (Castle, for me!), but the Insanity program, as I grew to realize yesterday, is really no walk in the park. Gone is my castle series, as I have to follow the workout video closely to get motivation (through Shaun T's encouragement and pumping music!) and follow the moves at the right time and pace. Very tough, but nevertheless, I know I am going to enjoy it.

Briefly, the Insanity workout requires one to follow the program for 60 days. 6 days of workout and 1 day of rest each week, then the cycle repeats. There is a time table to follow, which begins with a "Fit Test", and you will take the fit test again once every 2 weeks to monitor your progress - through the increase / decrease (hopefully not! but apparently if you follow the workout schedule closely, guarantee not!) of repetitions done for 8 exercises. The 8 exercises are: switch kicks, power jacks, power knees, power jumps, globe jumps, suicide jumps, push-up jacks and low plank obliques.

You are to complete as many reps under 1 minute for each exercise, after which you record the number of reps completed and compare the results to how you performed in the previous fit test. Yesterday was the 1st fit test and... I think I almost passed out after the 5th exercise! I even had to pause the video (the breaks in between wasn't enough) to get a glass of water to cool down. And I thought my fitness level couldn't be too poor considering I have been exercising consistently but I guess when it comes to core training and HIIT, I am really far off from reaching the fitness level I thought I was at and hoped.

So today, I will start on my 2nd day of the insanity program, and the 1st actual 40 minutes workout. The various 40 minutes workouts repeat themselves throughout the two weeks and are aimed to ensure that you "dig deeper" each time, increase the reps and make sure all the core muscles are "engaged".  I thought what better way to try to stick to this program by the journey here in hope that now it is made public, I will try my best not to slack off :) Of course it will be hard to follow it religiously for 6 consecutive days since I have to play tennis 2x a week after work, but I will try. The whole idea is also to have fun, whilst putting my body through something rather intensifying. The best part of this workout for me, is the need to eat clean, but eat regularly. There is a diet plan that comes along with the program, and I will try my best to follow, if not eat as clean as I can.

My facebook was recently flooded with images and status updates of my friends who are graduating from the Masters' program this end July. I am so happy for them, as I (and all our dearest friends) experienced the same euphoric moment of finishing up our last presentation and awaiting the day we don on our mortarboards and close this memorable chapter of our lives...! Congrats guys! You've made it!

One year on, all of us have moved on from being Residence du Port neighbors, to different parts of the world (Los Cabos, Chicago, Singapore, Bali...). Yet, technology has kept us close together and we can't wait to reunite again (March 2014 for our dearest Andres' wedding!). Such friendships are so precious and strong that they surpass time, distance and everything in between. I am sure when we meet again, it will just be like where we left off (26 July 2012) and nothing like  Cuba Libre to fire up the night.

Our typical weekend together includes meeting up at Bastien's place in the early afternoon after lunch with my folks, and he is done with his tennis and Chinese class. We proceed to either Parkway Parade, our trusty heartland mall 2 bus-stops away to stock up for the weekend, or vegetate in front of the TV and enjoy mystery thrillers (i.e. Castle!) together. In the evening, we will head to Kallang Tennis Centre for 2 hours of tennis before heading back to cook or "da-bao" from our local coffee shop. Bastien will get his weekly bottle of Tiger Beer, and I, a bag of microwaved salted popcorn which we will enjoy together, and Alfie, if she is calm, will be snuggled at our feet, snoozing her birdy dreams away. Sunday kind of happens as a repeat of Saturday, except in the late afternoons, when Bastien heads off to have a more "professional" game of tennis with a friend, and I head home, continuing with my weekend vegetation.

It's amazing how boring it sounds, but that is the routine we look forward to every week. Making veggie juices together (I, rather), shopping for the week.. mundane but mandatory and fun. This weekend, or rather, Saturday, was a little different. Brunch was at Food for Thought (Botanic Gardens) with a friend who works here but is leaving soon. I felt really bad as I suggested the place, and our friends took a long time to the cafe as they entered Botanic Gardens from the Bukit Timah side, when Food for Thought was nearer to Tanglin Gate. Personally, I always had the full works breakfast, which never disappoint, but on Saturday - we weren't too impressed. Bastien's burger was a big let-down (quoted, "This is the worst burger I have eaten!" oops.) and my oriental duck salad was meh. Now I stick to my guns that being adventurous with food does not pay at times! Anyway, whatever we had and experienced was quite a contrast to the full works which I thought was very good (granted, the last time I went to FfT for brunch was eons ago). That is one of the main problems these brunch cafes face when their businesses burgeon and become too commercialized. In a way, Wild Honey is similar but at least the food is still of a certain standard. Anyway, I hope that Singapore will continue to have its niche of quaint cafes which are focused on doing food right and having their quality in check at all times.

Thereafter, we proceeded to a dear friend's baby's 1 month shower at Delicious, Scotts Square. We had a cosy nook which served as a private area for the mini party and it was superbly nice to catch up with our dear friends. Can't wait to catch up with everyone again in 2 weeks! And also, late on the craze again - finally headed down to Ubin Seafood at Sin Ming Industrial Estate for a mean rib-eye and seafood dishes. I mean, a good, mean piece of rib-eye - beating lots of snotty, western restaurants in Singapore hands-down. Nothing warms my heart like a well-cooked piece of meat, decently presented, at a coffee shop. I am a huge advocate of the local coffee shop culture, and many a times, find the food there a lot better than the restaurants that are crowding every nook and cranny of our country these days. I even love more, the fact that it gives me a good bang for my buck - $4 for a good plate of sambal fried rice - that's what I call a great dinner. Anyway, I digress again. Rib-eye aside, I need to try the fried rice cooked in beef fat soon. My cousin raved about it - and if he raves, I'm trying it.

I confess - I am a fitness junkie. If I am not playing tennis after work these days, you will catch me skipping at least 20 mins and doing some form of resistance training before I hit the sack every night. As work requires me to travel on certain days, you can be rest assured that I'll check twice through and through to make sure my Nike Free Run babies are in my luggage, instead of my electric toothbrush.

In today's world, where one will find throngs of world renowned hotels in the many cities I visit, I should be expecting at least a decent fitness centre with a treadmill or two, elliptical trainers and a free weights area. Is it that hard? Apparently so. How many times I have stepped into a fitness centre of a world-class hotel, only to leave 10 minutes later, utterly disappointed...many.

Firstly, if hotels think that creating a 10 sqm space in the basement constitutes a "fitness center" - I just have 2 words: forget it! The whole idea of having a fitness centre is for guests to be able to enjoy the daily sweat, or for them to rejuvenate themselves and take their mind off the daily toil. Studies have shown that having a well-equipped fitness center is becoming imperative when corporate guests are making a choice between hotel A and B (i.e., moi). So it is beyond my wildest imagination how some hotels think that it is okay, or possible, for guests to be boxed up in a tiny underground space, and be able to reach a point of nirvana or rejuvenation. And who ever said having garish red carpets are okay in fitness centers? Don't these hotel designers realize that carpets make an area look (and feel) a lot warmer than it actually is?

Here is my 2 cents worth:

The fitness centre of Ritz Carlton Hong Kong, located on the 118th Floor of ICC.

Ritz Carlton Hong Kong - A smashing view from the indoor pool

If possible, try to give your gym a view of the outdoors. It need not be on the highest floor of the hotel (which I personally think is a waste of space of prime, revenue-generating space, but Ritz Carlton Hong Kong did a smashing job at that) but it will be wonderful if the place can enjoy some natural sunlight.

Do away with the carpets. Personally, I think the best one can do is to keep the overall look simple and clean, hence, parquet flooring will be the most suitable.

Invest in good ventilation. I was recently at the Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Colorful Yunnan Kunming - and despite a no-smoking policy at the fitness centre, the gymnasium reeked of smoke. Running was so tedious as my throat was very dry and irritated by impurities. No fun!

Cold towels, please? Nothing beats receiving a chilled towel after a good cardio session. And for this, Marina Bay Sands' Banyan Tree Fitness Club did it best. Panoramic views of Singapore aside, reaching for a chilled towel from the mini fridge when I was done with my workout was enjoyable (for me, the guest) and super fuss-free (for the staff). Little touches like these go a long way, more than people can imagine.

Top of the notch gym machines are not necessary, but well-maintained machines are much appreciated. Personally, touchscreen machines annoy me. When I am running for my life and need to take the speed a notch down, having to wait for the "sensors" to react to the touch of my fingers can be rather frustrating!

I swear, it is not only me - but a lot still needs to be done to revamp this once ignored and forgotten space - because this is no longer the case. Healthy living has become a top priority for many people today and when they travel, it is something that more often than not, do not leave their minds. Additionally, the emphasis and importance is obvious - hotel chains are coming up with fitness menus or even fitness hotels to cater to this growing mass. IHG will be launching its first Even hotel this year. 

If it is way too difficult for one to create a proper gym - how about keeping a few sets of free weights and yoga mats as housekeeping inventory and make it an option for guests to dial and call for, like room service? I think this will work very well, at a reasonably low cost. Fingers crossed for me, the next hotel I visit, I will be able to enjoy my 30 minute sweat period in utter ease.