The Rule of 60

Here is my first fitness post even though I am nowhere near being a girl with abs, tiny waistline and strong arms; but I do admit that I have a pair of strong legs that bring me from home to the MRT within 8 minutes in a 1.6 km journey. This rule that I am about to introduce is something that has kept me motivated to workout since early this year.

Note that all these are based on my own experience and I have not consulted any fitness coach.

If you are a beginner, e.g. haven't been working out for a long time or run once in a blue moon for only 1.6 km and then rewarding yourself to a huge meal, start with The Rule of 30. For every exercise that you do, remember, it does not improve on a specific area... all parts of the body work together! Don't think that doing crunches would only tighten your abs and think that it is enough of a step to getting flat belly. If exercising works this way, personal trainers would be out of job and gyms would go bust.

I strongly suggest girls to do exercises on the yoga mat if you are at home because most of us would be barefooted and there is a chance of slipping after much perspiration. Also, do exercise in a well-ventilated room, preferably the living room or anywhere that you don't feel claustrophobic because you need all the space available to make you feel comfortable. 

The Rule of 60 is considered as an intermediate stage for me and sort of the plateau stage where you don't see obvious changes in your physique but you know that some muscles are developing. 

I use this routine to train my waist, abs and butt by doing this entire set ideally three times with 30 seconds break in between to catch my breath.Yes, just catching my breath and allowing me to focus for another round of why-do-I-torture-myself workout. It would not be a good idea to rest longer than a minute because your heart rate would have already recovered and springing into a set of strenuous training would only give you high blood pressure and your face flushes and you feel pressure buildup in your head and collapse on the floor. Nobody wants that to happen to them. 

Whenever you feel comfortable at this stage, DON'T CONTINUE! Getting out of your comfort zone is key in training/exercise as your comfort zone won't bring your physique any where better. The next step is to increase each workout by 10 reps and do the entire set until you are comfortable with it, then move on with the same concept. Although some people recommend doing more crunches that sit-ups in a 30-day abs workout, I prefer to keep things the same because my abs wouldn't be able to more torture and it is easier to keep count.

Ideally, the final stage would be The Rule of 120. But you can go on further if you like (and if you can take it). Have fun and good luck!