Woah what, it’s April?

 

That means a couple of months have passed since the Chinese New Year holidays. By now, you might be finding yourself caught in a routine and in need of a break. But with flight tickets, accommodation and the myriad other travel expenses, who can afford it?

 

Don't cry just yet!

 

Well, thankfully, we have some serious wanderlusters in the Twenty3 office and they’re super eager to share their best advice on how to save your hard-earned cash when travelling.

 

Here are six ways you can make the most of your big break, without breaking the bank!

 

1. Do Your Research

Before the fun and relaxation begins, a little research is necessary to ensure you’re not spending more than you need to.

 A. Flights

Given that flights can take up the biggest chunk of your travel expenses, finding cheap tickets can make all the difference! Start with noting down when low and peak seasons are. For example, during the summer months in Europe, it is possible you’ll pay up to double the price for flight tickets! Some of our favourite tools to find the best deals are GoogleFlights, Skyscanner and the lesser known Skypicker, which searches through budget and major airlines to come up with ‘unofficial’ routes that are often a lot cheaper. Don’t forget to also sign up for price alerts to be notified when prices drop!

 

B. Accommodation

Another big slice of the pie is accommodation. Websites like Agoda and Booking.com are great when looking for the best hotel rates, but if you’re up for a little adventure, try HostelWorld for well, hostels, Airbnb for local homes and apartments, and Couchsurfing for absolutely free hospitality with a friendly local (it doesn’t always have to be a couch even)!

 

C. Others

Once you’ve got the big two spenders out of the way, make a rough estimate of how much other expenses such as food, transport and activities will be. For overviews, check websites like Wikitravel and Budget Your Trip, which provides costs estimated from the budgets of other travellers.

 

For more reliable information on specific cities and tried-and-tested tips, try consulting travel bloggers. These people know what they are talking about and offer first-person experiences and lessons learned from their many years of roaming the world. Some of our favourites are World of Wanderlust, Nomadic Matt, Adventurous Kate and Bren on the Road.

 

At the end of your research journey, give yourself a realistic budget to stick to. This way, you won’t spend more than you intend to.

2. Only Use Your Credit Card When Needed

To stick to your budget, it would be wise to pay for flights and accommodation beforehand and use cash or a prepaid card when you arrive. To ensure your money stays safe in the midst of all the fun and adventures, remember to keep them in separate and secure places, such as hidden in an old lip balm tube or in your dried out marker.

 

 

Do bring your credit card with you in case of emergencies, but leave it locked somewhere safe. Not only can they round up high transaction fees without you knowing, it is possible you will spend more with it by your side. Why? Because, you know, there’s the option of having more to spend!

 

3. Prioritise

If there’s something you really want to do but costs a lot, go ahead and do it! There’s no point going all the way to New Zealand with skydiving being on your bucket list and backing out just because it’s expensive. Some experiences are worth splurging on! There could even be great deals hidden somewhere you just have to do a little digging for. Websites such as Bookme, specific for Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, or more internationally, Groupon, would have deals on various activities, including skydiving! If you’re into theatre, TimeOut and Lastminute offers last minute tickets at discounted rates for London West End shows.

4. Look For Free Things To Do

Like they say, the best things in life are free! Whether it's getting lost in the laneways of an unfamiliar city or attending a public concert with local performers you hadn’t heard of before, most places will have an abundance of free and fun activities for you thrifty travellers. For example, Free Tours by Foot offers pay-as-you-wish (or don’t-pay-as-you-wish) walking, food, bike and bus tours of American and European cities, from New York to London.

 

5. Do What The Locals Do

To avoid falling into tourist traps, do what the locals do! Stay at local homes you can find on services like Airbnb and Couchsurfing instead of hotels, walk, bike or take public transport instead of tour buses and taxis, eat at local restaurants instead of tourist-targeted establishments with hiked-up prices and, usually, less authentic and tasty food.

 

Not only will these keep you from being seriously overcharged, they will give you a fuller experience of the place you’re visiting!

 

6. Forget Shopping for Souvenirs

There’s a wise saying that we should collect experiences, not things. But sometimes, we need more than just photos and fuzzy memories to remember our holiday by.

Instead of settling for generic snow globes and keychains, try collecting items of significance along the way. For example, a business card from some cool café you stumbled upon in a back alleyway, a pretty ribbon from a bag of cookies you bought in a famous bakery, or even a leaf that’s fallen onto the street you were staying on.

 These items will mean much more and best of all, they are completely free!

 

If a holiday’s been on your mind for a while, the ‘right’ time to make it happen is now.

 

Do you have other ways of cutting expenses when travelling? Pray, do share with us!

 

 

 

 

Coming home from work after a long day of sitting in a chair to de-stress by lazing in another chair? Signed up for an expensive gym membership but just can’t drag yourself to go? Study and work taking up most of your time?

 

 

We’ve all been there.  For many, it can be challenging to find time to actually work out, especially moms who have to juggle chores and care for the household, and students who are always caught up with studies and tests.

Hectic schedules may be to blame but perhaps it all comes down to prioritising and making time for what’s important to us. After all, “We have the same number of hours in the day as Beyoncé.”

 

This is a photo of Sherlyn’s progress. As our founder and CEO, her schedules are always packed and yet, she is able to squeeze in her daily workouts!

If she can do it, we can too!

 

Now, are you pumped to be HIIT by a bunch of exercises? *pun intended*

 

What is HIIT?

 

It’s short for High Intensity Interval Training.

 

It’s any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest.

Don’t have weights? Grab a bottle of laundry detergent!

 

Did you know that HIIT has proven to be much more beneficial than low intensity cardio if you’re looking to lose weight? A 10-minute HIIT session is more effective than 45 minutes running on the treadmill.

 

Why?

1. It burns more calories!
2. It strengthens your muscles and increases your metabolism, which means you continue to burn calories even after your workout!
3. It doesn’t take up too much of your time.
4. It is the quickest way to relieve stress, improve your mood and blood pressure!

 

We’ve come up with a short 10-minute workout you can do anytime and anywhere.

Complete each exercise below for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next one. Repeat the whole set 3-4 times and you’re done!

Jumping Jacks

Sit-Ups

Alternating Lunges

Burpees

Mountain Climbers

Now, it can be tempting to stop half-way through the pain, but push yourself as hard as you can, taking care to complete the exercises with the proper form. (Pro-tip: Record yourself and compare your form to the GIFs above, so you’ll know where to improve!)

 

How did you go? Let us know in the comments below! And don't forget to share this workout with a friend! 

Ladies, let’s take some time to revisit your New Year’s resolutions.

 

Is getting fit and healthy on that list?

 

Perhaps it’s been on your list for many years now, and with each display of fireworks ringing in the new year, the possibility of actually realising that goal drifts further and further away.

 

We tell ourselves,

“It’s too hard.”

 

“I’ll do it later.”

 

“I’m too busy.”

 

Well, as the saying goes, “Sometimes, ‘later’ becomes ‘never’.”

 

It’s time to make your fitness goals more than just ‘goals’. More than just empty promises we make to ourselves, written on a list and forgotten. If you’re ready to start eating to nourish your body, moving and sweating out toxins, and most importantly, believing in yourself and what you’re capable of, we’re here to say, you can do it!

 

With these five kick-ass Malaysian women on Instagram, you will have the motivation and the information you need to get off the couch and onto the path of everlasting health and fitness.

 

1. Nana Al Haleq @nanaalhaleq (84.9k)

Nana’s one of those girls who’s always been active. She was part of the Selangor State Track and Field Team in secondary school and was crowned Best Sportswoman of The Year when she was only 15. She is now a freelance fitness model and motivator, and you can be sure she’ll be able to motivate you!

 

Follow her for enviable photos of her abs, videos of her working her biceps, and ideas for Malaysian-ised healthy meals such as sambal on grilled salmon and an oil-free stir fry mix of petai and asparagus.

 

 

2. Angeline Ong Li Min @angelineonglimin (21.6k)

A woman who wears many hats, Angeline is a photographer, blogger, yoga teacher and personal trainer with a fitness background of more than 17 years. If you want to learn a thing or two about yoga, Angeline’s here for you!

 

Follow her for insane yoga poses, motivational quotes, and snapshots of her everyday life, including what she eats and what she’s up to at the gym.

 

 

3. Linora Low @linoralow (15k)

You might have heard Linora on MixFM where she hosts The MIXBlitz and the MIX Sweat Club. She’s as celebrated as a radio talent as she is as a fitness personality, having emceed for a number of events including Spartan Race and Color Run Malaysia. With her high energy and sculpted body, it’s not difficult to see just how much passion she has for fitness.

 

Follow her for awe-inspiring heavy lifts, updates on the latest fitness events, and a friendly reminder that what men can do, women can do just as well.

 

 

4. Sherlyn Tan @ sherlyn_fitness (14.2k)

Sherlyn, our founder, first realised her dream of owning a business with Twenty3. Now, she’s working towards her dream of a fit and healthy lifestyle. “The beauty in perseverance” is her motto and you can bet she’ll inspire you to never give up on what you want.

 

Follow her for photos of her progress, short workout videos (even ones at the supermarket!), meal prep ideas and genuine, heart-felt words you can definitely relate to.

 

5. Joanna Soh @joannasohofficial (13.1k)

Always bright and bubbly, Joanna shows you living a fit and healthy lifestyle can be lots of fun! She’s real, positive and always open to learn and grow with you. A certified personal trainer, nutrition coach and women’s fitness specialist, Joanna also runs a popular Youtube channel where she shares workout videos, meal plans and tips on building a positive image.

 

Follow her for positive vibes, self-love, workout routines made easy, and clean eating ideas.

 

Do you have your very own sources of fitness inspiration? Share with us in the comments below!

The weight-loss business is a multibillion dollar industry. Every year, women subject themselves to fad diets, funny pills, and fat-burning electric belts in pursuit of an ever-changing notion of an “ideal” body size. At the end of the week, we pray to our weighing scales, hoping for that little needle to move just a smidge lower than what it showed last week. And when it doesn’t, we slink away and gorge on ice-cream to cheer ourselves up.

 “Back then, the weighing scale was my television – I was glued to it. I thought I had a good idea of what my ideal weight was supposed to be, so I often went on crash diets,” explains Sherlyn Tan, founder of Twenty3. Uncomfortable in her own skin and often picked on for her size in school, she suffered from low self-esteem, equating her weight with what she perceived as how people judged her. Although it is a common fear among women, Sherlyn went a step farther than most, resorting to just eating a single egg and a bowl of Campbell’s soup every meal, to the point of collapse – her father carried her in his arms to the nearest clinic when she fainted one day.

 

“That was my life for years. My weight would balloon up and crash down frequently, often with a 10kg swing each time. I thought it was normal,” says Sherlyn. That was until she was hospitalized with dengue in February 2015. Vomiting daily, her weight quickly fell away. There was also the mental burden of leaving her rapidly-growing business on its own, as well as the emotional depths when she came under attack from cyberbullies who called her a fraud and a slut, among other things. “That was absolutely the lowest point in my life, and I just wanted to end it all.”

 

She was discharged a week later, at her lightest weight in all her life, but a physical and emotional wreck. “I hated how weak and lowly I felt, so defenceless and allowing myself to be trampled by a mosquito and a bunch of anonymous bullies. I wanted to change all that, but didn’t know how,” says Sherlyn.

A month after, fully recovered, she tagged along to her first gym session with her boyfriend. It was an eye-opener, and while digging deeper into the world of fitness, she discovered Instagram fitness sensation, Kayla Itsines, and her world-famous Bikini Body Guide (BBG). “I’m a very structured and regimented person, so having a guide really helped me. The community aspect of it was also very encouraging, and they all shared their progress pics, which inspired me further,” she explains. “I wanted to look like those girls – fit, lean and happy.”

Sherlyn started her Instagram account, @sherlyn_fitness, to keep up with the BBG community and to keep herself on track. Her single-mindedness pushed her to keep improving each day, with the memory of her lowest point driving her on. She knew her mind would make excuses each morning, so she started sleeping in her workout clothes, sometimes even with her ponytail, so that she could jump out of bed and straight to the gym!

Her Instagram account grew quickly, attracting support from like-minded people from around the world who love to work out. “It’s a two-way thing – I share my workout routines and my clean-eating meals to help educate and advocate a healthy lifestyle, and the encouragement from my followers inspires me to go further!” she says.

Fellow Malaysian devotees of the BBG phenomenon began congregating on her Instagram. This gave her a lightbulb moment to hold the very first BBG community meet-up session in Malaysia. “I'm an ultra-introvert, and especially just recovering from the lowest point in my life, it was extremely difficult to get myself to do anything like this. However, I knew I had to overcome it just like my previous challenges – the small victories do count!”

 

The first BBG meetup was held in October 2015 at KLCC Park, spread out over 2 weekends to accommodate over 100 girls! Boyfriends, sisters and even mothers of the BBG girls were present too to show their support. 

 She has organized BBG meetups each month when able, paying from her own pocket to rent gyms and once, even to host a clean eating meetup and discussion. The response has been overwhelming from women all over Malaysia, and once, even a Singaporean virtually took part in the workout!

 

OUR FIRST EVER MALAYSIA PINK @kayla_itsines BBG MEET UP VIDEO TEASER! I can't wait for this Saturday part 2 meet up and combine both group photos & videos already! Im so happy seeing these video! I'll be posting this video on our FACEBOOK PAGE : BBGMY so you may grab it from there! Special thanks to @titus_tjt for helping us with this! ??????#bbggirls #bbgmy #bbgmalaysia #bbgmeetup #bbg #fitness #healthy @kayla_itsines @bbg_my @bbgmeetup #bbgvideochallenge #sweatwithkayla

A video posted by Sherlyn Tan (@sherlyn_fitness) on Oct 18, 2015 at 6:56am PDT

 

Within these few months of healthy living, Sherlyn realized the importance of the adage, ‘mind over matter.’ “It's our mind that limits us. My advice to those looking to start fitness is the same as what I tell every budding entrepreneur – don’t overthink it. You don’t have to be great to start, you just have to start to be great. Go ahead and test your limits, then break them.”

 

Inspired by her own fitness journey, she created a new sportswear line called MOVE by Twenty3. “New, cute workout outfits – especially sports bras – always pump me up! I wanted to create a line that was equal parts functional and fashionable. Most big sportswear companies neglect the latter,” she explains.

"As for the name MOVE, I hope more people realize that fitness isn’t a destination. It’s not a bikini body, it’s not a flat tummy, it’s not a number on your weighing scale – once you’ve achieved those goals, it becomes easy to lose the initial motivation. Fitness is about motion, the movement, and the journey. I started my journey because I wanted to be as slim as what society demanded, but now I just want to be better and stronger than I was yesterday. The last time I stepped on my weighing scale, I was 5 kgs heavier than before I fell sick due to my growing muscles. But when I look in the mirror and at the things I am able to do with my body now, I realize that I really don’t care about my weight anymore. I just want to keep moving and breaking my limits!”

Note: MOVE by Twenty3 is launching in Atria Shopping Gallery on the 19th of March 2016!

The next BBG meetup is happening on April 2, 2016 at Bangkung Park, Bangsar. If you’d like to be a part of a warm, friendly, and supportive community of MOVERS, drop Sherlyn a DM @sherlyn_fitness. Beginners are absolutely welcome!