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Karen kho is a fitness and lifestyle blog. The blogger, Karen, is a fitness addict who likes sharing fitness tips on social media, and who aspires to motivate her followers to lead a fitter, healthier lifestyle. Karen also casually blogs about her travels, beauty and fashion. More info...
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It has been a while since my last blog, especially about fitness. 
To be honest, i kinda miss those days where i got so motivated, so passionate about blogging, shared everything, all my progress, thoughts and feeling in my blog. Sometimes, I miss being expressive and being active in blogging. 

(But most people don’t read anymore, everyone is into video) 
But i still enjoying blogging sometimes and i love reading back my own articles 

I started to workout since 2013, of course there is a time i feel demotivated and feel like giving up. 
I was never consistent, stopped working out of months/years and started back again. ON and OFF, ON and OFF, it was a long journey. But, i’m still doing it until now, i love staying active.

Of course, There is time when we worked out best but still look like shit. Same goes to me, there is time when i feel like shit, bloated, demotivated, don’t feel and look at my best but it is totally normal. Hey, No one is perfect, we are all human being. Just sharing this to letting you all know, you are not alone. We are in this together. 

If you want to look LEAN/TONED, there is 3 things you need to aware of.
1. BODY FAT
2. WATER RETENTION
3. MUSCLE MASS
4. BLOATING ISSUES

Today, i’m going to share some of my experience of bloating issues

Well, There is no “PERFECT DIET” that suits everybody, because every individual is different. 
Even our “BODY GOAL” can be different. There is no definition of a perfect body.
Don’t compare yourself with someone else, YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE
Most importantly, love what you are doing, enjoy your journey.

It is really important for you to KNOW YOUR BODY, keep research, testing and do your experiment  with your body to find the perfect diet for yourself. 

Here’s some of the info i would like to share :

WHAT CAUSES BLOATED ?

1. Bloating mostly caused by gas or other digestive issues ( Constipation )
2. Gut Sensitivity ( Gastric Problem )
3. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO): Most healthy people have relatively few bacteria in the small intestine. People who have had intestinal surgery and/or IBS with diarrhea are more likely to have SIBO, which can cause bloating.

You can always consult a doctor and know your body condition better and know how to improve from there. 

Meanwhile, Here’s something that you should be aware of if you are bloated : 

1. If you have Lactose intolerance allergic like me, avoid diary products like milk etc.
2. Limit your sodium, avoid processed food. 
3. Instead of eating 3 meals, go for 4-5 meals but smaller portion 
4. Never starve yourself 
5. Exercise moderately to improve your bowels movement 
6. Avoid coffee, garlic, onions, carbonated drinks ( All my favourite T_T)


I’m not saying you can’t drink or eat your favourite food anymore, but you can avoid if you want to feel less bloated because it might be the reason you feel bloated. Also, there is also some food that helps to relieve your gas and make you feel better. 

WHAT SHOULD I EAT TO AVOID BLOATING?


For me, I personally love adding mint leaves or ginger to my tea/juice/water. It does helps to relieve my gas in my stomach . So try that!Also, remember to drink more water throughout the day to help your digestive system. 

Don’t force yourself to change your lifestyle because it won’t last long.

Meanwhile, aim for living a healthier life for yourself rather than blindly chasing a "body goal".
Be the healthier, stronger, happier version of yourself matter most.

Most importantly, enjoy what you are doing

ENJOY THE PROCESS <3


*Thank you for reading xoxo*


Here come my first trip on 2020 and it was truly AMAZING
Phu Quoc is a hidden gem.
Kick start my first trip in 2020 at JW MARRIOTT PHU QUOC, This is probably one of the best resort i’ve stayed so far. I wanted to visit this place since 2018 and so happy my dream came true. I never knew Phu Quoc until i saw this beautiful resort through Social media. Phu Quoc island was only a 50-minute flight away from Ho Chi Minh City, 1 hour 45 minute away from KLIA.


From the Airport to JW MARRIOTT PHU QUOC is around 30-40 minutes if i’m not wrong. Not far from the airport. You can either take a cab or request for airport transfer from the resort. 

The concept behind the Marriott Phu Quoc is the brainchild of renowned hotel designer, Bill Bensley, who conjured an elaborate story of a former university-turned-hotel, complete with all sorts of characters and events that tie in with Phu Quoc island’s own history of French colonialism.   

Love every corner of the resort, seriously . I wish i bring more outfits along for OOTD

Once we checked in at the lobby, We were given a tour of the hotel (a.k.a. Lamarck University) so we could fully understand its background and how it came to be. The resort is HUGE, it is like a city of its own. 



So, here’s the room we booked.
THE ROOM ( ROOM TYPE : EMERALD BAY )


The bed was big, fluffy, and comfortable. If the rest of the resort hadn’t been so amazing, I might not have wanted to leave the room at all. I can spend whole day on the bed without doing anything. It is way too comfy.

The room itself is pretty big too, they have everything we need. Came in to a beautiful walk way with artsy drawing on the wall. The bathroom is pretty too. Aromatherapy products in the bathroom was definitely a plus! 
Our room is basically facing the beach, we enjoyed our time sitting at the outside area overlooking the beautiful beach and listen to the waves. 

next, FOOD

To be honest, i don’t usually have high expectations, or any expectations, about eating at hotels, but the JW Marriott Phu Quoc surprise me in any ways! Their food is good and with high quality standard. I would definitely go back again for the food! 

There were a lot of different dining options at the resort. Including TEMPUS FUGIT, PINK PEARL, RED RUM, FRENCH&CO and a bar called THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY BAR.

#1 TEMPUS FUGIT
This is their all day dining restaurant which serves authentic Vietnamese, Japanese, Western food. We had our buffet breakfast here every morning, and it is amazing! They have a variety of choices, I didn’t even have a chance to try everything because it was just too much and too good.

My favourite would be the Beef Pho, Kimchi Soup, Cold Soba, and Banana Smoothies!
For lunch, remember to order the Vietnamese Spring Roll. It is yummmmmm


#2 RED RUM

This restaurant is located right next to our room, so we headed there for lunch and dinner twice. Love the environment because it is right beside the beach. You can get to enjoy the sea, sand and delicious food at once. It is even romantic at the evening, to catch the golden hour for a early dinner. 
 The serves FRESH SEAFOOD barbecue at night and Mexican food in the afternoon.
I must say, i love the Guacamole. Ahhh, I’m missing it already! It is way too good!

DINNER, we ordered Tuna Tartare, Sea Urchin, Grilled Lobster, and BBQ Seafood Platter


# PINK PEARL 
One of the most iconic and famous restaurant in JW Marriott would be the PINK PEARL
Why? Because it is awarded as one of the Marriott’s Asia Pacific’s Top 52 Best Restaurants!
 The dinner will journey back in time to 1920 to experiencee the first-hand Madame Pearl unique and super elegant decoration. The interior is so stunning,  remind me so much of Jaipur.  
 I’m in love with the color and every single piece of the decoration in the Pink Pearl

 For the food, they offers contemporary and classic French fine dining cuisine according to the season
Our dinner is around 5,000,000 VND for the dinner courses per pax with wine pairing. 
They offers Afternoon Tea too, every Friday and Saturday from 3-5pm if you can’t make it to the dinner. Me and my fiancĂ© lucky enough to book a table for our Valentine’s day and spent a lovely dinner date there with live performance.
Also, Thank you JW Marriott for helping my Fiance to arrange a bouquet of flowers for me
Awww, never expect to receive flowers on a vacation and it is beautiful <3


THINGS TO DO HERE

Believe it or not, I spent a 4D3N here in this resort without leaving the resort at all. Because i want to make full use of my stay here. Enjoy as much as i can, take as much photo as i can during my stay. Also, There were plenty of things to do without even needing to leave the resort.

First, Rent a bike to explore the resort, no additional charges (You can just rent it from the gym)

Second, explore the retail shopping inside the Resort. As i said, it is like a mini city itself. There are different kind of restaurants, cafes, gym, and retails for you to shop. They even have in house night market along the street on every Sunday! 

Third, enjoy at the beaches 

You can rent a paddle boat/surfing board with no additional charges for the hotel guests. 
I spend a lot of my time at the beach because me and my fiancĂ© love it so much. The weather is lovely, blue skies, chilling weather and clear sea water.  It is a private beaches manage by the resort so it is very clean and more privacy. 

ENJOY A SPA at SPA CHANTERELLE
 It is one of the prettiest spa I’ve seen. Not to mention, the massage is firm and comfortable. An experience like no others. Never expect hotel massage to be that good. Feels like everything is so premium and exclusive. Our Spa package is around 7,000,000 VND for 2 pax if i’m not wrong. 
 You can also request for a tour at the spa even if you didn’t book a spa session. It is worth to visit because the interior is stunning, remind me of Alice in the wonderland.


Besides that, There are lantern making class, drawing class, surf yoga, marine class and there were other fun ones like beer yoga, a couple of food preparation classes, mixology, and TABATA class for the guests to participate in the resort. 

Now you know why i never leave the resort at all.


THE SERVICE


The service was good. It’s not a small enough resort that all of the staff knows the name of each hotel guest, they have at least twice room keeping a day. Not to mention, they leave hand written note in the room which totally melt my heart in every way. 

I would say the services is worthy of the cost you spent on your vacation here. 


EXPENSES 

-The flight expenses is around RM1000++ for 2 pax. We took AirAsia, direct flight. 
-The room price is starting from 450USD per night depend on the travel date including breakfast
 For booking, you can book it from either Booking.com or Expedia 

It is not cheap compare to the other hotel/resort in Phu Quoc but it is worth it.


CONCLUSION

I must say, this is by far the most pretty resort i’ve stayed. I was really impressed by this JW Marriott.   It is really one of the kind. Every building had extensive interior decorations. Every corner is nicely designed and decoration. Me and my fiancĂ© are looking for a relaxation trip and this resort fulfilling what we need.  

If you are looking for a relaxing, quiet paradise getaway with excellent service, this is the place to be!

Will i go back again? Definitely YESSSSS 




Looking for something new to do in Bangkok. This is the article you should continue reading

Like i said, Bangkok is like my second home. It is always my favourite destination for a short getaway. Of course, for someone who is visit Bangkok for the first time, I know a few places that first time travelers should visit. But for a person who visited Bangkok more than 10 times like me, this article is something that i recommend to do besides visiting the mainstream attractions. 

First of all, ICON SIAM
Bangkok’s newest shopping mall! A mall like no others.
There is a LEGIT floating market and night market inside the shopping mall.
My trip to Bangkok is quite rush this time, so i don’t have much time to visit the night market. But i did it here in Icon Siam. It is much better than the REAL night market cause this one is with air con. Of course, all the street food is more clean and hygiene here. The food quality is good and the price is affordable too. 

Well,This was definitely our favourite part of IconSiam!
SookSiam is an indoor “floating market” that sells a huge variety of traditional Thai street food. Designed in the style of a simulated floating market with street vendors along the “riverbanks”, SookSiam aims to promote the cuisine, arts and culture of Thailand’s 77 provinces.  


Located along Chao Phraya River ( Around 6km from Central World, but the jam was crazy. Took us an hour to reach there), But trust me. It is all worth it! IconSiam comprises an estimated 500 shops, 100 restaurants, an indoor floating market, Thailand’s first Apple Store, Takashimaya, a state of the art cinema, a beautiful riverside park, and more! Every brand you can think of, they have it there!

I must say, this mall is really AMAZING.
Definitely something to visit when you are in Bangkok. 

#2 La Zensa Spa
Looking for a good relaxation after a shopping spree?
One of the best things to do in Bangkok is go for a SPA. 

So i found this newly opened SPA in EKKAMAI, it is a hidden gems.
Each of the spa rooms has different themes. For example like Cappadocia Cave Suites, Santorini, Japanese style and many more. The one we went is Cave Suites, it is totally amazing


We took a 90 min Thai Massage ( Private Room) which costs around 1200baht per pax

If you plan to visit during your visit, you can make your reservation here
Call : +66-805811168
Add : 86, Ekkamai 10 Alley, Lane 4, Phra Khanong Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok.


#3 DRINK & PAINT AT PAINT BAR
Can't think of anything else you can do in Bangkok at night? 
Here are something you can experience beside bar hopping and shopping. 

I enjoyed this very much. This is my very first time painting in my life! Basically, you can go and paint without having to have any painting skills. They have a set of paintings for you to choose as your model and you can modify the colors or items in the painting however you’d like. 

There are teachers there to help you so surely, you bring home a really nice painting you can be proud of. Food and drinks are available too. What can be better than that?

The price is 799 baht per pax
Address: 6th floor – Piman 49 46/4 Sukhumvit soi 49 Klhong Tan Watthana, Bangkok 10110


#4 DINE IN A THEMED RESTAURANT 
This Restaurant is truly a DREAM to me! I always wanted to sit on a Oriental Express.
But it is too expensive to go. Once i found this restaurant, i decided to pay a visit!
I really LOVE its luxurious Gatsby-esque design and the Oriental Express vibes.
I love! Every corner of this restaurant is amazing


Burapa Eastern Thai Cuisine & Bar By Sri Trat.
Address: 26 Soi Sukhumvit 11, Khwaeng Khlong Toei Nuea, Khet Watthana, 
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun: 6PM – 1AM (Closed on Monday) 
Telephone: 02-012 -1423 
Nearest station: Nana BTS station


#5 JOIN A THAI COOKING CLASS

While you're on vacation, why not enjoy a quick Thai Cooking Class. Joining a Thai cooking class is so much fun. Also, it's a great way to learn the culture and traditions in the country you visit. Thank you DoubleTree by Hilton for arranging this. We enjoyed it very much! 
For a person who enjoy cooking like me is totally exciting. I managed to learn how to make SOMTUM(Thai traditional salad), TOMYUM GUNG, and also RICE ROLL! 

Achievement unlocked! Even better cause i did it with my fiancé.


# WHERE WE STAY
This round, we spent our 4D3N at the newly opened hotel - Doubletree by Hilton Ploenchit
A 5 stars hotel located at the heart of Bangkok. just 35 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang International Airport. Very near to Thonglor area, very near to all the nice cafes, restaurants and bar that i saved in my bucket list. 

There are Savor local and international favorites at OPEN, all-day-dining restaurant or relax with a drink at OPEN Bar. A touch of contemporary design. The food here is pretty amazing. Especially the yellow crab curry. For drinks, remember to order “I’m on diet” (beetroot juice) and the Thai Milk Tea! 
The breakfast was good too! A lot of choices.
If you need some privacy, you can also order the in room breakfast which will deliver to your room.

The hotel are very clean, the room are clean too. 
Not to mention, the bed a super comfortable to sleep 





Overall, I enjoyed my stay in this hotel very much. The staff are super friendly. Most importantly the room are clean, the bed are very comfortable. The location are good too! It is easy to get around. 7 min walk to Ploenchit BTS station from the hotel. Thank you DoubleTree by Hilton for the great hospitality! Can’t wait to go back to Bangkok again.


For more info about the hotel, visit



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