Vomero 18 Coffee Bean: S$99

 

NVO and NKE are competing to be my portfolio's "biggest loser." At the same time, I believe in them. Nike keeps to making stuff that I actually want to buy (and actually use for running). The Nike Vomero 18 is a cushioned and comfortable shoe that is ideal for easy runs. Most importantly, it fits my feet well (crucial to try before buying). The Vomero 17 and Invincible 3 (it would be called Vomero Premium 17 under the current Nike naming convention) had heel lock problems.

So when I saw the special edition Vomero 18 "Coffee Bean" (yes it comes in the usual Nike cardboard box plus a metallic coffee bean bag) on sale for S$99, I couldn't resist and grabbed myself a pair. 

Asics, on the other hand, seems to launch shoes with attractive colorways, then later on, makes only the monochromatic and boring colorways available. Take the current colours of the Megablast for example....

ActiveSG credits for Body Fat check

 

Singaporeans have been given $100 of ActiveSG credits which expire on 31 Dec 2026. If you make a transaction, the credits will be rolled over to 2027. Browsing the things you can spend ActiveSG credits on, I noticed that you could do a Body Composition test with the Inbody 770. As I recently purchased an Omron Body Composition scale, I thought it would be useful to get a reference reading from the Inbody. The procedure is quite simple, just go to the ActiveSG website to signup with Singpass and the $7 is auto-deducted from your ActiveSG credits. You get an A4 printout of your results to take home.

Based on the Inbody report, I have a body fat of 15.9% and correspondingly low visceral fat which is good. Searching the internet for a "good" body fat percentage, the American Council for Exercise chart says that this is within the "fitness" range. For reference, the Omron reports 17.7% so its off by 1.8%, which I guess is an error one can live with for a $125 consumer product.

The DEXA scan, which is a series of low powered X-rays, is the gold standard for body fat analysis but it costs a few hundred dollars, whereas the Inbody scan I don't have to pay any cash. I plan to do it again in 6 months. 

Health is Wealth: Bought myself an Omron Scale

 

I am someone who likes looking at data, I use the data generated by Garmin to help me in trying to improve my VO2Max and endurance. I also have an Omron Blood Pressure Monitor/ ECG HEM-7530T (the blood pressure monitor function is more important than the ECG but I thought, why not just get the one with the extra ECG feature as well).

At the recent 12-12 sale, Omron's full body composition weighing scale HBF-702T was on sale at $125 (I've not seen it lower than $150 before), so I decided to buy myself a present.

The HBF-702T supposedly gives you a lot of info such as Body Fat, Segmental Subcutaneous Fat and Visceral Fat. As it uses 4 electrodes instead of 2, it is slightly more accurate. It is certainly not accurate for single measurement use, but if one is disciplined enough to do a weigh-in every morning, weekly average trends are probably useful. The Omron App syncs with both devices so I have BP and weight/fat history stored together which is handy.

Blood Pressure Monitor (spend money on health)

 

This is part of my spending money on health. I have a 10+yr old Omron Blood Pressure Monitor and the LCD screening is fading and harder to read. It often gave me blood pressure readings in excess of 120/80, even after I had lost weight and improved my other fitness measurements.

Therefore, it was time to buy a new BPM and at the 3-3 sale I got a new Omron Complete at a good price. It monitors blood pressure and has a single lead EKG. I'm pleased to note that with the new BPM, my blood pressure consistently registers below 120/80 which is normal. The exact figure also provides me with a baseline reference. 

As for the question whether the new Omron is more accurate just because it is newer, I did my annual health screening and BP was also under 120/80, so it should be.

Speaking of health screenings, I'm pleased that my HDL and Triglycerides are in the optimal range, while my LDL is in the ok range. I attribute my better HDL to increased consumption of sashimi, fish, and nuts. On the other hand, I admit to eating a bit more unhealthily during weekends, in the hope that my healthy eating on weekdays balances it out. Lets see what I can do about my LDL.

Year-end Health & Fitness Report 2024

 

As I mentioned during in June, I will issue my investment portfolio report together with a "health report", since "health is wealth." One should not try to increase monetary wealth if it causes health and fitness to decline. 

I am pleased to note that I am on track with my fitness goals. I have no plans to aim for a VO2Max increase to elite (top 5%) levels as that might result in overtraining and injury.  Instead, I will just do what I am doing now, and we'll see where that takes me. I'm also happy to report that I managed to lose a little bit of weight since June 2024 and my BMI continues to be in the healthy range and a little further from the 23.0 overweight zone.

One thing that I have learnt in my current health journey is that the negativity surrounding ultra processed foods is totally justified. If you are going to spend money on health & fitness, you don't have to spend it on expensive and unnecessary gym memberships. Instead, you should purchase & consume whole foods with as little processing as possible.

Unfortunately for fitness enthusiasts, a lot of protein supplements fall into the borderline ultra-processed category, so if you can eat sashimi instead of a protein bar, that may well be better (Salmon sashimi is cheaper and has lower mercury content than tuna sashimi by the way - so I save my tuna sashimi consumption for my Japan holidays...) 

Nike Pegasus 40 (and Nike Stock) on sale

 

When it comes to buying sports equipment , one simple rule of thumb is wait for the new model to come out so that you can buy the old model at a steep discount.💸

With Nike Pegasus 41 just released in Singapore, I managed to pick up a Pegasus 40 in a nice colour for $65.94. Readers will know I managed to pick up a Pegasus 39 previously for $59 but in a not so nice colour.

At these prices, there is really no comparable running shoe from the other brands. 

How steep a discount actually depends on the brand. So far, I've only seen Nike offering 40% discounts for the immediate past model. If its a 40% discount for a model that is many generations ago, it means it has been sitting in a warehouse for many years and you don't know how long the shoe foam will last.

Nike Stock?

Finally, I wonder whether I should buy Nike stock. As the YTD chart shows, athletic apparel makers have seen pretty terrible stock price crashes YTD from 2Q24 onwards. The problem with Nike is that its P/E ratio is a bit high for my taste. Nevertheless, I've placed it on my watchlist and might initiate a position on Nike and maybe one other (to balance out). 

I don't know about Lululemon though, I have a vague impression it is yoga attire for ladies. I am not part of the crowd where people pay a lot of money for gym membership to 'dress up' and exercise, though I guess that would be a profitable market. 

Health update: Jul 2024

Since Health=Wealth and I just released my July 2024 portfolio review, I am also doing my July 2024 'Health & Fitness' review. No point reaching new heights of wealth without the health.

BMI

While I have made improvements, I am regrettably still overweight, hovering between BMI 23.0-23.1 (because weight varies throughout the day, BMI is a range).  Therefore, I am at moderate risk for obesity-related diseases. 

My target is to achieve a normal BMI of 22.8-22.9 which will take a bit of willpower and habit change to make it sustainable.

VO2 MAX

I am making good progress with VO2 Max, and my app tells me that I'm in the top 15% for my age and gender which sounds good but one must ask what is the reference population.

There's a high chance (since this is a US-based app) that the baseline could be the US population and according to the CDC, 40% of US adults are obese which is BMI >30.0! This means that the median US adult at the 50th percentile might still be overweight with BMI>25.0. Merely being 'above average' in such population is a very low bar.

Investing in above-average health.

I spent some money on a Garmin watch recently. I've always viewed spending on health and fitness as a good investment. One thing I like about the Garmin is the ability to download your Spotify running playlist. This means that I do not need to carry my phone with me when I run. It also has various training features which I am trying out as well.

One of my beliefs is that it is always good to be above average (or above median - if the distribution is normal they are close enough so I'll just say 'average').  More importantly, above average outcomes are usually achievable through a bit of hard work plus a little bit of smart work. Whereas extremely high performance is something that additionally requires good genes and/or luck.

For example, for CPF Life to pay off, you need to live beyond the median life expectancy, as those that die before the median are paying for those that die after the median age.

It is nice that Garmin thinks that I am above average when it comes to VO2 max (just barely in the blue zone though). I hope to improve it further, though my 'above average' philosophy doesn't require me to try to push VO2 max into the elite purple zone. I'm just happy to be above average and I don't plan to run a marathon....

On the other hand, when it comes to investing, I have probably failed to make above average returns in the long term (compared to MSCI World, though I have outperformed the rather useless STI index which is not that hard). 

 

Spending money on health & fitness

 I have written previously about why one should be prepared to spend money on health and fitness. No point achieving financial independence if you don't have the health or fitness to allow you to enjoy your freedom.

While fitness and health is more a question of time and willpower, having extra passive income to spend gives you optionality in how you pursue fitness and health.

I am a fan of Nike Air Pegasus (incidentally so is Dividend Warrior - he posted an unboxing video of his Pegasus 39) as it has been around for ages and is seen as a 'reliable workhorse' shoe even if it it not the fanciest or the best. 

More / Better shoes / Apparel?

My main running shoe is the Pegasus but recently I wanted to buy another pair to leave in office for lunchtime runs. I think I bought my current Pegasus for $79 at a sale but recently, there was an even bigger sale of Pegasus 39 in a less popular colour for $53.94. I immediately grabbed a pair even though the colour was not my favourite. I also bought a Winflo 9 (very nice colour) for someone at $59 (Pegasus is a more 'expensive' shoe than Winflo but $59.94 is still a decent price for Winflo).

Photo of a Peg 39 in a nicer colour than the one I bought

I confess that I'm probably not done with my shoe buying as I probably need a more cushioned shoe for longer runs. Unfortunately, the higher end shoes of all the main brands with max cushioning, don't have as much discount as mass market shoes like the Pegasus (apparently Nike's most popular running shoe). I'll still try to wait for a good sale though. 

Since it was 40% off, I also got some running shorts. I think the critical feature of running shorts for me is a pocket that can 'safely' keep a key or a credit card. A velcro tab is ok, but a zipper may be the safest. 

Better Earbuds

Next, I am exploring running earbuds. My current Xiaomi earbuds are decent but for running, I find myself having to regularly 'adjust' them. So I am looking at perhaps something more expensive but dedicated to runners, and also whether I should get one with built in memory so that I can play music without having to carry my phone.