Last night we were celebrating our niece’s 2nd birthday at a restaurant when a conversation about my mini me’s body came up. Someone commented on her naturally thin physique and suggested that she “should” build muscle because she looks fragile. I don’t think the intention was necessarily bad, but sometimes it’s not just what we say—it’s how the message is delivered and how the person receiving it hears it. My mini me already has some insecurities about being skinny, so the conversation hit a sensitive spot. I looked over and saw the tears coming. As her mama, of course something inside me immediately wanted to protect her. But I also knew we were there celebrating a little girl’s birthday, and I didn’t want one uncomfortable moment to turn the whole evening into chaos. I quietly spoke to my daughter in Vietnamese and told her, “I understand that you’re upset. Try to hold yourself together for now because we’re celebrating a birthday. We’ll talk about it when we get home.” She wiped her tears, gathered herself, and we finished the evening. But when we got home, that conversation mattered. I reminded her that we are all created differently. Different heights. Different shapes. Different body types. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with the body she has. I also explained that when people talk about “building muscle,” they may really mean becoming stronger—not suddenly becoming bulky like the Hulk. 😂 Strength training doesn’t automatically make someone huge, and she certainly doesn’t have to pursue it until she wants to. Then came the part I really wanted her to remember: You are allowed to speak up when someone comments on your body. I told her next time she can simply say: “I’m not ready to build muscle YET. If I decide I want to, I can ask my mom to help guide me.” Period. 💁🏻‍♀️ She started smiling…and then the tears came again. But these were different tears. I reminded her that she doesn’t have to figure out every insecurity, milestone, or stage of growing up by herself.

Today’s cardio motivation was apparently brought to you by… DURIAN. 😂 My lovely Dad called me and asked if I wanted some durian. He was raving about how good it was and how amazing the aroma smelled. Listen… he didn’t have to ask me twice. 🤣 I said YES and drove over to my parents’ house to pick it up. Of course, I couldn’t show up empty-handed, so in exchange I brought them some of the apple fritters I made. Papa Bear loves having a little pastry with his morning coffee, so now he’s set for tomorrow morning. ☕️🥰 Before I left, Mama Bear called me back like, “Wait!” and packed me some Thai bananas too because she knows those are the only bananas I can eat. Moms always know. ❤️ Then I walked through my front door… The mister immediately goes: “BABE!! It smells like a GAS LEAK! OMG!” 😳🤣 Me: “No it doesn’t! It’s my durian!” Then I realized Mama Bear forgot to Saran Wrap one of the containers. No problem. I’ll just open it really quick and wrap it so the whole refrigerator doesn’t smell… BAD IDEA. 😂 The second I opened that container, the durian aroma came flying out and SMACKED me right in the face. 💥 And apparently it double-smacked the mister. 🤣🤣 This man had been procrastinating on his noon bike ride, taking his sweet time getting ready… Suddenly? Shoes on. Bike ready. MAN GONE. 💨🚴‍♂️😂 I have never seen him get out of the house so fast. Forget pre-workout. Apparently all the mister needs is for me to crack open a container of durian and he’ll be ready for cardio in 30 seconds. 🤣 Thursday lesson: Find what motivates you. For the mister… apparently it’s escaping my durian. 😆💨

📋 TL;DR ☀️ Here is the sixth and final part of my series update. 🏁 I am sharing 🍕 how losing my motivation led me to throw away strict training plans, simply just to do whatever makes me happy and relieves my job stress without taxing my cognitive load to avoid brain fog. 🧠 While this flexible approach is definitely not optimal for physical progress, 🧘‍♂️ it is what I need right now to cope with heavy work stress and ongoing brain fog. 🌪️ 📝 Full Post 👋 Hello, BBB family! 🫶 Finally, we have arrived at the very last part of this series. 🎬 This specific update is based on a comment I previously wrote under our community recording post: https://www.skool.com/darrenliufitness/recording-june-24-2026?p=74a4e2c4 My own personal situation with lost motivation is a bit uncommon. 🌀 It does not mean becoming a lazy couch potato, 🛋️ eating terrible junk food, 🍔 binge-watching Netflix, 📺 or completely depriving myself of sleep. 🛌 Instead, it means I have deliberately decided to do things that make me happy, 🎊 release my stress, and are convenient without inviting more brain fog ⏰ even though it is not optimal and does not follow a well-structured fitness plan. 🗺️ ⚠️ Warning: Please do NOT read below if you are currently struggling with your own workout motivation! 🛑 I really do not want you to copy my current habits. ✨ I am only posting this to honestly explain what I mentioned earlier in my previous updates.🏠 💡For example, here is what my routine looks like right now: 🟢 I threw away my strict resistance training plan 🗑️ and now I only lift weights for muscles that do not feel any DOMS. 🦵 I hit larger muscle groups and prioritize compound lifts. 🏋️‍♂️ My main decision criterion is simply the availability of the machines in the gym 🏬 because I absolutely don't want to wait in a queue. ⏳ Even though leaving 1–2 RIR is much better for physical recovery with similar results, 📊 I sometimes push all the way to 0 RIR 💥 because I feel way more relaxed when I empty my tank. 🔋

6:30AM gym session this morning! 🙌 Trying to get myself back into my morning routine, and I forgot how GOOD it feels. And can I just say… another bonus of going early? No annoying group of 5 teenagers camping out on one machine, talking, posing, scrolling, and doing everything except actually working out 😝😂 Hit a NEW PR today 💪🔥, and of course I started with the leg press because that machine NEVER fails to have me dripping sweat before I even get to the rest of my workout. 🥵 Workout done. Feeling accomplished. Walked through the front door… And apparently, while I was gone, there had been a major household emergency. My mister comes at me with the most dramatic face: “BBAAABBEEE!!! I swear I tried EVERYTHING and I cannot get this freaking oatmeal bag to close!” Me internally: Holy shit… what happened?! 😳 Also me internally 3 seconds later: Wait… THIS is the emergency?! 😂 I looked at him and said, “Calm down. I’m home. Let me put my gym bag down, wash my hands, and I will assist you.” 🤣 I walk over to investigate… Y’all. THE BAG WAS RIPPED. 😭😂 The zipper seal wasn’t even attached to one side of the bag anymore! So I’m like, “Babe… you didn’t do anything wrong. The bag ripped. It physically cannot close anymore. You could stand here trying for the next 3 hours and it still ain’t sealing.” 😂 He goes: “OMG! This stupid oatmeal bag stressed me out because I couldn’t figure out WTF I was doing wrong!” And because I am the supportive, loving, slightly smart-ass partner that I am… I said: “You are SO dramatic over a damn oatmeal bag you can’t close. WTF are you going to do if I’m not here?!” 😂 His answer? “I’ll just stand here and do nothing.” 😆 BRUH. 💀😂 I’m cracking up telling him, “THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! Figure it out!” And then he dramatically announces: “I’ll just never eat oatmeal again.” Sir. The oatmeal did NOTHING to you. 😭🤣 So now I need answers… Is it just MY mister who turns a tiny household inconvenience into a full-blown crisis, or does your partner/spouse do this too?! 😂

The past 2 weeks has been all about showing up - waking up and heading to the gym. My workouts have moved to be more endurance and mobility focused than "build muscle". Amidst all that very nice PRs have been achieved: Lateral raises - 4kg -> 6kg Deadlift - 35kg -> 40kg Lat pulldowns - 24kg -> 30kg Vertical rows - 24kg -> 28kg It was pain and fulfillment at the same time to have hit those weights - sometimes the big wins just come along and take you by surprise. In other wins, I see more muscle definition here and there - there's line in my quads, the delts are showing up too - my whole figure definitely looks more slim than before and it is amazing to see. Growth! Everyone take care of yourselves!