Life goes beyond the numbers on the scale, your body can do more! Yahoo’s #Fitspo of the Week series is dedicated to helping the inspiring men and women in Singapore who lead healthy and active lifestyles. Does anyone have a recommendation?beat above or !
age: 30
high: 1.74m
weight: 61kg
Profession: Fintech Marketing
status: single
food: I’m starting to realize that I’m not doing a good job of limiting the types of foods I eat, but I do intermittent fasting every now and then when I feel like I’m eating too much on fatty foods or alcohol. In general, I also try not to eat too late in the evening.
exercise: If time permits, I try to take two to five fitness classes a week, usually a spin class or a Barry class.
Q: Did you exercise/fitness when you were young?
A: I was on several schools’ swim and football teams, and I was the kid who was always open to trying new sports—from softball to hockey, horseback riding, and even scuba diving.
Unfortunately, I don’t really do a lot of team sports anymore. Now I prefer to try different fitness studios and activities with my friends.
When did you take your first fitness class?
I used to work at Lululemon and there was a group of people who love to exercise – from my co-workers to the people who patronize the store. So I ended up taking different fitness classes with them – from ballet to yoga, HIIT (high intensity interval training), spinning and boxing.
I love trying new fitness classes with people I know well, so at least if you fail miserably, you’ll get a good laugh out of it.
You seem to be doing a lot of spinning lessons now.
Spinning was one of the first fitness classes I took and is still my favorite because of the immersive environment. It’s really cathartic to be able to take those 45 minutes away from life and then sprint to the music on the bike.
What are your current fitness goals?
My overall focus right now is on maintaining the perfect balance of health and happiness. I find fitness classes are a great way for me to keep my body fit and my mind clear. When I look and feel like the best version of myself, it spills over into all other areas of my life.
Are you struggling with your body?
I think everyone struggles with body image growing up. Well-meaning people will say you’re too skinny, you’re too fat, you don’t have enough boobs, your face is too round, and your ass is too flat.
It took a lot of time and is still 100% a work in progress, but I feel like I can say that I am at peace with who I am today. Not falling in love with yourself when you reach your perfect self, it comes with grace and humility to accept your imperfections and keep striving to be the best you can be.
It’s an ongoing struggle, especially when we’re surrounded by so much unrealistic and edited content everywhere. I definitely feel guilty about my insecurities that have me both being influenced by and contributing to this content, a vicious cycle that sometimes feels like it never ends. That’s why it’s so important to me right now, because I’m focused on empowering those around me, because I’ve found that, at least for myself, feeling good on the inside ends up making comparisons on the outside.
When are you least confident in yourself?
Confidence is something I’ve been struggling with. I still suffer from impostor syndrome to this day – you’re not fun enough to hang out with the group, you’re not qualified enough for the job, you’re not skinny enough to wear that.
Learning to find confidence in different areas of my life is always a challenge, but I’m fortunate to have a strong support system in my friends and family and the community around me – at work, fitness classes and beyond. They help me cheer up when I’m down and vice versa.
Are you satisfied with your body right now?
I think that instead of trying to be happy with my body, it’s better to always appreciate everything it gives me – strength, mobility and physicality.
But honestly, I would never judge someone for choosing to edit or keep the body they were born with, and I personally wouldn’t rule out the possibility of changing my body in the future if I wanted to. Your body, your choice.
If I decide to change anything, I don’t hide it because I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed of, and transparency always helps remove unrealistic expectations.
