I used to be...91kg / 200lbs!
A few bio-info about myself. I currently weigh 68kg / 150lbs at 1.71cm / 5.7ft tall - 50 years old.
I used to live a sedentary lifestyle - the typical office worker who slogs over a computer for minimum 10 to 12hrs daily. I was a civil servant where I spent most days writing papers, doing presentations, & had back-to-back meetings. Regular meals are super, super rare!
I put on 20kg during the 2 years when I was doing my Masters program. Combined heavy workload with an intensive postgraduate program, I added more issues to those which are plaguing me already. Especially the last six months of the program when I was mugging over the 25,000 words dissertation. I only manage to get 2 to 4hrs sleep every 36 to 48hrs. Meals are always in a rush & hardly regular. My faithful companion was my cup which I filled it with average 10 servings of coffee, no less.
My health was in a bad state with chronic back pain as well as constant bouts of flu or cold. I had to visit a therapist every weekend & this included visits overseas as well when I did get the opportunity to travel.
Long story cut short, I decided to leave the corporate world about 6/7 years ago. I decided to do the first thing that I meant to do for a long time - to get my life back in shape. Mind you, I used to be hyper active & did well in sports.
I was clueless what I needed to do to shred the excess kilograms. I started with free weight training for six months. I got stronger over time but weight drop was stubborn!
During that time, a friend introduced calisthenics to me & I decided to give it a try. Calisthenics is a training discipline where bodyweight is used to train functional movements. Simultaneously, I did a lot of research with YouTube fitness influencers.
At the same time I decided to integrate keto diet into my training. I dropped 23kg in about 14 months which resulted in my lowest 6% bodyfat! The chronic back pain was also gone by 6 weeks of training. Colds & flus were a thing of the past.
During this journey, I posted my progress in social media & my friends were astounded! Mind you, I was mocked by some of them when I initially announced my decision to lose weight. Now I've the last laugh! :)
In 2019, I decided to be certified as a professional trainer (but I've been coaching since 2015). I chose to be certified by ACE (American Council on Exercise). Then Covid-19 hit the world. My exam was postponed to late 2019. Well I've graduated anyway.
During the professional certification journey starting 2015, I also got certified as an CPR/AED instructor; TRX Suspension Trainer; Kettlebell Level 1 & 2 Trainer. Most recent certification was just two days ago where I became a certified Allied Health & Exercise Professional under auspice of American College of Sports Medicine & Exercise is Medicine Singapore (Changi General Hospital). This qualification allows me to work closely with designated hospitals as well as medical clinics to safely counsel, implement & lead exercise programs for patients with cardiovascular, metabolic, obesity diseases etc. During this fitness journey, I was also the designated personal trainer for Crawfurd Medical Centre for similar group of patients.
Unlike most fitness professionals, I chose to invest in my education and self-development. I surrounded myself with individuals that have higher standards and want to change the fitness industry. With health and fitness’ recent attention in our society, and an overload of information on the latest health trends, it can be difficult to sort through the clutter and figure out what is true, what is false, and what is relevant to you.
We must have a foundational understanding of fitness and the desire to get the best information available. We need this so that our clients can see the best results.
I realized my value wasn’t learning new exercises or the new diet of the month. It was learning and owning the science behind exercise and personalizing each exercise to match my client. So now I teach my clients about diet and calories, and have them understand the science behind weight loss.
I am now a very happy man! :)
