Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Donna Samuel
Strong is the new sexy and fitness is the new party. With society leaning towards health and fitness, Yahoo's #Fitspo of the Week series is dedicated to all inspirational women in Singapore leading active lifestyles. Know of any who deserve to be featured? Hit me up on CherylTay.sg and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (cheryltaysg).
Name: Donna Samuel
Age: 27
Occupation: Freelance Personal Trainer
Status: Single
Height: 170cm
Weight: 61kg
Diet: I have a habit of getting food into my system every two to three hours to keep my metabolism running throughout the day. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, I will always have a serving of meat, large quantity of vegetables and a serving of low GI carbs such as brown rice, sweet potatos, oatmeal etc. In between meals I will snack on a variety of things such as nuts, fruits, yogurt or a scoop of protein shake. I definitely allow myself occasional treats and indulgences too!
Training: I do resistance training about three to four times a week, and one day for a cardio like spinning or HIIT. I like to change things up! Some days when I don't feel like heading to the gym, I will just bring my dog for a walk or turn on the music in my room and shake it off privately. Yes you will look stupid but hey, no one can see you plus you may discover a hidden self-perceived talent.
Did you play a lot of sports growing up?
I was exposed to a variety of sports - tennis, swimming, badminton, soccer. In the end, squash is my forte and I played in local and international tournaments throughout my schooling years. It was through the game of squash that opened my eyes to my potential and honed my love for fitness!
What are your objectives for working out?
Other than competitions, I train to keep myself challenged and refreshed for the work week.
What's your favourite exercise in the gym?
Barbell squats. Who doesn’t like a nice, round booty?
Did you ever struggle with your weight?
Yes, definitely! I am genetically thicker in terms of bone structure and muscle density compared to my peers. In my younger days, it was a psychological struggle filled with much insecurity, especially growing up in an Asian society. I always had to struggle with the yearning to be petite and narrow-framed. I have been name-called by guys before too. During adolescence this stuff can be very detrimental to anyone's self-esteem.
How confident are you about your body now?
I don’t obsess over my imperfections anymore; I just learnt to embrace them.
What misconceptions about fitness does society have these days?
That fitness is a daunting and miserable journey! Yes, exercising takes hard work but who says the process can’t be fun? Just choose an activity you enjoy doing and go at your own pace. Also, if something as solitary as gym training is not for you, then take up classes that involve a group such as yoga, zumba, or spinning. Find out what really motivates you to pluck yourself off the couch.
It could be you really just want to shed the weight, or going with your friends, or mastering that particular yoga pose and refining your kick techniques. You will enjoy the journey and that’s the most important thing!
Why should people make an effort to keep fit?
The health reasons come in first. So many benefits can be derived just by keeping active such as reducing the risk of diseases, controlling weight and importantly, managing stress and improving mood. I see a lot of my friends who are working professionals neglect this very important aspect of their life and end up having very low energy levels overall.
Secondly, keeping fit has so much power in boosting your confidence level in all aspects, not just physically. Don’t believe me? Just get started and you’ll know what I mean.
How do you define fitness?
To me, fitness is a tripod of the three states - physical, mental and emotional. With that said, it is essential for all three states to be in balance in order to be "fit". Trying to push one state to the extreme will essentially compromise the other two. This is why fitness should not be regarded as a final goal weight nor a dream body type which is what most people perceive it to be. I believe maintaining a good fitness level is a lifestyle created through a long period of time, rather than short-lived drastic changes.
What do you think of the fitness scene now and how do you hope it can be improved?
There is still much segregation among the different communities and a lot of controversies as to what is the "best" fitness regime. I think it is good for people to try out everything - be it powerlifting, yoga, crossfit, gymming, MMA and what other fitness regime people adopt. It would be fun to hold mass public events uniting all the different communities together in order to promote the joy of working out to the public.
If there is one thing I could teach society, it would be to educate students about the different body types and the impact from our daily diets and physical activity as to how it influences our body shapes. By understanding the different body types, perhaps we can at least clarify that not everybody's bodies are equal and [each is] uniquely shaped.
