Advertisement

Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh

Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Alex Loh is a former national water polo player, who helped Singapore win the gold medal at the 2001 Southeast Asia Games. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

Life goes beyond the digits on the scale and your body is capable of so much more. Yahoo’s #Fitspo of the Week series is dedicated to inspirational men and women in Singapore leading healthy and active lifestyles. Have someone to recommend? Hit Cheryl up on Instagram or Facebook.

Name: Alex Loh (@alex_lohsy)

Age: 40

Height: 1.78m

Weight: 80kg

Occupation: People connector, community builder, fitness enthusiast, wellness advocate, committed Dad.

Status: Married

Diet: I try not to eat anything after dinner until lunch the next day, unless I have a breakfast meeting or if I’m on holiday. I do it because whether or not I eat breakfast, I still eat the same amount for lunch and function just as well. Since hitting my late 30s, I watch what I eat more, like having less oily and fried food.

Training: Spinning at Absolute Cycle 1-2 times a week, high-intensity training either on my own or at a boxing studio 1-2 times a week, and run 1-2 times during the weekends. I also play in a local water polo league and that happens on weekends a couple of months in a year. On average, I am active 4-5 times a week.

Q: You were pretty active at a young age.

A: Yup, in primary school I was actually in the badminton team and I also swam competitively for school (since the age of nine) and at club level. I converted to water polo in secondary school, where I played for schools and a club and eventually went on to represent Singapore in the National Youth Team and Senior Team.

Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Alex Loh believes that the skills and values gained from competing as a national athlete have had a great and positive impact on his life. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

What were some of your biggest moments in water polo?

Taking part in the 1998 Asian Games, 2000 Asian Championships and 2002 Commonwealth Games. And of course, winning the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games in 2001.

What did you learn from your days as a national athlete?

Dealing with both success and failure. Training 11 times per week helped build all of that. All of these skills and values play a big part in how I live and work today, so competing as a national athlete, specifically in the game of water polo, has had a great and positive impact on my life.

What happened next?

I was trained as a physical education teacher and, hence, have a fairly good understanding of different types of sports and game play. From 2005 to 2013, I was coaching competitive and recreational swimming and water polo teams, and as such I am pretty much in-tune with periodisation and conditioning.

I picked up wakeboarding in my late 20s and that’s also how I met my wife, so that sport has a special place in my heart. My early 30s found me longboarding and doing annual snowboarding trips over the next eight years.

Recently, before my little daughter Ava came along, I was into calisthenics and was working on my handstand.

Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Alex Loh met his wife while pursuing wakeboarding after his water polo playing career. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

What are your fitness goals now?

I work out not just to sweat and feel good, but also to expend whatever intake of extra calories because I love my food. Keeping my jeans size constant is something I am always working on.

Did you ever not feel confident about yourself?

I am generally confident about myself but didn’t feel good when my T-shirts, pants, jeans and shorts started feeling uncomfortably tight five months ago. I had gone from working out five to six times a week to zero times a week, as I was spending all my available time with little Ava. I realised, thanks to the confinement nanny’s superb cooking, I put on four kilograms!

How did you overcome it?

Spending time with little Ava is paramount, so I just had to work out a schedule that suited my new daddy routine. This meant working out during lunch time and identifying other pockets of time in the week to do so. I am definitely in a happy space now.

Are you contented with your body now?

For sure. I am not working to get abs, bigger arms or chest, or a personal-best timing. I just want to stay active with different workouts, enjoy and reap the benefits that come with each activity.

Do you get any criticism about your body?

Actually no, but I do get compliments. :D

Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Alex Loh has been active in the Singapore fitness industry, and is passionate about athlete performance and non-athlete well-being. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

You have been working in the fitness industry for the past couple of years. What are your thoughts on the fitness scene in Singapore?

I am very encouraged by the way the fitness landscape has changed and matured in the last 10 years. There has been a lot of activity on wellness education and services where the emphasis is on mental well-being and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. It is great to see that there is good support from government bodies, as having a top-down approach is always beneficial.

Do you hope to contribute to the scene or change anything about it?

I am immensely passionate about athlete performance and non-athlete well-being, and also in building communities, so I will definitely continue being a part of the ecosystem and contribute where my skills and network allow.

How do you hope to see the fitness scene evolve in the coming years?

More and more people are beginning to understand and relate to the benefits of fitness and wellness. This has become a lifestyle for many people in their pre-20s all the way to the silver generation. I hope to see even more people engage in this lifestyle, and I wish to see businesses offering better and more progressive programmes and products, to help the general population live better.

Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
For Alex Loh, becoming a father meant that he had to adjust his workout times around spending quality time with his daughter Ava. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

Most importantly, I would like more employers to see the value in providing fitness and wellness care for their employees, because there is existing data and research to show the positive effects of employee engagement, productivity and lifespan.

Has becoming a father changed your outlook towards fitness?

During the week, I used to work out in the morning at 7am, before I head off to work early. Since becoming a father, I have had to squeeze in lunch sessions because working out before and after work is not convenient for me anymore.

I choose to see and spend some time with little Ava when she wakes before I leave for work, and to be home early enough to bathe her and catch her before she is put to bed.

My outlook towards fitness remains the same, where I do it because I enjoy it. I am careful not to over-exert myself without the right conditioning as I move from my 30s to my 40s. My priority is family right now so I will not beat myself up over not having my workouts. But that said, it should not be an excuse for me to be totally inactive.

Fatherhood definitely has had an impact on my life and I am looking forward to introducing sports, fitness and wellness to little Ava’s life, as I am highly conscious of the benefits it has had on my character and values growing up.

Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Alex Loh. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)