Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Avery Aloysius Yeo

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: Avery Aloysius Yeo (@averyaloysius)

Age: 27

Height: 1.66m

Weight: 66kg

Occupation: Radio DJ

Status: Single

Food: I don't count my calories. I believe in eating sustainably and that means being able to eat what you like in moderation. I enjoy a good pizza every once in a while, but on a daily, it’s one portion of carbs a day and a higher protein-based diet. So if I have rice or noodles for lunch, my dinner would contain little to no carbs.

Exercise: I go to the gym at least four to five times a week, with some sprints somewhere within the week if I can find the discipline and motivation to do them.

Q: When you were younger, were you active in sports?

A: Since young I’ve always been pretty active, I was in track and field in primary school, then took on softball as well, went on to secondary school where I started rock climbing.

What did you get into as you got older?

In poly I played (a little) rugby, but I didn't stick to it for very long. I started hitting the gym in October 2018 when I was in the Air Force during national service. I had nothing to do in Australia when I was there, so it was a way for me to kill time and exercise.

I think something just made me feel good about going to the gym and it’s been my go-to ever since, becoming more consistent from 2020. It also had to do with how I viewed myself but we'll get to that.

You've always wanted to be a radio DJ.

I remember when I was younger, I was always amazed by the radio and how the DJs were able to make me smile, laugh and critically think about something they just said. I was always in awe at how confident they always sounded and how they always spoke right before the song began.

I think it was always magic to me that a voice held so much power and radio has always made me smile.

You have the late night shift, how do you balance your workouts with your sleep?

This is a tough one. I do the night show on 987FM which runs from 8pm till 12 midnight and I used to be an early sleeper and an early riser too – only one of those things have changed. Sadly, it’s my sleep cycle.

So now I try my best to sleep by 2am latest, which sometimes proves to be a challenge because after the show it takes a while to get home, wind down and actually fall asleep.

But I try to get at least seven hours of sleep, so I try to get up by 9am just to get my day started. But throughout the day, it’s easy to get a workout in, because everyone is at work and it’s the best to work out in an empty gym/

When you were younger, did you experience any incidents that made you feel insecure about yourself?

I've always been a short human being and when I was younger it always affected me, because I thought that it would affect me in many ways. I think it’s a constant struggle every day. I honestly feel that as a short guy growing up, I faced a lot of teasing from everyone around me. It wasn't easy and to this day, I still get made fun of about my height. Women alike will say things like, "Oh if only you were taller" and it used to really affect me.

But one day, I think I realised that there is literally nothing I can do to change my height, but there was something I could change and that was how I saw myself in the mirror and how I lived my life. So I learnt that there are just some people that will always be looking down on you (literally cause I’m short) but they don't matter. It’s ultimately up to you to change the things that are actually within your control and do it for yourself.

When did you feel the least confident about yourself?

Again, as much as I have come to terms with my height, it is still something I wish was different. But then we go back to the same thought process of "Can I do anything about it?" and the answer is always the same. And then I ask myself, what is it that I can do to make myself feel better about myself?

So I hop on my motorbike and head to gym. Maybe in a way it’s a little twisted way of motivating myself haha!

Did you ever struggle with your body?

I think I struggle to put on weight. I don't count calories and I know I should if I want to put on the weight and I have tried. At my heaviest I was at 69/70kg but it was so tough to keep it there and even gain more.

Plus, it is so expensive to meal prep...so I think I decided that I am happy with my size until I can afford to meal prep every day. Also because I don’t have the discipline that the bodybuilders have, so mad respect to them.

Are you content with your body now?

I don't think i'll ever be content. Because I believe that there should always be a bigger goal, another level to reach. And if I ever say that I am satisfied with how I look, I have become complacent with myself. So it’s gonna be a never ending journey.

Have you ever received any comments about your body?

It’s mixed feelings from people I guess. My mother and ex-girlfriend used to call me a nugget (short and stumpy) which I found super funny actually but other people tell me that it pays off and that I look good. And without a doubt, it is definitely a good feeling when your hard work gets noticed. So it kinda makes you wanna work out even more to get the compliments! But then there are also moments when people say "Put your shirt back on" and I can’t tell if it’s a compliment or an insult.

If I could change one thing about me, I would be 1.8m. Haha nah, I think we are all made in a certain way and I know it’s things that can’t be changed, so instead of wishing I could change it, embrace it! It’s what makes you, YOU! #shortking