Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Ivan Chan

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: Ivan Chan (@dadtokeepfit)

Age: 44

Height: 1.70m

Weight: 62kg

Occupation: Deputy registrar

Status: Married with 2 kids

Diet: I have no particular diet but I always eat in moderation, except processed and deep fried/oily foods. I try to incorporate protein-rich foods such as eggs, chicken and salmon in my diet to help in lean muscle building and recovery from exercise. I’ve read that a protein-rich diet coupled with a consistent fitness regime helps to keep older people (that’s me) stay fitter and healthier. I also take snacks of healthier choices in between meals such as nuts, protein bars and biscuits to give me more energy. More importantly, by taking the snacks, I will not be too hungry and overeat during lunch and dinner.

Training: I would normally run 2-3 times in a typical week, mostly with running club ROCKrunners. I would cover varying distances from 5km, up to 15km or more in each session when I am preparing for races. I also do muscle and core strengthening through high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with weights and gym work 2-3 times weekly.

Q: You used to hate sports as a kid.

A: I was never good in sports since young. I hated physical education lessons in school and I couldn’t master any sports, such as soccer or basketball which were popular among the boys. I didn’t eat proper meals and I always munched on titbits. As a result, I grew up a wimpy and skinny guy due to lack of exercise and poor nutrition.

When you started working, your health started to deteriorate. How bad was it?

Due to the stressful work life as I was building my career, I neglected my health, skipped meals and never exercised at all. My health deteriorated and I fell sick frequently due to my low immunity. Things took a turn for the worse when my immune system became so weak that I contracted tuberculosis (TB) in 2004. However, even after this episode, I continued with my sedentary lifestyle.

When was the turning point where you decided to do something about your ailing lifestyle?

Falling sick was part and parcel of my life, even after I got married and my two kids came along. When I turned 39 in 2014, it suddenly struck me that I need to change my life and take care of my own body. I told myself that I need a healthy body in order to take care of my family.

At that time, my wife was already very much into running and fitness. Seeing a positive change in her health and confidence due to a change in her lifestyle, I decided to give running a try. I also searched online about nutrition and started to work out in the gym. I started seeing a big difference in my health and I felt good about the change in me.

What are some of the biggest changes you have seen in yourself, physically and mentally, since you made the change?

With proper nutrition and a consistent fitness regime of running and gym work, I started to gain lean mass on my skinny frame. I looked and felt healthier. Within six months, my body weight increased (in a healthy way) from 51kg to 60kg, and my BMI (Body Mass Index) is in the normal healthy range for the first time in my life. I began to take part in several running races, from 10km up to a full marathon.

You have completed a marathon, participated in Spartan Race, what’s next? What are your fitness goals now?

With a stronger body and mindset, it is amazing how much your body can do and achieve greater things. I am currently focusing on muscle strengthening and conditioning so that I can challenge myself to do better in my future races.

At the back of my mind, I am also thinking of learning how to master the correct swimming techniques so that I may one day go into multi-sport events such as doing an aquathlon.

When did you feel the least confident about yourself?

When I was a skinny and wimpy guy (four years ago) and walked into a gym filled with other buff guys working out. I couldn’t help but feel the judgment from other people (although they might not have noticed me at all) and my confidence level dipped.

How did you overcome that?

I told myself that change is necessary for the sake of my health and family. I managed to overcome my inner insecurities and after a couple of months of consistent training, I finally saw results on how my body has transformed. From then on, I became more confident, not only physically but mentally as well.

Are you satisfied with your body now?

I definitely look and feel better now compared to four years ago. Yes, I am happy with my body now but having said that, there is still so much I can do to make my body stronger. Fitness and health is not a given, so I will continue with my fitness regime to maintain and possibly improve my fitness level further.

Do you get any comments about your body?

Before I started my fitness regime four years ago, 10 out of 10 people would comment that I looked as thin as a bamboo. Some even said that I will get blown away by a gust of wind because I looked so frail. Today, I don’t get this harsh comment anymore. I think I look normal now, and will go all out to maintain how my body looks at present.

As a father, how do you balance your fitness regime, work and family?

It is never easy to juggle between work, family and my fitness regime. I am glad that my wife is also a fitness advocate and supports what I do to keep myself fit. Without compromising my work, I make it a point to end work on time on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays to spend 1.5 to 2 hours of running or in the gym. On weekends, I find pockets of free time to run or attend muscle strengthening classes when my kids go for their enrichment lessons. At times, my kids would also join me and my wife when we clock our running mileage.