Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Kat Enriquez

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: Kat Enriquez (@katingenriquez)

Age: 26

Height: 1.50m

Weight: 52kg

Occupation: Personal Trainer

Status: Attached

Food: During my prep season, I keep my food very simple. I stick to foods that I know don’t bloat me, such as chicken, beef, rice, sweet potatoes and veggies.

When I’m not on my off season, I do enjoy a treat every now and then, like a croissant or a cookie. But I still stick to the same major food groups and I make sure I take in enough protein. I do practise flexible dieting on my off season, but I make sure that it’s quality food.

Exercise: I train about six times a week, hitting lower body three times and upper body three times, with about 30 minutes of Zone 2 cardio on the crank cycle or ski erg. Then I just make sure I keep up with about 8,000 to 10,000 steps.

It may seem a lot to an average person but I’m just so used to moving a lot and I love the lifestyle of staying active.

When you were younger, were you active in sports?

Yes, growing up I did various sports as a kid. I was part of the basketball team, got into swimming, even tried football and badminton. But the one that got my heart the most was gymnastics.

My dad and brothers were a huge influence in my life when it came to staying active. My dad did bodybuilding previously and he taught me about choosing consciously about my food. It may seem a lot as a kid but I really appreciate that my parents taught me at a young age about taking care of my health.

What did you get into as you got older?

I got into a lot of things, but the one that I'm into right now is bodybuilding. It's such a beautiful sport to be honest and the community is just great too. You get to learn how amazing the human body is.

How did you get into bodybuilding?

I was working out at a local gym back in the Philippines and there was a couple who did bodybuilding together. I thought they looked incredible.

I approached them about it and I started to research and learn more about bodybuilding on my own – and the rest is history.

What are some of the highlights of your bodybuilding journey?

I definitely learned a lot about myself. I did my first competition early in 2021 – something that I have been putting off for quite some time. But I was honestly surprised that I placed third.

Then I joined my second competition where I placed second and first too. It was really a proud moment of my life. It made every sacrifice worth it. Also, the support system I got from my friends and family were really solid and it helped make my prep so much easier.

What are some of the challenges of the sport of bodybuilding?

Missing out on a lot events with friends and family. Another thing was managing myself. When you're deep into prep, you're just so exhausted, hungry and tired. But it's no excuse to be a grumpy person all the time.

Despite what you're feeling physically and mentally, you had to be able to keep up with everyone on the daily and not let your work ethic slip. I don't ever believe in using prep as an excuse to slip up on your responsibilities outside of it.

When did you decide to become a trainer?

I used to be a preschool and special education teacher. I still love teaching definitely but now as a personal trainer, there's still a teaching aspect to it – just a different audience.

I made the jump because I found myself growing more interested in the human body and how I can help others reach their fitness goals when it came to their nutrition or strength wise. I just found more self-growth in it.

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

I did feel insecure about how more "muscular" my legs looked. I remember it very clearly – I was around seven that time and my mum enrolled me in ballet classes. So when you're in ballet class you wear these tights right? While doing those ballet exercises, I noticed that my legs weren't as slender nor as long as others and it made me feel different and a little bit insecure because I was wondering why I looked different.

I started to wear jeans and pants to hide it and it took a while for me to get over it. However, as I grew older, I realised that every body is built differently. I just wish that my younger self knew that.

When did you feel the least confident about yourself?

It was after all the competitions definitely. I was so used to seeing myself lean and shredded for such a long time that I wasn't used to seeing myself before I started to diet down. I had to remind myself that being competition lean is not healthy.

So instead of focusing how I looked, I started to focus my attention on how I felt – strength, mood, brain function. That helped me build a better relationship with food and my body because I know that there's an on-season and off-season for myself.

Did you ever struggle with your body?

I do and I still struggle with it until now. Growing up through cheer and gymnastics, we were always taught to be lean and small – that going up a certain body weight was bad and it did mess with how I viewed my body.

Are you satisfied with your body now?

I definitely am, but I still want to continue to improve it. I believe in self-love you know, and self-love to me means that you want something better for your body.

Have you ever received any comments about your body?

I have received comments, both good and bad. Some think I look strong, while others say it’s too much. But I’m very proud of my body, I worked really hard to get the muscle and strength that I have today.

If you could change anything about yourself, would you?

Definitely not, I believe that I was born this way and I should cherish every body part that I have. I'm very happy with how I look!