Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Jaime Teo
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: Jaime Teo (@jmeteo)
Age: 41
Height: 1.66m
Weight: 49kg
Occupation: Artiste
Status: Others
Diet: I don’t have a strict diet but I try to estimate (very roughly) my calorie input at 1,600 to 1,800 per day. I think it’s all about portion control.
Training: I usually exercise five days a week and my main exercises are high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and squash. HIIT takes only 12 to 30 minutes, so the idea really is that anything is better than nothing. I also mix up my activities for better overall fitness, so I include dance or running or just about any activity that will give me a good sweat.
Q: Were you always into fitness?
A: When I was in secondary school, I participated in the long-distance events for Sports Day (long distance was 3km then haha). That was about the extent of sports in my schooling days.
As I grew older, I had always been willing to give any sport a go. At some point in my life, I was hitting the gym quite a bit, and there was also a wakeboarding phase. There was nothing really that lasted very long.
Being in the media industry, do you face any pressure to maintain your figure?
In the past, definitely. And I found that the more pressure I faced, the more I couldn’t keep slim because I think I’m a comfort eater. It was only when I hit the 30s that I decided I would stop pressuring myself to keep slim because life is too short. Suddenly I learnt that I could eat in moderation when I didn’t disallow myself the foods that were “bad”.
I could eat a few bites of a cake instead of the entire thing, a few cubes of chocolate instead of the whole bar, and a few spoonfuls of ice cream instead of the whole tub. It was quite liberating, learning about moderation and portion control.
How do you manage to juggle work, mum life, fitness and a social life?
It is called multitasking (#akabobian) and something all women miraculously get better at when they become a mother >.<
What are some of your “secrets” for looking so good?
Well first, thank you! I think a lot of it I have to thank my mom for (#becausegenes), my aesthetics doctor (#becausegravity) and a generally active lifestyle (#becausekeepsoneyoung).
What are your fitness goals now?
That I remain fit and strong and able to enjoy any sport I pick up. For now, it is still squash (which I picked up four years ago) and dance.
When did you feel the least confident about yourself?
When I just returned to Singapore from an overseas stint in Taiwan – they kept stressing that I had to lose weight then and my body was out of whack from the unhealthy dieting. I was always bloated and looked it.
How did you overcome it and become more confident?
When I hit my 30s. See Question Three above. =p
Are you satisfied with your body now?
I am because I feel like I’m fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been before; even before my teenage days. It is very empowering to feel strong.
Do you get any criticism about your body?
In the past, I’d get the “you’re too fat” or “too chubby” comments, and now I get the “you’re too muscular/skinny/flat-chested” ones. Fact is, everybody will have something to say about you, so you just ignore the haters and do your thing.
Oh, of course people also leave nice comments online and I accept those graciously and happily.
What are some misconceptions of fitness in today’s society?
That it’s very time-consuming and it’s all about looking good. I think FEELING good about yourself after exercise is the most important part of fitness and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money.
