Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Yang Jiamin
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: Yang Jiamin (@jyan.yoga)
Age: 26
Height: 1.65m
Weight: 48kg
Occupation: Yoga Instructor
Status: Single
Diet: I don’t have a strict diet; people who know me know that I love bubble tea. I aim to strike a balance between satisfying my cravings and eating clean. I love poke bowls though.
Training: I get bored of routines so I like to spice things up by doing different types of classes and do what feels good for my body. My weekly workout regime consists of 10–15 hours of yoga, 8–12 hours of ballroom dancing, and I try to incorporate pole dancing, Pilates, calisthenics, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and boxing into my training.
Q: What got you into yoga?
A: I decided to embark on yoga after I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis (slipped disc) in 2014. I signed up for a 200-hour yoga teacher training (YTT) to immerse myself in the yoga practice. After six months of consistent and dedicated practice, it healed me. I was no longer in pain and I’m perfectly back to normal, which allowed me to pursue my passion in dance.
When did you decide to start teaching yoga?
I started teaching in January 2015 right after my YTT. I started out with private classes for people with back pain and scoliosis to help those who were suffering from similar issues, then eventually started teaching group yoga and acroyoga classes.
You compete in ballroom dancing; is this something you’ve been doing from a young age?
I was on the Track and Field team in primary school and competed in inter-school and national races. I switched to Chinese Dance in secondary school because they didn’t have Track and Field.
Then in polytechnic, I was introduced to dancesport – Latin and standard ballroom dance. My guy friend dragged me into it and at first I thought, isn’t it for old people? But I was wrong. Ballroom dancing is called dancesport because of the intensity of the workout. I’m very competitive in nature so I decided to take it seriously. No regrets, I’m loving it.
What are some of your best achievements in ballroom dancing?
After nine months of training with my current partner, we decided to go for the Blackpool Dance Festival – the most prestigious ballroom dance competition in the world. We were ranked Top 85 in the Amateur Rising Star category and Top 100 in the Amateur category. We’re the only Singaporean couple to have made it so far into the competition, and are currently ranked the Top Couple in Singapore for Standard Amateur Ballroom category.
What are your fitness goals now?
Get onto a healthy nutrition plan, do three consecutive pull-ups, improve my stamina, and last but not least, grow some butt.
What are some misconceptions of fitness in today’s society?
I think the biggest misconception is that exercising is the best way to lose weight. In fact, diet plays a much bigger role than exercising.
Who is your fitness inspiration?
My dad is my number one inspiration. He’s in his 60s, but still aims to work out daily amid his busy schedule, such as waking up at 6am to play badminton or going for night cycling after work or during the weekend with his friends.
Fitness is not just about looking good. It’s about achieving the balance between your body and your mind. It is perfectly fine to satisfy your cravings once in a while, make yourself happy to achieve the overall sense of physical and mental well-being. It’s about feeling good, inside out.
