02 Jun 2011
By: Joan Chew
What do you do to keep fit?
I exercise every day, alternating between swimming, cycling and running.
I usually cycle at home for 11/2 hours on a regular bicycle which I converted to a stationary bike by attaching resistance units to it. Doing this applies resistance to the rear wheel of the bicycle, simulating outdoor conditions. The only time I cycle outdoors is on Sundays. These longer bike rides can last up to three hours.
I usually run about 18km on Fridays, which takes slightly more than an hour, while the longer runs on Wednesdays can cover up to 25km and last two to 21/2 hours.
As I live just five minutes from East Coast Park, I’ll usually run there or on the treadmill in the gym.
I used to keep a record of my running time using a training software but I don’t bother doing so now. It was a depressing reminder of how much less I have been training since I started working.
Was there a time when you were not fit and fab?
I was never particularly fit until I started training for triathlons a few years ago.
I was overweight and in the Trim and Fit Club for most of my primary and secondary school days. I barely scraped through my annual National Physical Fitness Award test.
How did you get started on endurance sports?
Before I turned 21, I never ran more than 5km, which was then the distance for my school’s annual cross country activity.
At 21, I signed up for the Nike Real Run at Sentosa, a 10km race, and trained for two months around my neighbourhood and on a treadmill.
I finished the race in about 40 minutes, which I thought was not too shabby. After that, I ran sporadically in university and participated in my first triathlon in Malacca in 2005. That got me hooked on endurance sports.
As a doctor and a seasoned endurance race participant, can you share some training tips?
Build up your training intensity slowly – nobody goes from couch potato to endurance guru overnight.
Listen to your body. Recognise when you’re tired and rest for the day; don’t plod through a training session and risk getting injured.
Drink lots of water before and after a race to rehydrate. There are dangers of over-exertion, especially in hot and humid Singapore.
We may not perspire a lot each minute but the small amount of sweat lost over a few hours can add up to a lot. For example, I can lose 1.5kg from a 45-minute run after sunset.
What are some athletes’ bad habits that you are guilty of?
I’m definitely guilty of training even when I’m ill. I always tell my patients that they should not do strenuous activities for a week after recovering from a cold but I don’t think I’ve ever followed that advice myself.
I run even when I am ill partly because the adrenaline that I get from exercise acts as a natural hormone that stops the symptoms of a running nose or blocked nose in its tracks.
All the active ingredients in medication that treat a blocked nose are based on adrenaline derivatives, so it’s actually not surprising that exercise clears a blocked nose very quickly. Fortunately, I seldom fall ill.
What is your diet like?
I eat a lot of wholemeal bread – two loaves a day – and canned tuna in brine.
When I am forced to divert from this routine, I will have noodle soup or porridge.
What are your indulgences?
I can finish Macadamia Nut Brittle ice cream by the pint, especially after a particularly hard training session or after a big race.
This is a sweet, crispy brittle loaded with chunks of rich, salty macadamia nuts.
Do you count your calories?
Not really. I estimate that on light training days, I need about 3,000 calories a day for my energy needs and to maintain my weight.
On other days, I may need 5,000 calories or more. With this in mind, I think I tend to not eat enough.
How do you relax and maintain a healthy work-life balance?
I’m not the best person to answer this. Outside of work, I spend a lot of time on fitness training, which is also my relaxation time.
I use these runs to de-stress from work and, every fortnight, I may also watch a movie while cycling in my room.
Do you think you’re sexy?
No. I think, in general, endurance athletes are anything but sexy. The sexy ones are probably the water polo boys or the track runners.
I feel that endurance athletes are fat people in skinny bodies because they burn their calories slowly to sustain them through a race.
I’ve yet to master the art of not looking fat in a race photo. I am always envious of the ripped and tanned studs strutting around before the start of a race.
Email: joanchew@sph.com.sg
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