SINGAPORE
- For some, stress plays a big part when
it comes to weight gain.
This
was something Madam Shanthi Kannan, 44, learnt in 2010, when her younger son
was about to sit his Primary School Leaving Examination.
At the
time, Madam Shanthi, who works full-time as a secretary, felt the strain of
juggling her job and household chores, along with helping her son, Navin, with
his revision and homework.
"My
focus was on my son and his studies. I was stressed, eating all sorts of food
and I stopped finding time to exercise," she said. As a result, she piled
on 8kg to weigh about 73kg. As she is 1.67m tall, this meant that she was
overweight.
Looking
back, Madam Shanthi realised that she was giving herself excuses for not
exercising and eating sensibly. She stopped going for walks with her family at
a nearby park, for instance.
This
year, she has resolved to regain her ideal weight of 63kg.
Together
with her husband, Mr Nedun Subrayalu, 44, a civil servant, she signed up for
the Health Promotion Board's (HPB's) weight-management programme, Lose To Win.
At the start of the programme, the 1.83m-tall Mr Nedun weighed 83kg and hoped
to achieve his ideal weight of 77kg.
The two
now attend group- fitness classes and dietary consultations. HPB has also
introduced mental well-being workshops to the programme with the aim of helping
participants understand and manage the emotional aspects of over-eating,
obesity and weight loss.
Psychologists
and mental- health professionals address everything from why it's sometimes
hard to stick to weight- loss goals, to understanding how emotions can impact
eating and physical activities.
For
instance, someone under stress may turn to food for comfort, as Madam Shanthi
did.
"I
used to feel frustrated and I wanted to give up. It was an additional burden,
having to spend time on exercise on top of my daily work and household
chores," she said.
"Now,
I realise that I have to spend some time on myself."
Meanwhile,
busy professionals can take a leaf out of Mr Edmund Yu's book. The former 2010
Lose To Win participant has no problem finding small pockets of time for
workouts.
For
instance, he would squeeze in a few sit-ups and lunges during television commercial
breaks.
The
47-year-old procurement manager, who works in the manufacturing sector, has,
like Madam Shanthi, learnt that achieving weight-loss goals is all about having
the right mindset.
"Once
you have those goals in place, the rest will follow," he said. "You
will be motivated to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly."
Mr Yu
lost 17kg during his 12-week programme and has since maintained his weight at
75kg. At 1.71m, he still has some way to go before reaching his ideal weight of
67kg, but he is determined not to lose heart.
As for
Madam Shanthi, her motivation comes from her children: Navin, now 13, and her
elder son, Ashwiin, 19.
The
dedicated mother said: "We want to be role models for our children, to
show them that it's possible to lead a healthy lifestyle."
It
helps that exercise is now a family affair for her. Her family now takes
regular walks in the park near their Bishan home. She and Mr Nedun also enjoy
grooving to music at Lose To Win dance sessions.
"Health
is wealth," said Mr Nedun. "I tell my wife we need our health to
travel together after we retire."
He
added in jest: "If she's not healthy, I'll tell her to stay at home, while
I travel around by myself."
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