Staying fit and healthy is a challenge, especially during a pandemic when we are less active due to being cooped up at home in the time of the Circuit Breaker and having to WFH. It’s worse if you have a sedentary job which involves sitting for hours on end and not moving much throughout the day, which is pretty much the case for most of the office workers.
Other than those of us who work in office jobs, there are some occupations which confine its workers to a fixed spot all day, like that of a radio DJ. How do these entertainers keep healthy and fit, you ask? Here, we check in with Mister Young from Power 98 Love Songs to find out how he stays active and passionate about fitness, despite the challenging times.
Mister Young is the morning drive time DJ and Assistant Programme Director for Power 98 Love Songs, and apart from DJing, he does live hosting and voice-overs for a variety of brands. Mister Young has an immense interest in sports and fitness (that’s where he gets his sporty, tanned looks from!), and spends most of his free time taking care of his fur kids at home. You can catch Mister Young on The Power Breakfast Show with co-host Jacqui on weekdays, 6 am – 9 am on Power 98 Love Songs.
1. Share with us your fitness routine.
It really depends on my day. On days when I have a little more time, I’ll go out for a longer run. On days when I’m a little crunched for time, I’ll do a quick 30 minutes of body weight exercises at home. I also have a punching bag and pull up bar so I can always squeeze in a quick session with these.
2. How do you plan your routine and what motivates you to keep to it?
Before the pandemic, I would sign up for marathons and Spartan Races, and I will set goals I want to achieve and work towards achieving them in those events. Now it’s become a lot harder to stay motivated due to the pandemic, so I generally just try to train to maintain my fitness level.
3. Can you share some of your favourite sports or sporting games which you play frequently?
Boxing, Muay Thai, basketball, running, calisthenics and Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) are some of my favourite sports which I play often.
4. Do you have any tips on keeping fit you can share with us?
Motivation and passion can fizzle out, especially when life gets busy, so I think it’s important to make staying fit an important part of your lifestyle. One way is to get family and friends involved and find what is fun to do together – this is a great way to stay motivated.
5. How do you stay healthy especially with the WFH status during the pandemic?
When I started WFH, I realised I was sitting on a chair way more than I used to. I actively try to remind myself to get up and move around and do counter stretches. Smartwatches really help with this as they have built-in reminders that tell you to get up and move when you’ve been inactive too long.
6. What does staying healthy and keeping fit mean to you?
It means feeling good and being able to take part in activities, especially with my dogs who are just bundles of energy. I also want to stay fit for when I do have children, so I can keep up with them.
7. Can you share your diet and any dieting tips for healthy eating?
To me, the best “diet” is one that I can keep up consistently. I’ve tried the Keto diet, and while it was effective for the 6 months I was in it, it was way too hard to maintain. Now I try to moderate my sugar intake and do some intermittent fasting (I don’t eat from 9 pm – 12 noon).
8. Why do you think it’s important to stay fit and healthy?
Being fit and healthy really helps my mental disposition. Aside from generally feeling good, I also want to avoid being a burden to my loved ones as much as I possibly can.
9. Share with us your fitness goals for 2021 and beyond.
2021 is the year in which I try to reclaim what I’ve lost to laziness in 2020. My goal is to be marathon/Spartan Beast-fit by the end of the year, even if events aren’t happening.
Featured image: @power98misteryoung
