Germaine: Fitness is not about aesthetics – Rock The Naked Truth

Germaine: Fitness is not about aesthetics

2015 has been a year of GROWTH for me.

I was fat for as long as I remember. In my poly days, I started dragonboating and I was fit, but I wasn’t happy with the way I looked because I was bulky. I remember my guy friends used to tease me in school. Whenever a slim girl with nice legs walks past in the canteen, they will turn and ask me ‘So when are you going to have sexy legs like that?’ My answer was, ‘Probably NEVER’.

After stepping into the working world in 2012, I became so flabby, FAT and I gained so much weight, but I didn’t do anything except find excuses.

In 2014 I got introduced to a ‘fit club’ and I thought I found like-minded people to encourage me to start working out again. But they were promoting meal replacements. Yes, I took them and I saw results but somehow I wasn’t proud of it. In fact, I was ashamed at how I got my results.

Although I really liked the way I looked, I knew this has to stop. Hence towards the end of 2014, I started my fitness journey and my Instagram account. I wanted to prove to others that I too can be fit and lean without taking meal replacements.

In 2015, I struggled with body image. Being in the corporate world made me think that I had to be slim, pretty and sexy to get my way around things at work! I started hating it when I see bit of fats in the mirror and I would over compensate with extra cardio. I would diet even harder but that led to me binging for a period of time.

I struggled with the thought of wanting to get back to meal replacements and I was telling myself I will just do it for one month. Oh, how I had to struggle to to stop those thoughts!

Along the way I picked myself up and started afresh. Although I’m not as lean as I was in 2014, I am a lot prouder about my progress! I started CrossFit three months ago and I love it!

In hindsight, fitness is not all about aesthetics, but it’s about strength, flexibility, speed, physical and emotional health and so much more! Fitness has to be sustainable and enjoyable. No stress, no pressure… just working towards a fitter and healthier me day by day! I have so much to improve on and I’m not giving up.

I hope I will one day be able to inspire more people to embark on this journey. Everyone starts from somewhere and the journey isn’t easy but I’m sure it will be worth it. So join me in my journey as I work towards new goals in 2016 and most importantly, learn to love myself and my body even more. Cheers to another awesome year ahead!

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I had a very unhealthy relationship with my body w

I had a very unhealthy relationship with my body when I was in my early 20s and the relationship carried till Circuit Breaker. This period of isolation forced me to reflect on my own inner child wounds.

I was born with big hips structure and damn jialat metabolism. At 24, I tried to lose weight by jogging every morning and only having yogurt for the whole day. I did lose some weight but I also lost a lot of my hair. That lifestyle lasted for 2 months and I was not in a good mental space. Then I went back to my usual diet and gained all the weight back.

In 2021, I got molested in the bus by this Gray Hoodie Ah Pek. He sat beside me, pretended to fall asleep and circled his thumb on my thigh. He then alighted the bus and looked back at me with a smirk. I swear I was beyond disgusted.

Due to genetics, I have a heavier bottom and the yoga pants and bicycle shorts that I buy online are not squat-proof (very transparent at the butt area) so most of the time when I head out for training I would need to double wear my yoga/bicycle pants with shorts. But that day, I was in a cover-up dress that showed nothing and was feeling disgusted and fat. I reported him to the police anyway.

Later, I released myself from a very toxic situation when I was constantly seeking for acceptance and at the same time, I received news that Gray Hoodie Ah Pek was sentenced to 2 counts with 4 months imprisonment.

At that point of time, it was very dark and I questioned myself frequently, “Is it because I am not good enough?”, “Confused, I was fat but why did that ah pek still touch me?”, “Guilty, because I was one of the reasons that sent him to imprisonment and he might have a family to feed.”, “Why me?”.

To cope, I went back to doing yoga and also started Muay Thai. I felt more balance, love and acceptance towards myself; learned self-defence, resilience, discipline and how to stay grounded.

Definitely, there will still be days when I question myself with my own self-acceptance, but I made a promise to myself to continue to learn and grow mentally and never stop.

Thank you for reading my story. Namaste.

- Val (@soundslikehokkienmee)

Came across this photo taken in 2010 and I had pos

Came across this photo taken in 2010 and I had posted it on Facebook with a caption “omg I look so fat here”.

This was when I was struggling with my eating disorders. I was starving myself, taking slimming pills, counting calories and I remember feeling so miserable all the time.

How was this fat?! I clearly was struggling with my body, with my self-worth, with my confidence. And this lack of self-confidence showed in many different ways.

For example, I was constantly in relationships or dating because I needed attention for validation. I would stay in toxic relationships even though I know it’s bad, and I would enable it further, because at the back of my mind I just want to feel loved.

It took me over a decade to reach where I am now and it hasn’t been easy at all. There are days when some of these past demons rear their ugly heads but I am able to better deal with them now.

Self-love is a journey, so be patient and keep working at it!

You are stronger than you think.

You are stronger than you think.

“Growing up as a chubby kid opened the floodgate

“Growing up as a chubby kid opened the floodgates for a lot of tease and I never felt very confident about my body image growing up. Additionally, I am bigger in build and height than most of my female peers, so it was even more stark.

I really struggled when I was 14 years old and dropped from 70kg+ to 50kg. I weighed myself every day and after every meal, because I was obsessed with being 50kg at 1.73m tall, which was actually quite unhealthy and I saw weight gain as an enemy. When I was at my worst, I would cry when I saw the number on the weighing scale rise.

I'm glad my relationship with my weight is no longer a thing, and I rarely take my weight unless it's for a health checkup, because weight is just a number and being physically active and eating a balanced diet is more important than the number on the weighing scale.

I believe my time serving in the military changed the way I view life. I faced many challenges as the only female in my battalion of 600 men and I had to constantly prove myself. It taught me the value of a positive attitude and a determined mind, which serves me till today.

I'm happy with my physical appearance now. I adore my curves and my body, and I believe that my physical appearance reflects my inner confidence and strength, as well as a sum of some of my life experiences aesthetically.

My body is far from "perfect" – I have a jiggly tummy, love handles when I sit, and a plethora of stretch marks – but those are just signs that I have been living my life, having experiences, and changing (aesthetically or otherwise).

My body has been through a lot – full marathons, combat field training, a bad motorcycle fall that resulted in a second-degree burn on my right calf, and surfing. I am grateful to have a healthy and whole body to participate in these activities.” - @jiahuiongggg on her relationship with her body

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After the session, we had a sound bath, which was a great way to release the tension and negativity.

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Congratulations to all our lucky draw winners!

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You’re here and that’s something to be proud o

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Makes for a great gift for yourself or for someone else!

Our founder @cheryltaysg was part of a panel for @

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The topic revolved around creating safe spaces for women in male-dominated sports (which is most sports if you think about it) and how to balance the emotional and mental well being of women in these sports.

Thank you @so_fieeee for having us!

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