Describing himself as the “nerdy kid being picked last for the football team”, Joshua Poh grew up struggling with confidence. Due to a premature birth situation, the 25-year-old marketing consultant has a crooked lip which significantly affected his ability to speak and articulate his words well. As a result, he was bullied in school.
“This was a major downer as socially I became extremely awkward and shy because I didn’t want to let people notice I was ‘different’ from the rest. This, combined with my lack of athletic ability at that time, made me extremely socially withdrawn and I found comfort in excessive computer gaming and books,” he shared.
It didn’t help that Joshua was always on the skinny side (about 50-55kg for his height of 1.72 metres) and he tried to gain weight, but couldn’t do so no matter how much he ate. Thus, he was given nicknames like “Twig” and “Stickman”, which he took as part of his identity over time.
“I was skinny, I lacked athletic ability and hand-eye coordination, and I was always the nerdy kid that was picked last for sports. These experiences caused me to internalise a ‘I’m not good at physical activity and sports’ mentality, which affected my self-confidence and ability to try new things,” Joshua elaborated.
Till today, Joshua is still working to overcome the horrors of the past, but he has made a lot of progress since. At 16, he decided he needed to stop playing the victim card and start taking action to do stuff out of his comfort zone. From there, he got active in school by participating in more activities and trying out leadership positions.
During his three-year university stint in the UK, Joshua was a facilitator for a student mental health support group called Student Minds. Part of his involvement included helping to provide a safe space for students suffering from eating disorders. “This was my first exposure to eating disorders and body image on a personal level,” he said, “It opened my eyes to people trying to overcome these issues. I hope to be a similar safe space in my interactions with people who may or may not be struggling with similar issues.”
Hence, when he came across Rock The Naked Truth, Joshua signed up to join ROCKrunners and has regularly attending the run sessions, as well as other events such as ROCKyoga and ROCKlift.
There are times when ghosts of the past haunts him,, but he will consciously overcome these bad feelings and does not let them get to him. Picking up a regular fitness regime has also helped Joshua a lot. He mixes up his regime with group circuit training, barbell training, bodyweight training and running. His advice is to try out different things to find those that you enjoy more. Once you find it, commit to it and then build a habit and establish a self-identity: “I can do a fitness routine because it’s fun and my body is getting stronger”.
“A supportive community like Rock The Naked Truth is here to support you,” he added. “Of course, we will not understand completely what you are going through as body image is so personal, but we each have our struggles and each one of us have our own stories to share. You aren’t alone in this and we are here to listen and support you!
“Also, we need to be careful of what we do and say to others. Words can leave impressions and scars that someone can take months, even years to overcome. A casual remark about someone’s body or weight, a word meant to tease and poke fun at something so personal can cause someone to spiral down into something completely unintended.”
Joshua shares more of his thoughts on body image…
What does body image mean to you?
Body image is often linked to weight issues, but it also encompasses how you feel about the various features of your body. Especially for guys, this is not a topic often broached within all-male conversations or circles but we DO have our own struggles with body image as well. Height, weight, muscle definition, body characteristics etc – these are areas which we do think about as well, so ladies you aren’t alone in this!
What advice do you have for others who are struggling with their body image?
Body image is an incredibly personal topic and everyone has their own struggles. No matter what you are going through, it is OK to be struggling, it is OK to have limitations. Your struggles don’t not make you any less of a human or any less of value. The truth is, everyone is struggling with something at some point. It takes a lot of courage to come out and say “Hey, I’m struggling with this and I need help”, especially on such a sensitive topic.
But, sometimes the biggest acts of courage to is come out to say that you need help. A supportive community like Rock The Naked Truth is here to support you. Of course, we will not understand completely what you are going through as body image is so personal, but we each have our struggles and each one of us have our own stories to share. You aren’t alone in this and we are here to listen and support you!
What are some of the misconceptions society has about fitness now and how do you hope to correct it?
1) A traditionally defined body (flat stomach, six-pack, ‘ripped’) is not necessarily equivalent to being healthy. While these are indicators of fitness, each of our bodies are unique and do not respond in the same way. I hope to show that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes
2) Photos of ‘fitspo’ on social media may not necessarily reflect their everyday look. When we see photos like these on Instagram or Facebook, you don’t know what the person went through in order to get that look. Factors like lighting, diet and specific preparation influence ‘the look’ and muscle definition. When you look at people in physique competitions, it’s very important to know that they don’t look like this on a usual basis.
Promoting awareness behind what goes on behind preparing a scene for a photograph is especially important because people don’t often stop and think about these factors before comparing their bodies to that of the picture.
3) Exercise is commonly seen as a means to ‘lose’ something – fats, weight, flab, you name it, it has been said. What about reframing exercise and fitness as a means to ‘gain’ something? Not only do you feel more awesome, the effect of regular exercise on your mental capabilities and self-image is amazing. Your body is a work of art. You start seeing what your body is capable of and it’s a wonderful feeling.
ROCKstar of the Month is a monthly award given to an inspiring individual who advocates a positive mindset and living an active lifestyle (see full requirements below). As ROCKstar of the Month for April 2016, Joshua receives an outfit from Lululemon Athletica as seen in the photos here.
Requirements to be a ROCKstar of the Month awardee:
