Mandy Chan: No one is born sporty or active; it is a choice you make to be – Rock The Naked Truth

Mandy Chan: No one is born sporty or active; it is a choice you make to be

Fitness used to be a chore for Mandy Chan, 24, founder of lifestyle brand Bowforbold.

“Fitness is something I HAD to do,” she confessed. “Back in school, I struggled to complete the 2.4km run of my NAPFA test within 16 minutes.” In fact, during her primary and secondary school days, Mandy was more inclined towards the arts rather than sports with co-curricular activities (CCA) in the school band where she played the Guzheng.

Then when she entered Junior College, she decided to challenge herself and switched to a sports CCA – she took up track & field as a high jumper. “By taking the first step to join a sports CCA, it lessened my fear and it also dispelled the misconception that you need to have a solid athletic background to join a sports CCA,” she said.

It was only when she took a gap year from university at the age of 19 and started her own business – bowforbold that designs multi-functional sports bags – that she became more involved in running. Not knowing what to do or where to start, a friend helped to guide her in running and the first running event she took part in was a half-marathon in 2017. Something changed in her when she completed it – it made her believe that she could do more than what was possible.

Her next big race was The Magnificent Merapoh Trail (TMMT) 2018 in Malaysia where she ran 35km of trails for the first time. “After the TMMT, I felt it was time to prove to myself again that it’s truly mind over body and I should not be held back by any limitations not only fitness wise, but also in my arduous startup journey and in my personal growth. Thus, I signed up for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon,” she shared.

Last year, with only four months to train for her first marathon (42.195km) because she sprained her foot, Mandy managed to finish the entire run with only slight cramping. She had plans to run it again this year and made a $200 bet with a friend to see who runs it faster, but with the pandemic, that is put on hold for now.

To maintain her fitness, Mandy runs four times a week, practises yoga twice a week and does HIIT three times a week too. “Fitness is a way for me to catch up and bond with my friends. It’s also a way for me to relieve stress and have that personal ‘me’ time.

“One of the greatest fitness misconceptions today is that people think sporty and active people are born that way, instead of them actively choosing to lead that lifestyle. I hope to change this misconception by sharing my story of how I ran my first full marathon,” she added.

*This #FitForAll series is brought to you by Rock the Naked Truth SG x HUAWEI Singapore, with the objective of promoting inclusivity for fitness. Fitness is for all and fitness looks different on everyone.

Mandy is wearing the latest #HUAWEIWatchFIT that has many features to aid you in your fitness goals – for just $148. Click here to find out more!

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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”.

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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!

“I hated my body with a passion, the entire preg

“I hated my body with a passion, the entire pregnancy, and after my pregnancy. I hated it. I felt like it failed me. I felt fat my entire pregnancy instead of embracing the fact that my body was growing a human and creating a life and just being all around awesome.

I was still weighing myself and going, “Well, how much does the baby weigh and how much weight have I put on?” I couldn’t find clothes that fit me.

Part of my trauma (on top of PCOS, lupus, endometriosis, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) during my IVF journey as well, was multiple people saying, “Oh, when are you due?”, when I wasn’t even pregnant. I’ve had two flight crew in the past saying, “I do have your letter of authorization for travel.” I’m like, “What are you talking about?” “Well, you’re pregnant. You must be due soon.” And that was when I was just fat and trying to get pregnant.

My body issues and my self-esteem issues followed me into my pregnancy. I gained 27kg while I was pregnant and it was because of the meds. I wasn’t eating everything or anything I wanted; in fact, I was vomiting every day and still getting fat.

I gained more weight after I gave birth and got to 129kg, which is the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life with a baby going, “I’ve done this bit. Why aren’t I having the other bit now?” I literally was worse after I had the baby in terms of my mental health surrounding my weight.”

- @jazskimo keeping it real and sharing her thoughts about her first pregnancy and childbirth. This was after 7 years of IVF and S$130,000 spent. She’s in a better place mentally now with a beautiful son and is on her next IVF adventure to try for her second child.