"In mid 2020, I came out of a 10-year career high at a financial organisation suffering from severe stress, frequent tension headaches, high blood pressure that was difficult to control, insomnia, and a weight gain of 15kg within 2 years.

 

I was introduced to Ally from Dragon Fitness and Coaching by a friend. Having done some research and understanding that Ally was both a certified nutritionist and a fitness trainer, I contacted her for a consultation.

 

I shared that I had an army of trainers working with me every week, 2 times a week of boxing training, 3 times a week of strength and  conditioning and 1 time a week of yoga. With so much effort on my physical fitness, how come I was putting on so much weight so fast?

 

Ally encouraged me to get a thorough health screening done, and I came back with the results that I was diagnosed with hormonal imbalance, as my oestrogen was very low and my cortisol was high and was recommended to be on hormonal replacement therapy.

 

Ally discouraged that and set out a plan to work on managing my condition. First, she did some research to find a naturopath in Singapore who could help me. The naturopath recommended natural herbal supplements to complement my diet, Ally, worked on my nutrition, and taught me the basics of eating right, fuelling my body with natural, whole foods instead of the usual processed food I had been eating, and worked on managing bad dietary habits like drinking alcohol several times a week ( 22 units of alcohol a week in 2020).

 

By the 3rd quarter of 2020, My family and I saw the benefits of a plant-based diet and had gone vegan at least 5 times a week. This not only helped my own health by managing my blood pressure better, my visceral fat went down from 16.5 to 13.5 within 2 months. It had a ripple effect of helping my husband who was suffering from diabetes and so far he has been managing his sugar level well. Ally also guided me through my green smoothie cleanse every 3 months to “reset my body”. My alcohol intake is now down to 2 units a week, and at most 4 units a week which really is a rarity. I have no meat and dairy products in my fridge which is now mostly filled with vegetables, fruits and other plant based goodness. Instead of having a gin and tonic at home most nights, I switched it to kombucha instead. My new dietary habits have now become a new norm.

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And beyond the diet, with Ally’s advice that as my body was fighting stress at work, it also responded to stress at the gym because I was always in “performance” mode. So I talked to my trainers and we shifted gears on the training regime. My strength and conditioning trainer comes to my home twice a week to work on strength, power and mobility. My boxing trainer switched the training regime without laying on the pressure of having me trained for reasons like white collar boxing. My boxing training really is now just a fun way to get fitter. I even took up new sports that took me outside to enjoy the blue skies and sunshine - shot put and hammer throws, and became a gold medalist in my age group at a recent Singapore Masters Athletics competition.

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In 2021, I open the year with a lot more confidence, running my own consultancy, Bravery Communications, making better choices with food and drinks, looking fitter (friends commented that I had the glow) and really feeling much happier.

 

I do owe Ally a debt of gratitude for holding my hand through it all for the past year. Best investment ever!"

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Jo, (January 2021)