As a child, years before “Sasuke” and “Ninja Warrior” existed, one of my favourite shows on television was “American Gladiators”. At home, I would do vertical wall climbs in my Grandma’s kitchen to grab a pack of instant noodles in a basket hung on a bamboo pole that I would eat as a snack. I would run up 19 flights of stairs to her flat on my way home from school with my bag full of textbooks. In school, I would spend recess time in the playground climbing ropes, doing flips on the inclined chin-up bars and battling my friends on the balance beams and monkey bars.
The Thrills of My Life
Ninja Warrior
Perhaps, my first Spartan Race re-awakened my “inner gladiator” (or “inner monkey”). It sparked a renewed passion of discovering the wonders of the human body, and how it moves through our surroundings.
The RED-X Games – A Different Obstacle Race
A break from the usual Obstacle Races, the “RED-X Games” (which I participated earlier in August), adopted a format. It had similarities to the CrossFit Games, but with simpler challenges to encourage more people to participate. It was a superb feeling for me to be able to participate alongside 19 FuelFitters. Some were more experienced OCR participants, others were less experienced or trying out the first time!
FuelFit Team Orange
FuelFit Team Green
These FuelFitters inspired me with their immense courage as they took on each challenge with grit and tenacity. such as the individuals below:
Nitya Shiju, Young Mother and Homemaker
Nitya, who initially joined FuelFit Bishan to shed some post pregnancy weight, has only been with the group for a short time. Despite being a busy mother, she took the ownership of taking care of herself to ensure she does not neglect her health and fitness. Although she was not as fit as her other peers from the Bishan team at first, Nitya would always do her best to complete every session’s workout and improved progressively.
What inspired me greatly was, despite participating in her first strength-focused race, Nitya wasn’t bothered whether she was inexperienced or whether the challenges were to difficult. All she wanted was to get out there and give her best and have fun…and have fun, she did!
Liang Yanjie, Young Father and Industrial Designer
Yanjie, an industrial designer and father, is FuelFit’s most veteran member. When he joined FuelFit 4 years ago, he had zero exercise background. Starting from a simple goal of losing weight for his wedding, Yanjie has shed a significant number of inches off his body. Now, he is consistently amongst the fittest members of the FuelFit family.
From knowing nothing about OCR to participating his first Spartan race, Yanjie committed to improving himself and attended every OCR workshop in the mornings before work still worked out with the same high intensity at the regular sessions. Yanjie’s commitment and dedication to staying fit and healthy, at the same time managing work and family inspired many around him that we can never be too busy to be fit!
Regardless what objectives each FuelFitter might have started with, witnessing their growth mentally and physically is simply rewarding! The important thing about the journey through fitness is not just about getting fitter or losing weight. Rather, fitness makes us more Resilient when facing obstacles, pushing limits and seeing great possibilities in life!
Coach Berni Ong is a Spartan SGX Coach and a Spartan Obstacle Specialist. She has raced both in South East Asia and in the USA. She has trained hundreds of men and women ranging from beginners of OCR to individuals who are perfecting their skillset. Coach Berni conducts OCR workshops, personalized online training plans and weekly group training for both functional fitness and OCR enthusiasts.
Coach Berni (winner of Women 30-35 yr old category) with RED-X Chief Organizer Stefan