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Sasha Gonzales

When Beth Trustrum ran and hiked the 16km (10-mile) race in Hong Kong’s Lantau 50 series in December 2024, finishing the hilly course in just over three hours, she could hardly believe it.
For the 41-year-old who had been overweight most of her life, it was a huge accomplishment.
In her childhood and teens growing up in England, Trustrum was relatively healthy and fit. After she started university, though, she turned to food for comfort when she was stressed, started drinking alcohol and got too busy to exercise.
“The weight piled on as I got older,” says the teacher, who has lived in Hong Kong for 12-and-a-half years.

Fast-forward to July 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic had prompted harsh social distancing measures in Hong Kong, although people were allowed to spend time in nature.
“I’d go hiking with friends, many of whom were keen hikers, but because I was overweight and unfit, I couldn’t enjoy our time outdoors together,” Trustrum says.
“I’d also spend time with friends at the beach but I had no energy to play with their kids in the water, plus I felt self-conscious wearing a swimsuit.”
At the time, Trustrum weighed nearly 100kg (220lb) – significantly more than what was considered healthy for a 162cm-tall (5ft 4in) woman.
She not only felt tired all the time, she also had pain in her lower back and shoulders - problems her physiotherapist said were due to her weight.

Eager to trim down to be pain-free and hike with her friends, Trustrum sought help from Ally van de Pol, a personal trainer and naturopath based in Sai Kung.
Based on her complaints of constant fatigue, poor quality sleep, muscle soreness and inflammation, van de Pol developed a 12-week programme to help Trustrum lose weight, address her aches and pains, and improve her stamina.
Workouts based around strength and conditioning were designed to help her move and function with greater ease. Van de Pol taught her how to eat to best nourish her body, encouraged her to prioritise rest, and suggested she monitor changes in her mood and sleep.
“For long-term success, she had to take a multi-pronged approach,” van de Pol says.
“Many things can affect our health and weight, like how well we manage stress, our sleep quality, and so on. I wanted to help her develop new lifestyle habits and give her the tools she needed to be fit, healthy and lean for life.”

Over the next few weeks, Trustrum noticed an improvement in the way she looked and felt. She had more energy, was sleeping more soundly at night and was able to complete physically challenging workouts with van de Pol.
Her clothes also felt looser and she no longer experienced pain in her back and shoulders.
By the end of 2020, she was easily running 5km and going on long hikes with friends – activities she could not have imagined herself doing just several months before.
By the spring of 2021, nine months after training with van de Pol, Trustrum’s weight had dropped to 62kg. She has maintained her 36kg weight loss since then.
Her life now is vastly different. She left her highly stressful job as a principal at an international school in August 2024 and currently works at The Shed, an experiential learning school for children.

In her role as head of educational programming, she engages students in learning through practical, outdoor-based activities such as hiking, climbing, walking and farming. She now has so much energy, she has no problem keeping up with them.
Adjusting her lifestyle was difficult initially, but small wins along the way motivated her to persist.
“As time passed, I started feeling better, and the workouts and other new habits just got easier,” she says.
“Before seeing Ally I didn’t exercise at all, except when I took my dog, Tipsy, out for walks. Now I move a lot, every single day – not just walking and hiking but also strength training and boxing.
“And while my diet was never atrocious, I did love comfort dishes – the kind my mum used to make – like roast meats, casseroles and creamy pasta.
“These days, my meals are vibrant, fresh and colourful because I add plenty of veggies and fruit to them. I don’t deprive myself, though – I still have the odd wine or beer when I go out, and I still eat my favourite comfort foods, but in smaller amounts, and I make sure they’re balanced.”

Van de Pol has been a constant source of support and is now one of Trustrum’s good friends. Others in Trustrum’s social circle have also been encouraging.
“One of my friends is a passionate hiker who always invites me on hikes. And I have friends who wait for me outside Ally’s gym and walk back with me after I’m done training. Others cook me healthy meals whenever I visit them.”
She is leaner and fitter than ever, but she still considers herself a work in progress.
“I used to think that I had to feel motivated to start taking charge of my health, but it’s really the other way around – you have to take that first step, and the motivation will follow.
“I’ve also learned that losing weight is not about depriving yourself. I now think about what I’m gaining: a healthier body, new friends from different exercise or hiking groups, more energy, and better sleep.
“Finally, I’ve learned to push through challenges. I never used to see myself as a runner, but as time went on, that perspective has changed as I’ve overcome one difficulty after another. Now I enjoy running long distances.
“It’s important to recognise when you’re making progress and to use that to power yourself forward.”
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Wellness

Beth Trustrum trains with Ally van de Pol at Dragon Fitness in Sai Kung, Hong Kong. A former international school principal, Trustum used to weigh almost 100kg. Photo: Edmond So

Trustrum in February 2020, weighing nearly 100kg. Photo: Beth Trustrum

Trustrum rests after working out under the instruction of Ally van de Pol at Dragon Fitness in Sai Kung. Photo: Edmond So

Five-spice tofu salad is one of Trustrum’s typical meals now. Photo: Beth Trustrum

Trustrum works out with van de Pol at Dragon Fitness. Photo: Edmond So

Miso-roasted aubergines with grains and greens is another typical meal for Trustrum. Photo: Beth Trustrum

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Chi Longevity with Sparkd is a new partnership in Singapore integrating physical exercise with cognitive training to prolong clients’ lifespans and health spans. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

Anna Milani founded Sparkd after losing her grandfather to Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Sparkd

Chi Longevity with Sparkd’s brain-body workouts use game-like exercises to enhance cognitive and physical performance. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

Milani considers longevity gyms to be the future of health; she says traditional health and wellness programmes rarely aim to improve cognitive function. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

10x Longevity offers contrast therapy, which involves an infrared sauna session followed by a cold plunge. Photo: 10x Longevity

A client relaxes inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber at 10x Longevity. HBOT has been linked to increased lifespan and health span. Photo: 10X Longevity

Telomeres typically shorten as the body ages, but a study in Israel found HBOT may reverse this process. Photo: Shutterstock 

Research shows that alternating between sauna sessions and cold plunges can boost cardiovascular health and immune function, and even cognitive function. Photo: 10X Longevity

How 26kg weight loss gave an unhealthy lawyer in Singapore his life and happiness back

Raeza Ibrahim in a suit weighing 100kg, at the gym weighing 91kg, and on holiday weighing 76kg. Photo: Raeza Ibrahim

Overweight and unhappy, Raeza Ibrahim totallly overhauled his diet, joined a gym and changed his sleep patterns, and lost 26kg. Photo: Raeza Ibrahim

From left: Raeza Ibrahim in a suit when he weighed 100kg; in a pair of shorts at the gym weighing 91kg; and on holiday in Cebu, the Philippines, in swimming trunks where he weighs 76kg. Photo: Raeza Ibrahim

Ibrahim practises Muay Thai in March 2024 on his road to fitness. Photo: Raeza Ibrahim

Raeza Ibrahim’s preferred breakfast on colder days is oats with coconut shavings and strawberries (left), and a typical home-cooked dinner is fried rice, pan-fried salmon and Chinese vegetables. Photo: Raeza Ibrahim

Ibrahim’s weight has dropped by 26kg, and he feels much happier and more confident. Photo: Ultimate Performance

Ibrahim’s trainer, Haziq bin Elvis (right), made such a huge effort to help him that Ibrahim could not give up as he felt accountable to him. Photo: Ultimate Performance

Ibrahim (left) performs at The Blackbird, in September 2023, before he began his fitness journey. Photo: Raeza Ibrahim

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Jessie Lim 14 months ago (left) and today, after shedding 34kg in 14 months. Photo: Jessie Lim/Ultimate Performance

Jessie Lim with her husband. The Singaporean executive and mother of two decided she had to lose weight, and shed 34kg in 14 months through dietary changes and exercise, in the process dropping five dress sizes. Photo: Jessie Lim

Jessie Lim before her fitness journey (left) and afterwards. She had never entered a gym before committing to losing weight. Photo: Jessie Lim/Ultimate Performance

Lim and her personal trainer, Saydul Hasbi, at Ultimate Performance in Singapore. Photo: Ultimate Performance

Lim and her family on holiday in Freiburg, Germany, in 2021. Photo: Jessie Lim

Jessie Lim, her husband and two children in Barcelona, Spain, in December 2023 after she embarked on a weight-loss programme and went from 85kg to 51kg in 14 months. Photo: Jessie Lim

“Friends tell me I look 20 years younger. My doctor said that I not only look good, I look strong as well,” says Lim. Photo: Jessie Lim/Ultimate Performance

Lim and her husband at Stonehenge, in the UK, in August 2022. Photo: Jessie Lim

Bruce Springsteen, 75, follows the Omad diet, but could you live on one meal a day?

Bruce Springsteen, 75, at an October 2024 rally for Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the US state of Georgia. Springsteen credits his fitness to following the Omad (one meal a day) diet. Photo: Reuters

Bruce Springsteen onstage in Las Vegas, looking very healthy at 75 years old. Photo: Getty Images

Eating “one meal a day is not a good idea”, says Brigham and Women’s Hospital obesity specialist Dr Caroline Apovian. Photo: Boston University

The Omad diet may not be suitable for some people, in which case the Mediterranean diet could be a better option. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Beth Trustrum could barely keep up with friends during walks. A Hong Kong trainer helped her lose weight, sleep better and get running


Beth Trustrum could barely keep up with friends during walks. A Hong Kong trainer helped her lose weight, sleep better and get running.


How to age well

5050

Health & Fitness

Healthy eating