STAYING FIT AND FABULOUS: A winning attitude

Dr Lim always makes time for her daily exercise.

Dentist Dr Fiona Lim looks forward to her daily exercise routine because ‘it makes her feel good’. SU AZIZ writes.

HAVING been a triathlete for almost a decade, 37-year-old Dr Fiona Lim is no stranger to staying fit although she admits that she is “far from fabulous!”

This dentist and dog lover who lives in Kota Kinabalu trains around 12-15 hours a week to prepare herself for triathlon competitions.
Initimidating? Definitely. But Fiona is as down to earth as they come. Really!

Q: Describe your daily activities.
A: I wake up at 4.30am to work out for one to two hours. Then I am off to work at the clinic from 8am to 5pm.
Q: Why is staying fit important to you?
A: It makes me feel good!

Q: What keeps you motivated to keep fit?
A: Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t always fit. Now that I have a healthy lifestyle, I always remind myself that ‘I didn’t go so far forward to go backwards’.

Q: Describe your workout regime.
A: I rotate swimming, cycling, running and gym workouts to fit in the morning sessions. In the evening, after work, I enjoy taking my dogs for walks in the garden.

Q: Do you have a special diet?
A: No. I eat a lot of simple food such as fruits and vegetables. I hardly eat meat or processed food.

Q: What are some of the obstacles that deter you from working out?
A: Absolutely nothing. I always make time for it.

Q: Are there periods where you relapse? How do you get back into it?
A: I hardly fall back on my exercises. It is already my lifestyle and I look forward to it every single day.

Q: How do you maintain your weight?
A: Simple! Just by eating the right food and in moderation.

Q: Have you always maintained a healthy lifestyle or was it circumstances that led you to adopt it?
A: No, I haven’t always been healthy. I was pretty much a couch potato until I was 28 years old. Then one day, I just decided I wanted a positive change in myself.

Q: Do you keep fit for personal and health reasons?
A: Sports is my passion. I simply enjoy triathlon as a hobby.

Q: As you grow older, do you think it is more important now to look after your health?
A: Of course. There is a saying that ‘you don’t stop playing when you grow old but you will grow old when you stop playing’.