Text: P.Ramakrishnan
All photographs by Olaf Mueller
Assistant: Moses
Art Direction: Rama
Hong Kong's fittest and healthiest bodies reveal how they get in swimsuit-ready shape after a calorific winter. From kick-boxing to dance, professional sports to the yogis, these fine forms prove that in pursuit of the flattest abdominals, you can't do nominal work.
Jonny Rees
The name-card reads, Senior Sales Executive, Advertising & Marketing Industry, but the body says… machine! Jonny Rees, professional rugby player, hides an eight-pack under his ties and fitted suits as he heads to work in Central every weekday. The weekend is dedicated to his hardcore sport.
“I play rugby for Kowloon RFC as a wing or full-back. We train as a team twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays and play our games on Saturday afternoons. We are based down at King's Park (Kowloon),” he says. “In terms of personal training, I try to hit the gym at least three mornings a week, and if possible squeeze in one or two runs after work or at the weekends. Further exercise, swimming, spinning, circuits, are all dependant on work and social commitments. I'm also a big fan of trekking in the New Territories and the Sai Kung area.”
To top it all, Rees is a fan of food, not just the healthy kind, more of the pizza and pies variety. “When exercising once or twice a day, you could imagine one’s eating habits go through the roof. I am also lucky to have a ridiculously fast metabolism; if I had to calculate it, I'd guess my average daily calorie count would be between five and eight thousand - I'm always eating!” he says, despite showing no evidence of a lardy diet.
Surely there are times when he watches his intake of junk and fast food?
“I'm not going to lie, when it comes to what I eat - if I like what I see, I'll buy it. In the past I've spent a bit of time here and there comparing similar products for GI index's, fats and so on,” he says. “Although I still try to avoid visibly 'unhealthy' foods, I am a lot more relaxed about what I end up going for these days - I tend to pick something that looks slightly healthier and then consume in bulk. Because I eat so much I tend not to follow nutrition plans, but if I did, I'd definitely take advice from rugby player/nutritionist Joe Shaw (check out his website www.salveolifestyle.com).
Given the option, Rees likes food he gets back home in the UK, “I would have to say my choice of food would still be something English like a roast or bangers and mash - maybe it's because living a million miles away from my mum means these are such rarities,” he says. “I'm also a big fan of enchiladas and seafood-dishes.”
Guilty pleasures? “If choosing a slightly unhealthier option, I would definitely go for bruschetta with every topping under the sun and a large greasy pizza, followed by some form of apple/blackberry pie and lots of ice cream - especially on Saturdays after a game!”
Obviously joining a professional rugby team isn’t a feasible notion for most people, but Rees says, “Whether it be a team sport like rugby or hockey, morning training classes or individual sports - there is something for everyone. I personally am a massive fan of team sports; joining Kowloon RFC was a great way of meeting new friends in Hong Kong. It also opened up huge work and social circles that have got me to where I am today.”
Image Caption: Rugby shorts, model’s own. Boxer-briefs by Calvin Klein underwear.
Icy Lee
For Icy Lee, having one of the hottest bodies in Hong Kong may seem easy but as the studio director of Yogasala, she dedicates herself to the practice, six days a week. It’s a regiment she’s followed for years. “I workout at home, and at the studio,” she says between shots as she contorts her limber body into pretzel positions. “I also love to hike in the countryside.”
Proving you are what you eat, Lee’s yogic temple of a body intakes, “Sprout almond, sprout mug beans, raw quinoa, greens veggies, soup buckwheat noodle, soaked Chia (ancient seed with high content of omega 3) in orange juice,” she says. “Homemade ginger with honey and lime tea would be my drink of choice.”
Thankfully, she isn’t holier than thou as when it comes to indulgences, she won’t say no to, “Almond Chocolate,” she says with an easy smile. “But the general rule is to eat simple. I try not to eat too many different kinds food in one meal as it'll spoil the digestive fire.”
Other tips include sleeping before the clock strikes midnight, “Because only when our body clock goes with the universal one, there is harmony in our system.”
Icy joins this list as her reputation for being devoted to the fine art of yoga precedes her, her dedication matched by other enthusiasts who’ve found this more palatable to the system than other forms of exercise.
“High intensity cardio exercise is not for me, as it wears out the joints more easily because of the repetition of similar movement,” she says. “Practicing Iyengar Yoga with combination of Yoga posture (Asana) and breath control (Pranayama) with consciousness with particular sequences everyday works best to both my physical and mental body.”
Despite her job nature and daily dedication to her sport of choice, Lee’s not fanatical about just doing yoga and nothing else, “Because of my job and my daily practice, over the weekend, I like to stay at home and have quality time with my partner,” she says. “Shopping in the local market for seasonal ingredients and cooking together are always the top of our to-do list.”
And, in an unrelated form of exercise, she would recommend, “Hiking,” she says. “I would recommend a hiking group in Hong Kong, so the group will hold hiking trips regularly that keeps your momentum of hiking going when you’re feeling lazy on a Sunday.”
Muk Venkataraman
If its any consolation, Muk Venkatraman wasn’t always this fit. “I was fat,” he says with his toothy grin. “Fat, fat.” But with a sojourn in the US and a calling to the health and fitness industry, the former graphic designer and artist has chucked the dull desk-job and now is a personal trainer and director from Elite Fitness and Conditioning LTD. His weapon of choice in the battle of the bulge; a kettle-bell.
“I think everyone can learn Kettlebell Sport,” he says with noticeable passion for the sport. “The sport of kettlebells is different from just the Kettlebell workout you see around in fitness magazines. True Kettlebell athletes can use their bodies to work with a selected weight for an infinite amount of time. That's the idea with our sport. We don't do sets of 10 reps and then rest. We do sets of 10 minutes and rest, while we are still working.”
The goal of the sport is to not put the kettlebells down for the allocated amount of time. “If you can jerk or snatch a Kettlebell for 10-mins without putting it down, you would have achieved a very high level of fitness. You need strength, flexibility, speed and cardio to play my sport,” he says. “If you are missing one, then it'll be a long day for you. This is why I love the sport of kettle-bells. It's the biggest bang for your buck.”
Apart from the hours spent at the gym, he recommends doing little things every day that can make a big impact in the long run, “Don't take taxis. Walk, MTR and Bus. Taxis are for lazy people in my opinion. I move as much as I possibly can. I get to the gym everyday,” he says.
Everyday. “Yes, everyday. If you believe that working out twice a week will keep you in shape but you catch a taxi to and from the gym and then you sit down all day at a desk or your couch, you're seriously deluded.”
Though of Hindu origin, this personal trainer doesn’t espouse his beliefs or subject them to others, but looks at vegetarian eating in a practical manner, “Eat only what comes from the earth. If it does not grow on a tree, plant or in the ground, don't eat it,” he says. “I avoid high acidic meats such as beef because it takes way too long for the body to break it down. I try to eat foods that are not cooked as well. The heat from cooking can take away the nutrients from your food. Eat high nutrient foods and not high calorie foods. There is a difference between calories and nutrition.”
Though a high fruit and vegetable diet informs his body, there are days off the routine, “A large pizza,” he says would be his guilty pleasure. “Top that off with an afogato (espresso and ice cream).”
Weekends are days off from the strict regiment as well. “I either do bodyweight exercise or lift the kettlebells all week. I try to eat as clean as possible everyday but hey, I'm only human right? So on Sundays I let it go a little and have some cheat food.”
Recently, Venkatraman’s seen a surprising result while changing his food habits, “I've been experimenting with a plant based diet for about a week now and the results are truly incredible,” he says. “My mental clarity is at an all time high. My energy levels are higher than in my 20s and I'm stronger than ever before. It's only been a week but I must say, this is the only way to go from now on. I've avoided all animal products except for fish once a day if that and I will continue on this until I return from Russia in May.
Indeed Venkatraman heads to the land of oligarchs for a kettlebatll championship as he represents Hong Kong. “Well, I represent myself,” he says as he ups his training to compete with the best in the league. Those large, Russian giants with their Olympian-winning ways don’t bother him.
“Everyone’s body is different," he says. "So don't try to do what someone else is doing. Do what you know. If you don't know what your doing, get a good trainer to teach you.”
Watch by Calvin Klein, boxer-briefs by Calvin Klein underwear.
Francesca von Etzdorf
For those who spend an alarming amount of time watching the idiot-box, the lovely Francesca von Etzdorf would be a familiar face, as the first runner up to the Amazing Race Asia contest. Tall, slim and striking, the former model (“it was many, many… many years ago”!) has maintained her figure by working out and practicing netball in Hong Kong.
“There is a netball season/tournament every year beginning in October and running through to April,” she says. “Matches are every Monday night and can be anywhere from the Football Club to Western Park Sports Centre or Aberdeen Outdoor Courts. It depends which team you are playing that week. Our trainings are on Wednesdays at Hong Kong Park Sports Centre.”
Though her current job s of Media Manager at the paradisiacal Aman resorts, counterbalancing her desk job means that she makes up for it by doing, “A lot of walking,” she says. “I can’t really find the motivation to get to the gym after work so if I want to do a little more exercise, other than netball, I will sometimes wake up early and go for a run along Bowen Road.”
When asked about little secrets to stay healthy, she laughs. “I’m afraid I don’t have any that’s not beyond the realm of being sensible. Little things like walking up escalators instead of standing on them. I live in the Mid-levels so that a lot of walking up escalators every day. Team sports are great as it’s a fun way to exercise without really realising how much you’re doing.”
Though she has a self-professed love for salads, Thai salads in particular, sushi and most seafood, von Etzdorf says, “I have a very strange obsession with the Snyder’s of Hanover Cheddar Cheese pretzels. There’s pretty much always a big packet of them, and a packet of Hobnob biscuits in our house at all times J Dipping biscuits in tea is one of the best things in the world.”
In her early 30s and having been in the industry that pays obeisance to the reed thin, von Etzdorf does not care for the unhealthy size-zero trend or maniacal gyming.
“My biggest find with exercise, oddly enough, is not to be too obsessed or focused on the results," she says. "When I gave up smoking a few years ago, I gained 12kgs in six months."
As the eyebrows hit the roof in suspicion, she swears, “It’s the God’s honest truth. Let’s just say that mars bars and ice cream suddenly looked really friendly! I was at the gym everyday (sometimes twice) trying to get back to my normal size and really working hard. I was doing an amazing amount of crunches, spin, pump and combat classes regularly, running for at least two episodes of Desperate Housewives on the treadmill. And constantly fixated on seeing the results. Nothing seemed to be happening. I didn’t understand it because I had never done so much exercise in my life and when I do work out I usually see effects fairly quickly.”
“One day I just told myself to let it go and stop stressing about it. If this was the way of things now, I was just going to have to accept it. After that the weight literally just seemed to fall off,” she says.
Health is wealth is the adage and if she’s dedicated weekends to the trivial pursuit of cardio currency, well, it hasn’t quiet paid off. “Um… sometimes on the weekends I contemplate thinking about going for a hike?” she says with an sly grin.
“I’m not going to lie, it doesn’t often materialize into anything beyond that. I did buy a HK hiking guide book recently though and have ventured out a couple of times and had a great time. It. Will. Happen.”
Amen.
Nicolas Pollet
As a director of a furniture design firm, Nicolas Pollet is the model of outdoor sportsman as he partakes in; “Swimming, yoga, kite surfing, kayaking and trekking”. Never a gym bunny, you’ll find him often at, “The beach!” he says. “But when in the city, I’m at Yoga Central where I practice Anahata Yoga.”
Another yogi! “But I am not fanatic about it. I like outdoor sports,” he says. Like others, he also sees the benefits of doing little things like walking short distances, taking the stairs and staying away from fast food. “But I do have my share of Nutellla, Chocolate bars, weekly BBQs. I spend time with friends, play on the beach when the weather is good, practice outdoor sports.”
More of a lifestyle than a gym-crunched retinue, Pollet will have his soup noodles cook big breakfast (“With everything, toast, Nutella, eggs, cheese, fruits, juices”) and still manage to look like a model out of the pages of GQ. “I love good food and deprive myself of nothing but, I don’t over=indulge.”
His simplest advice is, “Stay outside as much as possible,” he says. “I’d recommend that everyone try kite surfing, it is fun, challenging, friendly, technical, and you exercise without realizing it (at least for a beginner like me). And trekking. Hong Kong is heaven for medium length treks, hunt the waterfalls,” he says as he forsakes the urban jungle for, the real jungle. “Hong Kong has a very green side, find it.”
White pants, model’s own, briefs by Calvin Klein underwear.
Kate Bryan
A seemingly sedentary life, as Kate Bryan, Gallery Director at The Cat Street Gallery, mulls over copious tomes of art history, biographies of leading contemporary artists, most purveyors of the art scene in Hong Kong must have noticed how alarmingly fit this, often seated by her laptop, girl is.
“I don't play a sport per se, but I really love hiking. My husband and I love to do the whole Hong Kong trail in a day, 50K,” she says. “At the end, I would happily turn around and start again. It is such a beautiful walk and a great sense of accomplishment at the end when you hit Big Wave Bay. More than anything it is great therapy, hours of fresh air, thinking and talking. I would do it every weekend if I could.”
The rigmarole of all that entails a gym membership card was left a long time ago. “For a long time I was a gym bunny but started to find it hard to fit into my schedule and kept getting gym guilt when I didn't make it and complete boredom when I did,” she says. “So about two years ago I switched to working out at home which fit my schedule so much better and made me far more focused for some reason. On a bad day if you can just get your shorts on you know that means you are going to do it. No worry about going anywhere or packing all your stuff for the showers.”
Weights, a bench, medicine ball, stability ball and exercise DVDs of high intensity circuits, mixing cardio and strength training at her Happy Valley living room or rooftop ensure that her body is a work of art.
“I also really like the lunchtime classes at JAB, but am sad to say I just can't get there anymore due to work commitments,” she confesses. “When it is a gorgeous day I run, either around the track doing sprints or up Bowen Road for something more scenic. “
Like others, she understands the pressures of the city. “It's not always easy as there are a plethora of things conspiring to make you unfit - the weather, eating out, boozy lunches at work, hectic social life and long hours,” she says. “An average day for me at the moment is pretty good, I work out for about 30-minutes before breakfast and then walk to work which takes about 45 minutes. I am crazy healthy and have a dedicated Monday - Thursday routine. I relax a little over the weekend.”
When it comes to diet, Bryan says, “Low fat cottage cheese is magic. I have a half a tub with fruit and just a couple spoons of granola each morning and it is so filling. Also lovely snack with grapes and almonds. I also carry raw almonds with me when traveling or know I have a busy day to stop me making bad food choices.”
Not eating late at night, avoiding all processed foods, refined sugars are a given. “I genuinely think I prefer healthy food, it's just not always easy to order healthy when eating out. I would never cook anything which wasn't healthy at home. It just doesn't appeal. My go-to healthy meal is probably a massive mixed salad, which I have most days for lunch and occasionally in the evening.”
From her own cookbook, she claims, “My favourite at the moment is spinach, tuna, fresh orange segments, avocado, green beans, kidney beans and an Asian dressing made of ginger, soy sauce, lemon and chilli. I probably eat enough for a few people but I figure the nutrients are good for my hair!”
If the halo above her sun-kissed hair seems alarmingly unattainable, Bryan is quick to confess, “Prosecco and calimari are my idea of heaven and I have whenever I see them on a menu. But the ultimate has to be cheesecake, I even had a cheesecake wedding cake, three tiered with white chocolate cigarellos and fresh cascading raspberries. I only eat it once a year - on my birthday - if I wasn't so restrictive I would be the size of a house as I can eat a whole one. It's a gift and a curse.”
“I am a curvy girl and want to stay that way. For me the objective is feeling great, being super fit and not obsessing,” she concludes.
Melissa Thornton
As a dance teacher and creative director at Island Dance, but of course Melissa Thornton is in the shape of a professional athlete. This choreographer loves to move, “All styles - disco freestyle, jazz, modern and ballet. I have been fortunate enough to have the wonderful privilege to teach dance throughout Hong Kong for both professional dancers and dance students aged 3-18 yrs," she says. "I also have choreographed and staged dances for the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Chinese New Year Parade, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens and other events around Hong Kong.”
For those in the arteries of Central finding excuses more often than cabs for their arrested physical development, Thornton says, “Hong Kong is a beautiful cosmopolitan city with endless places to work out. As dancing is my profession I stay fit naturally. Also in Discovery Bay, where I live, there are so many scenic hiking spots. Something like dance (all types of dance) you can do anywhere, anytime – so hake it up!”
Her little secrets to stay healthy are easy as pie, “First and foremost, I believe that it is important to stay passionate about what you do,” she says enthusiastically. “Change it up, diversify, keep it fresh and don’t get stagnant in whatever you do.”
Fresh fruits and vegetables seem to be a common link among all our subjects and Thornton chimes in, “I recommend balancing by eating from the five food groups for people who have no food allergies. All kinds of cheeses and pate (I am a savoury girl) are my non-guilty pleasures. Because I like to cook, my comfort foods are the rich foods my mother cooked when I was growing up – roasts and casseroles.”
“I never diet and I don’t believe in dieting because when I deny myself something I find myself thinking about food more often,” she says. “Food should be consumed according to your lifestyle. Eat what you like - find a harmonious equilibrium between food and exercise.”
The same mantra follows her workout practice too. “Being a professional dancer, I could be prone to injuries. Warm ups are the key to safety is exercising. Stay consistent, don’t get lackadaisical and if you have an injury use the old RICE theory - Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate.”
Douglas Pieterse
It’s a vicious sport. Looks alarming similar to two men trying to choke each other to death but Douglas Pieterse, the personal trainer (and photographer) has been practicing the art of Brazilian Jui-Jitsu for years. At Grips Gym in Central, you’ll find him training every day. “Using a combination of conditioning training coupled with Brazilian Jui-jitsu I manage to keep my self in a somewhat respectable shape,” says the new father, who’s married to Joey Lee, Hong Kong’s former kick-boxing champion.
If ever there was a power couple, it would be Pieterse and his wife, but as Lee’s given birth five months ago, she’s born witness to her husband’s addiction to fast food. “He used to eat nothing but crap,” she laughs. “Junk food from… well, name every single fast-food joint and he’s been there. I’ve tried to change his diet and we saw results within weeks.”
“Chicken breast, broccoli and salads,” are Pieterse’s go-to healthy foods but confesses to falling off the wagon when it comes to getting fast food between his training sessions. Mercifully, he does say, “Balance is key. Don’t try to be too strict on yourself and short term as well as long term goals. Nothing worse than endlessly working towards something with no short term satisfaction to keep you a little motivated. Basically, what I like about my sport, which I’d recommend to anyone is that it gets you fit and strong while challenging you with the technical side of the sport.”
He’s seen the slew of new-year’s resolutionists come barging in… and within weeks, falling off the program. “Train hard enough that your body feels the need to adapt, always give yourself a workout that challenges the body,” he says. “Don’t start your program with such enthusiasm that you end up over-training…. and fizzle out before you really get anywhere.”
Even on weekends, Pieterse can be found practicing slow paced Jui-jitsu, but “Weather permitting, hiking around Hong Kong to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. On the weekend, I also follow the 80/20 rule. Eat well 80% of the time and treat yourself 20%... but try not to binge!”
Pants model’s own, briefs by Calvin Klein underwear
Also see earlier post: The making of....
