FIT FOR LIFE

Coaching and conducting fitness classes fill his 12-hour work days. 3rd Sergeant (3SG) (NS) Ding Yifei is so hooked on fitness that he has turned it into a career.

Looking at 3SG (NS) Ding Yifei now, it's difficult to imagine that he started out a little larger than life. As a child, he reckons he weighed about 60kg when he was just 1.5m tall. That statistic landed him in the national fitness programme for overweight school-going children: the Trim and Fit Club.

An unfortunate incident during secondary school turned things around for him. After recovering from a prolonged bout of chicken pox, he played soccer for four hours under the scorching mid-day sun. That landed him in hot soup as heat exhaustion set in.

"For an entire month after that, I ate nothing but porridge," recalled the 30-year-old ruefully. That diet led him to shed about 5kg and the suddenly-svelte 3SG (NS) Ding found it easier to keep up with his friends on the soccer pitch and basketball court.

With his new-found prowess, he kept up his sporting activities all the way until entering National Service (NS).

Beginning with fitness

By the time he entered NS, 3SG (NS) Ding was already fitter than most of his peers. He was eventually identified as a potential runner for the Infantry formation as part of the team competing in the annual Army Half-Marathon (AHM).

"I had to balance my commitments as a Platoon Sergeant at the Basic Military Training Centre and training full-time for AHM," said 3SG(NS) Ding.

During that time, he recalls doing what his coaches told him with every ounce of energy he had. "If my instructor asked me to run 5km, I would do it. Later in the evening, if he told me to run 10km I would also just do it. It was a 110 percent effort each time," he said.

These rudimentary experiences set the stage for his eventual career choice. Seeing his fitness improve day by day fuelled his interest and led him to pursue a Sports Science degree after he completed NS.

Science of fitness

He took up a correspondence degree programme at Edith Cowan University, starting from 2000, where he picked up practical knowledge on improving sporting performance through Sports Science principles.

"It was an unorthodox thing to do; most people would have taken courses in Engineering or Accountancy but I decided to take the plunge and I'm glad I did," said 3SG (NS) Ding.

The move opened up a world of opportunity for him when he joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Army Fitness Centre as a Fitness Specialist and put his knowledge to good use by helping to develop the Vocational Obstacle Course that all SAF soldiers are trained on today.

His friends have also benefited from his knowledge. He recounted the time when a friend approached him for pointers on the 2.4km run - part of the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), a yearly requirement for Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) in combat vocations.

"I looked at his training regime which included daily runs. From there, it was apparent that he had not been training at the right intensity," said 3SG (NS) Ding. He then drew up a strict exercise regiment which dictated twice-weekly runs at a set distance and pace.

"After three weeks of following the plan, he shaved off 10 seconds... and got the IPPT Gold award," said 3SG (NS) Ding with a hint of pride.

And that's what he hopes to do; make a difference in people's lives through sport. "When I see people slowly making changes to their lives to be more healthy and fit, I feel happy and I want to share more and engage them," he said.

Make your own sports drink

Here's an excerpt of 3SG (NS) Ding's post on the NS portal about his home-brew recipe for an isotonic beverage, which replaces glycogen and electrolytes lost during exercise.

One and a half tablespoon of glucose (Glucolin or similar)
A pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon of baking soda
Add in 100ml of cordial (use low-sugar cordials as glucose is already in the mix)
Complete by topping up cold water to make one litre of your own isotonic beverage