Beyond Fitspiration

Fitspiration or “Fitspo” is the current buzz word to describe the promotion of a healthy lifestyle through both fitness and diet. Though one might be tempted to classify some of the fittest SAS students in this category, Mellony Kadakal and Kimberly Truong — two physique competitors — are more than content to pursue these fitness goals as personal lifestyle decisions and not for the notoriety, medals or number of likes on their Instagram posts.

Mellony Kadakal, a sophomore at Singapore American School, placed second in the Singapore Fitness Model Search 2016 in the bikini category. In this interview, she allows The Eye unique insight into her personal journey in preparation for the physique competition experience. We also discover how she manages to balance academic expectations with the rigors of competitive fitness.

Kimberly Truong, a junior at Singapore American School, placed fifth in the Singapore Fitness Model Search 2016 in the figure category. She takes us through her workout routine in building a competition-ready physique. You can learn more about Kimberly’s fitness journey on her personal YouTube channel: Kimberly Truong.

Author: Kristi Yang

Kristi Yang is a senior in her seventh year at SAS and is a third-year reporter for The Eye. She was born in New York but raised in New Jersey, Beijing, and Singapore—where she currently resides. Despite having lived in Asia for the past nine years, and in Singapore for the past seven, she still considers New Jersey to be home. You can find her running late to class (from Starbucks), leading painless workouts at House of Pain, or loitering around the media lab in the wee hours of the night (just ask campus security). She can be contacted at yang43603@sas.edu.sg. View all posts by Kristi Yang