Staying fit & fabulous: It pays to sweat it out

By : TENGKU ELENA TENGKU MAHAMAD

TENGKU ELENA TENGKU MAHAMAD meets a 27-year-old celebrity who is already working hard now to stay fit in her golden years.

Name: Marion Rose Caunter
Age: 27
Occupation: TV host, Channel [V] VJ

THE young and sweet Marion Caunter has her days filled with work. Some days she shoots for Channel [V] and on weekends she is one of the judges for 8tv’s Ultimate Prom Night show. But during her spare time, she travels and works out with her personal trainer at Get Active, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Why is staying fit important to her? “As you get older, it’s not so much about losing weight but about staying healthy. I train with a trainer about three times a week to get toned and maintain stamina and to feel good all round.”

Q: What motivates you to keep fit?
A: When I exercise regularly, I feel I have more energy to get things done. Also, I bring out my old jeans from time to time to remind myself that I used to be way thinner and this encourages me to want to be able to wear it again.

Q: Describe your workout regime
A: I start off with 10 to 15 minutes on the treadmill or cross trainer and then do weights for either arms or legs for about 45 minutes. This is followed by 10 minutes of abs and stretching at the end for five minutes.

Q: Do you have a special diet?
A: No. I love food too much. I just make sure that I eat as healthily as possible. I drink lots of water, eat lots of fruit and salads, brown bread rather than white, drink low fat milk and so on. Sometimes, if I want to spoil myself, I treat myself to delicious nasi kandar.

Q: What are some of the obstacles that deter you from working out?
A: Time-management. It’s managing my time properly but sometimes it is almost impossible with my daily schedule unless I wake up and work out at 7am. Which is, sad to say, I am just incapable of doing. I need my sleep.

Q: Have you had a relapse? If yes, how did you get back into it?
A: Of course, especially when travelling. I get back to it when someone tells me I am getting flabby or when I can’t really fit into those jeans anymore. Then I know it’s time to hit the gym.

Q: How do you maintain your weight?
A: All-round healthy diet and exercise. There is no shortcut to losing weight. Crazy diets might work but the weight could come back. It’s all about exercising and eating regularly and well.

Q: Have you always maintained a healthy lifestyle or was it circumstances that led you to adopt it?
A: Generally, I’ve adopted a rather healthy lifestyle but as of late, I feel like my body needs more time to recover from long days, and therefore, I feel even more of a need to be healthy in my life.

Q: Do you keep fit for personal and health reasons or it is because of society’s perception?
A: Again, now, I do it more for health reasons than anything else.

Q: As you grow older, do you think it becomes more important to look after your health?
A: Yes, every woman will face this eventually. When you’re much younger, you almost feel like you’re immortal. As you grow older, you realise that health is so important to be able to do the things you do and do it well. My health is my priority over anything else.