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Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Anabel Chew

Anabel Chew keeps fit through barre, a form of exercise which uses the ballet barre and incorporates movements derived from ballet. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Anabel Chew keeps fit through barre, a form of exercise which uses the ballet barre and incorporates movements derived from ballet. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

Life goes beyond the digits on the scale and your body is capable of so much more! Yahoo’s #Fitspo of the Week series is dedicated to inspirational men and women in Singapore leading healthy and active lifestyles. Have someone to recommend? Hit Cheryl up on Instagram or Facebook!

Name: Anabel Chew (@anabel.chew)
Age: 31
Height: 1.56m
Weight: 47kg
Occupation: Co-founder of WeBarre, Musician
Status: Married
Diet: Mostly a plant-based diet; fries every other day; wine and single malt whisky once a week.
Exercise: Barre!

Q: You came from a running background right?

A: Yes, I used to run a lot and I often took part in cross-country runs in school. After I tore my knee meniscus though, I switched to cheerleading in secondary school.

When did you try other types of fitness?

I continued running whenever I could after that – as it’s so easy to just get out for a run and I just love that cardio burst. But I studied music through tertiary education and university, which meant I spent anywhere from four to seven hours every day practising the flute.

That made my neck and shoulders so tense, so I picked up yoga to release all the tension in my upper body. It was also a good way to destress and focus during the 60 minutes of practice. To get the “cardio” element, I started doing HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) exercises as they are really time-efficient and I get to sweat it out.

Your main thing now is barre. How did you get into it?

While pursuing music, I found my way in New York City in the summer of 2014. At this point I’ve been practising yoga regularly for the past four years and was looking for different yoga studios in New York to work out in – they have so many amazing boutique studios.

Then, my friends dragged me to a barre class, saying, “Yoga is great but you haven’t felt all your muscles work until you’ve been to barre”. After my first class, I was hooked. Back then I would consider myself pretty fit physically, but that class just blew my mind – I never felt my muscles having to work like this ever.

Anabel Chew has opened her own barre studio, called WeBarre. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Anabel Chew has opened her own barre studio, called WeBarre. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

When did you decide to make a business out of it?

Fast forward, I came back to Singapore and was trying to find a barre workout to challenge myself, and started telling everyone I knew about it. One day, the owner of a now-defunct fitness studio said that they want to bring a barre programme to Singapore, and asked if I’d be interested to train as a part-time instructor.

I took up the challenge and signed up for the training. It was there that I met my current business partner Linda. Unfortunately, once we had finished our training, the studio got sold to another owner. That’s where Linda and I took a step back, regrouped and chatted about what it’d be like if we introduced barre to Singapore. The stars all started to align and in January 2016, WeBarre was born.

There wasn’t a studio in Singapore that provided a boutique, specialised barre experience. I wanted to create a studio that specialises in barre, to be able to do one modality really well and be the brand that comes to mind every time someone thinks of barre. Also, I was at a period of my life where there were endless possibilities, and when the idea of starting my own barre studio came along, I thought, “Why not?” I know that when I set my mind on something, I push hard to make my dreams a reality.

What are the benefits of barre and why should people try it?

Barre is the perfect workout to strengthen and tone the body, build stamina, strength and flexibility, without the worry of “bulking up”. This physique appeals to many women, who want to be slender, build posture and get lean. It targets your entire body, specifically the smaller muscles such as stabilisers in your core and glutes, which are highly under-utilised and weakened in our modern lifestyles.

With barre, you see visible results quickly, and start noticing an increase in your stamina and resistance level – which will help increase your performance in other activities like running and competitive sports. For men, after all that working of bigger muscle groups lifting weights in the gym, it is important to mix up the routine with barre. The core and stability muscles must be strong so that you can safely and effectively perform heavy-lifting with minimal tension, maximum ease and postural awareness.

What are your fitness goals now?

I’m the happiest with my fitness and body than I’ve ever been, and I want to maintain it! As we age, our body recovers slower and it takes more effort to keep everything in check. Flexibility also becomes a challenge as we get older and more stiff, so I’m mindful of that and try to stay active, stretch and work on my flexibility whenever I can.

Anabel Chew believes that doing barre helps in raising one’s stamina and resistance level. which in turn will help increase performance levels in other activities such as running and competitive sports . (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Anabel Chew believes that doing barre helps in raising one’s stamina and resistance level. which in turn will help increase performance levels in other activities such as running and competitive sports . (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

When did you feel the least confident about yourself, if ever?

I was quite chubby before I started WeBarre, but to be very honest, I’ve never let it affect me. I used to be quite heavy-chested and I would get lower back pain, to the point where I casually considered getting a breast reduction – to which my mom told me to stop being silly, so I let it go.

Of course, I do the usual “Oh don’t take a fat photo of me!” plea, or I will buy clothes that slim and flatter me, but I never really thought I was fat or chubby. Every time I walk into a room, I like to feel at ease with myself, comfortable and proud of what I have.

I wouldn’t say that I have a negative perception about myself. But strangely, when I started losing weight I felt quite self-conscious because my bust size decreased quite significantly, and that was a part of me that I suddenly felt was missing. I got over it soon enough, because the rest of my body was healthy, strong and happy.

Are you satisfied with your body now?

Yes, I am happy with my body. I am aware of my stretch marks, belly flab, short torso and so on, but I also recognise that I am stronger, i fit into my clothes better and i’ve never felt better.

Anabel Chew believes that fitness should be viewed as a personal journey to create the life a person wants. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Anabel Chew believes that fitness should be viewed as a personal journey to create the life a person wants. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

What are some misconceptions of fitness in today’s society?

It is a fact that we are all exposed to social media, and with that, a false preconception that a certain body is what it takes to be “fit” and thinking that it is achievable or that they should be striving for it. Also, that to be strong, you have to outperform everyone else – lifting heavier weights, running faster than the person next to you, taking more classes than the average person.

Fitness is not a competition, I look at fitness as your own personal journey to create the life that you want.

Why should people make an effort to lead an active lifestyle?

We shouldn’t underestimate the ability to MOVE. That in itself, is a blessing. You don’t know how important it is, until you find out one day that your mobility is disrupted. Staying active helps you stay nimble, helps your body function more efficiently and you become more agile.

More than just the physical benefits, exercise boosts your mood, attention and memory, as well as protects your brain against degenerative diseases – the key to keeping fit and feeling younger.

Anabel Chew feels that an active lifestyle boosts one’s mood, attention and memory. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
Anabel Chew feels that an active lifestyle boosts one’s mood, attention and memory. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)