News @ AsiaOne

A healthy appetite for life

SHE HAD just finished a meeting. <
Gary Lim

Mon, Nov 17, 2008
The New Paper

SHE HAD just finished a meeting.

With a certain spring in her step, Kelly Huynh walked into the conference room, and flashed a mega-watt smile.

Bright and cheery, that's her attitude towards life.

Huynh, 33, director of acquisitions (consumer credit cards) at American Express, takes her live-life-to-the-fullest approach outside of her office as well.

Trapped within her petite frame is a body of energy.

Always attracted to new things, she has tried many sports before, some unusual, others downright exhilarating.

Abseiling, kayaking, whitewater rafting, skiing and snowboarding gave her the kicks during her younger days.

Said Huynh, who moved from Australia to Singapore three years ago: 'Once, my husband and I paddled around for 5km to find our own rapids and did our whitewater rafting without wearing any helmets.

'It was a thrilling experience, although I wouldn't advise anyone to do it!'

She has slowed down somewhat, since giving birth to daughter Chloe in June last year.

But pregnancy didn't stop her from doing sports entirely, as she turned to yoga and walking during that period.

These days, getting Chloe involved in her sporting lifestyle is a weekly routine.

On Sundays, she and her husband, Sal Bounkeua, inline-skate along with Chloe nestled in a stroller.

With an Australian accent, she said: 'This way, we can integrate sports and spend quality time with our daughter.'

Then, there is also the once-a-week tennis and swimming sessions which she adheres to religiously.

Huynh, of Vietnamese descent, was only three when her family migrated to Australia.

So, it was in Australia where she learnt the importance of an active lifestyle.

She said: 'I do it because of my fitness, and it helps me to stay focused on things that I do.

'When you have a regular exercise routine, you become much more alert.

'And it helps you to sleep well and improve your appetite.'

And that is why she tries to encourage her staff to lead a balanced lifestyle instead of just burying their faces in tonnes of paperwork.

Occasionally, she tries to organise inline-skating or running sessions for them.

No excuse

Even if it's not sports-related, she would usually ask them to have a go, such as at the upcoming Women's Leadership Forum held by American Express in partnership with Motorola and Insead on Wednesday, when close to 300 working women will come together to discuss issues women face at work.

There is no excuse for not doing sports, added Huynh.

'I don't think it's a matter of not having enough time to exercise.

'It's about whether you want to do it or not.

'If you do, then you will make time for it.

'In any case, sports and work are related.

'Sports teaches you discipline, goal-setting and the importance of reaching benchmarks.

'It also teaches you to know your own limits.

'The lessons you learn can be used in the office.'

Eating right, drinking well

IT'S NOT just about exercising regularly.

Kelly Huynh believes that a healthy lifestyle is about eating right as well.

Breakfast usually is a Vegemite toast and a cup of coffee.

Lunch consists of a 'very colourful' salad, before she heads home for dinner, which is usually fish and vegetables.

If she can, she avoids eating out, especially at hawker centres.

She can still recall an incident after she first came to Singapore, when a colleague introduced her to 'rojak'.

She said: 'He said I would love it, because he told me it was like a fruit salad.

'When the dish came, I got a shock.

'It was deep-fried and mixed with an unhealthy sauce.

'That's just not the salad that I imagined.'

If you somehow find her in a hawker centre, then there is a good chance that you'll see her eating from a bowl of yong tau foo, her favourite hawker dish.

It doesn't bother her that colleagues are always making fun of her diet.

She said: 'I enjoy healthy food.

'It's not because I want to stay slim. But it just makes me feel better.'

Meanwhile, Huynh would like to offer another health tip.

She added: 'I carry a bottle of water everywhere I go.

'I drink at least two litres of water in the office.

'You shouldn't feel thirsty, because that is when your body is already dehydrated.'