Q What is your secret to looking fabulous?
A Eating clean, working out and drinking lots of water. I watch my diet carefully. Before I started para- powerlifting in 2015, I ate a lot of whatever food was available.
Q What is your diet like?
A Breakfast is either wholemeal bread with peanut butter or a bowl of oats and five egg whites. I usually have a fruit snack later.
Lunch at 12.30pm may include grilled chicken breast, stir-fried broccoli and carrots, and brown rice.
Dinner at 4pm can be grilled salmon with stir-fried broccoli and carrots. The final meal of the day, which I take before 8pm, is usually grilled white fish and vegetables.
Q What are your indulgences?
A During off-season, I indulge in a good briyani once in a while.
But I'm not giving myself any cheat days now as I will be taking part in the World Beauty Fashion and Fitness Asia competition on April 30 at Marina Bay Sands.
I will be competing in the transformation category of the fitness pageant, where I hope to inspire others, particularly youths, with my story as a former drug offender who has turned over a new leaf.
Q What's your biggest challenge when it comes to fitness?
A My right leg has been affected by polio since I was young. It hampers my workouts and it can get quite frustrating at times. It also makes running a challenge so I have to run on the elliptical machine.
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Bio Box
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MOHAMAD ASHREE
Age: 48
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 62.5kg
Mr Ashree had polio when he was young and still walks with a limp. He said it has badly affected his self-esteem.
He fell into the wrong company and was arrested twice for drug-related offences.
The turning point came when he found work at a gym in 2015. There, he met a para-athlete who introduced him to para-powerlifting and told him about the training available under a Singapore Disability Sports Council programme.
Mr Ashree, who is single, went on to train with the national para-powerlifting team. Now working as a gym operations assistant, he hopes to represent Singapore at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Q How important is it for you to keep up with your fitness routine?
A I do not train just for competitions. It is part of my lifestyle.
Q What is the most extreme thing you have done in the name of fitness?
A Crossfit. I had never done it before, until I took part in a competition for a charity event recently. There were three rounds and I almost gave up after the first round.
Q How has your active lifestyle influenced the people around you?
A Most of my friends are in awe as they can't believe a 48-year-old guy can have such a good physique. They have started working out and I have been giving them tips.
Q What are your must-dos before a competition?
A I listen to heavy metal music to calm down.
Q How extensive is your collection of sports-related paraphernalia?
A I have just started on my powerlifting journey and I look forward to getting more certificates or tokens from competitions. I have a growing collection of sportswear.
Q Has there ever been a time when you were not fit and fab?
A I have always been fit. I started working out regularly when I was a teenager. However, I was a lot smaller and skinnier back then.
I used to do a lot of bodyweight training but I did not have a fixed schedule then. I also enjoyed swimming.
Q What do you do to relax?
A I listen to music and destress by cleaning the house.
Q What are the three most important things in your life?
A My health, my family and my personal development.
Q What's your favourite and least favourite part of your body?
A I like my abs and I'm working to make them more defined. My least favourite are my legs.
Q Would you go for plastic surgery?
A If it's for cosmetic reasons, it is not necessary. But if it were a part of rehabilitation or, in my case, to reconstruct my ankle to reduce the pain, I would go for it.
My right ankle was curved inwards and it was very painful whenever I walked. I had titanium braces inserted in 2014 to realign it. Though I still walk with an obvious limp, there is less pain.
Q Do you think you're sexy?
A I don't know. I'll let others be the judge of that.
