How a Dexa Scan changed my life

I led an active lifestyle over the past few years. I would swim a few times per week and cycle for commute.

I recalled when I first started my previous stint at Spot, my entire life for the first three month was just swimming and studying.

However, I was not really interested in strength training. I felt going to the gym was boring and not my thing. I was afraid I’d become too big. I would only go once a week.

Things changed when I did a Dexa scan in October last year.

I wanted to check my body composition as I wanted to ensure my bone density was alright. This is because women generally lose bone density as we grow older at a faster rate.

I felt that a Dexa Scan will be much more accurate as I read that the ‘advanced weighing scale” we get at the gym or home were not very accurate.

When the test was done, my bone density was healthy.

What surprised me however was that my body fat was a whopping 37 percent and, my muscle mass was at the bottom 10% for my age group.

For benchmarking purposes, a fit woman should have their body fat percentage in the 21-24 percent. For men, here is the benchmark.

I was shocked about my results because I look like this in Q3 last year. I seemed like a normal healthy adult.

I realized I was what people would describe as ‘skinny fat’.

“Skinny fat” is a term that refers to having a higher percentage of body fat and a lower amount of muscle. This person may look normal or appear healthy if you look at their BMI.

When running through my results, they told me that my muscle mass was a massive cause for concern.

This was a combination of a diet that did not have enough protein and also doing mostly cardio.

According to them, I was not alone. Many Singaporeans are like that. They do not take enough protein in their diet and mostly did cardio like running, swimming and cycling.

The advice the doctor gave:

I made two changes in my life starting mid-October

1. I stopped swimming. Instead, I would gym about 3 times per week. I started off with 30 minute session each time with simple exercises like lat pulldowns, dumbbell squats etc.
   

2. I moved away from a plant based diet and started to take more meat

While my main motivation was simply to increase my muscle mass and ensure I do not have issues at old age, I realized that at the end of February, I had lost fat.

This is how much fat I lost between November to February.

Mind you, this is simply a by-product of going to the gym 3x per week for only 30 minutes in each session.

In fact, during these few months, I was away in Taiwan and USA for two weeks each and was not able to work out as often.

I also began to notice a lot of benefits to my life

1. Much higher energy levels during the day

Firstly, I had better focus, was more alert and never felt sleepy at work.

Building muscle mass increases your basal metabolic rate, meaning your body burns more calories at rest. A higher metabolism can contribute to sustained energy levels throughout the day.

Strength training also meant I had better blood circulation. This ensures that more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the brain, which can enhance cognitive function and alertness.

Another reason was because I could also sleep better. When your body is tired, you fall asleep much easier. This meant I rarely felt tired during the day.

2. I was able to optimize my schedule to balance work and fitness

As time passed, I increased my exercise frequency: sprinting once a week, extending strength training from 30 to 50 minutes, and adding an extra session weekly.

I never saw fitness as competing with work; in fact, being fit enhances my energy and job performance.

Although initially challenging, I learned that "not enough time" is never a valid excuse. This forced me to optimize my schedule even more.

Gradually, I integrated my routine into my schedule, a point of pride, especially given my demanding job at a pre-IPO company.

I am aiming to train like a hybrid athlete:

3. Improve your healthspan

Improving muscle mass is not for it’s own sake. Ultimately, my main objective was really to extend my health span.

By building more muscle, I can slow the progression of sarcopenia and reduce risk of diabetes, Alzheimers and many other metabolic disease.

How does improving muscle mass correlate with metabolic health? Muscle tissue is a primary site for glucose uptake in response to insulin. More muscle mass means more tissue that can take up glucose from the blood, reducing blood glucose levels and making the body more responsive to insulin.

4. Better social life

I realized I began to get more attention from the opposite gender.

I started to dress better because I was more confident. I get asked out on dates more often and even in public like at restaurants and weddings.

I began to make new friends and become closer to those who are passionate about fitness and wellness. We share common values of leading a life of discipline and becoming the best version of ourselves:

Hope that my sharing will also inspire others to get into strength training.

My question to you: What is one thing you will start do this week for your fitness?

How to dress better (For men)

I came across these two videos which I thought are amazing and really helpful for guys.

More from me:

1. Avoid graphic tees. It makes you look less masculine.
   

2. Linen shirts exude a classy, relaxed vibe that effortlessly elevates your style. Whether you're dressing up for a formal event or aiming for a casual look, a linen shirt adds a touch of sophistication. It is also great for Singapore weather.
   

3. If you want to appear classy, avoid the type of jeans with holes, too many prints
   

4. Go to gym: If you have a good form, you wear fitted plain black tee also will look nice. 80% of style is being in shape.
   

5. Investing in a good hairstyle can make a massive difference for men. Check out some inspiration here

Let me know if all these are helpful. Hit reply 🙂 

I am a Singaporean tech worker and content creator. Every week, I share ideas on how we can optimise our career; finance; health and relationships.

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