MAY, 2019 | Th e HEALTH
EXCLUSIVE
31
Ramadan tips:
3 dates &
a glass of
water
Although juggling work and personal time can be challenging, Nana have made her passion her career.
BY REENASSRI SEKARAN
S
EVEN years ago, this fi t bombshell received a
ton of backlash for her muscular, toned body.
As we move into a new era however, being fi t
and healthy has become the new standard in
beauty. Today, both women and men looks to
her for inspiration and advice. Nana Al Haleq
talks about her journey to rock hard abs and proving to
the world that strong is the new sexy.
Her journey
“I always had big dreams growing up. My two options
were between either becoming a plastic surgeon or a
forensic scientist. I’ve always had this fascination and
goal to help people feel good,” she starts.
“I was rather active in sports during my primary and
secondary school years - I didn’t really spend much time
in classes. From February to November, you would fi nd
me running for school or state championships. Form
hockey, running, to basically any type of sports - you’d
fi nd me competing. Th e problem was because I was in a
science stream major, my involvement in sports caused
me to be left behind in a few subjects.”
“My results in physics, chemistry and additional
mathematics weren’t exactly in fl ying colors so I didn’t
get the course I wanted. I found out that there was a
thing where you could study and work under a police
academy to become a forensic scientist. However it’s a
nine-year course! I really could not see myself doing just
that for nine years,” she says.
Under the inspiration of a friend, Nana pursued
communications instead. During that period of time,
she stopped competing in sports completely except
for the occasional rock climbing. “At the age of 26, I
enrolled in my fi rst ever gym.”
Th at’s when a friend convinced Nana there were no
Malay fi tness idols in Malaysia. “Th is was seven years
ago mind you. He told me; Nana, you clearly have the
passion and the genes, why not get more involved in the
fi tness scene? I was very doubtful. But I took the jump.”
A leap of faith
“Honestly Malaysia was not ready to embrace a muscu-
lar woman seven years ago. My fi rst year into fi tness - I
quit my job to focus on fi tness entirely. It wasn’t an easy
ride,” she grins.
“Th e amount of hate mails I received at the beginning
was overwhelming. It was a challenging fi rst year. Th e
second year of me trying to become a fi tness icon took
a slightly better turn, and as of now, I believe everyone
has gotten used to the idea of muscular, toned women.”
“Th e perception of fi tness has really changed over
time. Along the way, I took a few courses on sculpting
women’s body, fat loss, and hypertrophy,” she recaps.
Nana now dives into better nutrition. “I’m also a
certifi ed STRONG by Zumba instructor - it’s similar
Nana Al Haleq
talks about
how the public
perception
towards fi tness
have changed
over the years,
and how women
are more
empowered to
pursue fi tness
now rather than
before.
WITH Ramadan just a few days away, we
got Nana to spill some tips which would be
helpful for you.
“I believe everyone needs to treat the
Ramadan period just like their normal days.
There’s a reason why we need to brea k our
fast with dates. Our body is not ready for
heavy foods in our fasting state. So guzzling
down food is often a common mistake
amongst Malaysians. Dates are chock full of
carbohydrates and contains all the essential
vitamins our body needs. Just 3 pieces of
dates and a glass of water. Let that digest
for a good 10 minutes and you can proceed
with your main meal. Do keep in mind, your
meal has to contain carbohydrates, protein,
fi bre and good fats. You can even cook your
meals with olive oil or coconut oil as this helps
the nutrients to be released slowly into the
system.” — The Health
to HIIT (high-intensity interval training) but the only
diff erence is you move in sync to the beat.”
What does a typical day
for you look like?
“Honestly pretty insane,” laughs Nana.
“It really depends on what I have to do on that par-
ticular day. Last year, I had to wake up at 4am because
I was in a show on TV which required me to be at the
studio by 6am. As soon as the show fi nishes at 10am, I
would have to attend to my clients - personal training.
In the afternoon, if I have time, I will slot in a quick
workout otherwise my schedule is pretty much attend-
ing shoots and events. Th at’s why I started my business
last year. Th e idea came up because I needed a diversion
to keep myself sane. Th at how the fi tsambalbynana
came to life! Which is my own recipe by the way.”
Like mother, like daughter
“I owe a lot of it to my mom. She was a netball player
for Johor and she was the one who taught me how to
rollerblade and cycle. She also taught me how to run as
well. I still remember her fi rst lesson - if you want to be
a sprinter, you need to add on weights. During those
times we didn’t have ankle straps, so she would take a
plastic, fi ll with sand, seal it with a light and strap it to
my ankle.”
Nana crushes fi tness myths:
Carbs is not the enemy!
“One, there is no such thing as targeted fat loss! If you
want to lose weight or fat, you need to practice a healthy
diet. Diet comes fi rst, then exercise. When it comes
to diet, it’s not an 80/20 rule but a whole 100 percent
because after all, you are what you eat.”
“Two, there’s always the common misconception
that to lose weight, you’d have to banish carbs from
your life. Th is is not true since we are brought up
consuming rice. Rice is never the enemy here, it’s how
you cook it and the portions. On my social media, I’m
always advising that you can have your Malaysian food
fi x but just place a healthy twist on it - healthy nasi
lemak, healthy rendang, its possible!”
What exercise has taught her
“Patience and that I can never force someone to do it
unless they are willing to. It’s always about learning how
to love yourself. When I started on my fi tness journey, I
did it because I knew I was unhealthy despite my skinny
physique. I often hear this from my clients - they do it
because they want to look pretty. Yes to a certain level
it’s good, but sometimes they tend do it because their
partner is placing pressure on them to lose weight. I
always inform people that they should not do it for
another, but only for themselves.”
Nana is currently a fi tness instructor, entrepreneur,
social media infl uencer and all-around Malaysian fi t-
ness advocate. — Th e Health