For Senior Station Inspector (APF) Gulam Husain, 53, fitness wasn’t something he thought about much until the day he failed his IPPT.

“I’ve never failed (IPPT) before in my entire career! Looking back, I put on a lot of weight as I didn’t exercise at all, and I was snacking constantly. It was quite a wake-up call – I used to be really fit when I was a police boxer, and then I got married, and that was it *laughs*.”

“I went for a medical check-up and found that my blood pressure and sugar levels were high. I began to feel very concerned. Not only could this affect my ability to perform my job effectively in the auxiliary police force, but I also realised that my health was actually at risk now. As the sole breadwinner for my family, I had to make sure nothing compromised my ability to work.”

“I began training twice a day, cycling in the morning before work and doing interval training and lifting weights after I got home at night. I also learned about intermittent fasting from a trainer on YouTube, started eating clean and limiting my meals to an 8-hour window. There were many times when I felt too tired or too stressed to work out, but I decided to just keep pushing on. I’m glad I didn’t give up.”

“In under three months, I managed to lose 28kg and I feel much healthier now. Of course, there are some days where you need to take a break or pamper yourself, but it comes down to consistent self-control and discipline.”

“If there’s anything I learnt from this experience, it’s that nothing is impossible if you put your heart and mind to it.