Younger women are 'usually stunned' by gym owners actual age

For Mr Tiat Lim, the fountain of youth is in the gym.

Since getting serious about personal fitness and nutrition in 2016, the 48-year-old has received compliments about his youthful appearance and ripped physique.

The owner of Bespoke Fitness gym, who is single, told The New Paper: "About a year after I began to work out regularly, friends and family kept telling me I don't look my age.

"It also allows me to appeal to younger women. They are usually stunned when they learn I am only slightly younger than their fathers."

He also claimed he has not fallen ill in the past two years - which is especially crucial amid the coronavirus outbreak.

He said: "A robust immune system comes down to exercise, good food and rest. Everyone can do it."

Mr Lim also sought a way to objectively prove that he may in fact be biologically younger than his actual age.

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He contacted a doctor from US academic medical centre Mayo Clinic and flew to Rochester, Minnesota, in June 2018 for clinical and athletic tests.

To his delight, the Mayo Clinic report concluded that his biological age was 10 years below his chronological age. In other words, he has the body of a 38-year-old.

Mr Lim, who is 1.76m tall and weighs 78kg, said: "It felt like a massive compliment. I was ecstatic."

Moreover, the test results validated his efforts in de-ageing through exercise and proper nutrition.

He added: "We live in an era where it is possible to hack our own biology, and the report confirmed that I had succeeded in doing so."

Mr Lim is collaborating with academics from the Centre for Healthy Aging at the National University of Singapore's Life Sciences Institute on a study on regenerative medicine.

'HUMAN GUINEA PIG'

Dubbing himself the "human guinea pig" of the study, he said he will be part of trials for anti-ageing drugs that are being developed in Singapore and the US.

Mr Lim said: "There are definitely risks involved, but I see it as being the first man on the moon. I want to take that first step."

In that vein, he has preached fitness and nutrition tips to gym users at Bespoke Fitness, which he founded with his sister in 2016, driven by a personal mission.

Mr Lim said: "Our father died of a stroke in 2010. He didn't watch what he was eating and became overweight. My sister always had the idea for us to start something and transforms lives through fitness."

But his current passion was not always a priority for him. He said he used to be "overweight" and kickstarted his workout routine only after opening the gym in 2016.

He added: "I saw a lot of big-sized gym owners and thought they were very uninspiring. I knew I had to lead by example, so I got serious about it."

Through a blend of hypertrophy and cardiovascular exercises he engages in six times a week, Mr Lim has achieved a body fat percentage of less than 10 per cent.

He also maintains a balanced diet and avoids using oil and sugar in his meals.

His goal is to turn back time even more and be 20 biological years younger than his actual age by 2022, when he turns 50.

He said: "I look at 60, 70-year-olds in my gym performing at a very high level. Everyone should have the confidence to do the same."