What does wealth mean to you? Wealth is an abundance of possessions or money in life.
For 41-year old Harvard University Masters of Education graduate, Mr Yap Wai Meng, it’s something much more than just monetary possessions. As an educator who enjoys working with students, Yap has never been a fond of sports. He prefers stamp-collecting as a hobby when he was young.
In recent years, Yap realised his liver condition is getting worse. After getting specific advice on his liver condition, he decided to get back the control of his health by running.
Now, he got hooked into running and is enthusiastic about joining local running races. He wanted to share with everyone why health is so important to everyone, as people say health equal to wealth.
Let’s get to know more about this motivator and fighter!
I will tell myself that health is wealth. There is no point in wanting to succeed in career, and yet not have the health to enjoy life.
RS: When you got to know that your liver will get hardened, how do you feel?
Wai Meng: It is an awful feeling, knowing there is something wrong with your body. However, I also realised that I have control over it, and that I can choose to overcome this if I want.
RS: If you could go back in time, what will you tell your old self in that situation or circumstances about your health?
Wai Meng: I will tell myself that health is wealth. There is no point in wanting to succeed in career, and yet not have the health to enjoy life. It is only when we are healthy that we can live life to the fullest.
RS: You chose running to improve your health condition. What are the difficulties in training for the half marathons?
Wai Meng: The first one is inertia. This comes because I have to set aside time for training after work. If I am tired, I sometimes do not want to train for half marathons. Second, the lack of endurance during the run. Sometimes I find myself facing the ‘wall’ after running for about 1 hour, wondering when will I complete my training. I will keep telling myself that the training is going to finish soon, just to push myself on. Last, the familiarity with running routes. Although there are many running routes in Singapore, I tend to run along the same run routes, and sometimes I ‘dread’ running on them as I would know what to expect during the route.
RS: Besides achieving a healthy lifestyle, is there any goals you would want to achieve in your running journey?
Wai Meng: I would love to work towards a marathon in the near future, just to tell myself that I can do it.
RS: Since you have run a few half marathons, what is your secret in your marathon training plan?
Wai Meng: My secret is to remind myself that running is not just for myself, but also for my family. I run so that I am in a better healthy state to take care of them.
RS: What is the biggest takeaway from your running journey?
Wai Meng: No two runs are the same! You may think you can remain in your best form for the next run after achieving a personal best, but that is not for sure. You still got to maintain, so you can gain.
RS: What advice would you give to people out there if there are having the same problems as you?
Wai Meng: Always think big, start small. Run a little bit more than what you usually can, and when you do this consistently, you will discover you can run farther and farther.
Like Leonardo da Vinci says, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”
Yap is a perfect example that even when you are diagnosed with a medical condition, you can still do something to get back the control of your health, Now, are you willing to take a step out and start your running journey to get control of your health?
