Strength of a Man

Helping others build a healthy lifestyle now takes on a bigger meaning for Andrew Kwan, after the unfortunate passing of his father, which motivated him to do more for others

The passing of his father had Andrew Kwan focusing on the importance of building a healthy lifestyle

The only thing predictable about life is its unpredictability.” I remember so vividly the night I received a phone call from my younger sister Lydia. I could sense the deep urgency and desperation in her tone. She uttered the words that changed our family’s life forever. “It’s dad… He’s diagnosed with liver cancer.” Emeritus Professor Dr John Kwan was a well-respected academician. A man of integrity and excellence, he spent more than 40 years in higher education, teaching medical sciences. Dad took good care of his health—he never drank any alcohol nor had he ever lit a cigarette in his life. He was asleep by 10pm even on weekends! Yet it would be foolish of me to think that just because dad conformed to a healthy lifestyle, that he was free from all forms of disease and suffering. There is such a broad spectrum of forces influencing our wellbeing. Genetics and hereditary factors can play a role; dietary habits such as high sugar or salt consumption can lead to various health complications. Plus, environmental and situational factors that influence our cortisol levels also affect our body and mental health. My dad slowly began to lose the basic functions of his body, becoming unable to even walk up and down the stairs at home by himself. As painful as this was to watch, I couldn’t help but to relate to the many people I’ve seen struggling to catch a breath after climbing a few flights of stairs. It almost seems that as we advance in technology, we are losing our basic physical human functions. The daunting thought is that although machinery parts are easily replaced when it malfunctions, we cannot say the same when our body and organs start breaking down. As my dad’s condition deteriorated over the months, it spurred me on further to advocate the pursuit of health and fitness to the people around me, especially to my family and clients. When I cofounded Revelation Republic four years ago with Jonathan Wong and Norman Wong, we had one common goal. That goal was to inspire others to lead a healthy alternative lifestyle. One which recognises that investing time and resources into your health and fitness with a purposeful pursuit has tremendous benefits. I have personally witnessed countless of transformations at Revelation Republic. The benefits from our strength and conditioning training includes an increase in lean muscle mass, functional strength and an improvement of cardiovascular health and lung capacity. One of the main pillars of our training methodology is physical transformation. The team at Revelation Republic put years of our own experience to help our clients from all walks of life achieve their fitness goals. Although I lost my dad eight months after his diagnosis with cancer, I remain steadfast to the legacy that he has left for me. He was a huge contributor to Revelation Republic, giving me the support that I needed to start in the industry. I now train my clients with an even clearer purpose, believing that prevention is better than cure. A stronger athlete is a better athlete. A stronger mind and body is harder to break down compared to a weaker one. On a personal level, although my schedule is getting busier, I try to get at least four or five training sessions done in a week. If I can’t train in the gym, I’ll do my exercising at home. The key is to be consistent. It’s much harder to regain momentum once you’re idle. I take dietary and nutrition factors on a more serious note now, recognising that no matter how fast you can run, you can never outrun a bad diet, especially as you grow older! My father lived an honourable and courageous life right till the end. He taught me to work hard and that hard work reaps rewards. He also taught me to be faithful, and I learned over the years that faithfulness is a true mark of the strength of a man.”

Is there a parallel to your own story you would like to share with us? Email your thoughts about Andrew’s expression at: myedit@edipressemedia.com