Name : Darren Ho
Age : 37
Medical history : Obesity; Pre-diabetes; Fatty liver
�I didn�t even think the doctor was making a valid point when he told me that I�d probably die by the age of 45 if I kept up my lifestyle of drinking, eating unhealthily and completely neglecting exercise. My liver was already deteriorating to the point of no return and even walking was becoming extremely painful� related Darren as he shared his story with us.
Since young, Darren had always been a large child and this carried through with him even through puberty and although he was active in his teenage and early adult years, it wasn�t something that he truly paid attention to. After playing competitive tennis for most of his growing up years, he decided to stop in order to pay attention to his studies as well as his entrepreneurial pursuits and this led him towards a downward trend for his health.
�You know there�s an issue when your mum tells you maybe you need to cut back a little on food� he jokes, having shared with us how he failed the famous �mum� test.
By the time he hit his late 20s, he had successfully managed to tip the scales at 125kg and yet despite all the advice friends and family were giving him, still did not relent. Instead, his habits took a turn for the worse when he discovered how alcohol would provide a numbing effect on his depression and anxiety issues.
�Seriously, I would be intoxicated by 3pm every day and my drink of choice was either a whiskey or bubbly wine. You would find me at any of the pubs, sometimes with friends or on my own. On certain days, I would even have multiple drinking sessions. Those were terrible times.�
His diet consisted of fast food at least once a day and he proudly shares with us how he managed to squeeze in 5 fast food meal sets in a single day while rushing to deliver rush deadlines for his company.
�No idea what to eat? Just order something convenient in the shape of a burger or fried chicken and it�ll definitely work. Looking back, I sometimes wonder how different things would be if I had made better choices�
The Turning Point
In 2012, he witnessed his uncle pass away due to complications of renal failure despite his doctor telling him for the past ten years to change his lifestyle.
�There�s really nothing more devastating than watching a loved one move on and seeing how everyone else is helpless to do anything. No amount of tears or regret can bring the person back and that was when I decided that it was time to make a change� The next day, he started on his new journey and it didn't take long before he bowled over on the running track after 400 metres and threw up due to exhaustion.
�That was such a grim reminder of how far I had deteriorated and it was truly painful physically and for me to accept�
He persevered and started taking micro steps towards achieving his goal of losing weight as well as improving his health in general with the latter more important than the former. At this time, he had swelled up to 150kg and moving all of that weight on his legs were starting to truly take its toll. So he started to walk instead of run, albeit for 2 - 3 minutes a day.
�It was really all about taking those little steps one at a time. I remember how I used to huff and puff even when I walked for 2 to 3 minutes daily. Who would have thought that those little steps would teach me so much about life and that winning those little victories would shape my thinking in embracing a healthy lifestyle�
In 2016, Darren embarked on an ambitious journey to complete every triathlon race distance after having been cleared by his doctor. Within the same year, he completed his first ever Ironman on top of a sprint, Olympic and half Ironman distance triathlon. In 2017, he did two Ironmans back to back and this year in 2019, qualified for the ITU World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, representing Singapore in the world cup of triathlon events.
�I think the journey has been truly a life changing one for me but importantly, it is the process that counts for so much and probably more than anything else. It started with a small step that I could handle instead of a huge leap that would have probably derailed me even further. That would be my advice to anyone who is discovering their own healthy journey - to take it in small steps and to build a strong foundation from there�
Next year, Darren�s goals will be to complete a 100km run and to continue racing in various marathons and triathlons around the world. His dream is to one day complete an Ultraman race (10km swim, 421km bike and 84km run over three days and two nights) as well as other ultra endurance races.
�Stay the fight, keep on moving and just show up. One small step at a time in a forward direction will propel us towards our eventual goal. Don�t think about the result because that will come with the process. Have faith and keep moving forward�
Follow Darren on his journey via Instagram @triwithdarren
Share with us or tag us on instagram @activehealthsg and #betterbeatsperfect if you think someone else should be featured on Active Health!
Related Articles
Related Topics
Recent Events & Programmes
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Topics
[BlogPost 164438712123 NSG 2024 Badminton: Senior Div Girls Quarter-Finals, BlogPost 164238055490 Evergreen Aleksandar Duric Still Making Headlines at 53, BlogPost 164170080646 NSG 2024 Rope Skipping: Junior Div Girls Freestyle Team Finals, BlogPost 162884973666 Move and Rest Better With Data From Your Own Body, BlogPost 163393049482 Life Comes Full Circle For Serangoon Garden Secondary School's Fahrish Khan, BlogPost 163258797651 Making Golf a Sport for All, BlogPost 162512222328 NSG 2024 Sepaktakraw: Senior Div Yuhua Primary School vs Qihua Primary School, BlogPost 162233592997 Gritty Lions Suffer Loss to China, BlogPost 162089384371 On Your Mark, Get Ready, Go Running, BlogPost 161670652697 Lions' Excellent Showing Against China, BlogPost 161435270031 Ogura Optimistic for Exciting Clash against China, BlogPost 161127614758 The Future of Basketball in Singapore: Why 3x3 is Here to Stay, BlogPost 161033673012 The Active Lifestyler's Guide to the New ActiveSG Delta Sport Centre, BlogPost 161128356680 Grand New Champions Crowned at WTT Singapore Smash 2024, BlogPost 160844835218 NSG 2024 Table Tennis: C Div Boys Pool Round, BlogPost 160210745115 NSG 2024 Basketball: Senior Div Girls Tampines Primary School vs Frontier Primary School, BlogPost 159881180544 Whirlwind Return to Women's Football, BlogPost 159633541417 Singapore Smash to Elevate a New Legacy, BlogPost 158983580420 NSG 2024 Rugby: B Div Damai Secondary School vs Peirce Secondary School, BlogPost 159003960202 SFA Fiesta: Kicking off 2024 to a Roaring Start, BlogPost 158830735126 NSG 2024 Football: B Div Girls Preliminary Round Meridian Secondary School VS Bowen Secondary School, BlogPost 158536989718 Team Nila Volunteers Recognized At Awards Ceremony, BlogPost 158270107806 NSG 2024 Hockey: B Div Boys Preliminary Round Raffles Institution VS St. Hilda Secondary School, BlogPost 157966862615 NSG 2024 Floorball: B Division Preliminary Rounds Kick Off!, BlogPost 157562433712 What Is Safe Sport?, BlogPost 157559446197 Sengkang Secondary: Cultivating Well-Rounded Footballers, BlogPost 157368261167 New National Training Centre for Cricket at West Coast Ground, BlogPost 155340164987 Active Ageing with Joey Bonifacio, BlogPost 155930815517 Inaugural Singapore Youth League kicks off from 24th February 2024, BlogPost 155340164727 Bukit Canberra : the Coolest Spot in the North, BlogPost 155368905255 How Padang Fandi Inspired Ayden to Chase his Dream, BlogPost 154755572826 Ageing Backwards with Elizabeth Cheang, BlogPost 154094657315 Running For Fitness, BlogPost 153318636178 Excitement Builds for FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2024, BlogPost 153198644247 World's Top Four Confirmed for 2024 HSBC Women's World Championship, BlogPost 149413941770 Cultivating Your Kids’ Interest in the Outdoors, BlogPost 149413941163 Making Sport More Appealing for Our Kids, BlogPost 149412549409 Solo Or Team Sport – Choosing the Best for Your Child, BlogPost 151197478798 Former Lions Stalwart Baihakki Khaizan Sheds Light on New Accreditation to Elevate Grassroots Football and Youth Development, BlogPost 80703591291 New Year, Fitter You! Here are the top 3 workouts for the New Year, BlogPost 81171151456 7 Reasons Why Sports are Great for Children’s Mental Health, BlogPost 80542065330 17 Best Yoga Classes & Studios in Singapore [+ Rating & Prices], BlogPost 149404351798 From Brush to Lens: A Student's Journey in the World of Art and Sports Photography, BlogPost 149402825063 The Benefits of Active Parenting, BlogPost 149397832009 Sweden Claim 9th Straight Gold at the Women's World Floorball Championship, BlogPost 149397831449 Lion City Sailors Win 2023 Singapore Cup, BlogPost 148511324266 Pitch Perfect with Jonathan Teo, BlogPost 148511724402 Seniors: Increase your flexibility bit by bit with these stretches, BlogPost 147866574167 A Valuable Experience In Spain for Singapore's National Development Centre U-14 Boys, BlogPost 146915317264 How one magical Kallang night changed the lives of Abirami and Daania forever]