Posted on 09/18/2022 3:09:05 PM PDT by nickcarraway
"Hashtag, 50 is the new 30," says Tiat Lim when asked about his age.
And for Tiat, who turned half-a-century old early this year, the statement isn't a hollow one by a mid-lifer in denial either.
More from AsiaOne Read the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite. After all, the man has been found to have successfully reversed his biological age by more than 20 years.
The "de-ageing" process to turn back the clock took him about six years, from around the time he and his sister opened their gym, Bespoke Fitness, in 2016.
The impetus, which he'd shared in an earlier media interview, was his dad's death from a heart attack in 2010 when the latter was in his 60s.
"My sister always had the idea for us to start something and transform lives through fitness," he'd said then.
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He tells AsiaOne recently that the initial objective for himself was to get fit and healthy.
"But I overshot and overkilled," he quips.
In 2018, two years after changing his lifestyle, he flew to the US to be tested for his biological age at the Mayo Clinic.
"They measured my biological age at roughly minus-10 [of my chronological age]," Tiat shared.
He made it his goal then to de-age by another decade come 2022. Amazingly, he has done it, and more.
"Last year in 2021, I was measured by the National University Health System's (NUHS) Centre for Healthy Longevity and they basically said that I'm at minus-23. So I've actually exceeded my minus-20 target by three years," Tiat shares proudly.
And his 'youth' shows on the outside as well.
The 1.76m-tall quinquagenarian has a ripped bod that we reckon even younger men half his age would envy.
PHOTO: Tiat Lim "I have never had a six-pack in my life, not even during my Officer Cadet School days," says Tiat. His once-doughy midsection has now been replaced by a set of well-defined abs.
The law graduate and serial entrepreneur shares how at his heaviest, he weighed 80kg and sported a slight paunch. With his hair combed back, "I looked like Kim Jong-un," he deadpans.
Tiat during what he calls his 'Kim Jong-un days' in 2012 (left) and 2004 (right). PHOTO: Tiat Lim Understandably, references to the movie The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button are par for the course.
People around him have been shocked by how he seems to have aged in reverse, just like the character Button.
"Friends see me today and they're like 'holy s*** what have you been doing?'" says Tiat, adding that the reactions he gets "reinforce my journey".
He admits too that his youthful appearance still turns the heads of women much younger than him.
"But obviously that's not my primary motivation," the bachelor quickly clarifies.
So what is?
"The issue is not so much living longer. But it's about living healthily all the way to the very end.
"The problem is that we've got extended lifespans, but our healthspans are not keeping up," says Tiat.
"So that's actually why I'm pursuing de-ageing and hopefully, inspiring others to do something similar."
Tiat shares that their mum, who goes through the self-developed FitRX programme at their gym, is now able to do pull-ups as well as perform a vertical rope climb.
Not bad for a 76-year-old.
Through the same NUHS biological age test that Tiat did, her results indicated that she'd successfully shaved eight years off her chronological age.
"She was actually unhappy about it as she's very competitive," says Tiat with a laugh.
He adds that while he's "done a series of startups" since graduating from law school, Bespoke Fitness being one of them, it is "probably the most useful".
And with transformation being a key refrain in Tiat's personal life as well as business, it's also one reason why the gym recently relocated to a space at The Guild International College, a high school for special needs students aged 13 to 25.
There, Tiat and other coaches not only provide students with physical education classes but also offer them work experiences at the gym.
"Transforming lives through fitness is our vision and applies to everyone who steps into our gym," says Tiat emphatically.
'De-ageing pyramid'
But for those hoping to uncover the fountain of youth, there's unfortunately no shortcut.
It all boils down to what Tiat calls the "de-ageing pyramid", which involves fitness, nutrition and sleep at its core.
Other factors such as supplements and the emerging field of regenerative medicine are also what can help reverse the ageing process, he shares.
It's no surprise to learn that to Tiat, the foundation of age reversal lies in exercise, and his pitch for getting in your daily dose of physical activity is a persuasive one.
"You know, the gym will always be cheaper than a hospital if you're just thinking about it in monetary terms.
"So I don't quite understand why people are so reluctant to exercise. If you're not doing any basic preventative maintenance to keep your meat machine in shape, why are you surprised when it breaks down?"
And when it comes to diet, Tiat is a strong proponent of eating three full, healthy meals a day.
"I don't believe in starvation, cutting carbs, nor eating boiled chicken breasts every day.
"I can't eat cardboard like that, it's just not sustainable," he states drily.
He's also not a fan of what he calls "fad diets", such as intermittent fasting or the paleo/ketogenic diet.
Instead, Tiat says it all boils down to making clean choices when it comes to your meal. And that means "no SOAP - sugar, oil, additives, alcohol and processed foods", a plan which Tiat sticks to six days a week.
On his one and only cheat day, "I eat whatever the heck I want", where he gravitates to his favourite food - biryani.
Next milestone: minus-30 Tiat admits that he's a goal-oriented person with "things on my bucket list that I want done".
And top of the list is definitely to hit the minus-30 mark in his de-ageing journey, which he hopes to accomplish in five to 10 years.
A reality TV show, where participants compete to see who can achieve the largest biological-chronological age gap, may also be in the works if Tiat has his way.
It is evident that age reversal and extending one's healthspan are a particular passion of Tiat's, and one that he's singularly focused on.
Throughout our chat, Tiat regales us with scientific studies he has read up on regenerative medicine and how he's ever ready to be "guinea pig number one" should there be any collaborators on that front.
"Who doesn't want to be the first man to step on the moon, right? It's like being the Neil Armstrong of de-ageing, and that's where I eventually hope to get to."
Besides shooting for the moon, Tiat shares that he aspires to be "the Bruce Lee of de-ageing".
Why Bruce? "FitRX is like my wing chun. And he had a six-pack?"
Jokes aside, Tiat's end goal, and the ultimate reward, is "in helping mankind stay younger for longer", calling it his "legacy project".
At 50, Tiat is raring to go and shows no signs of slowing down. But if there's one thing in his life which has mellowed a little with age, it's his temperament.
"My perspective on health and fitness and my pursuit of it have definitely not changed. It's still about de-ageing.
"But maybe [age] has made me a little bit more patient, because I've never been a very patient person," he shares thoughtfully.
"I think I've always been a perfectionist. So maybe with maturity, I can dial that back a little and be a little less hard on myself."
Read years ago that the wealthy elites quietly have been taking anti-aging injections not available to the common peasants. And the controversial trading of a younger person’s blood for theirs by transfusion.
Looks wonderful.
Our IDIOT governor closed the gyms for a year because of “covid”. That’s where healthy people go to stay healthy. I’m just now catching up to my pre-cov-idiot shape. Hope all that sitting hasn’t shortened my life. I’m having too much fun to croak.
I heard that too. Not sure it’s true but a good story.
No, he has not de-aged. He got in shape, that’s it.
No one in their right mind cares.
The human body can function much like a 25 year old for most of its life, until you reach about 70 years of age. Then, it’s an inevitable decline.
No longer looking like Kim Jong Un is enough to make the effort worthwhile.
GlyNAC made 80 year olds walk faster than 30 year olds, under the same conditions. It also reduced mental function test issues by roughly 75%.
Urolithin A, Taurine, and Nicotinamide Riboside are three other supplements that reverse aging issues, and a supplement called Pantethine completely reversed fatty liver in over half of users in six months.
These are well within reach and both Urolithin A and GlyNAC extended the lives of mice over 20%. Human testing will take decades…
He looks great for 50. But you don’t need a gym to get fit. I’m in my 60’s. I don’t hang out gyms and get accused of being an old perv geezer. What I do instead is adhere to eating like the guy says. 3 good meals. No snacking. I could do with more sleep, but that’s another story. I follow no set structure, reps or even the weight when it comes to training. I only adhere to the following. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I push something overhead heavy rock,log, suitcase, dumbell, all the sanebto me( push something away horizontally ( pushup, push a car, don’t matter( and push downwards (think parrallel bar dip ,L Sit. Whatevee). On Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays I pull something down from overhead ( pull up or whatever) Pull something towards me (bodyweight row, row a boat, pull a car, what ever) and pull something up from arms hanging down position ( think high pull, monkey row with a suitcase full of books, driftwoodbon the beach whatever comes to hand. Sundays a day of rest. Rinse and repeat. I do nothing specific for legs such as squats. I walk up a slopey hill with a rock or something. I don’t deadlift. Get plenty of mileage for posterior muscles picking up suutcases, rocks etc for the exercises I do do. No specific core exercise either ( except L Sit as part of pushing downwards. I listen to body. Any nagging, I just take a break. So far so good
Thanks.
Anything that helps.
Good on ya. Feels great, doesn’t it? I’m doing similar in my 70’s, except I jog/run 2-3 miles 2-3 days a week during 3 seasons, skip most of summer. I have some free weights, chin bar and a skipping rope (*pant*pant*). I’ve slowed a bit on the weights and pushups, need to pick up the pace there.
Many unfortunate folks have injuries or other issues that preclude this level of exercise, we have to remember that, bless them. And we could join them any time.
I hear ya. Inevitably it will become physically impossible to do what I do now. Prob still be able to do movement patterns but not much losd ie push self out of a chair, close and open a csr door, put a light box on a shelf cupboard. But pullups will eventuslly be too much. Hopefully still row a boat ( my old man was still rowing often in his 80’s. Still walking up a hill, but unloaded etc. Stay active as long as possible. The guy in the articles mum is doing great to do a pullup at 76 with tearing her cuffs
Without tearing i should say
Thank you.
Marking for Biryani!
That’s what I look like between the belt and the neck.
Bttt
I’m 68 and do a variety of things, including some weights, bicycle, good ol floor exercises, and running (but when rainy or cold I spend time on the antique nordictrack ski machine).
Asians have different muscle tone.
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