Felicia Wong finds her Fform
Published:Wednesday | January 25, 2023 | 12:52 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Felicia Wong lived an active lifestyle as a youth and tackled fitness in her adult years with an open mind. She, however, obtained an injury in her lower back after lifting weights that were too heavy too quickly and had to recalibrate. Her own self-discovery in remedying the impairment led to the start of her fitness business, Fform by Feli.
“The injury came about in 2016-2017. I started doing research on my own and began learning about body mechanics. It was that interest that got me into the field of fitness in 2018,” Wong told Lifestyle. Her aim, following her own success in rectifying her issue, was to help others and prevent them from experiencing injury like she had and guide them towards a more pain-free fitness journey.
She got certified as a personal trainer in 2019 and began working with clients that same year. “Six months into doing this part-time, I quit my job and went into wellness full-time. The timing of it was strange because I left my job in March of 2020, and that’s when COVID-19 happened, changing the world as we knew it forever,” she shared.
ROUTINE
Despite the setbacks others encountered during that rough period, Wong had a pretty successful year. People weren’t doing much, so they had more time to work out. She also took the opportunity to keep client contact on a one-on-one basis; that way, everyone remained safe.
This personal trainer starts her day at 5 or 5:15 a.m. Taking a protein shake or fruit with her, she trains from 6:30 a.m. until 9 a.m. On a good day, she gets personal after that, working on herself and her body until 10:30 a.m. She returns home to make or heat lunch, getting in some relaxation during that time of the day, or she uses the period to engage in client programming. There, she prep-programmes her clients for the month based on their needs, capabilities and goals.
“Some days, I do go back to the gym at around 4 or 5 p.m. in the evening for clients. But my days are mostly heavy in the mornings,” she added. She describes her personal training style as sustainable, functional, adaptive, fun and pain-free.
Wong is additionally a corrective exercise specialist, so she works with clients with injuries who want to recover. She assists them with any muscle imbalances and posture correction.
Going into fitness solely with aesthetics in mind, she quickly realised that it required much more than building physical strength. Over time, Wong has appreciated how important the activity has been towards her mental health. “I find that when I am active, I have more clarity, and I am able to be better organised and quiet my brain because my brain goes a thousand miles an hour.”
Noting that she has tried most of the diet fads over the years, which have proven unsuccessful, the trainer takes a more moderate approach to food, watching what she eats while treating herself to little pleasures every now and then. Her body has been responding well to the balance.
“The most sustainable way to live well in a nutrition journey is by understanding how your body processes food as fuel to function. Know yourself and what your body responds positively to. I know it sounds cliché, but eating in moderation works. I cut down on the foods that make me feel terrible after the fact. It’s definitely a mindset shift to nourish your body the right way.”
With the desire to live a long and healthy life, this entrepreneur ensures that she moves her body every day, securing her bone health to do what she wants. She also craves the ability to be pain-free in her body, and fitness facilitates this, “I find that sitting down a lot and not doing any physical activity or not incorporating any movement invites old injuries to pay you a visit and introduces little niggles.”
This area of expertise requires a great deal of patience and discipline from both the clients and the trainer. She feels fulfilled in helping others on their journey to work out and achieve their wellness goals. “I want to give others the opportunity of experiencing good vibes through the way they eat and workout. I want to show people that it can be easy, forming a lifestyle by doing what you love.”