NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
Happy October and welcome back to the latest fitness Q&A in our spotlight series. Pool days for most of us have ended and it’s all about hoodies and comfort food which is never a bad thing. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be an almost impossible task at the end of the year as we take part in Thanksgiving and the full-blown holiday season. But if we haven’t learned anything during this interview series it is OK to live it up and partake without overdoing it. This month we get to know a young lady who has shown a strong work ethic and also enjoys life. Not allowing what others think of her to stop her journey and inspiring people along the way. You may know her from Amazing Race Canada season 8 or her booming Instagram account. We go to Toronto, Ontario, and get to know Beverley Cheng! 
Joe Cardoso: How did your childhood affect your getting into sports and fitness?
Beverley Cheng: I was very lucky growing up – my parents were big on sports and activities, so no matter what sport I wanted to do – they supported me. I remember my mother staying an hour after school every single day when I was in Elementary, so my brother and I could play in the school park. Even when it was WINTER. We had so much energy to let out, so having parents that could accommodate us with fees, practice, and more, made the biggest difference.
JC: So how did you come up with the concept of Born to Sweat and what’s the story behind the name?
BC: My health and fitness journey started (and so did the concept of Born to Sweat) when I realized that I was a VERY sweaty human being. I used to hide in the bathroom at UBC, waiting for myself to cool down after walking 20 minutes to get there because I was so sweaty.
Over time I realized this was something I shouldn’t be ashamed of. This was part of who I was, and something that should be embraced and normalized! I wasn’t the only sweaty woman out there, and it was something that others related to.
JC: Fitness and social media can be a mind field separating the fake from the real. Why is it important to you to be raw and real?
BC: While having a beautifully curated feed and aesthetically pleasing stories is nice, people want to see that you go through the same ups and downs as them. That even though someone’s life might seem ‘perfect’ on social media, we’re all just doing our best and it gets messy sometimes. It’s important to me to be real and raw because that’s literally all I know. I don’t have the energy or the time to pretend that everything in my life is perfect because it isn’t. And that sounds exhausting. Even as a fitness influencer/ trainer, I get bloated, I have body image issues, and I don’t wake up each day motivated to workout. It’s important that my followers know that, so they don’t feel like they’re doing something wrong in their own journey.
JC: You have been everywhere from the Amazing Race to the cover of Strong magazine. Have you taken a moment to step back and say “Wow, I did that!”
BC: Haha. No. Rarely ever. This is something I’m talking about with my therapist! But yes, I am proud of myself. And I recognize that I put in a ton of work, effort, and time, and the results have paid off in a lot of ways.. But I don’t really stop to think about what I’ve done. I am always looking forward to the next thing and the thing after that. I hope one day I will be able to sit down and look back and think, wow, I’ve done some pretty cool stuff!
JC: Finding a balance between healthy living and living life is hard. How do you do it?
BC: I just make sure to prioritize what is important to me at that time in my life. Turns out that fitness and training have been my priority for the last 10+ years! But once you intentionally make a choice to prioritize something, it makes it easy to schedule it and find time for fun and social activities.
I can’t thank Beverley enough for making the time to chat and share her story. She is active on social and puts together some amazing events throughout the year so make sure and give her a follow.
https://borntosweat.co
https://www.instagram.com/beverleycheng/
As always stay safe and keep on pushing. Where will the spotlight end up next?
