Noel Chelliah of DailyMuscle tells us how easy fitness really is

More than just helping clients with weight management, Noel Chelliah aims to make the usually tedious act of keeping fit, effortless and fun.

Noel Chelliah, DailyMuscle, health, fitness, eating healthy — Noel Chelliah

As I sit here typing this, I’ve come to the realisation that all the rants on health and fitness I’ve been making are borderline baseless.

This revelation is achieved with the help of Noel Chelliah, the personal trainer and nutritionist who goes by the moniker DailyMuscle on social media, coming forth with the hope to help everyone struggling with upkeeping their fitness (like me) with decade-long experience. More than that, he aims to make the usually tedious act keeping fit something unheard of – effortless and fun.

To achieve that, Noel started a gym and boot camp community, through which he continuously delivers his messages and lessons on fitness. His mantra is simple: “There are no obstacles to starting, you just have to start it.” Following that, his formula to fitness is even simpler: “Fitness is really for everyone and any exercise is better than no exercise.”

“It began by accident”

Before taking on the fitness journey, like most, Noel too had a rough start.

“It began by accident,” he says of how it all started. His mother was the one who encouraged him to start working out since he had childhood obesity. He has not stopped since.

“I liked the way it made me feel,” he tells. “It was also life-changing, realising how a little bit of working out and watching what I eat could change the way I looked.”

It wasn’t long until Noel started out a fitness blog which would open countless doors for him, ultimately leading him to the path of a fitness trainer. Making it his full-time job then was the natural step.

“I had a need to help people,” tells the Reebok ambassador.

Today, Noel runs, leads and trains through an outdoor bootcamp programme called DailyMuscle Bootcamp in Bangsar as well as a cosy indoor gym called DailyMuscle Lighthouse in GLOMAC Damansara. His motivation remains ever as simple as when he first started: “I wanted to give people the one-on-one support but in a group environment.”

Abs are made in the kitchen

DailyMuscle LightHouse space at GLOMAC Damansara

As important as daily workouts and effective strength trainings are, Noel’s main advice on anyone watching their weight would be to watch what they eat.

“The easy part is exercising, but having the awareness and discipline to eat healthily is the uncomfortable part,” he tells us. “Once people have been educated on this part, it becomes a life skill.”

“The biggest problem most faced for those are struggling with weight problems is not having enough protein and consuming too much carbohydrates,” he adds. “We find ourselves convincing people to shift their efforts and energy from the workouts on eating habits and lifestyle because it’s not just showing up for the workouts.”

“Consistency is what brings results”

While most of us would look at eating healthy as a goal and keep our eyes on cheat days as a reward to keep us going, Noel believes in not separating healthy eating and living.

“The approach that should be taken is to not separate your daily routine from your healthy lifestyle. There is no issue with cheat days, but it shouldn’t be that way because you are not being punished for leading this lifestyle,” he says. “Once you are aware of your calorie intake, you wouldn’t indulge in high-calorie foods as much.”

When it comes to exercise, doing it consistently will make it easier. His personal tip is “a combination of strength training and isometric movements are more effective rather than just one movement.”

To stay motivated even on days we feel otherwise, Noel says, “Motivation will not always be there; it will come and go. It is up to you to keep the consistency.”

“Stick to the routine that you have been committed to because motivation will come back later on,” he drills home. “Consistency is what brings results, because then your workouts and eating healthily become a routine and a lifestyle.”

Here Noel shares 3 hacks on fitness and nutrition.