Jade Seah's secrets to looking and feeling good

The bubbly local TV personality shares her tips to leading a happy and healthy life. Take notes!

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

The bubbly local TV personality shares her tips to leading a happy and healthy life. Take notes!

Art direction Ray Ticsay styling Dolphin Yeo hair Danson Lim, next salon, using products from next apothecary makeup Agnes Ng, using YSL beaute
Art direction Ray Ticsay styling Dolphin Yeo hair Danson Lim, next salon, using products from next apothecary makeup Agnes Ng, using YSL beaute

Modelling, hosting, acting – Jade Seah has done it all since her career took off after coming in first runner-up in the Miss Singapore Universe 2006 pageant. Today, her schedule is no less hectic, as she juggles a variety of projects, including content creation for Mothership.sg.

“You can check out my original content on Mothership.sg every Saturday,” says the 33-year-old. “Or follow me at www.fb.com/thejadeseah. I update the page whenever a new story or video goes live!”

She shares that she’s a positive thinker at heart, and believes in celebrating life’s little victories. “Even something small, like knowing I managed to entertain an audience when hosting, makes me happy. Producing content that people enjoy, doing a good show, making people smile… these are things I am proud of.”

However, Jade is motivated to do more than just excel in her professional life. Living a “full and happy life” is what counts. “I make time to keep fit, and to keep my mind and my soul centred. I also want to make more time to be with the ones who truly matter to me.”

Despite her busy lifestyle, she will be participating in the 15km category of the Shape Run 2016 on July 24. A seasoned runner, Jade has completed several races, including two full marathons. “When people talk of a runner’s high, it’s not a myth. It’s the best feeling in the world!” she says.

Her training regime for the run consisted of running longer distances. “There is no fancy formula. You just have to get out there and run,” she says.

Here, Jade opens up about her passion for running, and shares what makes her the strong and beautiful woman we know and love.

RUNNING REDUCES STRESS
“I ran throughout school, even at university. Netball has always been my first love, though, and running was simply a way to be a better player on the court as it builds stamina. It was only after I became a full-time artiste that I started running more regularly and covering longer distances. It was a way to relieve stress and keep negative thoughts at bay. It’s not easy being in this business. I mostly run on my own several times a week before sunrise. I cover 5km to 10km at a go.

“A lot of what I love about running is being outdoors and discovering parts of Singapore I’ve never seen. Some of my favourite routes include those around Punggol, the area near Coney Island, Gardens by the Bay and the entire bay area, and good old MacRitchie Reservoir.”

MODERATION, NOT DEPRIVATION
“I truly believe that this is the way to go for a healthy, happy life. What sort of life is it to deprive oneself of food, one of life’s pleasures? Have your cake, or char kway teow, but perhaps just eat a small portion of it and not the entire serving.

“If I have an unhealthy lunch, I try to have a lighter dinner. Going on fad diets is not only depressing, it makes for a restrictive social life. I believe it boils down to the simple equation of input versus output. If you want to eat more without gaining weight, work out harder, and vice versa.”

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
“Staying positive is important. Everything has a silver lining – you just have to look harder to see it sometimes. I make the choice to look for it and to see the good in bad situations. “Prayer and religion figure prominently in my life. I find that being spiritually centred and having someone greater to turn to gives me strength for every situation, and so I make time to grow spiritually.

“Surrounding myself with people who love me also makes me happy and keeps me grounded. Over the years, I have cut out toxic friends and spend more time with my family and true friends.”

MAKE TIME FOR “ME” TIME
“I make time for myself and this usually involves some sort of physical activity. Sports are my way of winding down. I enjoy a variety of activities, including netball, in-line skating, rock climbing and recently, trampolining. I also enjoy stand-up paddle-boarding occasionally and hope to start wakeboarding again. If you’re feeling down, I urge you to try a new sport. I’m sure you’ll feel better after.

“I have also been trying to get more sleep, as I’m sure this contributes to feeling good. I admit that I find this very challenging, though.”

BE YOURSELF
“Be natural when you’re in front of the camera. Contorting your body a certain way or always only posing a la pageant style looks contrived. Be confident and own it in a quiet way, but remember that posture – slumped shoulders – only works for supermodels in high-fashion shoots.

“The same goes for the face. Smile naturally and don’t freeze your smile for 10 seconds. Close your eyes, then open them and smile just before the shutter clicks for the prettiest smile.”

APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
“‘Look at all the beauty still left around you and be happy.’ This quote by Anne Frank reminds me that if a Jewish girl hiding from the Germans in the thick of the suffering of World War II could manage to find joy and beauty, then I have no excuse. I recall this quote when life gets tough – my life is so comfortable and easy compared to what she must have gone through, so I have absolutely no reason to wallow and feel sorry for myself.”

Performance sport bra, running shorts and performance jacket from Calvin Klein Performance.
Performance sport bra, running shorts and performance jacket from Calvin Klein Performance.