Instructor Spotlight: Sandra Lim

This month we get to know the lovely Sandra Lim; a plant-based chef, an adrenaline junkie and animal lover – we take 5 mins to get to know her and what she’s up to during this period. 

Hey Sandra! We’re just checking in, how are you finding the Circuit Breaker so far and what have you been up to? 

There’s a lot of cooking and baking, I recently shared a simple recipe for Super Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Squares here.

I’m also meditating which is not going so well haha and trying exotic floor dancing for the first time which I love! It’s something I never thought I would do but somehow during this period, it has pushed me to venture beyond my comfort zone.  I am also sorting out trip photos from 5 years ago!

Where do you shop for your ingredients? 

For local veggies, I like https://quanfaorganic.com.sg/ and for a little indulgence from the European countryside, I shop from https://www.thegreengirl.sg/

Lots of us are cooking at home now, what is something easy to cook but impressive as well?

I find that I am making a lot of risotto with different grains. Not just with typical Arborio rice but with farro, barley and sometimes, cauliflower.

Favourite Singapore eats? 

Chwee Kuah – my weakness. 

Food Philosophy?

1. Eat real food
2. Eat when you are hungry
3. Upgrade food quality whenever possible. Try local and organic
4. Treat yourself some days
5. Never food shame others for their choices
6. When in doubt, chocolate, always chocolate

How do you take your coffee / cocktail?

I can’t take caffeine or alcohol but in my fantasy world, my Mozambique single-origin coffee grown in a fair-trade manner will be served alongside homemade toasted Piedmont hazelnut milk with a shot of melted Alain Ducasse 75% Java chocolate. 

For mocktails, Seedlip is my best friend. I would make an elderflower cordial from freshly snipped flowers, lots of lemon and Seedlip Citrus. Trying to imagine what I can do with Matcha Kombucha!

How did your Pilates journey start and when did you realise you wanted to become a Pilates Instructor? 

My Pilates journey started when I was 19 years old, I was trying to rehabilitate from a ballet injury and pain from scoliosis. I started rehabbing with regular Pilates training in STOTT PILATES headquarters studio in Toronto. 10 years later, a bout of illness set me on my path to wellness and Pilates was the most natural activity I fell into once again. It has nourished me and kept me moving for most of my adult life.

What do you love most about being a Pilates Instructor? 

My clients’ faces when they are done with a session! Their aura changes and you feel it so acutely.

Favourite Pilates moves? 

The Teaser!

You’re quite the adrenaline junkie and see that you recently took a trip to fat-bike 250km across snow & ice on the Arctic Circle Trail where temperatures are dropping to –30 degrees in Greenland – what an accomplishment! How many months of training did you have to go through to be prepared for the trip? And what were some of the challenges you had to go through?

It took me 3 months of almost daily, dedicated endurance training on a bike, rower and ski erg to feel physically ready. I had to regain my confidence on a mountain bike and that was not a pleasant activity for me! Shopping and (testing and sweating) the right winter gear was fun. It was hard to imagine what you would require for -40 degrees C. By the way more is NOT more!

How did you prepare yourself mentally? 

Being with a fantastic team helped a lot as it meant everyone was in the same positive mindset. You couldn’t give up because your teammates wouldn’t let you.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face during these adventures? And how did you overcome them? What did you learn from them?

Maybe I am being too much of an optimist when I travel but to me, adventure is simply that, adventure. I choose not to see them as “challenges” but as new opportunities to conquer. There isn’t one giant step, many many little steps do the job.  And often, the most rewarding things are the ones that look like they cannot be done.

Wellness travel essentials? 

I swear by my alcohol wipes and if I am being very fancy, Hiba Wood spray to make every room, even a crappy hole in the wall, feel like home.

What does wellness mean to you? 

How we eat is how we live. How we do anything is how we do everything.

Words to live by? 

To be 1% better than yesterday.

What’s the strangest wellness trend you have ever tried? 

Rainbow crystal light therapy. I would like to think it did me a world of good but zilch.

Self-care activity you cannot live without?

Exercise. If I am not moving, I must be dead.

What do you love most about Singapore?

Family

What are the first three things you will do after the Circuit Breaker? 

1. Answer: Travel
2. Answer: Travel
3. Answer: Travel