Fit, healthy and busy…how does she do it? We had a chat with the gorgeous Hanli Hoefer to discover how she manages to fit health, fitness and being incredibly down-to-earth into her hectic schedule.
The born and bred Singaporean gets her great genes from her Singaporean mother and German father and puts them to good use as an international model, speaker and MTV Asia VJ. Hanli is an early riser who starts her day with a cup of bullet green tea before a brisk walk with her dogs Pixie and Zelda. Hanli spends the day filming for MTV Asia but ensures she fits in a workout before heading out to celebrity events, meeting up with friends or hanging out at home with her dogs. Spending a small amount of time with Hanli, it became quite clear that she maintains a busy, healthy lifestyle by being organized, making sensible food (and fitness) choices and being kind to herself and others!
What are 5 fitness or healthy living tips you swear by?
- Water is your best friend. Don’t leave the house without a water bottle!
- Pre-packed meals. Commit an evening to prepare your healthy meals for the week. It saves you so much time and money during the week.
- Don’t weigh yourself. Don’t obsess over a number, it is unrealistic and unreliable. Judge your goals by the way you feel. Health isn’t about a dress size.
- Posture and form are so important in any workout. Make an effort to master the basics because once you do you maximize the impact of any workout you take on.
- Even though fitness is a personal journey, you are not alone! Join online communities and post about your experiences; find workout buddies that will make exercise a social thing too; follow real women on social media who are honest and genuine about their health, and feast your eyes on pretty Instagram photos of healthy recipes to motivate you to eat well.
What are your main types of workouts/ exercise?
I have fun with high intensity (HIIT) workouts but I always mix it up. One day I will do resistance training, with heavy weights, another I will work on my endurance with long runs. I’ve challenged myself to complete a 10km run in 80 mins or less, so I have been hitting the treadmill a little more lately. I also take on group classes like Zumba or Body Combat, and sometimes I just take a yoga class to balance all the intensity. Whatever I do though I don’t feel rewarded unless I’ve worked up a sweat!
What is your favourite go-to workout? Why?
I enjoy strength training. I was always a skinny, tall and awkward child and it translated well when I started modeling but I never knew the importance and reward of feeling strong until 3 to 4 years ago. I couldn’t even squat or do a push up! Now I can feel my body getting stronger and more powerful, it makes me feel more confident. That said, the best health advice I ever received was from my mom, she always said “keep your back straight”. My mom and her sisters would always talk about the importance of circulation for good health and one of the keys to that is good posture. So, I try my best to work on and maintain good posture.
Who do you hope to inspire?
I’m inspired most by the unique friends and family who surround me. So, in a world of social media, influencers, and technology I’m concerned we are losing the sense of human intimacy and wellness. My job as a VJ means I talk to the camera, but I’m always trying to make a connection to our audience. I find it sad that everyone walks around looking at their phones and not at each other. I hope that I inspire people to connect with each other like humans should. I guess I want to leave a mark of something real and warm.
What do you do when you don’t feel like exercise or making healthy food choices?
If I really don’t feel like exercising, I won’t. I’ll let myself chill and make up for it the next day. If I’m really craving a double cheese burger with extra bacon, I’ll get one, but I’ll just make sure the following two days I balance it out with more sweat and more healthy foods. Plus, I’m most motivated by the future! I want to have this type of energy until I’m someone’s great-grandma.
What benefits do you see Active8me has for regular people?
The big plus about Active8me is its accessibility. It caters to the individual so the workouts are within reach of everyone, and they can be done anywhere. This cuts out the excuse of having to ‘go to the gym’, travel or time issues. It differs from gym memberships because it gives the users their own control – especially over scheduling. Singapore is fast-paced and if you miss your class at a gym it’s a real bummer (and of course it’s much cheaper than a gym membership).
What do you like most about the Active8me app?
My favorite part is the ‘My Nutrition’ section. It’s thorough, yet easy to understand, with all the nutritional information I enjoy knowing. It also has a local spin on the recipes which I especially appreciate as a foodie. Another bonus is the pre-set timer on the workouts. This saves one a lot of brain work and allows you to focus when you’re in the middle of an intensive HIIT session.
What are your best and worst habits when it comes to health and fitness?
I do drink a lot of water. Singapore is just too hot! I also enjoy eating clean during the week and sticking to my pre-packed meals. This saves me a lot of time and makes it easy to avoid overeating or unhealthy snacking. But, I’m a foodie so it’s hard for me to not get tempted by a snack here or there. I combat this by making a real conscious effort to resist temptation.
Apart from being a popular celebrity, a heap of fun and just a super sweet woman, it is clear to see that Hanli has strong values around a healthy lifestyle. She reinforces this with her parting comments “I think it is important to highlight that part of being healthy means having a healthy mind. Balance really is everything. If you stress yourself out about being healthy… you’re not actually being healthy… Enjoy treating your body right!” We could not have said it better! The team at Active8me wants you to feel what Hanli feels, the enjoyment of ‘treating your body right’ and offer you a FREE 21-Day trial that includes all the benefits Hanli has described and more!
