How to age well? Singaporean former actor in his 60s adopts a balanced, healthy lifestyle

An easy-going, family-first approach to life looks great on Singaporean actor-turned-illustrator Edmund Chen. Not only does he look much younger than his 63 years, he feels younger, too. In his youth, he starred in a string of Singaporean television drama series such as Sunshine After Rain (1987), the sci-fi romantic comedy Star Maiden (1988) and the police action series Patrol (1989). It was on Patrol that he met co-star Xiang Yun – still a popular actress today – and the two were married within months. To stay in top shape for these roles and others in his 20s and 30s, he followed rigid diets and strict fitness routines, pushing himself hard physically. These days, he takes a more relaxed approach to life, maintaining a balanced lifestyle. His secret to ageing well, he says, was to develop “a sense of self-awareness, self-discipline and respect for my body condition”, especially after he retired from acting at age 38 to focus on his family and artistic endeavours, which included writing and illustrating children’s books. “I used to be a very clean eater and was pretty strict with what I ate, until my children were born and I started eating fast food with them,” Chen says. “I eat everything now, but I’m more conscious about it, cutting back on carbs and eating more fish and vegetables than meat.” While he is aware of current eating trends such as intermittent fasting, in which food intake is limited to a short window of time each day, he feels no compulsion to adopt the practice. “I’ve heard so much about it, but I feel I can’t discipline myself to such a regimented routine,” he says. “I don’t want to be the odd one out [at gatherings] and miss out on fun moments, especially with my children. Sharing food is our way of life as Asians, so I try to have a moderate lifestyle and be as ‘normal’ as possible while keeping a watchful eye.” This moderation applies to his workouts, now, too. Being strict with himself as a young man helped him to develop a sculpted body with well-defined abs. He still trains on most days, doing resistance, strength and agility training – and he maintains those abs. But he is more relaxed about the length and level of his workouts. “I’ve learned to recognise and respect my limits as I age,” he says. He does not watch his weight either, which fluctuates only minimally these days, perhaps because he heeds his body’s needs. Mostly, Chen walks a lot, which is his form of meditation. “I’ve always had difficulty taming my mind – it goes everywhere. So I try to compensate by walking, to zone out and empty my mind. It’s my ‘me time’ and I benefit a lot from it. I do it almost every day.” Many people track step counts on their devices, but Chen does not. His goal is to enjoy the act of walking. “I’m an outdoor guy. I like going to the beach, the woods and the green [areas],” he says. “But Singapore is a bit too humid and hot, so most of the time I hide at home until my walk in the evening. “I live by the sea, so I just walk over and sit in the shade of a tree, and that’s where I get my inspiration [for my books].” His children inspired him to write children’s books, and that process may also keep him young at heart, as he develops them through the eyes of a child. His titles include Singapore, My Little Red Dot, an activity book to help children learn about emergency preparedness, and values such as unity, teamwork, vigilance and resilience. For Chen, sleeping well has proven to be more of an obstacle. He aims to get to bed at 10pm most nights, or at least before midnight, to get eight hours of shuteye. When he cannot fall asleep, he tries to calm his “very noisy, busy” mind through reading and listening to audiobooks. Despite not hitting his sleep goal as often as he would like, he seems as radiant as a much younger man. That may be due to the attention he now pays to skincare. “As I got older, I started realising that I needed to look after my skin,” he says. “I have a basic routine of cleansing and using whatever moisturiser my wife or my daughter gives me. I go to my friend’s beauty clinic once in a while to tone my face. It comes to a point ... that you have to condition it – just like sending your car to be polished now and then.” What matters most to Chen now is more than skin deep. He is, he says, “slowing down” and spending time with his wife – they celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary earlier this month – and their two adult children. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Edmund Chen (@edmundchen.sg) He cites a line from the Confucian classic, The Great Learning (Daxue), which loosely translates to: “One must first cultivate one’s moral character, then align one’s family, before one can pacify the world.” “It starts from the individual,” he says. “I live a very self-disciplined routine, in my ‘comfort zone’, that is not about doing something at a certain time or fasting between certain hours.” He lives according to the Japanese concept of ikigai, or finding meaning in life, and balance. “It’s not just that we have to age well [externally]; we have to age healthily as well. Live long, live good.” Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.

How to age well? Singaporean former actor in his 60s adopts a balanced, healthy lifestyle

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Edmund Chen explains how he keeps fit, healthy, and looking and feeling young through self-awareness and self-discipline

Edmund Chen explains how he keeps fit, healthy, and looking and feeling young through self-awareness and self-discipline