From Fat to Men’s Health Cover Model
HOW SAYGIN YALCIN USED A SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE TO TRANSFORM HIS LIFE
From burned out to ‘never felt better’, Saygin shares his personal journey and advice
When asked about the advice he would give to someone who is looking to make healthy lifestyle changes Saygin Yalcin explains, “Promise yourself and hold yourself accountable. Post on social media as it’s a great way to hold yourself accountable when your followers see what you are doing. Practice becomes a habit. Do not take shortcuts and do it in a healthy way.”
Saygin Yalcin is renowned for being a leader in the entrepreneurship community as he often uses his platform to inspire the next generation of start-ups and trailblazers across the region.
He is no stranger to the spot-light and is not shy about speaking up for causes he believes in and often takes his 2.4 million social media followers along for the ride.
That’s why in July of 2018, Saygin visited the Men’s Health Middle East office and challenged the team to take part in the #NoDaysOff exercise challenge.
At the time, he was overworked and suffering from an extreme lack of sleep according to his doctor. “The doctor told me that if I didn’t make lifestyle changes then there was a good chance I would die in my thirties,” he explained to ITP Live. Saygin’s dream to be on the cover of Men’s Health Middle East also served as a catalyst for the transformation which was about to take place.
Fuelled by his desire to kick-start a healthy life, Saygin took to Instagram to announce the #NoDaysOff challenge to his followers. Over the course of the next six months, his followers witnessed his transformation as he updated his stories on the regular to showcase his workouts.
From July to December 2018, Saygin quite literally took #NoDaysOff and committed himself fully to a healthy active lifestyle by making changes in his diet and undertaking a strenuous exercise routine.
“Your health is the foundation for all happiness” he said.
Fast forward to December 2018, Saygin’s hard work paid off as he was the recipient of the Men’s Health Star of the Year award at the 2018 ceremony.
His hard work and dedication was awarded and Saygin was given a new lease on life. His commitment not only benefitted him physically but mentally as well. “I am now able to work for much longer periods of time, my focus is better and my quality of life is better as well,” he shared.
Now in May of 2020, almost a year and a half after Saygin received the award, he, like most of us, found ourselves at home, with little to no access to gyms or fitness centres due to Covid-19 restrictions.
As young people make up a vast majority of his followers, Saygin took the opportunity of having more ‘down-time’ during quarantine to focus on himself by reinforcing his commitment to health and fitness, in order to set a healthy example.
“You don’t necessarily need a gym, you just need to commit to healthy habits,” he said. It is true. As gyms and fitness centres still remain closed, it is still possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle even at home.
“You have to hold yourself accountable,” he explained. There is no excuse. Whether it’s through online workouts or YouTube videos, physical activity is important even while we remain indoors and there are different ways to maintain a healthy body and look after yourself.
The benefits of exercise are endless and perhaps even more important in uncertain times to keep our mental health in check.
As Saygin said, “Exercise produces the happiness hormone.” When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body which are beneficial for your well-being in general.
As we approach mid-2020, we can make these days count by taking actions that improve the quality of our lives.
As he said, “Not every change is visible but it is important to be conscious of your choices and make healthy ones.”
Saygin has stayed committed to a healthy lifestyle and is proud of his success which was achieved through hard work and dedication- no shortcuts. Today, he focuses on weight training and also implements cardio into his routine.
And also, today in May 2020, a year and a half after his visit to the Men’s Health Middle East office, Saygin has now achieved his dream of appearing on the cover.
Make it count, kick start a new, healthy life today!
Looking for a little extra motivation? Watch Saygin’s story narrated in the video below!
Source: ITP, ITP Live, Kim Seelochan
About the Author
SayginYalcin Saygin is the Founder & CEO of the Middle East's (ME) first & largest car buying service, SellAnyCar.com and Founder of the first & largest online private shopping club in the ME, Sukar.com, which has been acquired by Souq.com, making him Partner at the Souq.com and Jabbar Internet Group, becoming the largest ecommerce company in the Arab world, with 3000+ employees. In its largest acquisition outside the US to date, Amazon.com has acquired Souq.com Group. He has been selected as a UBS Industry Leader, a network of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals. He was also Advisory Board Member & Academic Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the Canadian University of Dubai. He was referred to as "the region's online business guru" by the National newspaper in the UAE, while Arabian Business named him as "one of the region's finest young entrepreneurs and a major part of the entrepreneurial scene in recent years". Fortune magazine (mag) named him in the 40 under 40 list, as one of the most influential young people in business, Entrepreneur mag ME awarded SellAnyCar.com, with Saygin at its helm, as the "Fastest Growing Company in the ME", while the National newspaper sees it among a handful of tech companies to "have the potential to break the $1bn barrier". In a cover story, Entrepreneur mag ME titled him as "undoubtedly one of the youngest & most successful internet entrepreneurs in the ME”, awarded SellAnyCar.com as "Technology Innovator of the Year”, while Khaleej Times awarded him as the Technology Leader. Gulf Business selected him as 1 of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs in ME. In a cover story, Arabian Business counts him as 1 of the most successful entrepreneurs to call Dubai home. During the World Government Summit, HH Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed, Minister of Interior of the UAE, presented Saygin as an inspiring story for the country, in the presence of world leaders, incl. HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
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