A torn ACL & a C-section: 2 S’poreans, 55 & 34, on regaining their passion for hiking & fitness post-surgery

Five months after giving birth via C-section, Ezzah Haa Meed, 34, completed her first set of 10 pull ups in her life.

It is an impressive feat for any new mother, much less someone brand new to proper strength training just a year ago.

When Ezzah started training in 2024, she had not set out to pursue physical results, but simply to feel like herself again.

Like many mothers, her life had revolved around work, responsibilities and raising her children. Somewhere along the way, the active, energetic version of herself slowly faded into the background.

"I felt like I really lost touch with myself," she said.

Then, just two months later, she found out she was pregnant with her third child.

Meanwhile, for 55-year-old Nitin Gokhale, a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in 2020 threatened to put an end to pursuing the hobbies he loved.

The seasoned mountain trekker had spent more than three decades running marathons, playing racquet sports and scaling mountains around the world, but was forced to grapple with the possibility of never doing so again.

For the first time in years, he found himself wondering, "Can I go back to my active life?"

Learning to trust her body

Before meeting her personal trainer Jordan at Fitness First in July 2024, exercise had always been on Ezzah's list of things she would get around to "one day".

She had been active in her school years, but adulthood and motherhood later took precedence.

Even when she began her gym journey, she embodied the mindset of "let's just give it a try and see where it gets me," she said.

Initially, Ezzah’s focus was simple: learn proper techniques, build strength and create healthy habits.

Then two months in, she found out she was pregnant with her third child.

While for many women, pregnancy is often accompanied by caution, uncertainty and a long list of restrictions, Ezzah learnt to safely adapt her training to support her changing body.

“It's not necessarily a time that you see yourself as fragile…I think it was quite empowering,” she said.

She became fascinated by what her body was still capable of doing, rather than what it could no longer do.

As training sessions evolved, exercises, expectations and progress gradually shifted as well.

Looking back, Ezzah credited that period of her life with fundamentally changing the way she viewed herself.

"It really made me realise how remarkable the female body is," she said.

"Every phase of life, before pregnancy, during pregnancy and after pregnancy, demands a newer version of you."

The physical benefits were obvious – she felt stronger, more energetic and better equipped to manage the demands of everyday life.

But mentally, she also found that each small milestone became proof that there was still untapped potential within her.

"When I saw progress, not just with pull-ups but with other exercises, it gave me a lot of motivation to continue," she said.

From C-section recovery to Hyrox

When Ezzah delivered her third child via C-section in June 2025, it took all of six weeks for her to return to the gym.

She was surprised by how quickly her body responded, eventually achieving 10 pull-ups by October.

Training also became a dedicated time to reset mentally, reconnect with herself and temporarily step away from the persistent demands of motherhood.

The confidence Ezzah had gained in herself later pushed her beyond the gym.

In April 2026, she completed her first Hyrox race alongside Jordan, which has remained a favourite fitness memory of hers, she said.

"Usually, I'm the one struggling while my PT looks annoyingly unfazed during training sessions," she laughed.

"This time, I finally got to witness him break out in sweat too."

The experience also gave her the momentum to challenge herself further.

"Instead of feeling like I've completed something, it left me even more motivated to keep improving, get stronger and eventually beat my previous race time."

She would gladly do Hyrox again, maybe even solo the next time, she said.

In reflecting on that first leap of faith she took in starting her fitness journey, she said, “that decision, I think, changed many other things.”

Starting again from zero

For Nitin, the ACL injury he sustained while playing badminton in 2020 threatened not only his mobility, but also a way of life he had grown familiar with.

At his peak, the avid mountain trekker has had a stellar track record of scaling heights in the mountaineering world, from Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Nepal’s Everest Base Camp.

Multiple doctors had advised him against returning to trekking, squash or any of his usual activities, which was a discouraging initial diagnosis for a man who had spent more than half his life engaging in them.

Then one doctor at Singapore General Hospital, who happened to be an ultramarathon runner, gave him the vote of confidence.

“50 per cent is surgery, 50 per cent is physio[therapy], or basically how you put [in] your effort,” Nitin was told.

Post-surgery, Nitin leaned on Rajiv, his personal trainer at Fitness First since 2018.

The pair were used to high intensity training focused on endurance and strength, as preparing for treks had been the primary focus of pre-surgery workout sessions.

In the year after the surgery, they “started from zero”, working on rebuilding leg strength that Nitin had lost.

Instead of cardio and core training, the focus was now on the basic act of finding balance.

Asked about his training with Rajiv, Nitin said he was a trainer who could “understand your goal and specifically target those exercises which help you to improve your endurance, at the same time your strength.”

Rajiv was also “the best torture person”, Nitin added with a laugh.

“He is…never kind of, “No, you should not do that”. He always pushes the limit,” said Nitin, who added that his trainer had a flair for adjusting training methods according to the goal.

Returning to the mountains

The pair persisted with foundational training for two years and it paid off.

By 2023, Nitin finally made his second ascent to Everest Base Camp as a “test” of whether his leg strength had returned to normal.

This was later followed by multiple 10km runs and multi-day treks, including the Himalayan Langtang Valley in Nepal which he described as “not that tough”.

While the summit was 4,700 metres in height and the trek involved walking on an edge along a river, his only comment on it was calling it “a beautiful one”.

For now, Nitin’s next goal is a half-marathon, something he has not attempted for five years.

Scaling higher mountains of up to 7,000 metres also sits next on the list of what he wants to achieve.

It starts with you and stops at you

Like Ezzah, Nitin’s fitness journey had been marked by a desire to reclaim his identity.

Asked about his perception of fitness goals, he emphasised that fitness is a personal target that should change according to the circumstances, and also a mental challenge.

“It starts with you and stops at you,” he said.

“You set your own goal to be fit, and you define your own baseline and your own goals about what fitness is.”

This branded article by Fitness First motivated this writer to hit the gym.