Natalie Dau will join Orbis Singapore from Australia to eat blindfolded and raise awareness of blindness prevention at Orbis’s mass blindfold luncheon.
Natalie Dau is a mother, Reebok-sponsored athlete and Sports Singapore Ambassador. At the Spartan World Championships Race, the fitness influencer placed first overall for Asia across both male and female racers. In my conversation with Natalie, I learn how the superhero juggles (and thrives in) sports, career and family – and in addition to all that, she helps charities like Orbis.
What was your profession before you stepped out and eventually became @rockstararms?
I was in the corporate world for over 20 years in global marketing roles for consulting firms. I was constantly travelling so it was always a struggle to balance work, family life and fitness but I made it a priority to stay healthy. It was this determination that gave me the confidence to give that away and start a business that helps empower and educate people to take control of their own journey to live a better life. I am lucky enough to work with brands, like Reebok and Sports Singapore, who provide a platform for me to tell my own story and that of others who are inspiring people in everyday life.
My end goal is to get everyone moving through fitness no matter the age, race or economic position and create positive communities around this that change people’s lives for the better.
What does your typical daily routine look like?
My usual weekday is pretty structured and starts at 5 a.m. when I get up and go for a run. I’m home by 6:30 a.m. to get my daughter up and ready for school and make her breakfast. Then it’s usually off to another training session for me, followed by much needed coffee and breakfast (kale, broccoli, egg whites and gluten-free toast).
Surprisingly I am at my desk a lot planning my social media, answering emails and working with my staff who run the publishing side of my business (www.thedailyescape.com).
Lunch is at my desk most days and is grilled chicken and green vegetables.
In the afternoon, it’s usually some work with one of my sponsors via an event and then I try take my daughter to her sporting activity. I’m home to work in the evening and have dinner (salmon and salad). I am in bed by 10 p.m. most nights.
Discipline is key for me to get everything done, but there are never enough hours in the day!
For anyone short on time, I always suggest basic exercises like air squats, lunges, push-ups (on your knees is fine), and planking – all of these will work multiple muscle groups and your core.
What was the toughest sports challenge you’ve ever taken up and what motivated you to succeed?
It would have to be the Spartan World Championships Race that I have qualified to compete in for the last two years. It’s a 26km run in the USA, up-and-down two mountain ranges at high altitude, and over 40 obstacles, including a swim on top of the mountain where the water temperature is 1 degree Celsius. I was motivated to do it as much for the mental challenge, not just the physical. Last year, I wanted to prove to myself that age is no barrier and I ended up coming across the line first overall for Asia across both male and female racers.
How is leading an active lifestyle good for your eyes?
Exercising regularly and eating healthy meals with a good nutrition balance lowers chances of developing diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Exercising regularly also lowers blood pressure, reducing the risk of developing glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
Poor nutrition can be the root cause of so many diseases, especially so with expectant mothers. This can be one of the reasons some babies are born prematurely or with a low birth weight.
As a result, these babies are at risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an emerging eye condition that can lead to lifelong blindness. It happens when abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina, pulling at it and causing it to detach, which leads to visual loss.
Is ROP common in Asia? What is Orbis doing to prevent blindness?
ROP is prevalent in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, where the non-profit organisation, Orbis International, permanently works. They treat and prevent blindness globally. Today, with advances in medical technology, smaller and more premature babies’ lives are being saved every day. However, because they are so small, they are at a much higher risk of developing ROP and need more care. This is why Orbis is working hard with neonatal and ophthalmic teams to help improve ROP services.
The role of Orbis is to educate neonatal teams on ROP, train doctors and nurses, provide equipment, raise awareness of ROP and encourage regular eye screening. They focus on training, aka ‘teach the fisherman to fish’ so that trained medical teams and partners can continue to provide ROP screening and treatment in their own communities for years to come.
What is it about Orbis’s work that you feel is valuable and makes you want to support them?
Sustainability. I am all for sustainability in everything we do and I love that Orbis shares this approach, training over 62,000 eye care specialists, medical professionals, health workers and community workers in 2017, and delivering some 8,700,000 medical and optical treatments.
To support them I will be making a donation and blindfolding myself to join people in Singapore on October 13th . . . Orbis is holding an exciting mass blindfold luncheon in Singapore. Although I will be in Noosa, Queensland Australia, on that Saturday, being over 6,000 km away from Singapore does not prevent me from supporting this wonderful charity.
The event is very meaningful because it gives us the chance to experience the loss of vision and sense what it is like to eat without our precious sight. It lets us understand the challenges faced by the visually-impaired every day.
At the event, there will be complimentary eye screening, booths where you can learn about how to take good care of your eyes, as well as the opportunity to meet leading ophthalmic partners and other corporate supporters and families, all while witnessing a possible attempt to set the new Guinness World Record.
If you are in Singapore, the best way for you to support Orbis is to sign up for the blindfolded luncheon and join all the fun! If you can’t make it, check out their website orbis.org to learn more about how you can help save sight. Just $80 can sponsor the travel and treatment costs of one baby with ROP in Bangladesh or Vietnam.
And don’t forget, go for regular eye screenings, and lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
