Asian Model Mia Kang Reveals Her Top Diet Tips & Her Secret To Staying Fit

What is your number one fitness tip for those struggling on their fitness journey and lack motivation?

Set yourself small goals. When I feel a lack of motivation I set myself a series of small goals — sometimes they are even as small as just putting on my workout clothes and getting to the gym. After I achieve that it's just warm up, just run the first mile, and so on. I always find myself not only achieving my goals by exceeding them. But it's important to always keep daily goals.

Besides Muay Thai, what are your favourite forms of exercise?

I personally like to mix up my workouts so I never get bored. I throw in some spinning, barre, Pilates, running, crossfit and yoga. I think having an active lifestyle is great because exercise then becomes effortless. You start to want to take the stairs instead of the lift, you want to spend your free time going for walks or hikes instead of sitting on the couch watching TV — you find yourself making healthier choices without even trying. It's important to not look at exercise as a chore.

How many hours do you train in a day?

I train about three hours a day when I'm in New York, and about six hours a day when I'm in Thailand. It includes everything from cardio, to technique and drills, to strength and conditioning.

What is the one tip that your personal trainer or coach gave you that changed your life?

Believe in yourself. You can ALWAYS do it. Never tell yourself "I can't do it" because you can, and you will.

What is your secret to clear skin? Do you have a consistent skincare routine?

Exercise is a the best for clear skin, sweating opens your pores and gives you a natural glow. It's also always important to moisturise.

What is the one beauty product you cannot live without?

Disposable sheet masks! I do them all the time, anywhere! They are perfect for skin rehydration and you can carry them with you all the time.

As you probably travel alot for your job, do you have any travel beauty essentials?

I bring disposable sheet masks with me on the airplane and do them. I also carry around small facial mist sprays to make sure I'm always hydrated. I also try to never wear makeup unless I have to.

If we were to take a peek in what you eat in a day, what would it look like?

I do a lot of exercise so I have a very big appetite. Depending on how hard I train that day, my diet varies. If I'm having a day at home I don't need a lot of carbohydrates and fuel and can stick to lean protein and vegetables. If I'm training for five hours in a day I need protein for recovery and carbohydrates for fuel. I also try to eat as clean as possible, I avoid processed and packaged foods. I love food and think life is too short to restrict yourself too much so I enjoy treats in moderation.

Any tips for people who want to start a healthy diet? What is a healthy diet to you?

A healthy diet to me is definitely moderation. We eat to live but it's also an enjoyable process. Correctly fuelling your body with the right nutrients it needs, but not restricting yourself too much on the things you love. I also believe in listening to your body — if you crave chicken your body probably needs iron, if you crave sweets your body probably needs sugar. But it's about making smart decisions and keeping moderation.

Name us your one kryptonite (eg, pizza, cakes) that you occasionally indulge in?

Pizza! I love it but my body doesn't digest bread very well, so unfortunately I can only have it sometimes.

What is the one thing that you know is good for you, but you hate doing/eating?

Running. I hate running with a passion but I must do it for training. For me it's a battle with my mind because I find it boring and hard to focus. I need it for cardio endurance and to strengthen my legs. It also helps you get a nice shape to your booty.

What is your advice for those struggling with body positivity?

Love yourself. It doesn't happen overnight, it's a lifelong journey. But we only have one life, please don't spend it hating the skin that you're in. Be the best version of yourself that you can be, anything is achievable. If you want a six pack, you can get one, if you want to learn boxing you can, if you want to run a marathon, you will run a marathon.

Wake up every morning and love yourself. Celebrate your differences.

As a competitive female muay thai fighter and swimsuit model, what are the struggles and challenges you face?

I'm a an athlete and a model. I live in two worlds that do not collide together at all. My Muay Thai changed my body to become much bigger and more muscular, which the fashion world rejects. Muay Thai often leaves me with bumps and bruises that I can't have while I'm modelling. Even just simple things like as a model I really must be watching what I eat but while I'm training I have to fuel my body to train. It's difficult to balance my time between, essentially, two full time jobs. But honestly at this point I love it, and I need both of these worlds in my life. Modelling is a very egocentric world and Muay Thai requires one to leave their ego at the door. It's one of the most incredibly humbling things to be beaten up and thrown around a ring and continuously stand back up and do it again. When I fight no one cares about me being a model or what I look like, and I love that. It's made me grow a lot as a person - I make a living from my face so going into full contact fighting was an incredible journey of self-love and personal growth.

I think it's important for women to know that it's encouraged to be multidimensional. You can be a model, an athlete, a mother, an entrepreneur, an activist, an artist — whatever the hell you want to be, the sky is the limit. People are always shocked I do both, I can't wait for the day that this is the norm.

Photographed by Yu Tsai; Model: Mia Kang; Agency: Women360 NY; Makeup: Fiona Stiles; Hair: John Ruggiero; Production : 88 Phases