By Yeo Chee Yew

Happy New Year, Singapore!

We hope you have had a fruitful 2021! Together, we stood undeterred despite the disruptions to our work and life arrangements. For some, it was another year of ruing what could have been as they look down at their increasingly rotund midriff.

No fear, 2022’s here! The turn of the calendar brings with it joy and of course, a fresh batch of resolutions to hit. Let 2022 be the year where we finally shed those unsightly gains! Read on to find out some of the activities that you can do to trade those love handles of yours for a fabulous, healthy body!

1. Team Sport

Sport Singapore was proud to launch the resumption of selected team sports back in early November.

The offerings include 5 v 5s like Futsal, Racquet Sports like Table Tennis, and more.

Click here to learn all you need to know about the pilot. See you at the courts!

2. Swimming

Swimming  is well known for its cardiovascular benefits. The heart has to work hard in order to fuel all of the major muscle groups as they are involved in this sport. This increases blood flow throughout the body, which also leads to the creation of new blood vessels.

Swimming is also host to Singapore’s first (of hopefully more to come) Gold Olympic Medal!

Interested? Pick up some basic tips and solutions for Swimming on Watch here!

3. Badminton

Badminton is a fun game between two or four players that provides a premium full body workout and bonding experience like no other. It is great for kids too, helping them develop hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness.

Badminton is also host to Singapore’s first (of hopefully more to come) World Champion in sports!

Relive the celebrations with Team Singapore Legends and Athletes as they congratulate Singapore's very own World Champion here!

4. Tabata

Tabata is a type of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that originated in Japan. Initially designed for Olympic speed skaters, it consists of 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by a 10-second break. This 20:10 format is then repeated for the duration of the workout.

The brilliant thing about Tabata is that it also creates a calorie ‘afterburn’ effect. So you not only burn calories during the workout but also for hours and hours afterwards!

Read more about what HIIT is, its benefits, and how to do it properly here!

5. Walking

Walking is the most accessible form of exercise. All you really need is proper footwear, and no training is required!

You don’t even really need to dedicate long sessions to it. For example, you can start small by alighting one stop early (if you take public transport) and walk the remaining distance home. It could also be a nice bonding stroll with your loved ones in the nearest park!

The most important thing is to keep at it and weave exercise into your lifestyle. Rome wasn’t built in a day, after all.

6. Jogging

Jogging is the logical next step up for anyone looking to burn more calories. It is less taxing on the body, making it a perfect starting point: helping ligaments, tendons, bones, and joints adhere to the stress of running before one makes the next progression.

Avid runners can also benefit from incorporating jogging into their training routines - aiding in the recovery and flushing of toxins from the body.

Condition yourself for jogging through these videos on Watch today!

7. Stairs Climbing

There is no elevator to success. Take the stairs. Literally.

An intense stair-climbing exercise session will produce more aerobic benefits in a shorter amount of time than running or walking. One hour of stair climbing will burn approximately 1,000 calories. Best of all, indoor staircases are plentiful in Singapore, so you can exercise whether rain or shine.

However, this vertical activity is a lot more taxing than regular exercise on a flat surface. Start small by replacing a suitable amount of lift travel with stairs climbing in your daily routine!

Find out more things you can try in Parts 2 and 3 (upcoming) of this Article Series!

There is really no replacement for physical event participation. With one eye on the need to remain safe on our path back to normalcy, it is understandable if one is wary of heading outdoors for fitness purposes. Why not try SportSG's new initiative - Blended?

"Blended" is birthed in the challenging times where the black swan of COVID-19  has brought about major disruptions to our sports industry. It re-imagines the future of sports events, of the physical and virtual worlds merging seamlessly together.

Embark on a phygital experience together with SportSG today. Check out our rich "Blended" event catalogue here!