Level 2: Exercising for Fitness

Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint

To achieve fitness, there are various types of exercise formats; Personal Training, Group Class, Spin Class, HIIT, CrossFit and the list goes on. Understanding the differences between these classes would allow you to make a better decision. I would also like to highlight that sport is not fitness, and we are going to focus our attention mainly on the latter. 

Resistance Training promoting muscular adaptation has been shown to improve body composition among male and female. These are classes available in the form of Personal Training, weight-lifting, power-lifting and strength & conditioning lessons. 

High Intensity (Anaerobic) vs Low Intensity (Aerobic)
High-Intensity, short duration exercises burns up a modest amount of energy during the activity. However, after the activity, total energy expenditure will continue to stay up for hours. Ever heard of the “after-burning” effect? This after burning effect is what we call Excess Post Oxygen Consumption, meaning that your body will continue to use up oxygen in order to return to its normal state. These are classes such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Spinning, or even interval running.  
Low-Intensity, long duration exercises burns more energy during the activity. However, total energy expenditure returns quickly to resting baseline. These are activities such as long-distance running, group classes such as Zumba, Kkardio and Aerobics. 
There are also hybrids such as CrossFit, Les Mills Body Pump which uses a combination of resistance training in a high intensity format. 
Classes such as Yoga & Pilates are popular and improves flexibility and strengthens the body. 
With so many varieties in exercises, what do I choose? 

Our answer? It depends.

Everyone is different and it would depend on various factors: 

• Convenience

With no lack of options to choose from a wide array of fitness spectrum, convenience plays an important part to the individual. Most would choose places close to either their home or workplace, with a rare few willing to travel all the way to the other end of Singapore if they want to follow a particular trainer.   

• Value

It is not so much about price as it is about your perceived value. The perceive value of the fitness lesson would determine how much you are willing to pay for it. This brings us to the next commodity

• Time 

The most precious commodity is not money, but time. In this case, convenience, value and time are closely linked together. If one does not find value in fitness, they would choose the most convenient option that saves the most time and money. Question is: How much do you value your health?

• Community

We are social animals. Some of us simply hate to exercise, but we are willing to do it if it is with a loved one or a friend. That is why CrossFit has such a strong following because they focus on building a strong community on top of fitness.  

• Your Personality

Do you love the adrenaline rush? Then HIIT may be for you.
Do you love to do things slowly, all by yourself? Then long-distance running may be for you. 

As you can see, your personality plays a part in your choice of activity. Do something that you like, and you will be able to stick and eventually it becomes a part of you. Here’s one simple advice, keep things CONSISTENT, do not jump from program to program every other week and expect to see results. Simple means:  

1. Stick to a program for a minimum of EIGHT weeks before changing
2. Adjust and tweak your exercises depending on your body condition but STICK to the plan
3. If you are unsure of what to do, please go with the trial session first before deciding.