The beginning of the year is a notorious time for people to want to get fit and commit to exercise or start a workout routine that tapers off all too soon. Here, top fitness experts in Singapore share advice on getting motivated, setting goals and achieving them in the new year. Whether you want to exercise to lose weight, or to feel healthier read on!
Bernhard Lieder, CEO and Head of Trainers at Athleaders
What does Athleaders offer?
Personalised exercise, fitness and nutrition coaching with the convenience of coming to the client. It’s this winning “customisation, convenience and results” approach that drives measurable, visible and goal-based results for our clients, who range from working professionals to stay-at-home mums.
What are your tips for getting started with a workout routine for 2023?
Focus on what you enjoy or find joy in whatever you are doing – because, where focus goes, energy flows! So, make sure to add in a fun factor to your workout routine. If you don’t like working out but enjoy boxing, get a trainer who can give you a mix of both. Find an activity that you have always enjoyed and make that a starting point; it will work wonders for your consistency.
It’s also key to get your family and friends on board with your new fitness regimen so that they can help keep you on track. Ask your helper to prepare a healthy smoothie every day before you leave for work, ask your spouse or kids to join you for one of the weekly exercise sessions and, when heading out with friends for dinner, ask if you can go to a place with healthy options. Make it known to your inner circle that this is a goal you’ve set for yourself, and you would appreciate their support. Accountability is the glue that connects commitment to results.
Where do people normally slip up when it comes to setting goals?
Setting unrealistic goals and milestones! Aim for progress, not perfection. No matter whether you’re a beginner or an athlete, it’s important to set small milestones for yourself. For instance, if your goal is to run a 10k, first aim to complete a 1k run with no breaks. If you want to exercise to lose weight, reward yourself in a big way when you achieve this. Seeing progress will result in increased motivation. You will see your consistency and discipline also increase which are the cornerstones to success.
How can Athleaders help clients with fitness goals and achieving them?
Getting started is the easy part. However, keeping at it and ensuring consistency is often where people tend to slip up. This is where Athleaders can help. We understand how hard it is to stick to a plan. By bringing fitness to your doorstep, customising your workouts and nutrition plans, and systematically tracking your progress, we’re able to get you to the results you’ve always been after. Keeping convenience at the forefront of everything we do, we take on the hurdle of travel to make it as easy as possible for you!
EL readers can get a 50 percent discount on their personal training trial. This offer is valid until June 2023.
Athleaders
athleaders.co
Chris Richards, Managing Director at Ultimate Performance Singapore
What does Ultimate Performance (U.P.) offer?
No-nonsense personal training for those who mean business and want to achieve serious, hard-evidence results. From advice on diet and supplements to travel health and stress and sleep tips, U.P. offers a holistic approach, customising realistic fitness solutions for each client’s lifestyle, ability and goals.
What are your tips for getting started with a workout routine for 2023?
Ask yourself, “What is the one thing that I can focus on that would make the biggest positive impact on my health and take me closer to my goals?” Focus on making a positive habit change in this area and, as you gain momentum and confidence, you can build from there.
Regardless of the time of year, it’s important to think about the “why” behind the intention to get in shape. Is there a time-bound goal (for instance, a birthday or wedding) that you’re working toward and want to exercise to lose weight? Or, is it health-related, where you understand you must make a change so that you can be the best version of yourself for your children?
Where do people normally slip up?
An extreme change from “feast to famine” over the holiday period, when people decide to go on a New Year detox, can be unsustainable. Instead, the key to success is focusing on making healthy changes, understanding that you still need to fuel your body to perform optimally day to day and in the gym, and planning ahead.
Additionally, if you go “too hard, too soon”, it’s likely that you will bounce back negatively when you fall off the wagon. Therefore, mapping out a clear plan, and having guidance and support in your journey, can result in a much more favourable outcome.
How can U.P. help clients with setting goals and achieving them?
Our dedicated and professional trainers offer tailored support and accountability based on your individual goals, the timeframe you’re working toward, and with a focus on education and developing positive habits that are sustainable, so you’ll be empowered to lead a healthier lifestyle with confidence.
Ultimate Performance Singapore
Ground floor, Manulife Tower, 8 Cross Street
6536 8649 | upfitness.com.sg
Alice Dedigama, Co-founder of The Ripple Club
What does The Ripple Club offer?
The Ripple Club provides efficient, interactive and low-impact aqua workouts for anyone, regardless of fitness level.
In addition to personal training, there are three different exercise classes to choose from: Ripple Box, Ripple Ride and Ripple Circuit, all using water resistance to deliver some serious results.
What are your tips for getting started with a workout routine for 2023?
Find your reason to exercise. Most people will just say they want to exercise to lose weight or look good. The reality is, that’s just not good enough to keep you motivated throughout the year.
We love to ask our clients what their reason to exercise is, and what their “why” is, three times. Every time, they go deeper until they find the real reason why they want to be fit.
Do you want to exercise to be able to play with your kids or grandkids? Is it to avoid diabetes, which runs in your family? Find your “why” and write it down somewhere. Read it over and over again when motivation fades. It works like a charm!
Where do people normally slip up when it comes to setting goals?
People have unrealistic goals; they are really hard to achieve and seem out of reach. They may end up going on very restrictive diets and exercise regimes. Even bodybuilders do not exercise that much all year round, so why would you?
It’s good to have a big goal. Once you have it, split it into tiny “milestones” and put a timeline to it. Celebrate the milestones, reward yourself and move toward your big goal – slowly but surely you will achieve it.
How can The Ripple Club help clients with setting fitness goals and achieving them?
The Ripple Club is all about fitness for longevity – no crazy diet or exercise regime. We want to help our clients build sustainable lifestyle changes that they can adhere to for the rest of their lives as their new “normal”, not a struggle.
We run a six-week Ripple Challenge at the end of January with only one habit to focus on every week. Each achievable goal stacks on the other to make you your best self!
The Ripple Club
therippleclub.fit
Dan Smith, UFIT Coach
What does UFIT offer?
A holistic and integrated approach to health and fitness with access to personal training, nutrition support, physiotherapy, health screening and reformer Pilates – all for the same price as part of one programme. The unique, data-focused approach means you’ll be equipped with all the tools and support you need to set and achieve your goals, no matter how big or small. Additionally, UFIT offers exercise classes, boxing, performance screening, adult and junior tennis, and junior sports programmes and camps.
What are your tips for getting started with a workout routine for 2023?
The first tip I give my clients is to make sure they know their “what” and their “why” when setting goals. What exactly is it you want to achieve?
Try and avoid setting vague and unmeasurable goals. For example, if you want to get fitter, set a goal like completing your first 5km run. Once you have your goal in mind, ask yourself “Why?” – why does this goal resonate with you on a deep, personal level? Is it because you want to be able to keep up with your kids? Is it for body confidence? Do you want to exercise to lose weight or build muscle? Whatever it may be, knowing your “what” and your “why” is fundamental to building a strategy for success.
Secondly, I always encourage people to write down their goals. Put it on your fridge or on your desk and share it with your loved ones. By writing it down and sharing it with those around you, it has now become real, and pushed out of your dreams into reality.
Where do people normally slip up when it comes to setting goals?
I often see people lose motivation and give up as a result of setting unrealistic goals that haven’t been properly thought out. In the planning phase, it’s important to identify any potential challenges or obstacles you might face for each goal so that you can put a strategy in place to overcome them. This will, in turn, prevent you from giving up on your nutrition and fitness regimen.
How can UFIT help clients with setting goals and achieving them?
In the initial consultation, our coaches will discuss your goals with you and make a plan, ensuring each one is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound). Once you’ve set SMART goals, we’ll build a strategy that incorporates all aspects of your health and fitness. Your progress will be reviewed monthly to ensure you’re on track, and your coach will be there every step of the way to motivate and support you. It’s this accountability that’s invaluable when building a new lifestyle. Becoming part of the UFIT community and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals is an excellent way to set yourself up to win!
Want to start smashing your SMART goals? Now’s the perfect time, as UFIT is having a personal training sale. Fancy trying classes instead? Check out their 10-day Intro Class Pass for just $49, including access to all indoor and outdoor classes in multiple locations around Singapore.
UFIT
Club Street, One-North, Orchard and City Hall
ufit.com.sg
Aly Khairuddin, STOTT Pilates Instructor, Precision Nutrition Coach & Owner of FitNut Loft
What does FitNut Loft offer?
Strength training and Pilates workouts for women in their 40’s and 50’s who are looking to get stronger, have more energy, lose weight and eliminate body pain as they age – all in a non-judgmental space across two locations.
What are your tips for getting started with a workout routine for 2023?
Sit down and think about what you can do that will create change. You’ll find that you can’t change much of your environment, but you can change your efforts and actions. Once you realise that, you’ll see that actual change starts with what you put into making that change.
Begin with baby steps. Say you want to lose 10kg – that’s a big goal. You’ll be disappointed if you don’t achieve it. Instead, try asking, “what behaviours can I do that will result in a move toward that goal?” Change one behaviour at a time. For instance, protein is vital for weight loss. So, add an extra portion of lean protein daily to stave away hunger pangs. Once that becomes “easy”, add the next step!
It’s also important that you get your family to understand your plan. At home, you have control over what is purchased for your pantry, and what is served. You can ask your family to support your efforts and explain why it’s important to you. With their buy-in, it will be easier for them to understand why you are prioritising your workouts and serving healthier food.
Where do people normally slip up?
If weight loss is the goal, many people are doing the wrong type of exercise to lose weight and meet that goal. Women, especially, don’t lift weights but instead head to the cardio machines. However, lifting weights can result in far more calories burned in the long run. Plus, muscle burns calories; so, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.
People also overestimate how many calories they burn, while underestimating how many calories they’re consuming! They “reward” themselves with food by saying they “deserve to eat that”. However, the workout routine they’re doing probably only burns 150 to 250 calories, which is far less than the food they’re rewarding themselves with.
Another common slip-up is taking a break when on holiday. Doing so makes it harder to get back into the workout routine later! It’s far better to fit in three mini workouts while on holiday – even a 15-minute circuit routine will have huge benefits.
How can FitNut Loft help clients with setting fitness goals and achieving them?
FitNut Loft provides an environment that teaches and encourages the right behaviours for clients to achieve their fitness goals; we even make it fun!
We don’t sell class packs, but we sell programmes that will keep our clients regularly coming two to three times a week because we are a results-based studio. We blend strength training with Pilates and nutrition coaching, as this is the best combination for great health.
Each month, our clients have a short assessment to see where they are progressing and where they need work. We then discuss what changes can be made so that they can get back on track with their nutrition and fitness regimen.
Even while on holiday, we send our clients videos and ensure that they have the equipment they need to follow our 15-minute Strong & Lean workout.
FitNut Loft
* 15 Mohamed Sultan Road
* #03-01 2 Pandan Valley, #01-201
8686 8299 | fitnutloft.com
This article first appeared in the January 2023 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe, so you never miss a copy!
