4 EXCITING Fitness Activities To Try In Singapore To Spice Up Your Workout Routine

While it’s by no means a mountainous country, Singapore does has an abundance of hiking and walking trails maintained by the National Parks. One of The Finder’s favourites is the 10-kilometre Southern Ridges trail. Starting near VivoCity, you climb up Mount Faber, walk across the Henderson Waves bridge, make a pit stop near HortPark and end your hike near the National University of Singapore.

For something less challenging but equally interesting, try Coney Island. Off the coast of Punggol Jetty, it’s home to unique flora and fauna that you don’t typically see elsewhere in Singapore. (www.nparks.com.sg)

The Health Promotion Board organises daily exercise classes across Singapore for absolutely no cost. There are yoga, Zumba, aerobics, high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions and more. Beyond just helping you get fit, these classes are great places to make some workout buddies, who will motivate you when you feel lazy or “too busy” to exercise. (It’s no surprise that those who work out with others tend to achieve more than those who work out alone.) Check out the schedule online for all the classes and locations. (www.healthhub.sg/events) in SG. We promise you’ll feel better!

Have you heard about F45 yet? It’s a 45-minute “new training technique leaving competition and clients gasping for air”. Still no time? Meet the Scientific 7-Minute Workout. First outlined in a 2013 volume of ACSM Health & Fitness Journal, it involves doing as many repetitions of 12 consecutive exercises, 30 seconds each.

The best part? You only need a chair and some willpower. The exercises include jumping jacks, wall sits, pushups, crunches and chair step-ups. YouTube videos can show you the correct technique, and The New York Times even has a free app for both Android and iOS. (go here: https://nyti.ms/2usmyBb).

If running on the treadmill isn’t doing it for you, try these 3 fun sports activities:

Dragon-Boating: Maybe you used to row crew, or you’re keen to kayak around SG. Join one of the hundreds of recreational or competitive dragon boating teams here. There are many regattas each year! Contact the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, British Dragon Boat Team Singapore or Singapore Paddle Club to learn more. (www.sdba.org.sg; www.britishdragonboat.com; www.singaporepaddlelcub.com)

Netball: There are more than 300 netball teams here that play regularly. Net4all can point you in the right direction based on your skill level (including total newb). Singapore Mixed Netball has a solid list of mixed competitions for men and women. (www.netball.org.sg/Get-Involved/Players/NET4ALL; www.fb.com/SingaporeMixedNetball)

Touch Football: Come Saturday afternoon on the fields at Turf City, you’ll see men, women and kids of all ages running around playing touch football. Find a league that fits your family’s ability, ages and fitness level at Touch Singapore. (www.fb.com/singaporetouch)