I started on a new exercise routine today. For the next 12 weeks, I will be doing Hatha Yoga and Kickboxing from 9 am to 11 am every Saturday.
I've been looking for a way to get back into fitness. Other than being unable to fit into my clothes and people constantly asking if I am pregnant again, the thing that really made me act is how stiff I feel. Since getting pregnant and having Zoey, my body has not been the same. I huff and puff after a couple of flights of steps and I struggle to retrieve things on the floor because my tummy is in the way. I am not as flexible as I used to be plus my back hurts often.
When I started weaning Zoey a couple of months ago, my focus shifted from food to exercise. The first thing I tried was pole dancing. I signed up with a friend at Groove Dance School ( http://www.groove.com.sg/ ) last month. Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way I expected. While the class was fun, I found 6:30 pm on a Tuesday evening was not as ideal as I thought it would be. I ended up missing a number of classes due to work and other commitments. I also found myself to be rather uncoordinated on the pole, resulting in frequent crashes into the pole, especially with any spin starting with my left hand. The bruises that resulted were not pretty.
I looked for something else to try. I know from past experience the workouts I enjoy are group classes. When I was a member at Fitness First, I loved going for Body Pump class and taking a Body Balance or Yoga class after. However, after shopping around for the past 3 months, I could not find anything that would be convenient enough for me to go regularly - at least three times a week. Anything that was convenient, was expensive. Anything that was cheap, was not convenient. Plus I read some terrible reviews about various gyms and fitness clubs where it was apparently impossible to book into group classes unless you are best pals with the instructor.
Fortunately for me, this month we moved to a new office that has a pool and a gym. This means I can actually go swim during lunch time or do some weights workouts in the morning. So instead of signing up for a fitness club membership, I decided to try my luck at looking for something on ActiveSG ( https://www.myactivesg.com/ ) .
ActiveSG logo from http://myactivesg.com
For those who don't know, last year the government kickstarted the ActiveSG campaign with a promotion where they gave away $100 ActiveSG credits (now called ActiveDollars) to all Singapore citizens and PRs who signed up for ActiveSG membership. These ActiveDollars can be used at fitness centres, sports hubs and swimming complexes around Singapore.
I used my ActiveDollars on the Hatha Yoga and Kickboxing classes. I'm so lucky to find two back to back classes conducted at the Hougang Dance Studio which is walking distance from my home. So now every Saturday morning while Zoey is at music class with Irene, I am getting my weekly group class workout.
Do note that instead of being able to pay for 100% of the class fees, the ActiveDollars can only be used to redeem 30% of the fees. The balance 70% still needs to be paid by you. However, the classes are priced so reasonably - Example, 12 sessions of Hatha Yoga is $91. After 30% redeemed via ActiveDollar, I only paid $63.70, slightly over $5 per lesson. 12 sessions of Kickboxing is $70. After 30% redeemed via ActiveDollar, I only paid $49, just over $4 per lesson.
So if you have yet sign up with ActiveSG, it is worth considering doing so. Go take a look at the ActiveSG website ( https://www.myactivesg.com/ ) and sign up. You can also check out what classes or facilities you can book with your ActiveDollars. Make use of this government initiative to kick start your fitness routine now.