I tried exercising for 300 minutes a week (as per HPB's new guidelines) and I ran into some difficulties

When it comes to exercise, I'm always on two extreme ends of the spectrum — obsessively dedicated to getting fit or too lazy to move a finger.

One example would be during the circuit breaker period two years ago, where I took the extra free time as an opportunity to shed the extra weight I had put on during my pre-pandemic travels.

Within that period, I successfully managed to lose close to 6kg and even dropped two pant sizes.

However, with the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions and fewer opportunities to work from home, I found myself 'relapsing' and making excuses to avoid any form of exercise. Unsurprisingly, I've gained back the majority of the weight.

According to the new Singapore Physical Activity Guidelines (SPAG), which were launched on June 12 by Sport Singapore (SportSG) and the Health Promotion Board (HPB), adults are advised to clock 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, with no minimum timing for each bout.

Apart from that, adults are also encouraged to try to do moderate or vigorous-intensity muscle-strengthening activities such as lifting weights at least two days a week.

This is definitely not something I've been doing, so in a bid to fit back into all my clothes, I decided to challenge myself to clock 300 minutes of exercise in a week.

Day 1 (Sunday)

Just in the nick of time for the challenge, my friend invited me to try a session of wheel yoga with her, so I gladly took up the offer.

For the uninitiated, wheel yoga involves using a hollow, circular-shaped prop to do various poses to help stretch the body and release tension.

I hadn't expected the one hour session to be as intense as it was but it definitely helped me work up a sweat.

My enthusiasm to hit the 300 minute goal had given me quite the adrenaline boost, so after my yoga session, I also pushed myself to go for a 38 minute swim.

After that was done and dusted, I admit that I did feel a sense of accomplishment.

However, as I went about the rest of the day, fatigue slowly began to set in and my arms and legs began to feel unbearably sore — maybe I shouldn't have tried to exert myself so much after all.

Total active minutes: 98 

Day 2 (Monday)

It was back to the office for me on day two of the challenge and I had grand plans to go for a night swim after work. However, by the time I had commuted back home from the office, I was feeling pretty drained.

It didn't help that I was still a little achy from the previous day's adventurous workout. As eager as I was to hit my fitness goal, I knew that occasional breaks are important too. So, for the second day of the challenge, I forced myself to rest and recuperate. 

Total active minutes: none

Day 3 (Tuesday)

After a good break, I was pumped to continue my fitness journey.

Instead of taking the bus home, I decided to walk back from the office instead since I lived nearby. All in all, I managed to clock 36 minutes of exercise.

I also attempted another night swim and I have to admit — after a tiring day of work, a long walk and a filling dinner, the inertia to exercise was strong and I almost didn't make it to the pool.

But, after much self-motivation, I successfully managed to clock in a 37-minute swim. I also found that the exercise helped me sleep more soundly that night and I knocked out almost immediately.

Total active minutes: 73

Day 4 (Wednesday)

On my schedule today was another swim. Yes, I know, it is a little repetitive, but I can barely last three minutes on a treadmill, so swimming is a better option for me.

I also realised that doing exercises that I like makes the idea of working out less dreadful as compared to doing something I don't enjoy.

Getting into the pool today was a little easier than yesterday and I was getting used to exercising more frequently.

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I had hoped to do a one hour swim so that I could rack up more minutes towards my goal, but alas, by the time I was done with work and dinner, I could only squeeze in a 35-minute session before the pool closed for the night.

Total active minutes: 35

Day 5 (Thursday)

On day 5 of the challenge, I decided to rest. Juggling commuting to and from the office with two days straight of exercise had left me feeling a little exhausted and I figured that I should listen to my body and give it a break.

Total active minutes: none

Day 6 (Friday)

I only had half a day of work today, so to make up for the lack of exercise on Thursday, I planned on hitting the gym after work to do some weightlifting. I even considered squeezing in a quick swim if I had the time.

However, despite being able to knock off from work a little earlier today, I found myself feeling too tired and unmotivated to exercise. After plenty of internal struggle and lots of guilt, I decided to take another break.

Total active minutes: none

Day 7 (Saturday)

I headed to Johor Bahru for a day trip today and had no time to slot in a workout. However, I knew that I was going to be doing plenty of walking, so I decided to count that towards my 300-minute goal instead.

At the end of the day, I had managed to clock in about 8,000 steps, which is equivalent to about 80 minutes of walking.

Total active minutes: 80

Total active minutes at the end of the week: 286 minutes

Final thoughts

Yes, I'll admit that I am pretty upset with myself for not being able to complete the challenge — especially since I was just 14 minutes away from doing so!

While I wasn't as active as I wanted to be, it seems like other Singaporeans are doing a much better job than me.

Since the release of national physical activity guidelines in 2011, there has been an overall increase in physical activity levels in adults. There was, however, a small dip in 2020 when Covid-19 struck.

Even so, an impressive 76 per cent of adults managed to meet the World Health Organisation's physical activity guidelines. 

Overall, while I personally feel that 300 minutes of exercise is doable, it takes plenty of willpower and perseverance, especially if you don't have a very flexible schedule, or if you work a nine-to-five job. 

As I'm not a morning person, my only window to exercise was at night and during the weekends. While I am fine with this arrangement, I did find myself too drained to do a workout after a long day of work and it was tempting to forgo exercising completely.

However, I also realised that I didn't necessarily have to hit the gym or pool to get in my 300 minutes of exercise. Small changes to my lifestyle such as walking home after work and walking more while I was holidaying in Johor Bahru could also count towards my exercise count. After all, the whole point is simply to keep moving, rather than stay sedentary.

melissateo@asiaone.com