The new year normally starts quite optimistically. On the Twitter-verse, 48 percent of users tweeted that their 2014 new year’s resolution was to exercise more and be healthier. But on a more sobering tone, Forbes.com reported that only a demoralising eight percent actually achieve their new year goals.
Well, if you were really good at going to the gym for the first two weeks of January, only to slack off in the third week because of lack of time or motivation, don’t lose heart yet.
For 25 days, we will provide you with that extra boost you need to keep at your exercise goal. Whether a new fitness class excites you, a new app gets your heart rate pumping or you can’t wait to parade at the gym in the latest styles, we will unveil an exercise class, gear or app every day to push you along.
Don’t forget to check back in every day. We are rooting for you so don’t give up!
Hands up if you pick out your running shoes based on how they look. You aren’t alone! But sometimes that’s not the wisest way – the coolest-looking shoes may not provide the best protection or performance for your feet.
Now, you don’t have to choose between form or function because New Balance’s latest running shoes offer both. While the unique spray paint finish in bright colours is sure to catch that hottie’s eye in the gym, your knees will be thankful for the midsole that offers plush cushioning for a soft, bouncy but stable ride. The Fresh Foam 980 is sleek with none of the bulk associated with cushioning.
The New Balance Fresh Foam 980 running shoes retail for $169 at NB Concept Stores, iRun and selected authorised retailers.
We have a little easy trick that keeps us from flaking out from heading to the gym. Packing your gym bag the night before and leaving it by the main door so it’s easy to grab before you leave the house. Sounds simple, does it? But you will be surprised how many use the excuse that they didn’t have time to pack or forgot to bring their exercise essentials to bypass the gym.
We like how roomy this Puma by Mihara Yasuhiro tote bag is – fits everything you need for a workout. Plus, the sling keeps your hands free and black goes with every single work and play outfit you have. It also rolls into a compact, handy size that’s great for travelling and more.
The Puma by Mihara Yasuhiro Surf Shopper retails for $160 at the PUMA boutiques at Ion Orchard and Isetan Wisma Atria and authorised dealers.
Heads up, swimmers! Listening to music underwater can make you swim faster. Research done at Brunel University in the UK reported that swimmers swam three seconds faster for a 200 metres distance. Multiply that for longer distances and it makes a huge difference!
This is when the new NWZ-W274S Walkman sports MP3 player will be very helpful. The waterproof player doesn’t only provide a convenient way of listening to music during workouts, it comes with both standard-type earbuds and swimming earbuds. You will be able to tune into your favourite exercise playlist comfortably even when doing laps in the water.
The 8gb Sony NWZ-W274S retails for $159 at all Sony stores and authorised dealers.
Cameron Diaz credits her washboard abs to surfing. Although catching a wave on Singapore shores can prove to be a challenge, you can now “surf” on land. Surfset – surf-inspired fitness classes – are done on custom-made unstable surfboards. Without getting wet, your body will be worked in the same way as you would when surfing. With loads of core training and full body movements like the “pop-up”, you will build a long lean physique like Miss Diaz – without wiping out! A single Surfset session torches 500 to 900 calories, just like the real thing.
A 45-minute Surfset class is $35 at Surfset Singapore, 454B Joo Chiat Road. For more information, go to www.surfset.sg and www.facebook.com/surfsetSG.
Did you know that people who exercise with a buddy or in a group are more likely to stick to a workout routine? In fact, a study done at the Michigan State University has shown that women who participated in cycling classes with the presence of a virtual partner are likely to cycle for twice as long. Imagine how many more calories you can burn when hitting the gym with a pal!
If you have not found your workout soulmate yet, don’t fret, why not sign up for the Shape Fitness Fiesta 2014? This year, Shape magazine has partnered with Amore Fitness to bring kickboxing, CardioLatino and StretchFit classes outdoors to a crowd of 300 gym bunnies! We can’t think of a better motivation than working out alongside 200 plus other like-minded girls!
Shape Fitness Fiesta 2014
When: Sunday, March 16, 2014 at 7 am
Where: Playground @ Big Splash, East Coast Park.
Sign up at www.shape.com.sg/ff14/
Animal prints venture onto sportswear in Juicy Couture’s new active wear category – Juicy Couture Sport. Think sports bras, tanks, leggings and even swimwear in the American brand’s signature LA style of leopard prints mixed with fun girlie pinks. They aren’t just pretty, Juicy Couture Sport pieces are high performance too with sports garment technology like Coolmax and also compression, water repellent and moisture wicking properties. Combining performance with style, no one can tell if you decide to hit the streets right after a workout in these streetwear-appropriate looks.
Find Juicy Couture Sport at Canal Level B2-86/87 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and #03-03 Ngee Ann City.
Explosive energy was the springboard – we could not resist this pun – for the Adidas Springblade. The latest running shoe incorporates blade technology designed to help propel the individual forward. In other words, you will feel as though there are springs below your feet when you have a pair of Springblade runners on. Sixteen forward angled blades create a push-off each time you move for efficient energy use. Don’t worry, these high-tech polymer blades are sturdy and provide the support a runner needs to go the distance.
The Adidas Springblade retails for $249 at Adidas stores at ION, Paragon, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and online atshop.adidas.com.sg); Limited Edt Vault at 313@Somerset and I-Run at Queensway Shopping Centre.
Yoga isn’t just a form of physical activity. The yoga lifestyle extends from the studios where you practice to what you eat. Model and Fly Entertainment artiste Liv Lo wanted to create a community where fellow yogis can keep up to date with and discuss the various healthy living outlets in Singapore. Joining forces with local yoga instructor Yun Ng, they built Stretch City, a yoga lifestyle website with a directory of yoga studios, shops, organic restaurants and events. Be sure to look out for the yoga events and retreats that are Stretch City collaborations on the website!
For more information, go to stretchcity.com. For updates on the yoga community, follow Stretch City on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StretchCitySingapore and Instagram @Stretchcitycom.
Everyone’s favourite high street brand has moved in to conquer the sportswear market with its well-priced performance pieces. While H&M has always had a selection of exercise gear in its stores, the Swedish retail giant has become serious about sport in 2014. From what we have seen in the lookbook, the fierce yoga tanks and tights, windproof and water-repellant running jackets and more, have the same style sensibility as its streetwear sibling.
H&M Sport retails from $17.90 for a sports bra, at all H&M stores. Go to www.hm.com/sg/ for more.
Today’s the eighth day of Chinese New Year and we are pretty sure, like us, you have been feasting on yummy but calorie-laden goodies. Did you know that just five pieces of your favourite pineapple tarts make up 410 calories? If that piece of food trivia doesn’t send you running to the gym, we don’t know what will!
On February 8, 2014 – that’s tomorrow – Virgin Active will launch a new exercise programme in all its gyms worldwide, including Singapore. Zumba Step incorporates Zumba moves, step aerobics and fitness movements for a new fusion workout that torches up to 1,000 calories in an hour. That means you can eat 12 pineapple tarts after!
For more information about Zumba Step, go to www.virginactive.com.sg.
Singapore sports enthusiast and business woman Angeline Cheang believes that wearing high quality fitness wear will result in outstanding performance. Hence, she has created a line of fitness wear that looks great and feels great. The secret ingredient is the Supplex fabric that doesn’t shrink, is odour resistant, allows a free range of movement and dries in a flash – 56 minutes quicker than cotton! Sounds like a pretty swell way to stay dry when you are sweating buckets in a Bikram yoga class.
The tie-dye floral print of the Wild Orchid tank top and capris proves that you can rock the Spring Summer 2014 trend even at the gym. Plus, the material maintains its shape even after 500 washes.
A+C Fitness Wear Wild Orchid tank top and capris is available at www.acfitnesswear.com/#!product/prd1/1301254131/–purple-orchid-tank-top– and www.acfitnesswear.com/#!product/prd1/1301254321/–wild-orchid-capri– respectively. For more information, go to www.acfitnesswear.com
What do you get when you marry pilates and boxing? Piloxing, of course! The brainchild of Swedish dancer and trainer Viveca Jensen, Piloxing is the workout of choice for many Hollywood starlets like best friends Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens. This high energy, multidisciplinary workout blends the power, speed and agility of boxing with sculpting pilates poses and weighted gloves are thrown into the mix to tone your arms.
For more information about classes and venues, go to www.fitnessfun.com.sg.
Signing up for a race will give you the motivation not to slack off training. Taking part in a run doesn’t mean there has to be blood, sweat and tears – the experience could actually be quite fun especially if you don’t feel winded during it.
After setting New York, Sydney and other big cities aglow with night time runners, the Electric Run finally makes its way to Singapore. Think of the Skechers Electric Run like a 4km-long rave through electrifying lands that have glowing neon trees that change colours with the music’s tempo, tunnels of lights created by a rainbow of lasers and more other-worldly fun.
Skechers Electric Run
When: 8pm, April 11 and 12, 2014
Where: Pit Building/F1 Track
Standard entry tickets are $78 each and deluxe entry tickets are $108 each at electricrun.sg.
It’s tempting to strip off to your bare minimum after a run around the track especially when you are hot and sweaty. But it’s important to keep your body covered after exercising for one simple reason – to keep your body warm. Once you stop moving, you lose heat quickly and are prone to catching a cold.
Stella McCartney’s line for Adidas equals stylish workout wear and the Adidas by Stella McCartney hooded shell jacket has got to be the coolest cover up by far. Keep this super lightweight jacket stashed away in your gym bag and slip it on after your workout to stay warm fashionably.
Available at www.theoutnet.com/product/397827.
The truth is some people enjoy early bird workouts while others are more active at night and some people thrive when it’s cold outside. But regardless of all this, we all still need that little push to lace our running shoes.
Puma has developed Pumatrac – a running iPhone application based on Tictrac technology. External conditions like the weather, moon phase, altitude, time of the day and more are analysed to provide insights into your running behavior and also motivate you to get moving. For instance, Pumatrac might alert you to hit the road on a cold rainy night because you run best in those conditions. Like other running apps, it will also calculate distance, calories burned and other important details you need to decide whether to pig out after the run.
Download the Pumatrac running app for free at the iTunes app store itunes.apple.com/sg/app/pumatrac/id698298978.
The classic Air Max gets a makeover to become lighter and more flexible and the latest incarnation sees the marriage of oldie-but-goodie Air Max with the-new-kid-on-the-Nike-block Flyknit technology. This union gives rise to a super breathable and supportive upper and lightweight fit. The new technology creates little waste – the upper is amazingly built out of only one strand of yarn!
Available at all Nike stores.
Swimming laps can burn an amazing 476 calories an hour – provided you don’t linger too long during breaks!
Get streamlined in this racer suit from luxury athletic sportswear label Lucas Hugh. With on-trend mesh panels and a cutout back, you will have heads turning in and out of the pool.
Available at www.theoutnet.com/product/393823.
If you always envied ballerinas for their perky butt but never managed to get that lift in your own despite all those lunges, Xtend Barre might be the workout tailored made for you. The fast-paced vigorous class fuses ballet and pilates to whip your abs, thighs and glutes into shape for a lean dancer silhouette, including your dream derriere.
A 55-minute Extend Barre session is $40 at Upside Motion at #02-03, 36 Armenian Street and #01-02L/X, 100 Turf Club Road. For more information, go to www.upsidemotion.com.