You don’t need to join an exercise class to be healthy

Get started on moderate intensity physical activity to stay healthy.

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Singapore wants to be a healthier nation, and everyone needs to play their part by leading healthier lifestyles. This would only benefit the individual, but not everyone exercises regularly.

And, if you have watched the popular Netflix documentary series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, which are spots where people tend to live to around 100, you will know that the world’s longest-lived people do not exercise. They don’t go running in the stadium, nor do they go for a workout in the gym.

So, just how much of it is necessary when it comes to doing it for health, weight management or weight loss? What’s the minimum amount of exercise that you can do to obtain any health benefits?

In this Health Check podcast episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks to Clinical Assistant Professor Ivy Lim, a Senior Consultant and the Chief of the Department of Sport and Exercise Medicine at Changi General Hospital to find out more.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:01 Do we really need to exercise?

4:35 Pairing exercise and diet will lead to greater weight loss than solely relying on diet

8:09 Is it okay to focus on resistance training and not cardiovascular exercise like running?

9:52 Can you get rid of your belly fat by doing a lot of sit-ups?

12:04 Will brisk walking and stair climbing cause you to have knee problems?

15:53 Sprint training snacks at CGH: Doing less but at a higher intensity

Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, and Eden Soh

Edited by: Eden Soh

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