New Survey Shows a Record-Breaking Exercise Boom Among Singapore Residents

By
Valerie Chua
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While people in Singapore are well-known for their hatred towards the country’s humidity, that has not stopped them from making surprisingly big strides (pun not intended) towards a more active and healthy lifestyle.

SportSG has come forward to announce the results of its annual survey on 27 June, and the results are interestingly…unexpected. 

The 2022 survey, with over 4,500 participants aged 13 and above, has revealed that up to 74% of residents exercise at least once a week. More than half of these participants also exercise twice a week or more.

This result is a steady rise from 72% of Singapore residents in 2021 and 69%in 2020, and a massive improvement from only 54% in 2015, back when the survey first started.

Singaporea Residents’ Lifestyles Considerably More Active than in Previous Years

The survey also gives some clues as to why Singapore residents are considered the fastest walkers in the entire world (At up to 6.15 kilometres an hour, we apparently walk as fast as the flying speed of a bumblebee).

The top five activities that residents enjoy taking part in are walking (at 40%), jogging (29%), callisthenics (15%), cycling (11%) and swimming (9%).

Callisthenics is basically static exercises, like the popular 7-minute workout.

COVID-19 A Possible Factor in Influencing Healthier Lifestyles in Singapore Residents

Ironically, COVID-19 seems to be the reason why Singapore residents are getting healthier.

According to SportSG CEO Alan Goh, the global pandemic has boosted the participation level of Singapore residents in fitness events across the country.

While many believe they have been couch potatoes from working at home, the Circuit Breaker period provided more time for individuals to engage in sports and other fitness activities. 

Who doesn’t remember the trend of watching and following along to stay-at-home workout videos on YouTube? 

However, as more companies begin to resume working in an office instead of at home, new challenges may arise as SportSG works to maintain participation levels among Singapore residents. 

Future Programmes by SportSG to Target Demographics Who Do Not Participate in Sports

But what about the other 24% of residents who do not exercise at all?

Well, we all have reasons (or excuses?) for not exercising as much as we should. 

A slew of work commitments, time spent taking care of a growing family, a growing sense of fatigue or burnout, disliking being sweaty during exercise, or simply a lack of motivation to get active are the main barriers preventing more Singapore residents from exercising. 

SportSG aims to utilise the common interests of Singapore residents found in the survey to spur more individuals to get out of the house and get physical. 

They aim to improve the quality and range of their programmes to encourage more people to take up exercising as well as to maintain participation levels despite lifestyle changes that may happen in the future.

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Valerie Chua
Email: [email protected]