Eight in 10 adults in Singapore are happy with 93% defining happiness as being healthy and having good relationships with loved ones a close second. Virgin Active, an international fitness chain, conducted a recent study to understand how happy people in Singapore are and how activeness has an impact on their physical and mental well-being.
The “Live Happily Ever Active” survey asked 1,000 participants aged 25-54 years old about the subject of happiness and how they define happiness in their life.
Specifically, the findings showed that the majority are happy and active individuals, who are open to try out different kinds of exercises and workouts to keep moving and use exercise and wellness activities as a means of being happy.
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Julien Bera, Singapore Country Director of Virgin Active says, “Virgin Active believes in enabling happiness through activeness, and we want to empower Singaporeans to find their happiness. Many studies have shown that when people are keeping active, they generally enjoy positive mental health. This is especially necessary in today’s environment. It is very heartening to see that people in Singapore have found the means to keep themselves active and happy.”
In a continuous bid to encourage activeness, Virgin Active will be rolling out new programmes.
Healthier Life = Happier Life
The “Live Happily Ever Active” Study found that 9 in 10 adults in Singapore defined happiness as leading a healthy life, with 50% choosing health as the most important factor of having a happy life.
80% shared that they are happy in their current stage of life. When asked the top aspects of what people were happy about, good relationships with loved ones were in first place, with physical health coming in second.
93% of respondents shared that staying active was an important part of their lifestyle with 63% exercising at least once a week.
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Mental Health as Important as Physical Health
96% of respondents shared that being active had a positive impact on them mentally, physically, and emotionally. Being active helps relieve stress and brings relaxation, leaving the respondents feeling energised, refreshed, while helping to regulate their emotions. It also kept them feeling stronger physically.
The study also found out that 55% of respondents were not happy with their mental health. When asked what would happen if they had to stop exercise, many found that their mental health and emotional health also deteriorated.
64% would feel less physically active, 45% would feel less mentally healthy, while 38% would feel less emotionally happy. Not exercising also did not bode well for productivity and focus. Respondents cited they experienced negative emotions and self-talk, feeling fat, lazy, dissatisfied, and lethargy.
“At Virgin Active, we do not want to simply focus on the physical health. We want everyone who walk through our doors to find a balance between rest, wellness and exercise. Our facilities are curated with that in mind. At any of our locations, one can find a space to workout, a space to relax and a space to recover. Virgin Active is constantly looking at creating new experiences to empower happiness through activeness.” says Julien Bera.
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Millennials employ a wide range of activities to stay active
Of those surveyed, a rising number of millennials (aged 25 – 34 years old) do not just do one form of workout to stay active.
With the COVID-19 endemic and with the current work from home situation, more than 63% have their own home-based routine, which includes on-demand or live streaming workouts as well as virtual or in-person personal training.
This was in addition to 24% attending in-person workouts and 17% going to the gym to use the facilities.
A little more than half (54%) of Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers (aged 35 and above) had their own home-based exercise routine with 21% attending in-person workouts and 14% heading to the gym. Among this age group, the most popular form of activity was taking walks and running or jogging.
Virgin Active New Experiences
As gyms reopen, people in Singapore will be excited to get back to the gym and get active again. To encourage activeness in one’s daily life, Virgin Active will be rolling out new initiatives which includes workout classes held at an iconic Singapore location.
In addition, Virgin Active is issuing a challenge to new joiners in Singapore. Called the “Activate” programme, new joiners who train at least twice a week for 12 weeks, will be rewarded with a reduction of 50% for the first 12 weeks in their membership dues, which works out to be a complimentary 6-week membership.
Through its experience and expertise in health and fitness, Virgin Active notes that it takes 12 weeks to form a habit and it wants to challenge those who are looking to include activeness in their lives to come in regularly and finish a 12-week workout plan, kick-starting their health and wellness journey.
Virgin Active believes that the new experiences and offerings, on top of their well-curated clubs with health and wellness in mind help to enable happiness through activeness.
When working out at Virgin Active’s clubs, one can be reassured that they will be working out in a safe and hygienic environment. Not only will strict safe distancing measures be in place, but Virgin Active has also stepped up their sanitation procedures with four daily equipment wipe-downs, usage of EcoLab cleaning chemicals, UV hand wands, and more. With Virgin Active, one will be able to get back to their regular exercise routine with complete peace of mind.