We hear a lot of stories about people having ‘cabin fever’, especially since dining-in at eateries were not allowed and working from home was the default. But how does this affect one’s happiness and what is the definition of happiness? 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 lives. 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.
Healthier Life = Happier Life
The 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.
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.
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 pandemic and 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 16% 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 for of activity was taking walks and running or jogging.
New wellness 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 iconic Singapore locations. For example, one can now say ‘namaste’ to a yoga experience titled SkyPark Yoga by Virgin Active at Marina Bay Sands. Held at both sunrise and sun set on the Sands SkyPark starting from 6.45am and 6.30pm respectively¹, the series of classes with varying intensities will be led by Virgin Active yoga teachers in 45-min sessions held weekly, all of which are available for public booking via the SkyPark Yoga webpage or directly on Virgin Active’s website². Virgin Active members can book and purchase classes via Virgin Active Singapore’s member portal, mylocker.
Each yoga session is priced at S$30 for public, S$20 for Sands Rewards LifeStyle members and S$15 for all existing Virgin Active members. To sign up for a free Sands Rewards LifeStyle membership, please visit https://www.marinabaysands.com/sands-rewards-lifestyle.html.
¹ Sunrise (morning) yoga sessions are available at 6.45am and 8.00am daily except Wednesdays, while sunset (evening) sessions are available at 6.30pm and 7.45pm only on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
² Non-members of Virgin Active will need to register for a “Pay-as-you-go” account to book and purchase classes
Images: Virgin Active
