10 years of Two Fit: A look back at a decade of covering fitness

Walking will never go out of fashion, even, I dare say, a century from now. — Photos: Filepic

Today's column is going to be different as we walk down memory lane to look at how fitness has evolved over the past 10 years.

Yes, this month (April 2022) marks a decade since Fiona Ho and I, both fitness enthusiasts and certified trainers, started Two Fit to encourage people to get moving to reduce obesity rates and for better health.

Sadly, we have not made a difference to the nation’s overweight statistics, but we have definitely gained more readers who want to improve their fitness with a tweak here and there.

In 2016, Fiona moved on to greener pastures, leaving me to solely helm this fortnightly column, and while I have started greying with age, I continue to be passionate about fitness by sharing my knowledge with others.

We’ve witnessed the industry growing by leaps and bounds as different types of workouts enter the picture – some of which push the body’s boundaries, while others offer a fun approach.

Fancy diets, losing fat, building muscles, dancing for coordination, indoor cycling, breathing techniques, common injuries, working on skills, trimming specific body parts and choosing the right trainer are among the rather large number of topics we’ve covered here.

Fitness today is faster paced than ever, but still focused on the same foundational ideas: fun and exciting aerobic workouts that get the blood pumping and build a sense of community and camaraderie, and making workouts – both cardio and strength training – as time efficient and convenient as possible.

Workouts that are arduous drop off the radar after a bout of frenzy (as people just cannot keep them up), while workouts that have staying power include those that are easy to perform and modify according to age group.

Generally, workouts that promise the fastest way to reach fitness goals are more popular, and based on the feedback we get from readers, almost everyone wants more articles on ways to trim the midsection and boost energy levels.

As for gender differences, both sexes have been keeping themselves in shape in different ways for centuries.

Generally speaking, women want tone and men want muscles, but at the end of the day, both want to look and feel good.

Always a HIIT

One of the fitness mainstays in the last few years has been high intensity interval training (HIIT).

Although interval training has been around for more than a century, it has gone through many versions of differing intervals in line with contemporary research.

In 1996, Dr Izumi Tabata, as part of a research programme to improve the Japanese speed skating team’s performance, invented the “Tabata Protocol” based around 20 seconds of all-out intense exercise and 10 seconds of rest, which is still incredibly popular.

However, in 2013, the much-publicised seven-minute workout was introduced by Chris Jordan.

Harder workouts lose their zing after a while as people find it too difficult to keep up.

Originally developed for US Air Force personnel stationed in Europe, this version cycles through 12 body-weight exercises.

Later, while training executives at what is now the Johnson & John-son Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida, United States, Jordan finetuned the exercises into what he called a “hotel room workout” for the busy executives who complained that they didn’t have the time or equipment to exercise while travelling.

Essentially, it’s high-intensity circuit training that strategically incorporates strength training to work all of the major muscle groups in as little time as possible.

Eventually, the one-minute workout of hard exercising came along in 2016 – but reviews are mixed about this.

My personal take is that one minute is hardly adequate exercise for a day.

It is now widely accepted that interval training delivers the fastest results for the least amount of time.

Nowadays, you see even the older generation doing it, but according to their capability.

When an 82-year-old told me he does HIIT, I was initially dumbfounded.

“Uncle, you shouldn’t be doing it at your age,” I advised him.

Undeterred, he showed me how he modifies the exercises (e.g. jumping jacks became marching fast on the spot, squats became sit-to-stand from a chair, etc), and for his age, it is indeed HIIT because he was working intensely to get his heart rate up.

So I stand corrected in my previous columns where I mentioned HIIT was extremely hard on the heart and more intended for professional athletes or the fit to get fitter.

Still, as per the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation, all healthy adults aged 18-65 years should participate in moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes, five days per week.

Alternatively, you can do vigorous intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes, three days per week.

On a related note, during the Covid-19 pandemic, readers looked for ways to move while being confined at home and I gave some suggestions.

Columns on breathing to relieve stress and anxiety also proved to be a hit among many.

Just closing your eyes and spending five to 10 minutes doing deep breathing exercises once or twice a day helps bring down those stress hormone (i.e. cortisol) levels quickly.

Convenient activities

Deep breathing is something everyone should be doing at least once a day for 10 minutes. — AFP

Walking is also one activity that will never go stale.

It can also turn exercise into an enjoyable social occasion when you walk with a buddy.

Those with a garden were walking in circles around their compound during the first movement control order.

These days, more people are taking to walking as their preferred activity, whether on the road or in the park.

Do remember though that walking builds strength in your legs, but does not do much for the upper body or core muscles.

Fitness apps, virtual coaching and online classes also exploded during the pandemic, and are undoubtedly here to stay as they have proven to be a convenient and effective way to improve one’s health and fitness.

We’ve also seen the growth of wearable devices that can count steps, monitor heart rate, count burned calories and measure the quality of your sleep.

These devices and their related apps also let you connect with others to form social support networks as you pursue your goals.

In addition, online challenges, which were unheard of in the early 2000s, sprouted up to bring people together to pursue a common objective.

However, these challenges have now lost some of their spark and the incentives thrown in are not enough to continue enticing participants.

I hope that you, dear readers, will continue to stay with us and see what the next few years will bring to fitness!

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Revathi Murugappan is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battle gravity and continues to dance to express herself artistically and nourish her soul. For more information, email [e-mail]. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.