Young&Savvy Breaking away from the pack and working out solo

There's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to spending on your fitness regime

- Kolette Lim

When I started my first full-time job just over a year ago as a journalist (no surprises as to where), I decided to ramp up my fitness routine.

I had already been going to the gym about thrice a week, but tales of rapidly declining metabolic rates upon entering the workforce spread by my aunts and the internet kept me on my toes. My carb-and-sugar-heavy diet, courtesy of my stress-eating habits, didn't bode well for my waistline and cholesterol levels either.

So with this renewed determination, I decided to sign up for a two-week trial at a Body Fit Training (BFT) gym near my office a month into my job. BFT gyms provide 50-minute group classes in strength, cardio and conditioning.

My fitness bill came up to about $350 that month. It included the BFT trial ($158); my existing gym membership at Anytime Fitness ($89); and countless Grab rides to the 7.30am BFT classes from Tampines to Toa Payoh, thanks to my tendency to hit the snooze button.

"What's the use of exercising in an air-conditioned environment?" my father often asks me whenever I leave the house for the gym. "It feels better to sweat outside." My father isn't a big fan of gyms. He goes for 15km runs twice a week at the park near our home or along a familiar route stretching from Tampines to Pasir Ris. He also does static exercises with dumbbells twice a week on a fitness mat laid out on our balcony.

But I prefer the gym because of the convenience, diverse equipment and a sense of accountability. And more recently, to avoid the blazing sun.