Vary your workouts for increased well-being and better mental health, study suggests – and this Hong Kong fitness fan’s pandemic training switch-up bears it out
- We know exercise is good for our body and mind, and varying our exercise routines makes them even better, according to a recent study
- Varied exercise increases engagement and commitment, an expert says, and Victor Ko can attest to that. He jogs, hikes, swims, sprints up hills and does HIIT
Like most gym-goers in Hong Kong, Victor Ko had to give up his gym-based weight-training routine when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020. Luckily, the widespread gym closures did not curtail the 35-year-old aviation engineer’s physical activity.
“I run a callisthenics group and a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group and we meet a few times a week,” he shares. “I also enjoy outdoor activities like jogging, hiking, sprinting up hills with friends and swimming in the ocean.
“When my gym closed and we were told that group activities would be restricted, I switched my training programme up a little. Since I couldn’t lift weights at the gym, I did workouts using my body weight instead. I also did more outdoor activities and continued my HIIT workouts alone or with one or two other people.”
Being flexible with his routine was key to helping Ko stay physically active when the city was locked down and social distancing measures were introduced. Because his workouts were varied, he rarely felt bored and enjoyed having something different to look forward to every day.
When something is different, fun, challenging and exciting, there’s a greater sense of engagement and we’re more likely to stay committed to it
“Even before the pandemic, I loved adding new elements to my training programme every now and then because it made my workouts more enjoyable and challenging,” he explains. “But not all my physical activity is structured.