Healthy living

Keeping Active with True Yoga and AIA Vitality

Signing up for a fitness class is one of the  best way to be committed to having a regular exercise schedule.  With an instructor you can be assured that you  are doing the steps correctly and am able to get the maximum benefit out of the 1 hour exercise class.

As a  Mom of three  with an extremely busy daily schedule I’ve been trying  to squeeze out some time for exercise each week. I know how important it is to get regular exercise to maintain my fitness level.

Exercise is one of the key pillars to keep healthy and one of my goals this year is to increase the amount of exercise that I am currently getting so that I will be able to get to my ideal weight faster.

Now that I’m an AIA Vitality member, I decided to  attend a  Zumba Fitness class at True Yoga.

True Yoga

True Yoga

True Yoga, one of the partners with AIA Vitality, has a wide selection of classes which you can take in bid to keep healthy.  You can choose from 35 different types of Yoga, Hot Yoga, Pilates and Dance classes you are certainly spoiled for choice.

Before you start any fitness class it is advisable that one goes for a fitness assessment before starting an exercise regime.

For $35 you can get a Vitality Fitness Assessment at True Fitness which will let you know more about your current fitness levels.  You can earn up to 3,000 Vitality Points for completing the assessment and if your results are in the healthy range.

You can book a class through  at True Yoga by calling their hotline, online through their website or through the newly launched True Yoga Mobile App.  It is really easy.

A few weeks back I tried out the Zumba fitness class at their Pacific Plaza branch. I booked a slot through their hotline after browsing through the available classes  for my chosen time slot online.

I arrived slightly before my class started and placed my stuff in the lockers that they provided and headed to the studio.

Following the moves shown by the dance instructor

Following the moves shown by the dance instructor

The class was conducted in Studio B. There was a small platform in the centre of the room where the  Zumba instructor stood so that everyone could get a bird’s eye view of him doing the various moves.

Another collage of me participating in the class

Another collage of me participating in the class

It was really fun participating in the medium to high impact workout and burning up to 500 calories in the process.  There were different songs that we danced to and before I knew it the class was over.

Besides having a fun  workout there are also many different benefits that one can have by working out at True Yoga with the  AIA Vitality card.

Card members get the following benefit

–  65% off a True Fitness Membership

– 50% off a True Yoga membership. This means you only pay $105 (exclusive of GST) every month!!

– 50% off  Bikram Original Hot Yoga membership

You can also earn 100 Vitality  Points  each time you work out at a True Yoga centre.

Exercise doesn’t have to be limited to the gym.   As  a AIA vitality member you can track your workout using their handy app which I have installed in my phone. (This App   is available for both Apple and android phones.)

The Vitality App on my phone

Getting adequate exercise on a daily basis does wonders in improving ones Vitality.   Exercising helps to boost your brain power making your more alert and active during the day.

With an increased metabolic rate your weight is in check   you maybe  burning up more calories then then you consume therefore reducing the chance of you putting on weight.

Another benefit of exercising is the chance of  lowering your risk of  getting osteoporosis and other illness by keeping fit.

The first screen upon opening up the app

The first screen upon opening up the app- Picture from iTunes

Walking as a form of exercise  is one of the easiest way of exercising .

If you have chosen “record a workout” a map would appear on your screen where  you could record the distance you have walked/traveled using the GPS homing device on your phone.

You can  earn up to 100 Vitality points  a day for qualifying recorded workouts depending on your age intensity and duration of your workout.

If you need  additional fitness devices as an AIA vitality member you are entitled to get up to 33% savings on gadgets from Polar, Fitbit, Fitbug and miCoach.

 

Screenshot from iTunes

Screenshot from iTunes

If you are not into recording distances walked or using the location device on your phone you can record your workout manually like what I have done in the screenshot below.

Tracking your workouts via the app

 

Each workout has the calorie burned listed with it so you know how many calories you have used up and if you are getting sufficient exercise for the day.  It is certainly a neat way of keeping track of your activities and working towards meeting your fitness goals.

 2 X   AIA Vitality Membership Giveaway 

 

For all existing AIA   Singapore Policy Holders we have 2  AIA Vitality Memberships worth $108 to giveaway.

All you have to do is answer the questions on the rafflecopter form  below

Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclaimer: I’m participating in a campaign by  AIA . All opinions are 100% my own. Existing Terms and Conditions as set by the respective company and / or supporting partners apply.  Do visit AIAVitality.com.sg for  the comprehensive  details of this product . All information is correct at time of post. AIA reserves all rights to discontinue or amend existing clauses without prior notice, and its sole discretion. Please do your own research if you are considering to purchase  the product as your opinions may differ from mine.

In no event shall Dominique’s Desk  be held liable or responsible for disputes arising between AIA and any parties. Neither shall I be liable for any indirect, consequential, incidental, special or punitive damages or losses of any kind.

This post has a Compensation Level of 13. Please visit Dominique’s Disclosure page for more information.

Increase your Vitality through Au Natural Healthy Eating

Keeping healthy and providing nutritious meals for the kids has been something that I’ve been focusing on this year.  As the main caregiver for the kids it is very important that they get the the proper nutrition required for their age group.

This year I’ve embarked on revamping the family diet and maintaining everyone in the pink of health.  In bid to carry out this resolution that I made ,I took part in AIA’s Bento Making Challenge in March as part of the AIA Vitality Challenge.

I wanted to prove to myself and the kids that is is possible to create a  Bento which is both tasty and visually appealing and one that meets their required daily calorie intake.

*Note that the calorie range for a moderately active  4-8 yr old  is between 1,400-1,600 as stated in  WebMD.
The kids and me on stage
The kids and me on stage

Taking note of the daily calorie intake, although important, is not the only think to take note of when planning  a child’s  daily diet. It is also important to ensure that the child gets a well balanced diet with appropriate portions of food from the various food groups.

I have been reading up a lot about different types of foods, portion sizing  and it’s effect on kids.  What a child eat will certainly affect their growth and nutrient. To ensure that they grow up healthy I have radically changed the amount of each type of food group that we eat from.

As you can see from the chart above in our family we focus on giving lots of fresh/ half-cooked vegetables to the kids with a wide array of fruits as snacks or as part of the salad which we serve.  I did not add rice, wheat /grain products in the chart as I feel that they are optional  at meal times.  For each portion of meat that we eat it is balanced out with two portions of vegetables and we only eat until we feel full and not more.

The bento I made for the AIA Bento Making Challenge

The bento I made for the AIA Bento Making Challenge

Based on our eating habits I created a bento based on what  Doggie boy would fancy eating. I bore in  mind  what he loves eating and chose the fruits and vegetables that he would like.

I packed the bento with – cheese, ham, rice, carrot, carrot, egg, beetroot, lettuce, golden kiwi, dragonfruit and strawberries.  I designed a  “Secret Garden” with the  fruits and vegetables and added a mushroom house to give it  a house with the garden look.

The side view of the bento

The side view of the bento

Even though I only got a consolation prize in the AIA Bento Challenge  it was a fun learning experience for me as  I got to experiment with  different types of food and learned more about the varieties of foods  available.

 

Tiger girl out supermarket shopping with me

Tiger girl out supermarket shopping with me

While preparing for the Bento Challenge Tiger girl and I popped by Cold storage to pick up the groceries that we needed.  I believe in using the freshest produce and minimal processed foods as  I do not want the kids to consume items laced with MSG, artificial colorings or additives as these would be harmful to their health and well being in the long run.

Buying blueberries at the Supermarket

Buying blueberries at the Supermarket  You can see the V on the digital price tag above.

Since joining the   AIA Vitality program I learned a lot about keeping healthy and get rewarded by doing so.

As part of the AIA Vitality Program there are  HealthyFood™ Benefit which you can activity before you start your grocery shopping.

You could

– Complete the AIA Vitality Health Review online via their website  and get 5% cashback on HealthyFood™

-Complete the  AIA Vitality Health Check  at selected Guardian Pharmacies and get up to  15% cashback on HealthyFood™

These cashbacks are in the form of Cold Storage  Vouchers which can be printed out and used during the next time you go grocery shopping.

Besides getting up to 15% cash back, you also get to accumulate  up to 400 AIA Vitality Points on your  HealthyFood purchases each month.

*10 AIA Vitality Points is given  for every $4 spent on
HealthyFood™

Another healthy  food option with the AIA Vitality tag

Another healthy food option with the AIA Vitality tag

It is possible to make healthier choice while shopping. You just have to look out for the  “V” in the  HealthyFood™ tag on the shelf price tags. There are hundred over items to choose from  at Cold Storage.

Some of the items are even  clearly labelled with the AIA vitality white tag as shown above.

Photo supplied by AIA

Photo supplied by AIA- “V” marked out on an eletronic tag

If you can’t spot the white tags you just need to look out for the “V” on the electronic tag as highlighted in the picture above.

Picture supplied by AIA The

Picture supplied by AIA The “V” tag on a non-electronic tag

Here is the “V” tag again on a normal tag for milk in the Diary section.

Just remember to present your AIA Vitality card to the cashier upon check out when you pay for your groceries!!

 

For Local/Singapore based Dominique’s Desk Readers

We are giving away 5 X $20 Choice Vouchers

Fill in the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a voucher.

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I’m participating in a campaign by  AIA . All opinions are 100% my own. Existing Terms and Conditions as set by the respective company and / or supporting partners apply.  Do visit AIAVitality.com.sg for  the comprehensive  details of this product . All information is correct at time of post. AIA reserves all rights to discontinue or amend existing clauses without prior notice, and its sole discretion. Please do your own research if you are considering to purchase  the product as your opinions may differ from mine.

In no event shall Dominique’s Desk  be held liable or responsible for disputes arising between AIA and any parties. Neither shall I be liable for any indirect, consequential, incidental, special or punitive damages or losses of any kind.

This post has a Compensation Level of 13. Please visit Dominique’s Disclosure page for more information.