Health Assessments at ActiveHealth Lab by Sports Singapore

I've always been fascinated with the idea of sense of agency (or sense of control) where one has the awareness to initiate your own action, in face of external events.

One of the thoughts I often have is this "If I can prevent it, why not?". Also, if I can create more possibilities and options for myself, why not? If our intrinsic capacity and functional abilities can decline over time, how can we delay and even reverse that?

In my rabbit trail of ageing better, I attended "Forever Young: Aging with Success" by API Care and Counselling in July this year. In the workshop, I met Alice, who is a senior and was super enthusiastic in sharing about the Active Health initiative by Sports Singapore.

She shared with me about

• Fitness and health assessment

• Fitness classes available for the elderly

The enthusiasm rubbed off and I've since brought my mom for the test, introduced them to my cousin who brought his mom too. I've done one myself previously at a HPB's roaming roadshow and it was very helpful to have a data baseline.

Around the same time, I also came to try out the Body Composition assessment also by ActiveSG at a co-working space which gave helpful data.

Here is what you can expect and how you can sign up:

1. Fitness and Health Assessment -

   What to expect:

Current promo rate is S$7

In no particular order, the participant would

• Get a body composition assessment via a high-end machine from InBody (the cost of the machines are in the $'000s) -- this sends an electrical signal to your body, and it provides you comprehensive data on things like % muscle* mass, % fat mass, % water etc.

• Do a walking analysis -- in a minute you'd walk from one cone to another and they will measure the number of steps taken

• Do a stand up-sit down test -- you will calculate how many times you can stand up and sit down in a minute

• Get your blood pressure measured via an Omron machine

*If you want more detailed scans, a DEXA scan for muscle mass is more accurate. But for general assessment, this is more than helpful.

Together with the group of people who signed up, you'd be able to see how the results are measured up with the healthy range in your age group, areas you're doing well and where needs to be better.

Stand Up-Sit Down Test

As a facilitator and coach, I was also pretty impressed that they baked in reflection questions for gap analysis and goal setting.

Goal Setting and Reflections

At the end of the session, they will also share the programmes available that is helpful to improve your health. The rates are highly subsidised by the government,

Programmes Available for Different Age Groups

2. Body Composition Assessment

   
   

   If you only just want to test your body composition, you can too.

   
   

   Personally, I've done a test in July 2024 which showed some red flags for me. Since I've made quite some changes and retested 3 months later in October 2024 and glad I've seen improvements in most markers such as % visceral fat, muscle mass, metabolic rate etc. There're a few markers that I still need to improve to be in the healthy range, but at least I know my current strategy works.

Here's How to Sign Up

1. Go to https://activesg.gov.sg/programmes/activities

2. Search for Fitness and Health Assessment or Body

3. Key in your postal code and the options nearer you will pop up

4. Login via Singpass

5. Pay

   
   

   

   
   

Just in case you're concerned about cleanliness level to protect your immunity, the ActiveHealth lab at Delta Sports Complex was very clean, new and pleasant. There was air conditioning and the place is kept rather neat. The folks there are also very friendly and helpful.

Data can be power -- at least we know, and at least we can do something now :)