Incidental physical activities like walking, going grocery shopping or the housework routine you have been doing every week for the past two years just won’t cut it anymore. “If you have not changed the type of exercise you are doing for as long as you remember, it is time to mix things up,” says Dietitian Susie Burrell.

Besides walking, consider incorporating moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) into your regimen, such as jogging and aerobics. The National Physical Activity Guideline states that just 150 minutes of MVPA a week can improve your health significantly, and help you reach your goals faster.

A regular office job where you sit for prolonged periods of time at your desk all day breeds a sedentary lifestyle, which increases the risk of heart disease and doesn’t do your weight any favours. Add to that the convenience of things like getting groceries, shopping and meals delivered to your doorstep, and all these factors can make you susceptible to the “sitting disease”:

Besides taking frequent breaks, or going to a toilet that’s further away, why not squeeze in a workout session right after work with your colleagues?

You may have started your fitness journey with a good amount of motivation, but feel that you’ve lost it along the way and succumbed to tiredness, self-doubt or procrastination. A good support system is crucial in helping you meet your goals. Find a workout buddy or someone who you can be accountable to, so you can encourage and cheer each other on.

If your idea of leisure time is sitting in front of the television or scrolling endlessly through social media, perhaps it’s time to throw something more active into the mix. You don’t have to take up a whole new hobby, but find new ways to entertain yourself that encourage you to step outside and get moving. It’s also a great way to carve out some family bonding time. Try one of these hiking trails in Singapore, go cycling, or spend Sundays enjoying one of these activities at a park near you.

When you have a dozen things to accomplish, the last thing you want to do is to be circling a carpark looking for the nearest lot to the lift lobby or entrance. However, consider parking slightly further away, and then brisk walk to the entrance in order to clock in more steps. It could save you a bit of grief as well, as there are probably more empty lots further away.

“Breakfast kick starts the metabolism after the overnight fast and gets the body burning,” says Susie. “Ideally we should eat within the first hour of getting up and the earlier the better, by 7 am or 8 am.”

“It is difficult to sustain and adopt an ‘all or nothing’ approach,” Susie says. This means trying to follow a highly restrictive or super strict diet or workout regime, without giving yourself some time to transit. “This means when you do something you think you should not, you end up throwing all improved dietary habits out the window and return to previous bad habits.” Instead, plan to make small lifestyle tweaks that will gradually build into new habits.