High 5: 17th April 2015 by Mr Tay Chew Woo

This week, our Secondary 2, 4 and 5 cohorts partake in NAPFA testing. Most of you will challenge yourselves to achieve your best, while some may only aim to pass. How would you perceive NAPFA testing? Do you consider it just simply as an assessment in PE class, which you are tested once every two years? What do you think is the purpose of NAPFA? How would you make sense of your NAPFA results and how does it impact you?

NAPFA assessment started in 1982 and it has been the most commonly used fitness test in Singapore till today. It is a standardized assessment of the overall fitness for the general population and it aims to stimulate interest in maintaining lifelong pursuit of physical fitness.

In schools, the purpose of NAPFA is to promote attainment of desirable levels of overall fitness among students and motivate students to improve their fitness. What can the test results tell you?
Do you use your achieved score, say 22 points Gold award, to challenge yourself to become fitter. Or will you be contented with the Gold award and stop improving? On the opposite side of the scale, for those who failed, will you persist and train hard to get a pass eventually?

Good fitness correlates with good health. People who appreciate the health benefits of exercising will be motivated to exercise more and improve their physical fitness, even without supervision or in the absence of the awards.
Also, there is a strong link between improved fitness and increased productivity, enhanced ability to solve problems, reduced stress and fatigue, all leading to better work performance.
Hence, I strongly encourage you to exercise on a regular basis rather than training once every 2 years for NAPFA.

I would like to share with you a good story on the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s daily exercise routines. This was what I read from Asiaone Singapore online article. Mr Lee made it a habit to exercise daily.
He would walk on the treadmill 3 times a day. 12 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes after lunch and 15 minutes after dinner. In his younger days, he would swim for 20 to 25 minutes before dinner, in addition to the treadmill exercises. You might be wondering why such a busy man like Mr Lee himself was committed to his exercise routines. He knew exercises are beneficial to health and ensure exercising was part of his daily routines. At the age of 89, he could still get up and did not need a walking stick.

Personally, I had a short yet memorable encounter with Mr Lee Kuan Yew 2 years ago. I spotted him at the entrance of Marina Barrage during a particular weekend outing with my family. At that time, I was so thrilled to see him in person. I was carrying my baby and wanted to walk up to him to shake his hand and thank him for everything. Before I could show my gratitude, I was stopped by his personal guards immediately. However, he got off his buggy, waved to me and my family, and continued his exercise walk in Marina Barrage unassisted.
After that, I left Marina Barrage for dinner, a happy man I was.

I will end off by quoting Henry David Thoreau: “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” and I will like you to reflect on how you can achieve your fitness goals in your GESS Life Book.

Lastly, please join me in congratulating the GESS Band for achieving the Certificate of Distinction in SYF Arts Presentation 2015.
A round of applause for the hard work and dedication put in by the Band members.

Thank you.