Better Lives with AIA Vitality: How AIA Vitality reignited my passion for fitness

Jesse Lewis had been active her whole life. Her parents – both physical fitness enthusiasts – always supported her endeavours in many sports, as well as her main passion: dancing. However, after taking up a part-time job alongside full-time study, Jesse found herself struggling to balance time between her social relationships, work and her physical fitness – until she discovered AIA Vitality. 

Growing up, Jesse and her siblings were always fit for their age – but they didn’t necessarily prioritise their health.

“My siblings and I would just play around in the yard, eat whatever our parents fed us (which were well-balanced meals) and played all the sports they enrolled us in,” Jesse explains. “But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to research a lot more. I’m currently studying personal training through the American Institute of Sports Medicine, and it’s been very eye-opening to find out some of the habits I’ve developed haven’t been doing my health any favours. Other than not exercising enough per week, I realised I also got quite lazy with my diet, snacked a lot and often lost control of how much I consumed.”

After taking on a part-time job, Jesse found it difficult to manage her time between work, her studies and her friends. She found herself spending less time cooking meals and exercising – and she even took a break from dancing.

“It was getting way too much for me,” Jesse says. “I had to quit my favourite activity – dancing – as it gets really difficult with a busy schedule. You’d have to show up for classes and sometimes it wouldn’t align with your study timetable.”

It was during this time when Jesse was introduced to AIA Vitality, which reignited her passion for physical fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Jesse began her experience with AIA Vitality at the start of 2021. The initial experience was surprising.

“I really enjoyed going through all the assessments, finding out things about myself I never really thought about before,” Jesse explains. “I discovered my AIA Vitality Age was just slightly higher than my current age, which was to be expected. It’s really given me the drive to try and lower it now.”

The first step Jesse took was to sign up for a membership with a gym. She now attends group fitness classes either in the early morning or at night. “I’m not much of a morning person, so [those] sessions don’t happen that often,” she laughs. “But I consciously try to scan into my gym and hit my Active Rewards target every day now – I’m currently at Gold Status, whereas my dad is on Platinum. So, there’s a little bit of friendly banter in the house now, too.”

Over time, Jesse incorporated AIA Vitality into her lifestyle, increasing her weekly visits to the gym and setting up new fitness goals. “After getting home after a long day of work, I’d really just want to sit on the couch and watch TV,” Jesse says. “But now, I’d sit down, go on my phone and see a notification pop up from AIA Vitality – and I’ll be like, ‘I really should go to the gym – I haven’t got my points today. And if I don’t go today, I probably won’t get my reward at the end of the week.’ Hitting those targets also lets me feel at ease on the weekend when I can hang out with my friends and treat myself a little – usually with a movie or food voucher from my rewards.”

However, making changes to your day-to-day life is never easy. Jesse knows this, and encourages everyone who’s currently struggling with their fitness journey to keep pursuing their goals. “No one’s perfect,” she says. “I’ve missed lots of weeks where I haven’t hit my targets, but I’m still proud of myself – knowing that I’ve made the effort this week to get moving. Keep trying your best, keep your eyes on the prize and you’ll definitely see results.”