Gyms are really not the favorite destination of Filipinos, malls are. Somehow we have this crazy idea that walking the whole length of Mall of Asia (with stop-overs of window-shopping in between) already equates to time spent in the treadmill. Women wearing skimpy skirts and midribs are also a common sight in Manila 😛 but rarely will you find a mini-skirted woman who is toned and muscular at the same time. A muscled and toned woman seems odd, by our standards. We prefer to wallow in our slimness and we can only thank God that we are Asian, and in some cases suffering from poverty (huh!) In my case, I have a two year gym membership which I am taking for granted because it is for two years anyway and somebody paid for it. I always make the excuse that I have no time and because of this, have cheated on the exercise routines that my trainer has listed down for me. I am just content with 30 minutes spent in the cardio machines three times a week, sometimes only once heaven help moi. Welll, that’s better than doing nothing. I just thought I’d like to share these tips I read in our gym’s bulletin board to inspire me, you and everyone else:
1. Watch portion sizes. Your midsection is the first you’ll notice overeating.
2. Balance your diet. Even a low-calorie diet won’t work if you’re not eating the right foods.
3. Spot reduction only tones. You need cardio to blast away the fat.
4. Stop counting reps and work to fatigue. If you’re not tired after 20 crunches, don’t stop.
5. Focus on technique. 25 good crunches are better than 100 poor ones.
6. Drink up. Water helps prevent bloating.
7. Variety will get you there faster. Every muscle group reaches a plateau. Change things up to get result.
8. Kick up your cardio. Intensity will blast fat faster.
9.Focus on the abs and make them exert some effort.
10. Drinks add up. Liquid calories are the surest way to wreck any diet. Don’t wash away all your hard work.
A good roll in the hay, they say, beats dreary gym work. And you get the same results. How ’bout that!!
work-out at least 16 mins a day is enough! and of course drink more fluids! buko juice is better!
heheheh.. six million dollar question: nasusunod mo ba yung mga tips? hehehe…
three times a week cardio is healthy. That’s even the minimum requirement. I go to the gym everyday because my work involves sitting on my butt. I need to have at least 2 hours of mobility. I’m loving it!
i hate this post. charoooooossss! hahahaha! sobrang tinamaan di ba? girl, i wanna lose wait badly! i don’t look good naked. (pouts)
Hehe Al, there are people who can’t always have a roll in the hay as you said so the gym is a good (less good?) alternative..
This is the first time I’ve heard 16 minutes is good enough Ang-Ang (for the gym, not a roll in the hay, lol) Because of this, maybe I’ll feel guilty next time if I get tired after 20 minutes (in the gym, not in the hay)
Nakewpo, ang tips ay tips pa lang Ate Sienne. Ang hirap sundin.Pero binabawasan ko ang iced tea (favorite drink of Pinoys) knowing how high-sugar it is..
Good to hear that you’re a fitness buff Noemi. I wish I can go to the gym daily like you. Not everyone of us has the luxury of time, or motivation, heheh
Jerome dear, workouts are good for your health. Though am sure Jher will take you as you are fat or thin, small or long, for richer or for poorer etc. 😛
Hi Ajay
Great tips! But I guess the tip that I really need is how to get myself super-motivated! The billion dollar question…:)
Hi,
Interesting post. Naligaw lang ako from Batjay’s blog. Here’s my 2-cent though about motivation. Typical yuppies here in Singapore after landing jobs tend to get fat, we love to eat… a lot. Pag fat na, they get gym memberships, sa mga high-end clubs pa. But the motivation is not there… here’s how my wife and I got motivated. We joined marathons and triathlon. This way, we are forced to practice on our own and to whatever free time we got. We also go to the gym for strength training and we adapted South Beach Diet in our daily intakes. Yes, SBD can be adapted to pinoy cuisine. I learned that we will never achieve the fitness that we desire bec we always make excuses to skip exercises (We have deadlines too, and a kid).
Hi Gypsy. Maybe you’ll have to paste a picture of a sexy model on your dressing room mirror? haha
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your ‘get fit’ story Robbie. I wonder how SBD can be adapted to the Pinoy diet. Gotta research on this. And yes, joining a marathon is also one of my goals;)