MANILA – Experienced singer Martin Nievera would like to return to active sport for an hour a day or exercise regularly, even with this pandemic. How can he exercise for an hour a day while still being the guy who loves to eat?
That was the question he asked when he was recently a guest at the monthly forum “Usapang Puso sa Puso” of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) with the topic “Usapang Quarantine: Mag Da-Moves Para sa Puso” at the same time with the 51st forum of the organization took place annual congress and start of the Heart Failure Network.
As PHA emphasizes the importance of physical fitness during the pandemic, the activities were conducted via Zoom and Facebook Live.
“How can I still eat the way I eat and still exercise an hour a day?” Asked Nievera. “How can it be safe and useful to me?”
Fitness gurus and celebrity trainers Jim and Toni Saret answered Nievera’s question. “Everyone is becoming more sedentary, especially because of the pandemic,” emphasized Toni. “We really need to move in order to combat Sedentarianism, which has been intensified by the pandemic. Now that most of the restaurants are open and we have more access to the food, we need to start with the structure. “
According to Jim, there is a saying, “You can never overdo a bad diet.” It doesn’t matter if you do an hour-long exercise, but if you overeat you won’t be able to fight that.
“There are people who are thinly fat, but they are already pre-diabetic,” said Jim. “Sometimes it’s not even the weight. You exercise and exercise regularly, but you are still not healthy. “
He apologized to Nievera for not recommending an hour-long workout that can offset the singer’s love for food. However, he does recommend a few tips that can potentially help change the whole dynamic.
“Before you do anything, see your doctor first,” allowed Jim. “If you want to make it safe, see your doctor first. It is always good to make sure that we can eat the food we like to eat first. Sometimes our cholesterol or sugar is too high. You could have high blood pressure. The food you have eaten can trigger many comorbidities.
“Second, weigh yourself every morning so that you don’t forget your accountability. We think that once we’ve eaten we’ll do an hour’s workout, that’s fine. That’s not how it works.
“Sometimes when you eat for 10 minutes, the calories that go to your stomach are more than the one hour you burn. Weighing yourself in the morning can be a wake-up call. Make a note of your weight so that if you see yourself gaining weight it can be a warning sign to you and not to binge you.
“The third tip we can give is to do some pocket training first thing in the morning. This is one of the wellness habits that trainer Toni and I want to instill in everyone. Make the exercise part of your morning rituals.
“We’re trying to change the pattern of behavior. If you don’t, the way you start your day is likely the same way you end your day. People who exercise in the morning are more successful in maintaining their body weight than those who exercise later in the day. “
Former PHA President Dr. Raul Lapitan also responded to Nievera’s request and spoke about the science of 10,000 steps a day, the equivalent of 30 minutes of brisk exercise to keep the heart healthy. That’s the equivalent of eight kilometers or five miles an hour and burns 500 calories a day.
Lapitan also adopted the prepandemic “Sneakers Friday” from the USA and introduced it to the local area.
The young actor Marlo Mortel, meanwhile, asked about his friend who suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He was ready for his vaccine and following safety protocols, but Mortel was curious about what his friend must do to reduce the risk of COVID infection.
Lapitan said exercise can prevent us and protect us from acquiring COVID infection. “Push for vaccination because it is also a way of protecting us. COVID will stay and we have to protect ourselves. “
“Sitting is the new smoking,” warned Dr. Luigi Pierre Segundo, who with Dr. Don Robespierre Reyes. “Move so as not to perish,” Segundo apparently warned, advocating good exercise. We have to be consistently active.
