Stars urge: Exercise at home

WITH the entire Cebu placed under community quarantine and gyms, activity and recreational centers closed, the usual many options for Cebuanos to keep fit have been slashed to one—exercise at home.

Since physical activities outdoors are not advisable as people are told to stay home and practice social distancing to prevent the spread of Covid-19, SunStar Cebu reached out to Cebuano athletes and coaches for tips on how to do just that, stay fit in the midst of the crisis.

Cebuano athletes and fitness coaches said staying healthy and fit is important in this health crisis. The good news is that there are a lot of exercises that can be done at home.

Pio Solon of Epic Performance and Fitness told SunStar Cebu that aside from exercising, it is also best to eat healthy to help the body’s immune system cope with the current stress and fight infection if necessary.

“There are a plethora of activities one can do at home. Bodyweight training, plyometrics, circuit training, flexibility enhancement can be done at home. One can also go on YouTube and find a dance video they’d want to dance to,” he said.

Another conditioning coach, Junery Andales of Smexy Coaching/Fitness, said athletes and fitness enthusiasts can continue with their fitness goals as there are workouts that can be done alone--anywhere and anytime. This answers the problem of the temporary closure of gyms and fitness clubs.

“Even when you’re at home, it’s easy to find exercises that can be done. That is why I offered online coaching to my students and introduced exercises they can do at home while they’re self-isolating. Most importantly, I also encourage beginners because it is never too late to be fit and healthy. Small changes can add up to better fitness,” said Andales.

According to Andales, these exercises are squats, push-ups, lunges, leg raises, jumping jacks, hip bridges, high knees, planks, burpees and mountain climbers. He said workout routines can be executed even without equipment as long as there’s a space where you can freely move.

“Doing 30 to 60 seconds work from these exercises may already challenge an individual’s cardiovascular and physical limit. A rest of 15 to 30 seconds is recommended for recovery, and one can do at least three to four sets,” said Andales.

Mentally healthy

Olympian Mary Joy Tabal shares the same sentiment as she herself is doing strength and conditioning training in her house. Her advice to the public is to spend 30 minutes of their time to exercise at home to stay healthy not just physically but also mentally.

“It’s important to sweat and spend a little time exercising indoors, even for 30 minutes a day to help fight anxiety and to keep us active,” said the 30-year-old bemedalled marathoner.

Tabal plans to upload exercise videos on YouTube for runners and fitness enthusiasts.

For his part, Arnold Balais, the team captain of the Philippine Accessible Disability Service (Pads) Dragon Boat Team, urged Cebuanos to do exercises together with family members to make the activity more fun.

“Be more creative. You can use the chairs or water gallons as equipment. Also, give children household chores to minimize their cellphone use,” added Balais, who led Pads in the world championship last year.

As their way of conditioning, the members of Pads are doing daily challenges, which requires every member to execute 50 push-ups every day for 30 days. Each member has to send a video of the activity in their their group chat.

As the country faces an unknown future amid this worldwide health crisis, it’s important to share facts and be with our family.

“We are really hoping for the best and monitoring credible news as best as we can,” said Solon. (RSC)

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