THE month of January brings in a kick of motivation to most as it opens the year. Hence, people set their goals this month so they would have something to work on.
And usually in the bucket list, is our dream to become fit, which is quite difficult to achieve. Because eating is, let's admit it, addictive and there are just lots of new diners here to try which makes it so tempting to keep on having more.
Twenty-six-year-old Phillip Hernandez, a virtual assistant living in Davao City, used to struggle with the same problem. Since he was in grade school, he already weighed a bit too much for his age.
And just like, any other else's story, he too had a lot of fallbacks in his journey to being fit.
During his senior year in high school, he lost some weight because he did swimming and running but gained it all back when he graduated college and started working.
"I weighed 79 kgs. back then, it was the heaviest I've been."
He works nine hours a day in an office and after his job, he goes out with friends to binge-eat. Eating became his form of de-stressing.
"I was living a sedentary lifestyle. I am already too tired after work, so either I'll hang out with my friends (still includes eating) or I go directly to bed afterwards."
He shared that he really fancied wearing clothes and looking good on them, "there's nothing wrong with being chunky but I really wanted to dress well and be confident wearing them".
He tried a lot of diets and convinced himself to keep his eyes on the prize.
"I tried a lot but what really worked for me is calorie counting. Walang food restriction- calorie restriction lang. Meaning, pwede ko kainin kahit ano gusto ko just as long as pasok siya sa calorie goal ko for the day. I usually maintain it to 1,200-1,600 daily."
Instead of eating pizza, he said, he would find a healthier alternative like eggs and bananas.
"Our body only needs to be fed for energy— it does not require you to us a certain type of food so why don’t we go for the healthier option?"
It's also easier if you get a little help from technology. Phillip downloaded an app called MyFitnessPal. It is a free smartphone app and website that tracks diet and exercise to determine optimal caloric intake and nutrients for the users' goals and uses gamification elements to motivate users.
From 79 kgs on May 2016, he achieved his goal weight 59 kgs on October 2017 and has since practiced his diet to maintain his body.
"I look better, I can fit to almost anything and I enjoy my selfies more!"
He also shared that he became way more disciplined with his food intake and he noticed some changes in his body, "I do not get tired easily, I also feel more energized and focused on work".
His fitness also brought him confidence to be active on social media.
Today, Phillip is famed for uploading funny clips of movies that he dubbed with Davao conyo.
Now, aren't you inspired to tie those laces and start running?