Marian Rivera and Women’s Health share tips on getting into the fitness habit

We know that regular exercise has multiple benefits—it relieves stress and anxiety, elevates the mood, improves brain function and memory, aids in weight loss, helps prevent cardiovascular diseases, boosts energy...and the list goes on!—but many of us are still not into the habit of working out. The most common excuse? Lack of time.

In a survey conducted in 2011 by non-profit organization The Normal Bar, published on The Huffington Post, more than 30 percent of the 22,000 respondents said they do not exercise because of "not having enough time,” while 17 percent said they were "too tired."

However, of the same people surveyed, 80 percent said they typically spend more than an hour a day, seven days a week on the Internet just for leisure. About 26 percent even said that they spend more than three hours a day on the Internet.
 
Fitness guru and tri-athlete Lara Parpan, editor-in-chief of the magazine Women’s Health Philippines, said that though more and more Filipino women are starting to realize the importance of regularly working out, there are still some, especially the mothers, who are finding it hard to squeeze exercise into their busy schedules.  
 
“One thing that I can say is that women are definitely more into the active lifestyle these days. Before, they would just be, you know, very iffy about getting into workouts. They have a lot of misconceptions, like kung magwo-workout ka, ibig sabihin magbo-body building ka, magkakaroon ka ng muscle...now women are more open to workouts,” Parpan said at the launch of Women’s Health's fifth anniversary issue last Thursday, April 3, at Privato Hotel in Pasig City.
 
“Ang problema lang sa mga babae, lalo na sa mga Pinay, very martyr. Uunahin nila yung asawa, yung mga anak bago nila iisipin na kailangan ko magpa-check up at least once a year, kailangan ko mag exercise regularly...not realizing that you owe it to yourself, you owe it to your family to stay healthy,” she added.

Cover girl
 

To prove that no amount of workload should stop you from being physically fit, Women’s Health Philippines chose GMA’s Marian Rivera, one of the most in-demand actresses in the local entertainment industry today, to grace the cover of its April issue, which also serves as the fifth anniversary issue of the magazine.
 
During the press launch, Rivera admitted that she cannot go to the gym regularly because of her busy schedules.
 
But just a glance at the magazine’s cover—with the 29-year-old Kapuso actress in an abs-bearing canary yellow top (as sunny as her personality) and distressed denim shorts—proves that Rivera has never been remiss in taking care of her body.

“Kasi siyempre sa busy ng schedule ko, minsan hindi na ako nakakapag workout sa gym, pero sabi ko nga kung gusto palaging may paraan, kasi sa bahay pwede naman akong mag-Zumba. Io-on ko lang yung music ko pwede na ako sumayaw, so pwede ko na yun maging exercise,” Marian said.

Here are a few tips from Marian and Lara on how to get your lazy bones moving!

Start from within

The first step to wellness is by doing a reality check on your current state of health and deciding what you need to improve about yourself, said Parpan. Only then that you can start setting your fitness goals.  
 
“For me, being healthy is all about loving yourself. First of all, kailangan tanggapin mo yung sarili mo kung saan ka ngayon.  And then kapag tinanggap mo na yung sarili mo, at na-realize mo, ay kailangan ko ma-improve yung eating habits ko, yung the fact na baka wala akong workout routine, then you take the steps necessary to get your goals,” she said.

Parpan also advises women to think about getting into regular exercise as an investment because of its many health benefits and not just for the sake of losing weight or developing your abs.
 
Rivera agreed. She said apart from the physical benefits, practicing a healthy lifestyle such as exercising regularly gives her the confidence and an overall sense of well-being.
 
“Kasi hindi ibig sabihin na porke flat ang tiyan mo, hindi porke may abs ka, healthy ka na. Siguro ang maganda pag alam mong [may] healthy lifestyle ka, mas malaki yung kumpiyansa mo sa sarili. Especially ako, artista ako, pag nagcocover ako sa magazine, alam ko sa sarili ko, may kumpiyansa ako na kaya ko siyang gawin. Iba ang natutulong nun pag nagshu-shoot ako,” she said.
 

Rivera even admitted doing some sit-ups right before her Women's Health cover shoot just to condition her mind and give her a confidence boost.

“Nung dinner medyo light na lang kinain ko. Tapos kinabukasan sa bahay, nag sit-ups ako, hanggang dun sa shoot nag sit-ups ako bago ako i-roll!” she said.

Discover what type of workout suits you

Some people get discouraged from exercising regularly as they think of it as chore, when in fact it should be an enjoyable experience.
 
“Kung ano yung mafe-feel nila na mas magiging compatible sa personality nila, yun ang gawin nilang exercise...Like ako, mahilig ako sumayaw, so, mas swak ako sa Zumba at ine-enjoy ko siya. Nagwo-work out ako, at the same time ine-enjoy ko siya as exercise,” Rivera said.
 
“I really believe that exercising keeps you young," said Parpan. "If you're looking to the secret of youth, it definitely is exercise. At hindi kailangan yung hardcore, hindi kailangan na triathlon or yung all-out na 42K running. It can be yoga, it can be Zumba, it can be, as Marian said, anything na hiyang ka, anything that you feel like doing, boxing, whatever, it can be anything. You just have to find what it is that you enjoy,” said Parpan.

Keep challenging yourself

To be able to sustain your drive to exercise, it is important to keep challenging yourself—such as by gradually increasing the level of difficulty of your workout routine or by trying new sports that you have never done before, said Parpan.
 
Though active in physical fitness since the age of 25, Lara shared that it was only in 2010 when she started trying triathlon.
 
"I've been running ever since, for the last 12 years, pero hindi ko inisip na mag-bike at mag-swimming," she said. "Four years ago, hindi ako marunong lumangoy. Yung regular na five meter na pool hindi ko malangoy yan. After 10 strokes hinihingal na ako, feeling ko malulunod na ako. But because of the magazine it introduced me to other people who are into the lifestyle. And it has become my lifestyle too," Parpan said.
 
Now, the fortysomething magazine editor has participated—and even snatched some medals—in some of the country’s biggest triathlon events.
 
Rivera seconded that trying out something new is actually what makes your workout more exciting.
 
“Dun sa types of workout, nag-wushu na ako, nag-arnis na ako, nag Muay Thai na ako, ngayon nasa Zumba naman ako. So, yun din ang maganda, dapat very open tayo sa mga bagay, bagay. Hindi porket nag Muay Thai ka, forever ka na sa Muay Thai. Maganda siguro yung mag-try ng iba-iba,” she said.

Choose the right companions
 

Parpan said surrounding yourself with people who are equally committed in maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle can keep you motivated in achieving your fitness goals.
 
This holds true in the same Normal Bar survey, wherein respondents were also asked on how their partner or friends affect their decision on exercise. About 27 percent said they were less likely to exercise if their partner did not while another 30 percent said they were less likely to exercise if their friends chose not to.
 
For Parpan, she gave credit to the members of her Women’s Health staff, who she said, are all equally committed to practice and to promote healthy lifestyle.

While Marian said she is lucky that her boyfriend, actor Dingdong Dantes, is also a fitness enthusiast. She said he is currently into CrossFit training, but running and working out in the gym are some of their bonding activities. — BM, GMA News