Running, walking, and more kick off for Pinoys aiming to get fit in 2026

Now that the holidays are over, a number of Filipinos have started lacing up their sneakers and taking to the outdoors and the gym in a bid to be fit and healthy this 2026. 

According to Jonathan Andal's report on "24 Oras" Friday, club DJ Jop Soto has begun running at the University of the Philippines Diliman after finding out he has fatty liver. 

"Nagpa-checkup kasi ako tapos may fatty liver ako. Sa work ko kasi DJ ako so laging umiinom, laging puyat, so kailangan ma-balance para humaba 'yung buhay. Baka katukin ni Lord eh," he shared. 

Meanwhile, senior citizens Cora and Elizabeth make it to walk 10,000 steps a day on campus. 

"Less maintenance na kami mula nang magwalking kami, Nawala lahat, diabetes niya, Zumba-Zumba pa nga kami after," said Cora. 

In Quezon Memorial Circle on Friday, visitors were seen using the outdoor exercise equipment for their workouts, including Lea Grace Corpin and her boyfriend, who vowed to leave fast food and their sedentary lifestyle behind in 2025. 

Meanwhile, in a gym in Kapitolyo, Pasig, fitness coach Lauren Alexi reported that more people inquired about enrolling in the gym during New Year's Eve. 

"Dumadami at dumadami mga tao na interested and bumabata and bumabata and tumatanda. Globally nakikita din nila online na madami nang into fitness and I think 'yung older generation they just want to live better for children," she said. 

Erick Alfer Gonzales, a fitness coach and professional bodybuilder, also recommended combining weight lifting with cardio. 

"As you get older talaga, when you become 30 years old, 'yung muscles natin kahit ayaw natin nawawala na talaga 'pag hindi natin ginagamit. So one way to preserve is to do strength training," shared Coach Erick. 

Coach Lauren also emphasized the importance of healthy eating. The view that eating less rice would surely help one lose weight must also be done away with. 

"If you skip your rice, there's still a chance na hindi ka pa rin papayat kasi iba namang food na 'yung kinakain mo in excess. For me, it's just calories in versus calories out," she said. 

Per Andal's report, one may use a Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) calculator to know how much calories one must consume in a day to lose weight sustainably. 

Coach Lauren noted, however, that TDEE calculators should only serve as a guide. 

"Kung gusto mo pumayat, kailangan mo magbawas. From your 2,300 [maintenance calories], you can start with 150 to 200 [less calories] and keep it there until your weight stops going down. You have to remember kasi with 'yung mga calorie calculators like this, guide lang siya and estimate, so hindi syia always exact," she said. 

—CDC, GMA Integrated News