Several Filipinos based in the UAE said that amid the current pandemic situation, they have opted to redirect their focus on achieving an active lifestyle, including changing their diet, getting more sweats on, and steering clear from unhealthy activities.
Here are some of the Filipinos who have successfully achieved their #fitnessgoals amid the restrictions and quarantine:
Rosie Villa
Villa said that she has decided to engage in fitness as a way to lessen stress and become more positive in life.
She added that since she loves to cook, it became easier for her to make her own healthy meals.
“I like home-cooked meals, I don’t like to eat outside so I make my own food especially during my day off,” Villa emphasized, adding that she eats more vegetables and non-fried food, and prefers to cook with less oil.
As a nanny, she also said she gets her own kind of exercise despite the restrictions now when she does the household chores, and when she takes care of the kids. At night, when she gets rest, she takes a walk by herself to get more cardio on.
“I can’t afford to go to gym or pay for the trainers so I become more active in my daily tasks as a nanny, I treat that a workout for me. At night, when I am done, I just have my own walk every day,” she said.
She also said that prior to the pandemic, she joins free Zumba sessions with other members of her community, as well as takes on yoga exercise with her boss, who is a yoga instructor. From becoming skinny, she now has a lean body with enough muscle weight.
“When you start doing it, go on and don’t stop,. It may hurt your body first, but you will get used to it. Keep in mind to eat healthy as well, and make sure you get a proper and balanced diet,” Villa added.
Janette Guardiana
This 45-year-old Filipina fitness enthusiast said she is not always the fit person she was before. When she arrived in the UAE in 2016, she said she started gaining weight because of excessive eating—to the point that her blood sugar went up to over 140.
“My blood sugar and blood pressure went 140 plus, I got depressed of my body size and I became laughingstock of some people here, even our kababayans,” she recalled.
She said that she decided to change her lifestyle because she was also thinking about her loved ones, and how she wanted to spend more years with them. “Mas maabang buhay, mas mahabang panahon na makakasama ko sila,” she said.
She then began to go running and go on a diet which included avoiding chips, rice, sodas and sweets for years. Guardiana also limited her meat intake.
In terms of workouts, she began running, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), shadow boxing, and a little bit of improvised weightlifting (wherein she carries rocks and stones). She did every exercise on her own because she couldn’t afford to go to the gym, which proved to be a safer approach now with the pandemic looming over the world.
“After 8 or 9 months, I saw there a change in body weight from 78 kilos, naging 66 something, so na-inspire ako to continue dahil may resulta eh,” said Guardiana, who is also a single mother of three.
Now that she has achieved her fitness goals, Guardiana is just maintaining her body weight and muscles.
“Ngayon maintain na Lang and keep muscles lean, and be strong every day,” she said.
Glenn Guardaquiver
Guardaquiver said that she is just new to the active lifestyle, starting her fitness journey in April when the restrictions began due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19). She said she decided to become healthier to boost her immunity against COVID-19.
“It’s important to think to prioritize fitness today to avoid getting sick. It is for your own good,” she said.
Now, she eats more vegetables, fruits and fish as part of her diets. In terms of exercises, she said she goes on walks, jogging, and joins Zumba sessions online from her room.
“I ensure that I have social distancing by exercising two meters away from other people. I also still wear a mask while doing my workout, and bring a hand sanitizer,” she said.
James Gempis
Fear was what drove Gempis into going on a fitness journey, saying that he wanted as much as he can to prevent contracting COVID-19—or at least have the immunity enough to be able to thwart the virus should he get it.
“Fear and prevention are the reasons why I drastically changed my over-all fitness plan due to. Though being fit won’t prevent you from contracting the virus, it does have other protective effects. I also had a history of severe asthma and lung problems in my childhood days, not to mention I was overweight and was on the borderline of having hypertension. I was at risk for getting the virus,” he said.
Gempis then shifted to low-carb intermittent way of eating in February. Eventually, after he got used to it, he started doing rigorous home exercises—including HIIT and compound exercises—with the help of his roommate, who is a fitness trainer.
“I chose a low-carb diet way of eating as I am at risk of hypertension and obesity. As we all know, eating high carbs will lead to complicated health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and many more. Also, this diet is budget friendly as you don’t crave for any food and don’t easily feel hungry,” he added, noting that he saw the results after three months.
Gempis said that he still tries to adhere to the safety regulations of the UAE in his workouts through doing home workouts—investing in gym equipment so there would be no need for him to go to the gym.
“Also, we make sure to wear mask whenever we go out for a quick run or if we plan to do an outdoor work-out. We make sure to bring sanitizer or alcohol to disinfect any equipment that we might be using during the workout session,” he said.
“I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle not just to avoid the virus but as a way of living. In addition, just like any other season, this too shall pass, and I want to look back at the things that happened to me during the pandemic with a positive note—and one way to do that is to become fit and healthy,” he added.
Arvie Valencia
Unlike others who wish to lose weight, Valencia started his fitness journey to put on more weight—specifically muscles. He said he always got intimidated whenever he sees people with great bodies and looks.
“I wanted to get into shape, but I was not sure where to begin,” he said. “Later on, I felt that I must change in order to improve and to feel good about myself.”
Valencia added that he thought about enrolling in a gym, but he did not have enough confidence, and that he was shy around other fitness buffs.
He then started to engage in basic bodyweight workouts at home, spending most of his time doing home exercise routines almost every day and got more inspired by the thought of “new place, new beginnings, new me”. His workouts include jogging, bodyweight workouts such as push-ups, planks, lunges, squats and burpees, as well as occasional weightlifting.
When the restrictions began due to COVID-19, he said he became more engaged in an active lifestyle because he wants to keep his sanity intact during the pandemic situation.
Valencia, however, said he still makes sure he adheres to social distancing to keep everyone safe, and he does this through doing workouts in places where there are fewer people—such as parking lots, basements, or his own home. He also jogs in parks and at the beach while maintaining a physical distance from the crowds. Lastly, he said he always wears a face mask whenever he runs.
“Exercise improves everything. It benefits both the body and the mind. It’s very important for all of us to be as active and as fit as possible, especially nowadays to reduce risk of being affected by Covid-19. Our health should be at the top of our priority list. Self-care is always the best care!”
