Face the crisis by staying fit

CEBU, Philippines - You can’t help but worry that one of these days you’ll head to your office or workplace and get told that yesterday was your last day at work and you have 30 minutes to pack your personal belongings to take home.

With the turbulent times financially, job losses and job cuts are getting many people jittery even in industries that have been tagged as recession proof by experts.

While many say the financial crisis of course has become a convenient reason to fire people, it can also be some sort of stimulus to encourage the workers to put in a little more.

But, how do you put in more when you easily get tired and feel lazy when sitting at your desk?

The answer of course is keep yourself healthy and in this tough times, you might want to look for ways and means to stay fit without having to spend thousands in gym memberships or expensive equipment that after a few weeks would end up rusting somewhere in your home.

When I was in high school and during college, I loved to run. I use to run in inner roads of my town – Minglanilla, and put a little more excitement to the route by crossing the rivers and then finding my way back to the highway.

Running is one of the most inexpensive activities to get into unless of course you buy those sneakers that cost a month’s salary for lower level managers or decide to fly to places abroad to join races.

It is also a fun event that you can do with friends and family and hopefully not with your neighbor’s dogs that would chase you when you pass their territory.

Unfortunately, running is not in my mind now as bad knees keep me from doing so and I’m sure I cannot anymore outrun the dogs in my neighborhood.

If you don’t want to leave your home, you can dance like nobody’s watching, which was my brother Nereus’ favorite exercise when we were growing up.

He’d dance to any tune and he’d dance when he would do chores. Dancing lightens not only the spirit but could also help you burn the extra pounds.

Many have also tried walking, but my good friend Jun Canton of PAL, who used to be a dedicated walker a few years ago, is now a dedicated runner.

If you go to the Cebu City Sports Center, you see many people just walking around the oval, which is also a sight inside the Cebu Business Park early mornings and late afternoons.

Keeping fit doesn’t really have to be very expensive, but make sure you also eat the right food that would also help keep you away from the doctors.

If you still lose your job despite working hard to stay fit, don’t worry too much, being fit will help you move from one prospective employer to the next in your search for a place to work.

On a serious note, this is not a time to get sick because getting sick is so expensive. 

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday to business reporter Malou Mozo, who turns a year older today.

Belated greetings go to City Councilor, basketball coach and my agaw, Raul ‘Yayoy’ Alcoseba, who celebrated yesterday.

The same goes to Jobyl Jimenez, who turned a year older last Monday.

More power to all of you! (THE FREEMAN)