Getting FITT

CEBU, Philippines —  Usually when we start with an exercise program, things tend to be hard but as we get used to the routine and our stamina progresses, activities seem to be easy.

Fitness and health experts say that if we feel this way, it’s time to level up and beat boredom. Maybe from walking we move on to slow jogs, instead of a light spin on our bikes, we sprint for 5 kilometers.  If pumping iron, we increase the weights.

In comes the FITT principle of exercise as our guide.  It is frequency, intensity, time and type. But take note, my friends. FITT can also apply to our food intake.  Although nothing compares to all our favorite eatables, the recurrence of our gana for the unli-rice with sabaw from the gravy sooner or later will have negative effects on our system.

Frequency - If we’re doing it three times a week, we could have another day added and see where it leads us.  Adding a day to our usual routine could motivate us to achieve our goals. 

Intensity - If we feel that what we’re doing is getting easier, let’s have a little bit more.  Say, if we walk around the block once, we can add another round and pick up the pace a little.  From walking, we can upgrade to jogging or for those of us who had been doing jogs, do some runs.  If we’re doing weights, we add a few pounds to feel more muscle burn.   If the activity feels a little easy, work a little harder.  Just don’t overdo it.

Time - How long are doing our exercises.  If we stroll around the neighborhood for an hour, an added 30 minutes can do wonders.  We just might pick up tidbits of interesting information from our local intregeros and intregeras because of the added extra time.  We can add extra kilometers and minutes to our bicycling and spin light on the way back to cool down.

But let us be extra careful with biking.  So far, Cebu City still has to have real, undisturbed and unobstructed bike lanes.  Many friends and acquaintances had gotten on their bikes and had pedalled around the province in groups and we see them usually on weekends.  Group rides, because they are much visible to vehicle drivers, are safer than riding solo since a company with those big yellow buses had developed an appetite for bicycles and motorcycles for breakfast.

Type - What kind of activity are we doing?  Swimming, weight training, aerobics, walking, cycling?  Maybe we can consider other activities aside from the usual like yoga, wall climbing, dancing or boxing for added variety.  Texting is not a fitness activity as it can actually cause a condition called trigger finger.

It was advised that it is best to consult trainers if we’re in a gym as they can tweak our routines according to our fitness level.  Sudden changes can do more harm than good.  But trainers sometimes can cost us some extra pesos so we might consider a training buddy.  Let’s just make sure that our partner is much fitter than us.  Working out with someone who has more muscle definition inspires us to push harder. 

Taking off from our comfort zones has its benefits.  We get better sleep and we’re more in shape to play with our children or grandchildren.  We have the needed energy if we plan on going on vacations, yes, hopefully if this Covid thing becomes a footnote.

Getting FITT is doable if we sweat out a little bit more, a little bit further.