Body Talk with Jim Saret (The Biggest Loser trainer)

His name is already well-known in sports and fitness circles here and abroad. But soon, he will also be a household name in this reality TV-crazy nation.

He is Jim Saret, a 35-year-old US-educated sports-medicine expert and athletic-training specialist.  Now, he is also the trainer of the Blue Team in ABS-CBN’s The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition which debuted strongly Monday (May 30) night with a national audience TV rating of 20.5 percent.

The program, which became a top-trending topic on Twitter last Monday, features overweight contestants undergoing physical and emotional challenges to lose as much weight to transform their lives, and of course, win the program’s grand prize. The other trainer in the show, Chinggay Andrada (featured on Body Talk two Fridays ago), handles the Red Team.

According to the show’s production manager Reily Santiago, Jim and Chinggay were obvious choices for the show not only because of their outstanding credentials in the field of fitness.

“There are only a handful of qualified trainers in the country. Both trainers are very much qualified to fit the roles. They also match as they have different personalities and training methods,” he said.

Used to training elite athletes, Jim believes he won’t have a hard time adjusting to guiding overweight Filipinos who probably have not exercised in a long time.

“My philosophy is that everybody is an athlete or has an athlete inside him or her. We just have to make it come out. My experience with a lot of people who are overweight before is that once you’re able to find out what gets them motivated, and you’re able to make them believe that they can actually do things, they end up changing,” he explained.

The tall, dark and handsome, Jim, who was a former national team player for tennis, took a pre-medicine course in UP before taking his masters in the US.

While his Filipino colleagues opted to stay and pursue careers abroad, Jim came home to share his knowledge and is now regarded as the trainer of trainers. He is also the appointed head trainer of the whole Philippine National Team by the Philippine Olympic Committee.

He may be already accomplished in his field, but Jim thinks he is facing one of the biggest challenges of his career in The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition.

With fellow trainer Chinggay Andrada

“I like the program because it’s going to change lives, not just the contestants’ but also the viewers’. Hopefully, we inspire people to get in shape. We don’t have to be in perfect shape but at least get healthier and what I plan to do on the show is to show people how to do it,” he shared.

Find out how he does this on ABS-CBN’s newest reality program from Monday to Friday. For now, get to know more about this fitness hunk who’s behind the amazing conditioning of popular Filipino sport stars such as SMART-GILAS Basketball Team captain Chris Tiu.

What does it take to maintain a body like yours?

Living a healthy lifestyle (I don’t drink and I don’t smoke); viewing food as fuel for your workouts and your body (instead of the typical “masarap kasi”); engaging in various sports; long-distance running of 10 to 15 km twice a week; and my personally-created Hybrid Metabolic Workouts that can range from as short as four minutes which can burn up to 600 calories, or up to 20 minutes, which can burn up to 2000 calories. I don’t like staying in the gym too long (besides the fact that I don’t have too much time to spare) so most of the workouts I do are quick, short and fast, often just using my bodyweight or light dumbbells. The HMW are programs that I have created and used on the various Phl National Teams I train. They are very effective and save them time aside from saving their muscles and joints from additional wear and tear caused by regular training programs.

Do you take any vitamins and/or supplements for that?

I take Immuvit. It has two ginsengs which give me energy all day and Co-Q10 which is a great anti-oxidant that helps fight free radicals in the body that help keep our bodies younger.

What kind of diet do you follow?

I look at food as “fuel” for the body use for activities of daily living, work, playing sports or working out. I don’t eat food because it tastes good, I’ll eat it because I know my body will benefit from it (build muscle, repair, cleanse or energy to use later during a workout.)  My favorite tagline for food:  “If you feed your body ‘junk,’ then you will end up with a ‘junk’ body.” “Feed your body with High Performance Food and you’ll end up with a High Performance body.” Imagine your body as a High Performance Race Car. If you want it to perform at its best, then fuel it with the best, high quality fuel (food) available.

What’s usually for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner…and snacks between meals, if any?

Breakfast: Oatmeal, cereals or yogurt; pineapple or assorted fruits; boiled egg

Lunch: Chicken, beef or fish; half cup of rice or mixed steamed veggies

Dinner: Chicken, beef or fish; half cup of rice or mixed steamed veggies

Snack 1: Apple, banana or tuna sandwich on wheat bread

Snack 2: Pasta, apple, banana or tuna sandwich on wheat bread

Food that you avoid and food that you crave for.

I don’t really avoid any food. I don’t believe in completely depriving oneself as it might lead to binging later on. As long as I eat them in moderation then I’m okay to eat anything.  I crave for halo-halo a lot!

Weight loss is 60 percent nutrition, 30 percent workout, 10 percent mental psyche. All the best workouts in the world are pointless if you keep putting food back in your body after your workouts. That’s why nutrition is tops on the list.

How much water do you take per day?

I drink water a lot! I average around 15 to 20 glasses a day.

Is it advisable to exercise in the morning before you take breakfast and to take at least two glasses of warm water before doing so?

There are advantages for exercising before breakfast or after breakfast. If your body exercises on an empty stomach, the calories you will be using for that workout will come from your “stored” fat as there has not been any “recent” food added. However, the amount of effort you can put out and how long you can sustain an activity on an empty stomach might not be that high. Exercising after a light breakfast can boost recovery and strength gains. It can also help you sustain longer, more intense workouts, help avoid low blood sugar, which can make you feel dizzy or nauseous and it can make your workouts more enjoyable (since you’re not thinking about eating the whole time.)

It is best to see which one works for your body the best.

There is not much scientific research between fat loss and drinking two glasses of warm water before working out. Drinking two cups of water (500 ml.) two hours before a workout is advisable in order to prevent dehydration, not really to lose weight. This is therefore another weight loss myth.

What’s the best time to work out?

This is a very tough question to answer. Scientifically, our bodies follow a pre-set “circadian rhythm.” This “internal clock” of ours can often dictate whether we are a “morning” person or an “evening” person. However, time availability, work and family schedules and other factors often come into play. Research wise, the following facts are worth considering:

a. The optimal time for the body to exercise is when our body temperature is at its highest. This is usually at around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. We are therefore more alert and our muscles are warm and flexible.

b. Our body’s strength output is five percent higher around mid-day. An aerobic performance is also stronger in the late afternoon. 

c. Aerobic Endurance is also greater in the afternoon by four percent.

d. Studies have shown that people who exercise in the morning are more consistent with their workouts as compared to those that workout in the afternoon or evening.

So despite all the physiological advantages of afternoon workouts, being consistent with your workouts is also an important factor, if not MORE important. It is best to listen to your body and test for yourself which is better for you long-term wise.

What workout do you do and how often? (Mention best outfit and kind of shoes for workout.)

Because of my busy schedule, I can’t afford to stay inside a gym for a long time. Treadmills bore me and I don’t like to wait in line to use an equipment as there are two other people in line ahead of you. Because of all these reasons, I decided to apply science and create scientific workout programs that are QUICK/SHORT (time saving), PRACTICAL (no need for “high tech” and expensive gadgets/equipments) and yet MORE EFFECTIVE (if not even better!). For example, did you know that jogging on a treadmill for an hour can burn around 100-200 calories (depending on your speed)? The 4-Minute Metabolic Fat Blaster Program I created is able to burn from 400-600 calories...in only four minutes. Another good thing about this workout I created is it doesn’t even require any gadget or exercise equipment at all, just your bodyweight.  So anyone can do it, anywhere, any time.

Because of my lack of time to workout, I decided to create more hybrid programs that combine everything there is in fitness training and came up with various HMW that can be done in as little as four minutes or even all the way to 20 minutes, depending on how much time you have. All of them have been scientifically proven to burn more calories than regular gym workouts. And you can do them anywhere.

I’ve recently been trying out this HMW on our RP National Athletes that I train and it has given them good results as well. Not just on weight loss but strength, endurance and power as well.

Nowadays I just do Hybrid Metabolic Training (HMT) once or twice a day. What’s four to 10 minutes twice a day (when I wake up and when I get back home from work) compared to two hours in the gym doing TRAD Training (Traditional Training). For serious weight loss, I do HMT thrice a day.

Your body looks perfect enough. Any part that needs improvement and how should you do it?

Hahaha. I’ve never thought of my body as perfect. I’m just lucky to be tall and athletic which is why I’m able to get away with a lot of things regarding “physique.” I’m the type that’s always looking for ways to improve things so I know I have quite a long way to go to even become close to having a “perfect” body. My standards are pretty high which is probably why I don’t see myself as having a perfect body. How to do it? More Discipline. Train Harder.  Quality Nutrition. Adequate Rest.

About sleep…how much do you get per night? How do you make up for lack of sleep?

As a fitness scientist, I know how valuable sleep is. Not just health-wise but even in weight loss. Research has shown that getting five hours of sleep or less not only triggers your appetite but also slows down your metabolism by five to 15 percent. Despite knowing this though, I only average around five hours a day as I have insomnia and I start training my athletes as early as 6 a.m. I try to make for this by taking five-minute power naps during the day (when I can) and I try to make sure I get “quality (REM) sleep” when I’m asleep.

How do you cope with stress?

I like to run, workout, play a sport or watch a movie. I like to detach myself from my “normal” environment and try to keep my mind “entertained” with something else completely different.

How often do you get, if ever, a massage? Is it healthy to have a massage every day?

I try to get a massage around once a week, preferably after a hard workout or training. I get one as a form of muscle recovery. Nothing wrong with getting a massage everyday especially if you have a lot of stress, either physical or mental.

Okay, what’s the best and fastest way to lose weight?

Hybrid Metabolic Training.  Mix up Traditional Training with New Training. Nutrition. Nutrition.  Nutrition. Proper Mind Set. Combine all of the above and be amazed with the results!

Weight loss is 60 percent nutrition, 30 percent workout, 10 percent mental psyche. All the best workouts in the world are pointless if you keep putting food back in your body after your workouts. That’s why nutrition is tops on the list.

How often must one see a doctor or have an executive check-up?

Before you start an exercise or weight loss program, it is a must. Have it once every two weeks for the first two months just to make sure your body is adapting to the program properly. Have it once a month after that for safety.

Name three celebrities who you think are fit.

Ryan Reynolds. Brad Pitt. Chris Evans.

Name three celebrities who should be “big losers.”

Oprah. Christie Alley. Randy Jackson.

By the way, did you ever have any problem with your weight?

Yes! I was skinny all the way through college. When I went to the US for my Masters Degree I ballooned to 220 lbs! Because of my height (6 feet) and because I was an athlete, I didn’t look “fat,” I just looked big.  For years, I had the toughest time getting below 200 lbs. I would often fluctuate between 200 to 205 lbs. It was only after I discovered Metabolic Workouts that I was able to break the 200-pound barrier. I now weigh 185 lbs. and I’m able to maintain it working out for just four to 20 minutes a day.

Give pieces of advice to people who want to be “big losers.”

1. Be very, very dedicated to your weight loss goal. If you are not fully determined and committed to getting rid of the weight, you will drop out midway through. A lot of people are very determined at the start but fail to sustain the focus and drive later on.

2. Get a support group. Your family and friends will be a big help in keeping you on track and will be there on the days you are weak.

3. Get expert help from a medical expert, a nutritionist and a fitness specialist that can guide and teach you the proper and safe way to lose weight.

4. Watch The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition to help you get inspired and to jumpstart your weight loss program! Lose weight together with the contestants on the show!

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