Fit, fab and feeling great

MANILA, Philippines –  Keeping fit is not a fad. Healthy living should be something that each person should invest on. With the countless fitness regimens being promoted in the market, it’s hard to know what to try and whom to trust.

In its effort to promote good health and physical fitness, Skechers, a global shoe leader, now introduces its new ambassador  freelance fitness professional Connie Fortich.

Fortich’s expertise in the fitness department is unquestionable. Her portfolio will tell you so. “I used to work in an exclusive fitness center in Makati and was surrounded by friends who were personal trainers and gym instructors,” she begins. These friends advised her to train for power lifting. She was further convinced when in 2002, she was diagnosed with a mild heart disease called Mitral Valve Prolapse. “My physician told me to do a lot of aerobics or cardio workout by joining aerobics classes and to try swimming.” Until that lightbulb moment  “I figured, why not earn from it?” she smiles. “Well, someone actually told me that also.”

Since then, Fortich became a sought-after fitness adviser and trainer. In 2009, she was certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a Personal Trainer. The Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) likewise gave her certifications as Personal Fitness Trainer in 2008 and Group Fitness Trainer in 2006. Fortich also acted as trainer to celebrities Valerie Concepcion in her “Punch Out Boxing Fitness Video” and to Anne Curtis and Luis Manzano in their “Bump and Burn Fitness Video.” Premier fitness centers Gold’s Gym and Punch Out Boxing Club also hire her services as personal trainer and personal fitness coach/group exercise instructor, respectively.

She lives and breathes fitness. To stay fit and fabulous, Fortich does her part by working out six times a week, getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water. “As I always say, it’s 70 percent food intake and 30 percent regular exercise. If you don’t watch what you eat, your workout will not be as effective,” she recommends. “Choose your food wisely and exercise safely and effectively. Balance your workout routine by doing cardiovascular endurance training, muscular strength and endurance exercises, flexibility and mobility work so that you maintain an excellent body composition of less body fat and more lean mass, as well as keeping away from musculoskeletal injuries caused by weak joints and muscles.”

Fortich, already all fit and in top form, still follows a special diet. When preparing for a competition, she only eats steamed fish, grilled chicken, hard-boiled egg whites, broiled yellow camote and select fruits and vegetables. “I also drink lots of unsweetened soya milk, especially when I do not have time to eat,” she furthers.

The power of your shoes

Of course, Fortich does not underestimate the power of losing weight and keeping fit by doing the work outside the gym. She acknowledges that walking or jogging outdoors can also do the trick. “You can burn more calories by wearing workout shoes like Skechers Shape-Ups,” she claims. Fortich adds that about 10,000 steps a day in one’s regular walking or running shoes can help one lose five pounds a month. 

The new Skechers ambassador gladly shares more information about this power shoes. “When you wear Skechers Shape-Ups while working out, you burn more calories than when you’re wearing your regular training shoes,” vouches Fortich, adding that Shape-Ups activate more muscles including the deeper ones that aren’t targeted much during regular resistance training.

She then compares running with her regular running shoes and using her Skechers Resistance Runners (SRRs). The latter, she says, causes pain in the front area of her right foot due to dorsiflexion of her ankle. She also feels pain in her heels. In her SRRs, on the other hand, Fortich doesn’t feel any pain at all and her heel strike is cushioned. “I have a heel spur that hurts when I do not wear the right footwear. I haven’t felt any pain on my heels ever since I started wearing my Skechers Shape-Ups,” gushes Fortich. “Also, this product burns 13.2 percent more calories and activates 85 percent more postural muscles at the back, chest and abdominals. Posture is also improved.”

This year, Fortich believes we should all take measures to ensure that we are physically fit, especially with all the pressures of the daily grind. On keeping fit and fabulous, the expert advises: “Set a realistic goal. Eat mindfully and workout regularly. Just an accumulated 30 minutes of moderate intensity, physical activity can surely reap good benefits.”

Take her word for it. If it’s about keeping fit and living healthy, Skechers ambassador Connie Fortich surely knows what she’s talking about.