WORLD PREMIERE: That British Union Jack T-shirt

Imagine how the Ginger Spice fangirl in me resurfaced as soon as my gaze landed on this Jus' Ur Size t-shirt last weekend. I love its fit and its soft fabric. It was an easy decision NOT to have it handwashed until its world premiere today in Crossroad 77 during our Church's small group initiative called The Workout: From Working to Working Out.

My British Union Jack t-shirt from Jus' Ur Size in SM Department Store

In my case, the workout had begun the moment I found tiny hills of vomit our spoiled furball had liberated along my way out. Knowing it was almost 17:00, I did a quick sweep of the mess and gave Johann a few belly rubs before running out. As always, this Cavite-Quezon City commute gave me an opportunity to face my space issues through this sauna-now,-igloo-later,-then-sauna-again exercise otherwise known as MRT experience. This heart-pumping workout continued when the cabbie pressed me for directions. Ako? Wala nga akong sense of direction eh!

And I made it! Thank God! Here's my ticket! Woohoo!


Here's a better version of the event details. Grabbed from the fanpage.


The stage design

The let-loose party started when Via Bonoan from Zumba Fitness asked us all to come in front for 30 minutes of Latin dancing. Even before Via's teaching stint was over, I was already racking my brains where to hoard Zumba DVDs so I can practice at home. Have I told you about waking up for one solid week this summer caving in to my urge to dance to Enrique Iglesias's "Escape" as if YOU were watching? Heck, I must be a Latina in my past life!

After this, Planet Infinity business development manager Jeredan Conde went to great lengths to explain the importance of exercise, namely, its ability to 1.) cut disease risks, 2.) make us corporate slaves become more productive and happier in the workplace and 3.) look better.

He also debunked the following gym myths:

Myth # 1: Lift LIGHT weights for "cuts", fat loss and toning. Only lift HEAVY weights if you prefer to look like a bodybuilder.
Fact: To look toned and to shed fats, do exercises that work on many muscle groups. Also, it takes genetically-gifted people or habitual users of steroids and other drugs to become bodybuilders.

Myth # 2: I can eat anything as long as I work out regularly.
Fact: I once heard Derek Ramsay say this [over breakfast in bed] and believed him. Newsflash: we still need to feed ourselves properly. We can't binge on Krispy Kreme now and expect the workout later to burn it all. As Jeredan pointed out, ice cream during reward day tastes waaay better than daily ice cream indulgences.
Here's the best learning of the day: we must conclude each workout with sugar intake and little protein (don't ask me why they complement each other, I missed to jot it down as I started daydreaming of an unknown personal trainer serving me leche flan with vanilla ice cream as reward). I've got three words for you: Taho par-tey!

Myth # 3: Cardio and aerobics is the best way to lose weight.
Fact: Strength training like weightlifting stimulates the metabolism at least 40% more than cardio workouts. Also, cardio does not build muscles.

Myth # 4: If I only eat once a day, I'll lose weight.
Fact: When you starve yourself, the body will start using your muscles to feed itself. Just like what I learned from the nutritionists I've interviewed for my previous published articles, skipping meals will make you binge on your next meal. 4-6 light meals per day is highly recommended.

Myth # 5: You have to work out at least 2 hours everyday to see results.
Fact: I remember Madonna saying there's no such thing as rest days when it comes to exercise. Jeredan said that going beyond 90 minutes per day will make cordisol, a stress hormone, encourage our body to produce fat, not muscles. Also, 1 hour of workout, 3 days of workout per week will suffice.

They also introduced Conrad Herrera, one of their clients who lost 110 pounds in 6 months, and Angel Rivero, a seemingly fit woman who's close to being unhealthy. Both of them work on erratic hours. Conrad is also on graveyard shift while Angel is juggling TV, newspaper, radio and hosting stints. They served as living reminders that I CAN find time to exercise regularly, too. While this interview was ongoing, I was on queue for the FREE InBody analysis.

The view from the queue


The machine

Here's the scanned copy of my InBody analysis results.

The results!


Nosebleed ba? Here's the definition of terms.


Malaya Conde tells us how to workout even if we have no equipment

As a closing activity, Malaya gathered us all again in front. She taught 5 exercises that we can do anywhere spacious enough, such as purbies (did I spell it correctly?), squats, back extensions, plank and everybody's favorite, push-ups. Now we have no excuse NOT to workout!

Back extensions. Photo lifted here.


Squats. Photo from this source.



Plank. Photo lifted here.


And push-ups! Photo taken from this website.



***

I'm grateful for today's learning experience. However, I took home this concern about how strength training and cardio go together, as reinforced by the research finding that men who lift weights cut 40% of cancer risk. I find gyms - particularly weightlifting - as completely boring. I don't like all that piles of iron and the intimidating presence of men in the area. I'm the type who enjoys being in the dancefloor, on the mat, being slightly submerged on water (yeah, I'm scared of bodies of water), in the football field bleachers (being a spectator counts as a workout, right?) and...and...in bed.

Now I must find a personal trainer for this.

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality of my photos. I'm just using my camera phone.