6 Simple Steps to Start Getting In Shape
Meet Patrick de Veyra. 31 years old. Visual artist. Teacher. A year ago, he weighed 260 pounds. His days were basically spent back and forth between his studio and the classes he taught. Over the past few years, he’s had an on-and-off love affair with fitness.
A year and 40 pounds later, he feels stronger than ever. At 225 pounds, he is healthier and fitter than ever.
Meet Ryan Villamael. 26 years old. A paper cutting artist. One year ago, he passed out after attending one CrossFit session.
Fast forward to October 2014, he now does a 115 lb. strict press. As part of a CrossFit Competitor’s class, he is stronger and fitter than ever.
Between the two, here are some tips from their journey to getting in shape:
6 Simple Steps to Start Getting In Shape
6. Working out should be a hobby. Do exercises that you enjoy doing.
If you like running, go ahead and run. If you’re a gym rat, then stop putting off working out. Working out should not be a chore; it should be something you look forward to – something you will gladly carve out time for. This is where the often monotonous conventional exercises and lacklustre workout routines often fail. The humdrum repetitive movements fail to be anything more than tasks to be crossed out on a list. If this sounds familiar, then CrossFit might be the fitness gods’ answer to your prayers.
On November 2013, Patrick and Ryan decided to take that first step into getting fit and enrolled in CrossFit Infinitas Origins, a 5-day CrossFit fundamentals class. Patrick and Ryan once attempted to do conventional gym training, but that didn’t work for them. Patrick, for one, felt “like a hamster running in a hamster cage when he was alone in a conventional gym.
CrossFit Infinitas appealed to them more because there are coaches there who can check their form and technique, and push them even more when they feel like their pace is getting too slow, especially if they’re going easy on themselves. There is a community there – an atmosphere that engages. The workouts became fun, shared activities rather than something they just had to get through.
5. Pay attention to your nutrition. Cut back on food that your body has a difficult time processing.
Watching your diet is an everyday job. Cut down on the white carbs. Choose nutrient-dense foods instead of empty carbs. Get a bigger percentage of your energy a.k.a. calories from other essential nutrients like protein.
CrossFit Inifinitas knows that a big part of getting in shape is fueling your body and makes it easier for patrons to understand and get proper nutrition. In partnership with Artemis Black Label, it provides clients with the option of a subscription meal plan for new and interesting paleo dishes. CrossFit Infinitas is the only box in the whole of the Philippines that not only offers CrossFit but also connects itself to a nutrition bar. The products you see at CrossFit Infinitas are some of the best in the fitness industry and come highly recommended by experts.
4. Do intermittent fasting. Try to fast 16 hours a day thrice a week.
David Zinczenko, a fitness expert, advocates fasting for 16 hours a day. Patrick himself vouches for the benefits of fasting. This 8-hour diet promises losing 20-60 pounds or more while still being able to eat whatever you want. Patrick’s last meal every night is at 8pm so he starts eating at 12nn. It’s essentially just skipping breakfast. While you’re fasting, you can drink black coffee or water, whatever your preference is. This formula has been tried and tested by no less than Wolverine himself. Yes, Hugh Jackman does this to get in shape.
Keep in mind the 3 things that are key to a healthy lifestyle: TRAINING, DIET AND FASTING. Don’t fail in all three. At least have one that you’ll fight tooth and nail for.
3. Find a solid support group.
Make yourself accountable to your Facebook/Twitter/Instagram friends. Tell everyone that you’ve decided to start getting into shape.
If that’s not enough for you, then look for a fitness buddy. Make a bet with him or her that if you don’t reach whatever your fitness goal is in a certain number of months, then you’ll give him/her Php20,000 (set a certain amount that you wouldn’t want to lose).
What if you’re the only one among your group of friends who’s brave enough to face a fitness challenge? If you don’t have anyone else to turn to for fitness support or advice, then CrossFit is the perfect exercise for you! Since you’re part of a class, you’ll feel more committed to finishing. Also, when you have other people there with you who are doing the same things you’re doing, then you have instant cheerleaders.
If you’re the type of person to join group classes where some of them are a lot better than you and some of them are not, and it doesn’t make you feel any feel any worse about yourself, go ahead and enroll in CrossFit Infinitas Origins. In your classes, everyone will be “making a fool out of themselves” to a certain degree yet everyone will still be having fun.
CrossFit Infinitas works in a community-oriented environment. Everyone is simply inspiring and is never judgmental. I personally have never been more excited to be part of a community. There’s no air of pretense. When you get into the Origins class and you’re good, the others celebrate it; when you’re not so good, they commiserate. It’s a camaraderie of blood and sweat. These people who share the hardship you’re in are the same people who are there to take you to your last set of exercise.
2. Track your progress.
The usual way to do this is to use the weighing scale and/or measure your waist. The more popular way to track your progress these days is to post photos of yourself on Facebook or Instagram monthly.
CrossFit Infinitas is all about making it easy for you to track your progress. Typical CrossFit gyms use a whiteboard where you jot down how well you performed that day. This method probably works fine, but it’s tied to one gym. What if you want to try several ones or work in a job that will have you at a different location for weeks at a time? Seeing your progress is the ultimate motivation. You should be able to see it whenever you need the motivation.
This is Patrick with the coaches of CrossFit SG. Even when out of the country, Patrick still maintains his fitness routine.
CrossFit Inifinitas knows this and offers a solution: Wodify, a performance tracking software based in the cloud, which athletes can access to see their records from anywhere. That means that you can track your performance and sign into class on any device while on-the-go. CrossFit Infinitas is one of the first places to actually use the Wodify program.
1. Just do it.
Enough said. As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It doesn’t matter how many articles you read or how many tips you memorize. What you need is to turn all that hopeful energy into steely resolve, and that resolve into positive action.
So, when in Manila and totally clueless about how to start getting into shape, try out these fitness tips or, better yet, contact Crossfit Infinitas ASAP!
CrossFit Infinitas
79 Mother Ignacia Avenue, 1104 Quezon City, Philippines
+639178617145 / 024129004
https://www.CrossFitinfinitas.com
thebox@CrossFitinfinitas.com
Twitter: @cfinfinitas
Instagram: @CrossFitinfinitas
