Opting for a better lifestyle is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make for yourself. Eating healthier options and working out will not only allow you to live longer but can also make you feel great about yourself, too!
Hanz Rainier Arias is one of those who opted to take the long and grueling route in making himself better through proper diet and exercise. Through a post on his Facebook account, he shared his fitness journey that began last July 2016.
“My cousin Kirk pointed out that my weight was getting out of control. But I didn’t care nor bother to take action until I subjected myself to the ultimate test: the weighing scale. Stepping on the scale, I can say that I have never been shocked by any news in my entire life. At 21 years old, standing at 5’6″, I weighed a whopping 225 lbs! (102 kg) I wished I was kidding, but three weighing scales proved me this. My BMI (Body Mass Index) concluded that I was not average, not above average — heck, definitely not underweight but obese.”
Arias narrated to WHEN IN MANILA that prior to his weight loss journey, he described himself as a “fat a**” and someone who loved food and drinking alcoholic beverages.
“I don’t care kung ano hitsura ko dati, confidence lang ang aking laban, haha! Dati, inuman over gym, pero ngayon, gym over inuman na.”
Rough translation: I didn’t care how I looked before, I only had confidence, haha! Before, I would choose drinking sessions over the gym, but now it’s the other way around.
A younger Arias a few years ago; and when he was a kid
Arias, however, realized that it was a mistake of his to be ignorant about his unhealthy lifestyle. He shared that ever since he was little, he was always a chubby person. Because of that, he settled with the fact that he was called cute by his family and friends, including his crushes. He ate anything unhealthy, including fried, junk, processed, salty, sweet and “everything between”. This took a toll not just on his physical health, but also emotional.
“Around my teen years, I started to feel insecure; and little by little I fell into depression. Seeing my friends so confident, happy, and healthy made me hate myself more and the only thing that comforted me was food. I feel lucky I met two friends who I became close with – who kept me company during those dark times. Those were Lays and Doritos, hehe. They kept me company, especially during midnight.”
“I used to be a dancer and a cheerleader back when I was in college. I wasn’t gym conscious, as in hindi talaga, because I was contented with what I was doing already for exercise.”
Arias was reluctant in starting a weight loss journey. He was also scared of the failures that he may encounter, as well as doubts that could possibly block his way from achieving his goal.
“I asked myself a lot of “what if” questions. What if I fail? What if I decide to quit? What if I can’t handle the pain and struggles that come along? All what if’s. As I was filling my mind with all these negativities, I suddenly remembered a quote that I came across way back in high school, a quote by Buddha – “All that we are is a result of what we have thought.’
Eventually, Arias persevered, grinded, hustled and pushed himself to the limits. He is now 160 lbs (72 kg), losing 65 lbs (29 kg) after a year. How did he do it?
Proper diet and regular exercise. My diet consisted of healthy carbs (brown rice, oatmeal, wheat bread), high protein viands (lean beef, lean ground beef, chicken breast, eggs, etc.) and fruits and vegetables. For my exercise, I hit the weights and did cardio 5x per week. For my cardio workouts, I did either a combination of 30-60 minute treadmill sessions (consisting of walks, jogs and sprints) or High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
He admits that there are lazy days where he felt like skipping the gym or working out, which he thinks is okay, and the same goes with cheat days. It also pays to reward yourself ocassionally, says Arias. He said that it helped him “become more locked on with his goal since he felt like he wasn’t depriving himself too much”, and he had “something to look forward after a week’s grueling workout”.
He gives four pieces of advice for those who want to embark on a weight loss journey like him – tracking daily calorie intakes, tracking your weekly progress, treating Sunday as a cheat day but most importantly, being patient.
Arias likes to work out with his friends and cousins
“Stay patient and trust your journey. There will be a lot of challenges along the way, but in the end, it will all be worth it.”
A year later, Arias celebrates his victory of hitting his goal of losing weight and feeling better about himself. Would he say that he has finally reached his fitness goal?
“No, hindi na siya (my fitness journey) mag end, parang love may short term and long term diba? Yung fitness journey ko pang lifetime na ‘di na titigil at never na siya mawawala sa katawan at puso ko. Sa fitness, may forever. Hahaha!
Rough translation: “No, it’s not (my fitness journey) going to end. It’s like love – there’s short term and long term, right? My fitness journey is for a lifetime that won’t stop and wouldn’t get out of my system and heart. With fitness, there’s forever. Hahaha!”
Thanks for inspiring us with your fitness journey!
(Editor’s note: Arias wishes that should one have questions about fitness and healthier food choices, you can reach him on his social media account on Twitter and follow his fitness journey on Instagram.)
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Disclaimer: WheninManila.com does not own these photos. Photo credits go to Hanz Rainier Arias. You may view the original post here.
