Staying in shape the Jackie Lou way

She rarely catches a cold and has yet to sustain an injury no matter how much bending, jumping and stretching she does, day in and day out.

Jackie Lou Blanco is a walking testament to the wonders of staying fit, not only to the figure but to overall wellness. So too, is her family, who, seeing how mom puts in one-and-a-half hours a day on exercise, has decided to try it as well.

Husband Ricky Davao plays badminton. The children, Kenneth, 14, Rikki Mae, 11 and Arabella, seven, have asked Jackie Lou what exercises fit their age and lifestyle as well.

"I have to walk the talk, so to speak," Jackie Lou describes her devotion to all things healthy and fit. In her first workout video released by Viva, she discussed health musts like a balanced diet before proceeding with warm up, regular and cooling down exercises.

This, too, she follows religiously.

"I eat everything, but in moderation," she echoes a dictum fellow fitness believer Eddie Garcia follows, with visible results.

This time, in Working Out with Jackie Lou 2, sequel to her first successful fitness video, Jackie Lou visits The Farm, a world-class health resort in Lipa, Batangas, this time to promote things organic. After the usual round of exercises — more advanced this time — Jackie talks to The Farm’s lady chef who will share the recipe for an organic salad (look ma, no junk food!) and an energizing shake to keep the body going after that hectic round of exercises.

Also included in the video are pointers in choosing the proper attire and sneakers for the workout.

Jackie Lou also shows how you can stay fit without burning your pocket by buying expensive dumbbells. A part of the video sees her suggesting canned products or water bottles as substitutes for dumbbells.

Equipment, after all, is no substitute for the right moves in doing exercise, Jackie Lou will tell you.

"You can, for instance, raise your legs just a bit if that’s all you can do," she says. "You don’t have to raise it all the way."

The same holds true for push-ups, which Jackie, a fitness expert though she may be, admits finding hard to do. Her advice is: just do as many push ups as you’re comfortable with. Do not, in other words, push yourself too far if you can’t.

She offers another word of caution: the exercises are not recommended for those with hypertension or weak hearts. They can try the warm up or stretching exercises. But please, not the more strenuous exercises.

So first make sure you’re physically fit before cuing in that video (DVD or VCD, take your pick) and limbering up with Jackie Lou, a.k.a. Ms. Great Body (a title she won in a fitness contest years back).

So what are you waiting for? Grab that dumbbell — empty water bottle or can, if you please — and start stretching those muscles and shaking that body. Your very life may depend on it.