Fitness for kids and more
February 26, 2002 | 12:00am
Click here to read Part I
Click here to read Part II
Boredom.
This is one of the biggest enemies of anyone who works out – fitness enthusiast or not.
This must explain why every so often, a new fitness craze hits town. Aerobics alone has spawned so many variants and continues to have more and more reincarnations. At the height of the aerobics craze, there were hi and low impact classes, and then step or bench classes. Then taebo came around, followed by spinning and core board – and only God knows what else might follow.
People who prefer workouts that are more gentle on the joints opt for Pilates, yoga or tai chi. Some sports enthusiasts have opted to stick to their sports routines, but there have been a lot of converts to boxing or muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) who have seen the benefits of the total body workout.
But one thing is definite among fitness enthusiasts: No matter what fad they may opt to try out at any given time, they come back to working out again and again and again.
"Here at Core Fitness Studio, what we want to offer our clients are programs which are tailor-made for them — no matter what their workout preferences may be," says Paolo Villarroel who, with Cheska Laurel, co-owns Core Fitness Studio at the ground floor, Frabella I Condominium, 109 Rada St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.
Cheska thought up the name Core Fitness. "The whole premise is the fitness routines we offer. Whether it be the Fitball weight training, kickboxing or Pilates, we want to work on the core muscles, which include all the muscles in the shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip area, abdominals and back muscles, too," says Cheska.
"If your core muscles are strong, then the rest of your body will also be strong," Paolo points out. Just as a tree is strong because it has a good trunk, the same holds true for a person.
Paolo knows whereof he speaks – after all he has been in the fitness industry for the past 10 years, starting out as a personal trainer himself. "While I was working as a personal trainer, it was always important for me that I kept myself updated on all the new developments in the fitness industry," says Paolo.
Thus, he became an Aerobic Fitness Association of America (AFAA) certified instructor. Three years ago, Paolo got into Pilates and studied it in the US for six months. He came back and set up a studio where he taught both mat and machine Pilates. It was also at about that time that Cheska, who had been one of Paolo’s personal training clients, got bitten by the Pilates bug. "I finally found something that I really liked. Prior to doing Pilates, I was not really into fitness," shares Cheska.
"Here at Core Fitness, we offer Pilates classes, both mat and machine, Fitball with weights classes, kickboxing and also fitness for kids," says Paolo.
Paolo explains that what he tries to do with any of the classes he teaches is to integrate all that he has learned from his years in fitness into a program that will really cater to the needs of each individual he trains. "I make it a point to get to know my clients very well so that I can train them in a way that they will not get bored," says Paolo.
The Fitball classes are taught by Paolo and Cheska, both certified instructors. "Fitball can apply to many things. It can be used by people who need to do rehab exercises, as well as by kids. Of course, we also use the Fitball in aerobic classes and for doing weights," says Cheska.
Paolo says that when one uses the Fitball properly while doing their circuit weight training programs, they are sure to develop their core muscles.
Paolo teaches kickboxing, too. But he says that it is not the same as taebo; what’s important is that those who join the class get to burn calories but learn how to move and throw kicks and punches the right way.
"We only accept 10 students at the most per class so that we are sure that we can train our students on a very personal level," says Paolo.
"One of the biggest problems with today’s kids is that they are glued to the TV or their PlayStations," says Cheska who has three kids aged five, 11 and 13.
This is the reason why Cheska has taken charge of the fitness for kids aspect of the studio. "I make sure that whatever we offer for the kids, we try out on my kids first. But what I do is make sure that the kids are really involved in the games," she asserts.
She believes that if kids are given a set way of doing a certain activity, they will get bored. But if they have to decipher how to play the game on their own, then it becomes more fun for them.
Cheska says that she plans to get kids between the ages of three and 12 in her classes and then further divide them into two groups so that kids can play with other kids their age.
Paolo adds that they also plan to have fitness programs for teens, which will be similar to the adult programs but a little "hilaw" in the sense that they will be geared towards what they are capable of doing.
"All I know is that if the kids are no longer having fun while they are here at our studio, then we have not been effective fitness instructors to them," adds Cheska.
Paolo and Cheska agree that for any fitness program to work for a person – no matter how good the program may look on paper – his or her attitude toward it is crucial. "I can assure you that if a client comes in to work out and is not 100 percent present – body, mind and soul – then he might be able to go through the motions but will not get the best benefits of the programs we have to offer," says Cheska.
Pilates is one form of exercise that requires a lot of imagery, for instance. "There’s a lot of mental imagery involved in Pilates," says Cheska.
"What we can assure our clients is that if they come here to get lean, toned and fit, then they have come to the right place. We have prepared programs that are geared towards creating leaner and better toned bodies. And we make sure that the programs that we make for our clients will be suited to them and are very personalized," says Paolo.
Call Core Fitness Studio at 750-01-16 or 750-01-17.
Click here to read Part II
This is one of the biggest enemies of anyone who works out – fitness enthusiast or not.
This must explain why every so often, a new fitness craze hits town. Aerobics alone has spawned so many variants and continues to have more and more reincarnations. At the height of the aerobics craze, there were hi and low impact classes, and then step or bench classes. Then taebo came around, followed by spinning and core board – and only God knows what else might follow.
People who prefer workouts that are more gentle on the joints opt for Pilates, yoga or tai chi. Some sports enthusiasts have opted to stick to their sports routines, but there have been a lot of converts to boxing or muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) who have seen the benefits of the total body workout.
But one thing is definite among fitness enthusiasts: No matter what fad they may opt to try out at any given time, they come back to working out again and again and again.
Cheska thought up the name Core Fitness. "The whole premise is the fitness routines we offer. Whether it be the Fitball weight training, kickboxing or Pilates, we want to work on the core muscles, which include all the muscles in the shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip area, abdominals and back muscles, too," says Cheska.
"If your core muscles are strong, then the rest of your body will also be strong," Paolo points out. Just as a tree is strong because it has a good trunk, the same holds true for a person.
Paolo knows whereof he speaks – after all he has been in the fitness industry for the past 10 years, starting out as a personal trainer himself. "While I was working as a personal trainer, it was always important for me that I kept myself updated on all the new developments in the fitness industry," says Paolo.
Thus, he became an Aerobic Fitness Association of America (AFAA) certified instructor. Three years ago, Paolo got into Pilates and studied it in the US for six months. He came back and set up a studio where he taught both mat and machine Pilates. It was also at about that time that Cheska, who had been one of Paolo’s personal training clients, got bitten by the Pilates bug. "I finally found something that I really liked. Prior to doing Pilates, I was not really into fitness," shares Cheska.
Paolo explains that what he tries to do with any of the classes he teaches is to integrate all that he has learned from his years in fitness into a program that will really cater to the needs of each individual he trains. "I make it a point to get to know my clients very well so that I can train them in a way that they will not get bored," says Paolo.
The Fitball classes are taught by Paolo and Cheska, both certified instructors. "Fitball can apply to many things. It can be used by people who need to do rehab exercises, as well as by kids. Of course, we also use the Fitball in aerobic classes and for doing weights," says Cheska.
Paolo says that when one uses the Fitball properly while doing their circuit weight training programs, they are sure to develop their core muscles.
Paolo teaches kickboxing, too. But he says that it is not the same as taebo; what’s important is that those who join the class get to burn calories but learn how to move and throw kicks and punches the right way.
"We only accept 10 students at the most per class so that we are sure that we can train our students on a very personal level," says Paolo.
This is the reason why Cheska has taken charge of the fitness for kids aspect of the studio. "I make sure that whatever we offer for the kids, we try out on my kids first. But what I do is make sure that the kids are really involved in the games," she asserts.
She believes that if kids are given a set way of doing a certain activity, they will get bored. But if they have to decipher how to play the game on their own, then it becomes more fun for them.
Cheska says that she plans to get kids between the ages of three and 12 in her classes and then further divide them into two groups so that kids can play with other kids their age.
Paolo adds that they also plan to have fitness programs for teens, which will be similar to the adult programs but a little "hilaw" in the sense that they will be geared towards what they are capable of doing.
"All I know is that if the kids are no longer having fun while they are here at our studio, then we have not been effective fitness instructors to them," adds Cheska.
Pilates is one form of exercise that requires a lot of imagery, for instance. "There’s a lot of mental imagery involved in Pilates," says Cheska.
"What we can assure our clients is that if they come here to get lean, toned and fit, then they have come to the right place. We have prepared programs that are geared towards creating leaner and better toned bodies. And we make sure that the programs that we make for our clients will be suited to them and are very personalized," says Paolo.
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