To get a perfect body, get out of the gym

So I’ve been working out a lot lately. But eating out a lot, too. I am aware that this poses a problem, and thus attacking it right at the root. The presence of a new Starbucks right smack between my home and gym has done major damage, under the guise of a daily doppio espresso to get me buzzing for morning cardio. I proudly stop in for my pure caffeine kick — no sugar, no milk, all innocent 10 calories in a double shot. It was a winner until I started pairing it with their choco-macadamia cookie, which goes so well with the bitter beverage. I adopted this foolhardy routine for weeks, maybe months, until I summoned up the nerve to ask the barista about the calorie count. “Around 300 calories,” was her reply, and although I wholeheartedly forget calorie count when I’m eating, I do know that to burn 300 calories I need one hour on the treadmill, a bit more, at my pace. One problem with working out with repeated movements, like running on a treadmill, or the elliptical trainer, is that you get used to it, so you reach a point where you’re not burning fat efficiently anymore, and end up just fatiguing your body. The other problem is you tend to think you’ve worked hard enough, and thus deserve a treat. It doesn’t help that my gym has a juice bar that serves bread and pasta, for crying out loud, replete with garlic wafting through the air conditioning.

Letting go: Savasana or corpse pose at Bikram yoga is when the sweating stops and stillness begins. Photo from blisstree.com

Hot yoga. Actually, I felt fitter and more energetic when I was doing Bikram yoga. I mustered a morning high, somehow during those months, for 8 a.m. class, or even the end of the day session at 8 p.m., which promises the most restful sleep. Deep and challenging stretches and sweaty 90-minute sessions demand breath, mind and body awareness, but wow, no more knee pain, no foot pain, which I got from treadmill and tennis. No need for foot reflexology massages just to heal the effects of sneaker wearing and pounding pavement. Bikram is of course done barefoot, and barely clothed. Eventually, traveling (plus other life complications) intervened, but I still advocate it as one of the most life-enhancing practices. The thing with Bikram yoga is you need to be in the studio to perfect your performance because of the regulated heated temperature (to clarify: all Bikram is hot, but not all hot yoga is Bikram). I’d attend not just for the amazing effect of the heat on loosening up my body, but also for the well-trained teachers and the intensity you feed off in a class. I never needed coffee before it, just water, even for the 6:30 a.m. class. And the practice calmed my appetite, as Bikram yoga improves circulation, regulates digestion and increases metabolism, not to mention leaner legs and glowing skin. (Try it at Bikram Yoga Greenhills, 3/F Fox Square Bldg, 53 Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan, Tel. 721-8350.)

Breathing space: New studio White Space Wellness offers yoga, pilates and meditation. Photo by Jonas Asistio

Smaller movements. Hollywood trainer Tracey Anderson, best known for molding Hollywood bodies of 38-year-old Gwyneth Paltrow and whose other clients include Madonna, Shakira and Nicole Richie, wrote a book called 30-Day Method that includes a detailed exercise routine, definitely not for the faint of heart or the sometimes lazy. Anderson is against other forms of cardio, such as running, where you repeat your movements over and over. That, says the former dancer, will bulk muscles. Instead she developed movements that work your smaller intrinsic muscles. The book includes a dance cardio DVD, incorporating jazzy leaps, star jumps and aerobic moves. You must do the routine to the letter — don your trainers, in your room, while staring at Tracey’s pursed lips. I could hardly think about let alone perform the hardcore exercise moves, but I do appreciate new ideas, so I read the book and ended up lending it to my erstwhile personal trainer so he could practice the moves with his client Steph Keinle (who could do them). Anderson also recommends a 25-day vegetarian menu. She also talks about how finding cute and stylish fitness clothes can be the motivation that takes you to work out. (Buy the book at National Bookstore, P725, www.nationalbookstore.com.ph.) After I accepted I am not a torture fanatic I turned my focus instead to private pilates sessions, which improves posture and relieves back pain through core workouts and deep breathing. (You can contact Billy Goco for privates at billygocojr@gmail.com or through their new studio, White Space Mind and Body Wellness. They offer group yoga, pilates, taichi, reiki and meditation. Located at 6/F Regis Center, 327 Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Tel: 577-0345, Cell: 0917-5770345 or visit whitespacewellness.com).

Sleeping beauty: Body 360 is a three-way contouring solution for looking younger and slimmer

Mind the inside. Half of perfecting your package is the food you put into your body. I’ve been learning to put more healthy food into my diet, specifically avoiding meat and eating raw meals, inspired by a book I chanced upon at the Bangkok airport on a terrible flight delay, The Clean Diet by Dr. Alexander Junger. The New York Times bestseller advocates a plant-based food detox for three weeks to heal your body, eliminating skin allergies, pains and disease. Gwyneth and Demi Moore are fans of Dr. Junger’s Clean Diet cleanse which you could order in the US, but for those of us who merely have the book, you’ll benefit from his advice and recipes for shakes, smoothies and meals (some using fish and chicken). They are not only easy to do but taste really good as well. I’d leap from bed in the morning looking forward to blending an energy smoothie. It’s the way to balance out all the pizza I’ve been eating at Nolita.

Eat well: Clean Diet by Dr. Alexander Junger advocates a plant-based detox diet

Work the surface. Age and unhealthy habits contribute to a certain acceptance of defeat, and despite exercising and eating well, the skin shows many imperfections no matter how disciplined you are. Problems like sagging skin, cellulite, stretch marks and bloating can be easily attacked with religious attention to vanity. The combo of coconut oil and dry skin brushing apparently works wonders for a smoother skin tone if you do it daily. I was introduced recently to Body 360, a body-shaping treatment using three methods, including ultrasound and radio frequency. First, fat and cellulite within the cells are broken down; next, skin is tightened and contoured; and last, muscle toning is done where a machine does all the work, “working you out” through electrocurrent pads. Apparently, many gym goers like this, and a lot of men, too, because it makes the abs look even more defined. I can imagine models or artistas doing this before a big shoot or beach trip. (For inquiries, call The Skin Specialist, G/F, Esna Bldg, 30 Timog Ave, Quezon City, Tel. 374-8087, www.drjeanskinspecialist.com.ph.)

So it was a blessing in disguise that my gym privileges were halted this month. Feeling worn out and need a boost? Try something new that appeals to you. There are various paths to perfection.