CrossFit CEO steps down after 'FLOYD-19' tweet sparks outrage

WASHINGTON - Crossfit founder and CEO Greg Glassman said on Tuesday he was stepping down after his response to the anti-racism US protests, prompted by George Floyd's death, caused outrage.

On Saturday Glassman tweeted "It's FLOYD-19" after the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation classified racism and discrimination as a public health issue.

Human rights groups expressed outrage at the tweet, calling it insensitive to current events and the death of Floyd, a black man who died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"On Saturday I created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members," Glassman said in a statement.

"I'm stepping down as CEO of CrossFit, Inc., and I have decided to retire... I cannot let my behavior stand in the way of HQ's or affiliates' missions."

According to a recording of a Zoom call obtained by BuzzFeed News, hours before his tweets Glassman told private gym owners: "We're not mourning for George Floyd -- I don't think me or any of my staff are."

On Sunday, sports footwear giant Reebok announced it would end its partnership with CrossFit later this year.

Affiliate CrossFit Magnus also decided to cut ties with the Washington, DC-based organization.

More than 1,000 affiliated gyms have reportedly left the company, according to a CrossFit newsletter.

Dave Castro, director of the CrossFit Games, will replace Glassman as CEO, the company said. 

CrossFit has over 13,000 gyms in more than 120 countries, generating some US$4 billion in annual revenues.

Agence France-Presse

How exercise may affect your immunity

Does exercise help or hinder our bodies’ ability to fight off infections?

In the context of the novel coronavirus outbreak, that question has gained urgency and also, thanks to recent research, emergent answers. The latest science suggests that being fit boosts our immune systems, and that even a single workout can amplify and improve our ability to fight off germs.

But some studies also indicate that the types and amount of exercise may influence how exercise affects our immune responses. More is not necessarily better. And the location of the exercise could matter, too; cue recent findings about the germiness of gyms.

What follows is an overview of the state of today’s science about how and why exercise interacts with our immune systems and whether we should plan to remain active, even as the incidence of new virus cases continues to grow.

Many of us who exercise have heard from well-meaning friends, spouses or parents that strenuous exercise will tamp down our immune systems, opening us to pathogens and illness. That notion gained credence in the late 1980s, the result of studies showing that “marathon running increased the incidence of infection symptoms among runners in the days and weeks after the race,” said John Campbell, a professor of health science at the University of Bath in England and co-author of an influential 2018 review of exercise and immunity.

But those studies subsequently turned out to have relied too heavily on self-diagnoses from the runners about their sniffles. In experiments using laboratory testing of marathoners after races, few proved to have actual respiratory infections. Instead, most had developed airway irritations or other noninfectious conditions.

Follow-up studies then established that marathon runners and other competitive endurance athletes tended, in fact, to report few annual sick days, indicating their immune systems were not over-burdened by exercise but bolstered. Since then, a wealth of research in both people and animals reinforced that idea. A series of 2005 experiments with mice, for instance, showed that if rodents jogged gently for about 30 minutes a day for several weeks, they were much more likely to survive a virulent form of rodent influenza than untrained animals.

At the same time, though, some research hinted that one strenuous workout might temporarily diminish our immune responses soon afterward, putting us at heightened risk for an opportunistic infection after the workout. This possibility was known as the “open window” theory and relied on experiments in animals and people showing that immune cells flooded our bloodstreams immediately after a hard workout and then abruptly disappeared, presumably dying as a result of the exercise stress. This disappearance seemed to leave us with lowered levels of the cells that recognize and fight pathogenic intruders, offering germs an open window for incursions.

But, once again, subsequent, sophisticated experiments offered a different explanation. In remarkable experiments with rodents, scientists marked some of their immune cells with phosphorescent dye and had them run to exhaustion.

Afterward, the scientists noted that the levels of glowing cells in their bloodstreams spiked and then plummeted, as expected. But they also found that few of those cells had died; instead they had traveled to the animals’ lungs, guts and other parts of their bodies potentially most vulnerable to germ invasions during exercise. After a few hours of sentinel duty, most cells returned to the bloodstream, stabilizing immune cells levels there and suggesting that their immune vigilance had refocused but not declined.

Similarly, in a study published last year, fit, exercise-trained mice that were injected with germs immediately after a strenuous run fought off the infection better than sedentary animals, in large part, additional molecular analysis showed, because their immune cells homed in on and clustered around the pathogens, while those same cells were more diffusely scattered in the tissues of the inactive animals.

Taken as a whole, this research about exercise and our immune systems tells us that “there is no or limited reliable evidence for exercise directly increasing the chance of developing any kind of viral infection,” said James Turner, co-author of the 2018 review about exercise and immunity and also a professor of health science at the University of Bath. “So, it is safe to exercise, despite concerns about coronavirus,” he concludes. Exercise, in fact, will probably lessen the risk of an infection, he said.

There are caveats, though. If you have not been exercising, now might not be the ideal moment to start an extremely ambitious and tiring new workout routine. In the 2005 studies with mice and influenza, a separate group of animals that ran strenuously for weeks developed somewhat more severe and longer-lasting symptoms than the mice that ran moderately before their infections, although the differences were slight.

And do not ignore basic hygiene and common sense. Wash your hands often before and after exercise; shorten or skip workouts if you feel unwell; avoid training partners who are sniffling or coughing; and rub a sanitizing wipe over gym equipment before use. A study last year identified lingering, infectious germs on about a third of the surfaces at 16 different fitness facilities. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

How Darren Criss overcame his fear of gym bros

Actor Darren Criss, 32, has a lot to say about grooming, diet, fitness and, most important, sleep. Criss, a San Francisco native who lives in Los Angeles, is so obsessed with sleep that he times it to REM cycles. 

He has also started a men’s grooming site, the Motley, with siblings Matthew and Madison Ruggieri, and has just introduced a unisex skin care line called Onekind. Here, Criss, who is in the war drama “Midway” and is filming “Hollywood,” the new Ryan Murphy Netflix show scheduled for release next year, explains his personal care routine.

 Fully Groomed

I have a lot of cleansers, but honestly, this is the one category where I feel like you just need to get your face clean. You use a bar of soap, and as long as it does the job, it’s OK. Then I use Port Products Sol Defense SPF moisturizer. Then, morning and night, I put on Recipe for Men Under Eye Gel.

For night, I’m biased toward my own products. I do the Onekind Midnight Magic serum — there’s retinol in there — and I use that in tandem with Onekind Dream Cream. Every two days or so, I do the Urth Botanical Resurfacing Mask. I love a lot of their products. I also have the Urth Antioxidant Face Complex. It’s like taking your face to the spa.

The Perfect Shave

I have to shave every day for “Hollywood,” the show I’m on, and it’s really tough on the skin. I have to pay attention to the length of my stubble and the kind of blade I use. If I have a few days’ growth, I like the Executive blades from Dollar Shave Club.

But if it’s a day’s stubble, I’m using a safety razor. That’s because razor burn comes from multiple blades and multiple tiny cuts. I’m trying to minimize that by the number of the blades and also how big the blade is.

I use a hot towel to warm up the stubble. I also try to use really hot water to warm up the blade. Lock Stock & Barrel makes a really great shave oil.

One of the most important things, though, is the Urth Post Shave Elixir. I have buckets of it. If I don’t have it, I’m in a panic. I recommend it to anyone. I recommend it to my wife after she shaves her legs. I guarantee you maybe five people in the world care this much about shaving.

The Eastern Medicine Thing

I know it’s a hippie-dippy thing, but I’m a fan of oil pulling. I take a big dip out of a jar of coconut oil and swish that around my mouth. It sounds gross, and it is kind of gross. It’s supposed to pull bacteria out of my mouth.

I think it’s an Eastern medicine kind of thing — let’s face it, they’ve been ahead of everything on this front for millenniums. Someone recommended it to me years ago, and then when I was doing “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Broadway, I was literally making out with strangers every night. I did anything I could do to clean my mouth — it was more for their benefit and less for mine.

Sleep King

I’m really militant about sleeping for certain lengths of time. I’ve been doing this for years and years: I make sure I sleep in increments of 90 minutes. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep and then the 90 minutes to complete a good REM cycle. So, for example, I’d rather get three hours of sleep than four hours.

You know those days when you wake up and you feel really good even though you didn’t really get a lot of sleep? That’s hitting the REM cycle. Or you sleep for a long time, but you wake up in the middle of a REM cycle and your whole day feels awful? I avoid that like the plague. Of course, there are a lot of variables — what you ate, how much you drank — but I try to have my sleep evenly timed out.

A Timed Diet

I’ve been into health and food ever since I was maybe 12 or 13. I was fascinated by the idea that food is fuel in this very nonintellectual way. You need carbs to do this and protein to do that. How it’s translated today is that you see that the digestive system is directly related to everything else. It’s not a subsidiary component.

So I time the way I eat. I don’t mean I’m timing while I’m eating, but you know how if you have dinner plans at 8 with friends? Well, then you don’t eat as much during the day so you’ll have an appetite and enjoy a meal out. I take the same approach with every activity throughout the day.

If I’m working, the snacks and the doughnuts are all lying around, and I have to be careful of that. Otherwise, I’ll feel strung out and tired. I try not to eat three hours before bed, but if I’m hungry, I might have a low-glycemic snack. I’m not going to have a carnitas burrito.

Then one of my biggest life hacks: I’m a huge chia seed person. If chia seed was a brand, I’d be repping them so hard. I soak chia seeds overnight and then do chia seeds and matcha in the morning. They’re the ancient form of good things.

Becoming a Fitness Fiend

I got heavily into fitness in my late 20s. Now I’m a certifiable fitness rat. I work out like I used to play video games. It’s competitive and fun. It’s also meditative. For me it’s really about the cardiovascular benefits and general well-being. If my body is a little more toned, that’s a super-bonus.

When I first started, that entry point was hard to find. I was completely allergic to the bro-y gym culture. “Get swoll, dude!” The thing that changed my life was P90X. I’ve never met him, but Tony Horton is the biggest dweeb in fitness.

I was too embarrassed to go to the gym, and I didn’t want to work out in a public space, and here was a guy who was making the dumbest dad jokes. This guy was all right. I knew this guy from high school.

I now love the social aspect of working out. I have maybe six or seven friends on rotation, and instead of going out, we do a workout class together. It might be HIIT, a Pilates reformer class or yoga. I try to change it up as much as possible. I want to confuse my muscles.

I also love Training Mate in Los Angeles. It’s by these goofy Australians. They’re super-fun and funny. When I’m in New York, Refine is my jam. Fhitting Room is really great.

Making Time for Recovery

A lot of people don’t know how to keep their muscles healthy. They need to do the recovery. Physical therapy is really nice, but it’s expensive. I believe in rolling out the muscles, and that just takes some time. Also, cryotherapy is incredible.

You can do other things, like an Epsom salt bath, and I’m a big fan of the steam shower if you can get access to one. I do it at night too, as it helps me relax before going to sleep.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Extra protein boosts muscle with resistance-training, but only slightly

Extra protein from food or supplements does lead to increases in strength and muscle, but not as much as some might hope, researchers write in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. 

Presented as an infographic, the results are based on a review of data from 49 randomized controlled trials in 17 countries and more than 1,800 participants.

The upshot: supplementing protein while doing resistance training can increase strength by about 9 percent and add about a pound of muscle. The effect levels off at a certain point, after which extra protein provides no additional benefit.

“Lots of people take protein supplements with the expectation that they are going to gain lots of muscle because of the protein supplement,” said senior study author Stuart Phillips of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

“Supplement companies tout huge benefits,” Phillips told Reuters Health by email. “We thought it was time to do some science.”

Phillips and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of research published on the topic of protein supplementation and resistance training, looking at how much extra muscle men and women gained, as well as how much stronger they became.

The studies had to be at least 6 weeks long, include resistance training at least twice a week, and one group had to be given a protein supplement that didn’t have other muscle-building ingredients such as creatine or testosterone-enhancing compounds.

Ten of the studies involved people who were experienced in resistance training and 14 studies had exclusively female participants.

The team found that protein supplementation led to an increase in muscle, but not much. In addition, protein supplements were more effective in people who were already lifting weights and less effective in people over age 60.

The analysis didn’t find any differences between types of protein supplements or a distinction between getting protein from food or from supplements.

When Phillips’ team analyzed the relationship between the amount of muscle gained and total amount of dietary protein consumed, they found that gains leveled off at around 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or about 0.7 grams per pound. That is twice the recommended daily amount in most official nutrition guidelines, they note.

“Going to the gym is where most of the benefits come from,” Phillips said.

Current studies are investigating the key amino acids in protein that aid this muscle-building process, particularly leucine, and especially for adults over age 60 who may have muscle and bone loss known as sarcopenia.

“It’s a big deal to have sufficient enough quantities to stimulate muscle growth,” he added.

Future studies will focus on ways to boost muscle mass and the effect of protein supplementation in older adults, including through everyday foods such as milk and meat.

“Older adults experience age-related physiological changes that affect body weight and body composition,” said Li-Qiang Qin of Soochow University’s School of Public Health in Suzhou, China.

Qin, who wasn’t involved in the current review, has studied the effect of milk protein supplementation among older adults taking part in a resistance training program.

“Milk proteins are excellent sources of all the essential amino acids and may represent an ideal protein source to promote muscle anabolism in older adults undergoing resistance training,” Qin said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

The gym buff's guide to post-workout grooming

Nothing feels quite as good or as satisfying as pulling in a long session at the gym, working out muscles and breaking into a sweat.

It's a great way to detox and destress, as exercise opens up your pores and floods your body with happy hormones, like dopamine and serotonin, which help you feel good. 

And while people typically do not interfere with each other at the gym, hygiene becomes everybody's business when a stink is sensed by all. There's a stark difference between a sexy, musky scent and just plain stink. Guys, don't confuse the two. 

After working out and shaping up, don't forget to wash up – especially if you're heading off to work or meeting other people – as sweat can harbor bacteria that cause body odor. 

If you've already invested time and effort in working out at the gym, you should also invest in a good grooming regimen. It doesn't take much or that long to put together an effective one. 

Here, we give you a run-down of basic grooming essentials for every gym buff. Don't forget to pack these items in your bag:

1. GOODBYE BACTERIA: Antibacterial soap or shower gel

Old sweat and a warm body is a bad combination. The body can become a breeding ground for bacteria, which not only causes body odor but can trigger acne. 

To prevent breakouts, gently and effectively wash off sweat, dead skin cells and sebum on your skin, as well as odor-causing bacteria, with antibacterial soap. Some variants promise to kill 99% of all germs. 

Shower gels are also effective options as these are formulated with moisturizing ingredients that leave your skin feeling smooth. They also come in a variety of refreshing, masculine scents that last all day. 

2. PIT STOP: Antiperspirants 

Contrary to popular belief, sweat is virtually odorless to humans. Rather, it is the rapid growth of bacteria, and the breaking down of sweat by bacteria that cause your body to reek. This is why areas with hair, such as the armpits and groin area, tend to develop odor.

Hair strands prevent the quick evaporation of sweat, making these areas danger zones for stench. While others have taken to shaving and trimming the hair in those areas, a hardworking deodorant also does the trick. 

There are numerous antiperspirants that promise all-day dryness and protection, and they come in a slew of fresh and masculine scents. A note though: it's good to switch up brands every so often, because just like how bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics, your deodorant can become ineffective as your armpits can become resistant to the active ingredients.

3. GREAT HYDRATION: Moisturizer or moisturizing lotion

While deodorants are meant to help keep armpits dry, it doesn’t mean that all your grooming products should be drying. After a good wash-down, rehydrate your skin and prevent it from cracking (which can be painful) with lotion and facial moisturizers. 

It's best to choose products that are packed with skin-loving ingredients that cleanse, refresh, hydrate, and protect skin from UV rays. Another reason to commit to moisturizing: you'll look instantly younger!

4. A MANLY MUSK: Cologne

Of course, head out the door smelling fresher with your preferred cologne. A spritz or two of your signature scent will give you a boost of confidence to power you through your hectic day. Plus, it draws in people, too!

5. MUST-DO FOR YOUR 'DO: Hair Gel

Polish off your post-gym grooming regime with light mousse or hair wax. A little subtle styling of your hair can do a lot to help you look more presentable and put-together. 

Feel like a king by making sure that your crown looks impeccable. 

***
While working out is hard, looking polished and put-together in a jiffy can be as easy as 1, 2, 3!

NOTE: BrandNews articles are promotional features from our sponsors and not news articles from our editorial staff.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Trainer spills secret to Nadine's sexy body

MANILA – Nadine Lustre is one of the actresses who has a body that a lot of girls aspire to have.


No wonder she has been hailed as this year’s sexiest woman in the country after all.

While she also maintains a healthy and controlled diet, another reason why she has a sexy body is because she regularly exercises.

In an article on Cosmopolitan Philippines, Lustre’s trainer talked about the actress's gym routine.

"I admire Nadine’s work ethic and time management skills. We all know how hectic her schedule is and as her trainer, believe me, she needs 48 hours in a day,” Mark Banta said.

He also admires Lustre’s discipline, especially her endurance

"Another thing I like about training Nadine is that she doesn’t have go-to moves. If she needs to endure an hour of ab workouts, she’ll do it," he said.

"If she can squeeze in a workout after taping in the morning, shooting in the afternoon, guesting at night, why can’t we make time for a 30-minute workout?” he added.

Currently, Lustre is currently one of the regular hosts of ABS-CBN’s “It’s Showtime.”

source: news.abs-cbn.com

How heat can cause varicose veins

MANILA -- Spending time in the sauna or soaking your feet in a tub of warm water after jogging or working out in the gym can cause varicose veins, a dermatologist warned.

In an interview on DZMM's "Magandang Gabi Dok," Dr. Gwen Wong, a dermatologist, explained that heat can cause veins to bulge and become visible on the surface of the skin.

"I think the heat, it's contributing to 'yung lumalabas ang ugat," she said.

Although the condition may be temporary, repeated exposure to heat may cause the condition to be permanent.

"Pwedeng temporary, pero kapag paulit-ulit, gym tapos sauna tapos gym, maaring maging permanent," Wong said.

Varicose veins and spider veins are caused by poor blood circulation.

"Pag ang blood nagfo-flow, let's say sa lower legs, hindi na nakakabalik dahil dun sa ating mga valves eh depektibo na, especially pagka medyo nagkakaedad na tayo. At minsan eh hormonal, or minsan nga, tama 'yun, dahil sa pagiging obese ng isang tao o mabigat ang timbang, hindi na po nakakabalik [ang dugo] ng maayos sa puso," Wong explained.

People who spend many hours standing or sitting can also suffer from varicose veins.

"Depende po ito sa lifestyle, kung ano 'yung trabahong ginagawa. Halimbawa, buong araw nakatayo, o buong araw nakaupo, kailangan meron din tayong ginagawang mga ehersisyo," Wong added.

One can prevent varicose veins from developing on the legs by raising it above the heart while resting at home.

"Kailangan ini-li-lift po 'yung legs above the heart. Hindi po effective yung inilalagay lang sa silya," Wong said.

Although varicose veins can be treated through sclerotherapy, severe cases of varicose and spider veins may require surgery.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How Sharon Cuneta lost over 40 pounds

MANILA – Sharon Cuneta revealed she lost more than 40 pounds since she started dieting because she wanted to look her best when she makes her TV comeback.

Cuneta, however, said in a press conference on Monday that she is still trying to lose some more weight to achieve her "bold star" figure.

“You cannot believe how big I became. I had no work. Siguro I lost a little over 40 pounds from the beginning but I have several more to go bago ko ma-fulfill 'yung pagiging bold star ko,” she said in jest. “So much happened so parang just when you think it’s over, meron na namang bago.”

Admitting that she is not fond of going to the gym, Cuneta said it is hard for her to lose weight.

“I am still trying to lose 15 more pounds and to try to exercise. Honestly, I am not fond of exercising. My favorite lang is the treadmill. I’m a multi-tasker. By doing the treadmill, I can watch a show and hindi ako nagwa-waste ng time. Not that exercising is a waste of time pero 'yung hitting two birds with one stone,” she explained.

Cuneta said she also watches what she eats.

In an open letter to her fans in August last year, Cuneta thanked those who expressed their support after she bared her frustrations, including problems with her weight.

"Besides my size, I have long been back to being 'me,' maybe a different me, but a stronger, kinder, more considerate and more appreciative, maybe even a little wiser me than before. And definitely a lot more grateful," Cuneta wrote in the post.

"I think I have stayed fat because my size has been overshadowed and overpowered by my personal happiness. And it's true that that just may be one of the best things I can take away from this -- because that can only mean that I have had my priorities straight! I have a wonderful family that is not just intact but loving, and when all the temporary brightness fades around me, I know that they are the ones who will still be there, even if everyone else leaves. Around here, right now, I am a happy wife and mommy. And THESE, my friends, are what have helped to keep me real. And made me very, very happy and fulfilled," Cuneta added.

Cuneta, who hosted the first season of "The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition" before she left ABS-CBN, also further opened up about being fat.

"I just do not like being big and fat because of the demands of this industry I move around in. And also, I have always enjoyed wearing my kind of clothes (too basic and plain, maybe a bit boring for TV! But pretty, pretty clothes, as far as I'm concerned), and I obviously cannot wear them because they don't make them in my present size. I like being at my ideal weight because I have had to face health issues and I don't ever want to go through anything like that again (and you don't know all of it!)," she said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lance Raymundo speaks up after gym accident

MANILA – Singer-actor Lance Raymundo is not blaming anyone over the freak gym accident he had last week which left his face crushed.

In an article published on The Philippine Star on Tuesday, Raymundo was quoted as saying "it was nobody's fault."

“It was an accident. Nobody wanted it to happen,” he said.

Raymundo said it was just unfortunate that the 80-pound barbell fell on his face.

“When I came to my senses wala na akong ilong, wala na akong mukha,” he said. “It was traumatic.”

Nonetheless, the singer-actor is grateful to be still alive.

“Had the barbell fell an inch higher, I would have been a goner. Or if it fell four inches lower, it would have struck my neck and the result would have been fatal just the same,” he said.

According to the article, Raymundo is set to undergo a five-hour operation on Tuesday in an undisclosed hospital.

“My doctors assured me that I would look the way I did before the accident,” he said.

Over the weekend, Raymundo’s mother sent a statement to ABS-CBN News detailing what happened to her son.

“The person who was assisting him on his workout accidentally dislodged the barbel on top of Lance's face when he leaned forward,” she said. “Luckily, with God's grace, his skull and his neck were spared as injuring those two parts would have been fatal.”

Raymundo’s mom also thanked the people who rushed her son to the hospital for it was because of them that the singer-actor was given immediate medical attendance.

In the same statement, Raymundo’s mother advised producers, casters, production houses, movie outfits and directors with whom her son has contractual obligations that he will be out of commission for three months.

Both Raymundo and his mom are appealing for prayers so he may immediately recuperate.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How to finally start a fitness routine

MANILA, Philippines - January is almost over and you still haven't started on that "Get fit" or "Lose weight" New Year's resolution. Scared of expenses a gym membership might cost you? Don't be. You have a lot of workout venues to choose from but you have to start with allocating a budget for your fitness venture first.

Lara Parpan, editor-in-chief at Women's Health Philippines, shared one should set aside about 5% of your disposable income for a gym membership.

"The 5% is just about gym membership. We're not even talking about the shoes, equipment, the gear you need, and all that," Parpan told ANC's On The Money.

"But I'd like to think that the 5% or any number you put for fitness is not an expense but an investment in your future. I think that's one way that people should look at it," she stressed.

Parpan shared that current gym memberships cost around P3,000 to P10,000 a month. The basic packages already include being able to use all the venue's amenities, unlimited number of sessions and a couple of sessions with a personal trainer.

The rise in the rate comes as one opts to have a personal trainer for each session he visits the gym.

"For those who are starting out, first off, I strongly recommend that they go see a doctor to get a clean bill of health," Parpan said.

A check-up is important to alert the would-be gym rat of any medical issues such as a heart disease before hitting the treadmill or lifting weights, she explained.

"When you get a clean bill of health, you have to find out how much time you want to set aside for fitness. [You have to consider that] if you want to lose weight, you have to go at least three times a week," Parpan said.

And after only being given a go-signal by your doctor and allotting time for your workout, can you shop or try out different gyms before signing up with one.

Parpan pointed out that an important thing in choosing a gym is accessibility. One should find one near his home or his workplace to avoid being discouraged to go to the gym by a long commute or the traffic jam that comes with it.

When you're all set to sign up for a gym, Parpan noted one should not only aim to shed some weight but also get really fit in the process.

"For beginners, I know weight loss is always a number one goal and there's nothing wrong with that. But they should also consider increasing their level of fitness--that means getting the right amount of cardio and weight training involved," Parpan said.

Moreover, she advised gym enthusiasts, especially those who are only starting to work out, to be patient.

"I try to advise people that go to the gym not to expect results right away," Parpan said.

"They should be able to commit themselves to it and they should give it at least a month to three months just to see the results and then get used to it because it's something that takes discipline," she continued.

source: abs-cbnnews.com