Jake Cuenca: ‘The gym is where I meditate & set my goals’

When you’re fit and, and you know you’re in the best condition of your life, you feel like you can take on anything,” claims Jake Cuenca. One of the top local celebrities who advocates fitness, he always stresses the importance of always being fit.

Cuenca himself is in the best physique he has ever had, which he shows off on the cover of this month’s Muscle & Fitness Philippines. Here’s how and why Jake stays fit.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: How do you stay in shape?

JAKE CUENCA: I always go to the gym, no excuses. No matter how strenuous my schedule is, I take time to maintain my physique. It’s just a matter of waking up earlier than your call time to be at the gym.

Why is it important to keep fit?

Because it feels good, you lose your insecurities, and you’re twice as confident when you are fit. It really boosts your confidence. You go to the set confident. Whatever position they put you in, sitting down or anything, you feel good when you’re fit. You’re not cheating anyone. The cameraman is not having a hard time looking for your angle.

Does it drive you crazy when you don’t get to work out?

Yeah, it does. It lowers my stress levels. It’s very therapeutic for me. Because at the gym is where I think, meditate, plan and where I see my goals clearly. When I go to the gym, I go alone. I really focus on myself. This is where I start setting goals for myself and where I start seeing my life in the direction I wanna go. It’s very therapeutic for me to go to the gym. I try to go every day.

Are you into any sports?

I’ve been playing football since the moment I learned how to walk. It’s something I’ve been playing all my life and I’ll still play it when I’m old.

Do you follow any special diet?

There are months that I go vegan. Thanks to Vegan Kitchen. They really have a good vegan diet menu. But right now, I just eat fish and veggies. I kinda given up meat. For the past six months, I haven’t touched chicken, beef or pork. I just felt my body is reacting to that better.

When did you decide to turn vegan?

There are months that I want to detox. And honestly, when I see myself, when I turn 30, I really wanna be vegan. Sometimes I do the vegan diet for a month or two. Then I’ll go back to eating fish for two months again then I’ll do vegan again.

Can you describe the workout routine that you love to do in the gym?

I love my functional workouts. I use the Rapid Fit or cable machine because I do the core kinesis workout. I do a lot of twisting with that. I do a whole body workout. I usually do suspension training every day at my house. But my favorite thing for my abs is using the ab roller. And just doing suspension ab workouts. Like, I do my leg raises, sit-ups, inverted crunches and knee-ups — mostly functional work. My body reacts to that the best. Especially when you’re on a hectic schedule, functional work really makes you feel good.

Are there any workouts you’re dying to try?

Well, Capoiera with Ferdie Manabat (editor-in-chief of Muscle & Fitness Philippines). If I could add anything, something I’m dying to try, I definitely wanna get into cardio. I know for a fact that I should be doing more cardio exercises. That’s something I usually skip. I know for a fact that something’s missing. I really have to spend time on the treadmill or at least run around for a bit. I wanna spend more time on the treadmill. It’s not that I don’t like doing cardio, but I find myself getting bored on the treadmill. For my cardio, I play football, for sure. Every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. But there’s one thing I want to entice myself to do: the treadmill.

What do you like best about your physique?

I can say, my abs. I really really work hard for my abs. It’s something I’ve had a love-hate relationship with since I was 18. But if I work out anything really hard, the hardest thing I work out are my abs. I really commit to it. I can’t do a workout without doing abs.

On the other hand, what part of your body do you think needs improvement?

I think my traps. Cause I do the functional workouts right? So I always miss out on my traps. I wish I had bigger traps. Then again, with the way I dress up, I like wearing loose things, so it kinda works out that I have small traps. If I were to work something out, I know what I’m lacking are my traps.

Do you think that being fit is one of the best aspects of living life at its fullest?

I always say to younger actors and to people in general asking for advice: “Be fit all the time.” When you’re fit and you know you’re in the best condition of your life, you feel like you can take on anything. You feel like you can do everything at 110%. In the showbiz industry, there’s a lot of insecurity. When you’re in the best shape of your life, like when you’re just fit, you know you’ve done your best. Those insecurities for me just disappear.

In your own words, what’s the best way for someone to motivate himself to get fit?

To me, the best advice that I can give is the moment you get up just put on your gym clothes and go to the gym. Don’t lounge on your couch or think about too many things anymore. Just put on those clothes or even sleep wearing it. I did that for a while! I slept with my gym clothes. Then when I wake up, “I’m ready for the gym!” So my best advice is, get up, go to the gym. By the time you get to the gym, you won’t feel lazy anymore and you just want to get it done.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.