No excuses

The most common excuse why people don't workout or exercise is because  of time. "I don't have time to workout", " I am very busy with work", "the gym is very far" and "the monthly dues are expensive" - these  were my favorite excuses three years and many pounds ago.

But there is now no excuse not to exercise as Coach Jim Saret, my trainer in the Biggest Loser reality television show, has come up with a brilliant four-minute Metafit workout. Yes, you read it right. Only four minutes a day of workout and you will get fitter, stronger and healthier!

Metafit is short for Metabolic Fitness. It is a pattern of workout which uses mostly your body weight. Surprisingly, a lot of people who works out in a gym can't even do a simple push-up or pull-up using their own body weights. With Metafit, your body becomes your best gym equipment.

A four-minute Metafit workout has been proven to burn up to 600 calories. It has been tested to increase your metabolism and burn up to 1500 calories three hours after doing the workout even by doing nothing or just sitting down and watching TV. I have personally tested this on an individual strapped with a Calorie counter. After four minutes, she burned 55 calories. It increased to 207 calories after 30 minutes, 488 calories after one hour, and eventually 1,168 calories after three hours.

Most of the students in my Metafit boot camp have improved their personal record (PR) time in the 5km, 10 km, 21km and 42km run even without spending so much time in actual running.

Above all, I'm a living proof that the four-minute Metafit workout really works. I have been using this exercise for three years and used it as part of my training regimen for the 70.3 Ironman and Xterra Triathlon, where I completed both with flying colors.

 One's intensity will depend on the fitness level of each individual. Elite or advanced athletes may complete around four to six rounds, while beginners or sedentary individuals can do around one to two rounds only. Interestingly, the latter still burn more or less the same calories because they exerted maximum effort.

Now here's the real deal. The four-minute Metafit workout is composed of four exercises - the jumping jacks,  squats,  push-ups and lunges. One must do 10 repetitions of each and then repeat the four exercises as fast as one can in four minutes.

There are variations in case you have problem with your knees or joints.

For the jumping jacks, you can do a side step while still moving your arms up and down. For the squats, you can put a chair behind you and then sit and stand up. For the push-ups, you can do a knee push-up and start with putting your chest on the floor and push your body up. Your butt and your back must move together while your feet and toes are pointed up. If you still have a hard time doing this, you can do the push-up against the wall in a standing position. Your body does not know the difference whether you are on the floor or against the wall as long as you are exerting maximum effort.

The last exercise is lunges. On a standing position, plant both your feet shoulder wide apart. Bring your right leg one big step backward. Move your right knee up and down until it is an inch or two away from the floor. Make sure that your left knee should not go over your left toes. You should be able to see your front toes all the time while doing the 10 repetitions. Do the same exercise and this time with your left leg at the back. Repeat the cycle from the first to the fourth exercise until the four minutes end.

When I did this workout during my first day at the Biggest Loser camp, I could barely finish two rounds. Now, I could push myself to eight rounds.  So there is no excuse for you not to get fit! Having said that, I encourage you to do the four-minute Metafit workout and see a fitter, stronger and healthier you.

Form is very important. To get a better perspective, you can see a demo of Coach Jim Saret's four-minute Metafit workout in my website www.alanchoachuy.com.  Be sure to leave your comments before you exit.

Next week, in time for the XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon, I will be writing about the concept 'To Complete and not to Compete'.

SIDELINE: Please continue to watch the Biggest Loser 'Doubles' Edition at ABS-CBN  and be inspired and motivated with their journey to get fit and healthy. You can also visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/metafitcebu. For comments, you can reach me at [email protected].