I Dare You to Be Fit ‘n Right!

There are many benefits to being fit ‘n right. Personally, as a lover of sports, more specifically football, I need to stay fit so I can still run with younger players and remain competitive. But, more than the need to keep fit, I do feel more alive and energetic when I am fit.



I usually do a few push-ups a day and have been doing this regularly since April. Aside from that I used to play football on a regular basis and even played competitively for our football club Marikina United. I have always thought myself as a pretty fit person.

The "Dare to be Fit 'n Right" Logo

With Coach Jim Saret

But during the recent Dare to Be Fit ‘n Right launch by Del Monte Fit ‘n Right, where Coach Jim Saret, a sports scientist and a fitness consultant of the Philippine Olympic Committee, spoke about “The Science of Getting Fit and Losing Weight”, I was rocked to my core and was challenged as I learned that to say that person is in great physical condition, he must be able to:



*Bench-press one and one-half times his body weight to say that he’s got proper upper body strength,
*Run a mile and a half in ten minutes to declare that he’s got lower body cardiovascular fitness,
*Touch the rim of the basketball ring to claim that he’s got lower body power (but, of course height must be factored in, too),
*Leg-press two and one-fourth times his body weight to say that he’s got proper lower body strength,
*Swim 700 yards in twelve minutes to declare that he’s got upper body aerobic endurance,
*Do forty push-ups without stopping to say that he’s got upper body muscle endurance,
*Throw a basketball seventy-five feet away, on his knees, to claim he’s got upper body power,
*Touch his toes to say that he’s got flexibility, and lastly,
*Measure up and see that he’s got the right body mass index (BMI).

Now, as you read these, I know that for those who are not so much into exercising, they may seem like impossible goals and instead of motivating you to exercise more, they make you want to throw in the towel. But, you can always look at it another way, that is, to see all of them as a challenge. And that is how I saw them.

So right now, I am upping my number of push-ups a day and since the Dare to be Fit ‘n Right event at Taste Asia at the SM Mall of Asia, I have been trying to do forty push-ups straight. I haven’t successfully done it without stopping but I have been making it up to forty! Talk about being dared to be fit and right.

For those who are not very athletic and not into exercising, Coach Jim shared the four-minute workout, a.k.a. the F.I.T. (Fast Interval Training) workout which combines different short exercises (plank exercise, squats, push ups, lunges, crunches, side plank exercise - see video demo below) and it lets one burn 400 calories during exercise. Now, the great thing about this exercise is that calories continue burning even when a person is finished with the 4-minute workout!

To demonstrate this, a the launching of the Dare to be Fit ‘n Right campaign, a guy was asked to do the F.I.T. workout while wearing a calorie counter watch. During the workout, the calorie counter registered almost 400 calories burned and the number of calories continued to increase to almost 800 calories ten to fifteen minutes after. This is a breakthrough because usually, a person running on a treadmill for an hour only burns 200 calories. So why go the long route if the goal is only to burn calories?

The demonstration of the four-minute workout (F.I.T. workoout)

My own demonstration of the 4-minute F.I.T. (Fast Interval Training) workout by sports scientist and Master Coach Jim Saret

In addition to all these, drinking Del Monte Fit ‘n Right two hours before the F.I.T. workout or any kind of exercise, will speed up your metabolism or, in other words, help you burn fat faster. The reason is that Del Monte Fit ‘n Right contains L-Carnitine which helps burn fat. It increases the use of fat as an energy source by transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria, where they are ‘burned’ to release energy for body functions. Del Monte Fit ‘n Right also has B Vitamins 1, 6, 12 to help speed up metabolism.

Del Monte Fit ‘n Right is so consistent with their claim and their advocacy that they organized the “Dare to be Fit ‘n Right Fun Run 2009” which will be held on November 22, 2009 at the SM Mall of Asia (you can register here). This event is not only for runners but also for those who want to help typhoon victims because this Fun Run is for their benefit through the SM Foundation. The race mechanics are available in the photo below.

2009 Dare to be Fit 'n Right Fun Run mechanics

If I did not have a schedule on the 22nd of November I would surely have joined the Dare to be Fit ‘n Right Fun Run 2009. But I need to preach that Sunday morning in our church so my contribution is spreading the word about the Fun Run.


So what are you waiting for? Get your supply of Del Monte Fit ‘n Right and start exercising. Be a fan of their Facebook page. Better yet, exercise with other advocates and join the Dare to be Fit ‘n Right 2009 Fun Run!