August 15, 2020
by: Thea Estraza
Sir Jose Lorenzo Iñosa is AISAT’s very own NSTP Coordinator, as well as, one of our talented PE instructors in school. Serving the community and enriching the students by letting them discover what it is like to serve, is his main goal as a mentor.
Last, September 17, 2020, Sir Iñosa was kind enough to make time for a quick interview about the challenges he faced as an advocate of holistic health in the midst of a pandemic. These are some of the highlights during our conversation.
As a PE instructor, how did the lockdown affect your own fitness routine and health?
During the start of the lockdown, the first few months, I was very reluctant to do physical activities due to the limited space (at home) and also the paperwork that I have left. Despite having more time because of the lockdown, it was hard to finish it on time. It affected me a lot and during that specific time, I gained weight. Maybe because the moment I wake up, I go directly to my laptop to do my job and finish the paperwork that I needed to submit on time.
Were you able to find a balance and find a way to make time for exercises?
Actually, it was hard but around April or May, I started to realize that this isn’t my routine and I really needed to start being fit. Not just by exercising (especially because it’s hard to find the time, I am a busy person) but also by controlling what I eat. I scheduled specific meals within the day, specific fiber intake, and so on and so forth. I also took my daily vitamins. Sometimes, I do physical activities like walking or even doing some simple yoga just to stretch my muscles and really do some workouts as much as I can.
What are some of the things that changed about your daily routine during the quarantine? You’ve mentioned a couple of disadvantages the situation presented, are there any advantages?
Actually, I never skip breakfast. That is the most important meal for me. I see to it that I eat breakfast, then I skip lunch, and wait for dinner. Since I don’t do anything all day, I had to control what I eat. The more you eat, the more physical workout you have to exert your energy in.
It can be hard because all kinds of food are available to you and you can eat whatever you want. If you are really concerned with your physical health then watching what you eat can be one of the considerations that you will have to take. If you are used to eating meat, you can just cut your consumption little by little because if you take it out of your system so suddenly then you will be prone to breakdowns. Slowly but surely. At the end of the day, you should really just practice self-discipline.
Some people also opted to do some physical activities because of the ECQ. We were not able to go out so it’s one way for us to release the stress, relieve the boredom, and release those happy hormones. We really need it.
According to science, if you are doing physical activities, your body will release this hormone called serotonin. This hormone is related to the feeling of pleasure after working out. That’s good especially now that some people are having issues with mental health. Doing some exercises can improve your current mental state. The simplest thing you can do in your house is doing some household chores. Not only is it a good deed that can help your parents, but it also helps you move around.
Lastly, just for fun, can you recommend a quick and easy fitness challenge to encourage other staff and students to open up to the idea of exercising regularly?
Now that we are in the midterms, I am starting to require my students to have physical challenges every week with the use of some household items. Challenges that test their flexibility and balance. You can follow this particular YouTube channel that I am also following (link provided below). It was something that encouraged me to exercise.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to your students and colleagues before we end the interview?
With the current state right now, in the middle of the pandemic, one thing that would really motivate you to exercise is just to consider your well-being. If you really love yourself, you also need to assess yourself and do things that will help you improve. Maybe there are some pressures right now. Other people have abs, she has a Coca-Cola body, but at the end of the day, all that matters is how you take care of yourself.