Meet The Fitness Advocate

Hoop is the first aerial arts apparatus that I fell in love with. (Location: PxA Dance Studio)

“Mag-exercise ka.”

That was the advice given to me by my endocrinology doctor in 2012. At the time, I just started a new medication for hypothyroidism that, unlike the first brand of levothyroxine he prescribed, didn’t give me short-term side effects. However, he said that long-term use of such type of medicine may increase my risk of osteoporosis later in life.

I then asked, given my propensity to get anxious about getting sick, if I should start taking calcium supplements. He said no, and recommended instead to get regular exercise.

I took his word for it, as his past note of caution had been quite valuable. Back in 2005, I first consulted him for an unspecified medical condition, which he later diagnosed as an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism. His recommended treatment was radioactive iodine. I got well, but I was cautioned to possibly have a reversal—and it did!

Heeding the advice to exercise was a no-brainer, tbh. For starters, I’ve always been physically active. I love to dance. I wasn't into any sport, though.

Additionally, I had to ward off the weight gain that comes with having hypothyroidism. So, I walked more and even tried a bit of running. I also got into yoga, which I got a taste of in a gym. This time around, while using a complimentary one-week pass, I got the full experience in a yoga studio.

Attending my first yoga class in a studio proved to be life-changing. It was an evening class at Bliss Yoga, then located on Jupiter Street in Makati City, circa mid-2012. Teacher Roland dela Cruz, also a cofounder of the studio, led the practice with unquestionable expertise and utmost grace.

It served as my introduction to Vinyasa, which eventually led me to discover other types of yoga. Iba-iba pala 'yun!

Around that time, group buying sites became popular. I was enticed to score discounted vouchers, especially to yoga classes in various studios across the metropolis. I got curious to try other fitness activities, such as Pilates and indoor rock climbing.

I also tried pole fitness at Polecats Manila in Ortigas district, Pasig City, around 2013. I found it to be a good challenge to learn but torturous to my body. Pasain kasi ako. So, I would end up having bruises on my arms, legs, and inner thighs. Para akong binugbog! I decided pole wasn’t for me. (Keep reading for the plot twist.)

I found my way back to Polecats Manila when it started offering classes on aerial arts, initially with hoop and silks, that same year. I took an instant liking to hoop, and added it to my growing list of fitness activities.

The popularity of group buying sites eventually waned as the attraction to app for promos and deals grew. Through such an app, I discovered several other studios offering aerial arts.

I make it a point to take a flexibility class at least once a week. (Photo by Jocelyn Dimaculangan / Location: MUNI Co-wellness Recreation Center)

In 2017, I joined a pole and aerial arts recital show for the first time via Pole Dolls in its aerial hoop beginners' class. I went on committing to regular classes when the studio moved location from Ortigas to Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong City, where my workplace then was also located.

Aside from hoop, I took up hammock and silks. Next, I upped my game by joining the studio’s 2018 recital show in three classes: hoop, hammock, and pole groove (because this one’s more of dancing than doing pole tricks). I scaled a bit in the following year by participating in just two recital classes: hoop and silks.

I felt I was at my strongest in 2019 and up until early 2020, when the pandemic happened. During that dark period, my fitness activities were reduced to YouTube yoga and grocery runs but for most parts, next to inactivity. Small wonder then that I struggled in the few times I went to the studio to train when the protocol rules relaxed.

As things began going back to normal in late 2022, I decided it was also time to return to training—for real! I went for something familiar to boost my confidence, and that’s hoop in teacher Nesh Zamora’s class in Elite Aerial Arts on Maginhawa Street, Quezon City.

I realized how badly I’ve regressed. I struggled doing basic moves and tricks that used to be a breeze. I was frustrated, almost crushed, but I chose to keep going. I signed up in Elite’s 2023 recital show, and the twice-a-week rehearsals did wonders in accelerating my progress. I was emboldened to take on hoop and mixed aerials (cube, lyra pole) in the studio’s 2024 recital season.

That year also marked my return to pole fitness, which had become sort of an unfinished business in my fitness journey. It happened because I just wanted to maximize the unlimited pole and aerial class card offered at a pocket-friendly introductory price by PxA Dance Studio in Antipolo in its maiden year.

I ended up joining the mixed pole and hoop classes in PxA’s first recital show in early 2025. I week later, I was in another recital show, Elite's, as part of the aerial silks class.

Today, I attend pole and aerial classes in different studios, while carrying on with yoga and taking up other fitness activities. I love to learn new things, most especially from teachers and fellow students with diverse backgrounds but similar passions.

I look forward to sharing more stories of fitness journey on this blog that will hopefully inspire even more people to get into fitness and become advocates as well.

Welcome to The Fitness Advocate!

I'm not much of a runner, but I enjoy hitting the running track to exercise and get some fresh air. (Photo by Jocelyn Dimaculangan / Location: Marikina Sports Center)