In about a month’s time, most probably fitness gyms all over the metropolitan will be filled up with people who are health conscious—people who want to shed off the “super extra pounds” caused by the Christmas party craze of the Holidays.
Ringo Borlain with KC Fitero, one of Victory U-Belt's campus missionaries, during the December 2007 Christmas Party of Champions for Christ
Fitness gyms have been the newest pit stops for yuppies and others who choose to live a healthy lifestyle.
Speaking of gyms and healthy living, I remembered Ringo Borlain, the wide-bodied Filipino world body building champion three years ago.
For everyone’s information, Borlain, along with Filipino compatriot Dwan Adantao, gained perfect scores in the finals to emerge as the 2006 Mr. And Ms. Universe Body Building champions in Cuxhnvun, Germany.
Borlain’s feat made him the first Asian and Filipino to ever win the title previously won by Hollywood actors Arnold Schwarzenegger of the Terminator fame and Lou Ferigno (Incredible Hulk).
I had a chance to chat with Borlain a month after his incredible feat in the Mr. Universe tournament (since he attends the Victory Ortigas congregation back then).
One thing is sure, he won it after working so really hard day in and day out—which means observing a strict, healthy diet that includes high-protein food, going to the gym twice a day for 1 and ½ hours lifting weights.
Borlain’s muscles and his perfect body shape wouldn’t have happened all by chance. He had to make serious work out and endure the pain that goes with it.
Our muscles are formed, get strengthened and become bigger through the pressure and pain you apply.
I’ve tried lifting weights some years back and it isn’t fun. I ended up waking up the next day with muscle pain all over my body.
But as I gradually become a regular gym rat (that was during 2000, quite a long time ago), my body started getting used to it and my muscles started to form. (Hope you still see it now when you meet me in person. J)
We all experience pain in some degree—emotional pain (for the broken hearted), financial pain (no Christmas bonus), no salary increase, or maybe lost a job, academic difficulty causing you sleepless nights, physical pain (sickness), family problems, among others.
But all these happen for a purpose. And pain has its benefits.
We learn a valuable lesson through the pain we experience.
When I was a boy, I got my finger burned by the candle light during a blackout. It was painful, but from that point on, I realized that I can’t play with the candle without suffering the consequence.
The situations we face at times can be painful, but here’s an encouraging passage for us to meditate on…
11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)