Discipline For the Body

We all know the benefits of sport for personal well-being. Physical exercise is almost the number one recommendation of many medical specialties. It’s indicated by the nutritionist if there’s overweight; also the cardiologist if you have hypertension or another associated disease.

Likewise, psychologists recommend it to improve cognitive function and if it’s required to clear the mind and control anxiety; and so on, other experts say that it’s possible to prevent, to some extent, a stroke; which is important for expanding lung capacity, and in metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and arthritis.

Many are the advantages demonstrated by science. And the truth is that its effects can be felt almost immediately because, contrary to what’s sometimes believed, regular physical activity offers more energy, directly affects levels of satisfaction, and therefore brings health and happiness. The ideal would be to do it frequently, but the important thing is to decide to fight a sedentary lifestyle and to know that, if you don’t have too much time, any amount of activity is more than none.

This is why so many people start out in gyms. Some to manage body weight, others to seek that feeling of complacency that lies between health and the appearance of a toned body.

Exercise is an addiction. It does not matter if they are aerobic or with the use of weights, nor if it’swith professional or adapted devices, nor even if you go to a prepared place or you do it in your house living room or in an outdoor park; once you feel its benefits, you want to seek more and more well-being and strength. Training every day requires sacrifice, perseverance, and rigor to keepa certain body composition. It’s a lifestyle that promotes health, as there are few ways to be healthier than by exercising daily.

Oliet Petitón is an exerciseholic. He began at age 15 “like any boy who went to the gym to train a little and tone up, above all, his arms”, which is what men at that time most sought to improve, “not like today, that we seek to exercise the whole body”. Before there weren't so many instructors, itwas more empirical.

So he fell in love with that universe of movement and today he dedicates himself entirely to it, alternating his own training as a bodybuilder with the training of other people who seek his knowledge. At 46 years of age, Oliet is one of the most requested personal trainers at a neighborhood gym located at the intersection of 25^th and 56^th streets, in Playa municipality, where he spends much of his day, also at Casa Kohly, both in Havana. Regarding this way of life, he reflects that “physical exercise is very important for health. It even helps with self-esteem. I have clients who suffer from anxiety attacks, or who come with joint injuries, and they improve”.

In Cuba is as fashionable as it’s in the world. It's a pretty popular concept, but it's not new. To achieve results, self-sacrifice and rigor are required because it’s not easy to incorporate routines and change habits. Regarding his experience, Oliet comments: “I’m interested in everything, well-being, the physical shape that one attains, the way of eating. It even changes the way you think about life.”

Food is one of the most important aspects to fulfill the healthy life that’s intended and that is generally supported by physical exercise. “In Cuba, even though we have a shortage, it can be done,” explains Oliet, “the problem is that it tends to be boring because there’s little variety and you can find the same thing: chicken, fish, rice, sweet potato, malanga, seasonal vegetables such as cabbage, tomato, beans, among others. Food is essential, that's why when you want you can."

The recommendation is that it must be balanced, with measure, as natural as possible, without chemicals, rich in fiber, with plenty of water and frequently. According to Oliet, the incidence of nutrition in health is high because with the deficit diseases, injuries, overtraining, or stagnation can appear. “The first thing a person who starts in this world has to learn is to eat according to his goals and metabolism. This leads to weigh meals to have total control of what’s eaten, which must be ordered every two or three hours until approximately six meals a day are completed”. This, plus the rest period, is the extra needed to regenerate muscle properly.

The sacrifice is overcome with will, the pleasure is found in the results, and the objectives are only achieved with effort. “For everything you want to achieve, sacrifice and discipline, it’s the first thing a person needs” —says Oliet.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff