MANILA, Philippines – “We work out to eat,” quipped former national swimmer and actor Enchong Dee.

After a life of training 12 times a week, it’s no surprise that Dee would need to find other activities that will continue satisfying his swimmer’s appetite without putting on excess weight. 

But apart from weight management, Dee finds it more important to make sure that his body remains strong as he ages. 

“It’s not for losing weight. I wanted to strengthen other parts of my body which I neglected before. Also, there’s a wrong perception that people go to the gym because they want abs. It’s for strengthening your core because there are just some things that don’t work as well as before when you’re old,” said Dee in the Philippine Olympic Committee’s (POC) webinar on family fitness on Saturday, May 30.

Before the lockdown, the Filipino actor has explored other sports such as triathlon and running as he donned the country’s colors once again in the Osaka Marathon last December. 

But with Metro Manila on community quarantine since March 15, Dee has been doing home workouts 6 times a week, which surprised him because he initially wasn’t a fan of working out at home. 

“It’s funny because I never was into home workouts only until this lockdown. I would see people checking on YouTube and aerobics workout on their screens,” shared Dee. 

“[But] I was shocked that whatever I feel in the gym, like the soreness, I feel it in a home workout which is good. And that’s the only way we can survive to adapt to all the changes around us. ” 

The Filipino actor also revealed that because of the other competitions he’s been joining for different sports and with the advances in sports medicine and technology, he wishes that he could be a competitive swimmer again during this time. 

“I wish we had more support, like a nutritionist and psychologist. I realized na dami kong natutunan [about being an athlete now] na pwede iapply sa swimming during that time (I realized that I learned so much about being an athlete now which I could’ve applied when I was swimming before.),” said Dee. – Rappler.com