Staying physically active benefits both our body and mind, says the World Health Organization. “It can reduce high blood pressure, help manage weight, and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and various cancers—conditions that can increase susceptibility to Covid-19,” the health organization points out on its website.

Fitness coach Jim Saret and his wife Toni have been actively at the forefront of the country’s National Wellness Advocacy, working together with the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine Heart Association to help Filipinos get more fit and more active. Coach Jim has also been helping several LGUs with their fitness and wellness programs, and he has a daily fitness show on Metro Channel called Metabeats. He also appears on Team FitFil which airs on iWantTFC and YouTube.

“This global pandemic has shown us that the difference between winning or losing against the virus is highly dependent on one’s health and fitness level,” he says. “To be safe in this new normal, magandang tandaan: ‘Galaw Galaw, Para Hindi Pumanaw!’ Giling Giling para Hindi Mailibing!’”

As more people choose to do their workouts at home, to avoid the risk of getting infected with the virus, we asked Coach Jim for a list of exercise tools that are best to invest in.

1. Rubber fitness bands

These can be used for a full-body workout by people of any fitness level. And because they’re versatile and lightweight, they’re ideal for whenever you want to squeeze in a workout in your daily schedule.

2. Exercise Ball (55-65 cm)

This is another fitness tool that can provide a full-body workout, suitable for middle to advanced fitness levels.

3. Parallette Bars / Dip Bars

These can be used to tone the back, triceps, chest, biceps, core, and other hard-to-tone body parts. These are also good for back exercises for beginners.

4. Bulgarian Bag / Sand Bag with Handles

These are also designed to provide a full-body workout and help develop grip strength. These are ideal for middle to advance fitness levels.

5. TRX

This stands for Total Body Resistance Exercise, perfect for building strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, core and joint stability. It is designed for middle to advanced fitness levels.

6. Basic Barbell and Dumbbells

These versatile exercise equipment help build total body strength, and can be used by beginners to advanced fitness levels.

7. Stop Watch

Time-based workouts add intensity and fun to otherwise boring exercises. These can be used with bodyweight workouts (routines that use a person's own bodyweight), by beginners to advanced levels.