In staying fit, Kuya Kim heeds his body’s call
At 57, Kim Atienza feels fitter now than when he was pumping iron in his youth.
Fondly called “Kuya Kim,” the television host used to be brawnier back in the day—200 lbs of muscle. But it was mostly for aesthetics, for posing onstage in the fitness and bodybuilding contests he used to enter. Truth was, he felt kind of sluggish, ungainly. Put him in a race and he would likely have gotten smoked by his lither, far more agile contemporaries.
“When I was a bodybuilder back in the late 1980s, I remember being muscular, but my cardio fitness wasn’t good. I didn’t run. I wasn’t flexible and I wasn’t explosive in my movements,” Atienza told Lifestyle at the media launch for “Dami Mong Alam, Kuya Kim,” his new infotainment program produced by GMA Public Affairs.
But through the years, his fitness goals have changed. Looking good is as good a reason as any to work out, but the bigger, more pressing concern now is feeling good. From building muscle, Atienza shifted his focus to building up endurance through swimming, cycling, and running. For the past 15 years, he primed himself for marathons and triathlons, many of which he finished with aplomb.
And responding to his maturing body’s changing needs, Atienza, who turns 58 in January, has decided to devote more time and effort to CrossFit, a high-intensity fitness regimen involving various functional movements and exercises.
“I have cut down on endurance workouts—less running, cycling, swimming. Now, it’s all about mobility, flexibility, and muscle strength. While I’m not as big as I used to be, I’m more ripped. My abs are better defined. I can run faster and move quicker, too,” he said.
Sarcopenia
As a person nears advanced age, sarcopenia, or muscle mass loss, can set in. According to Harvard Health, a person past the age of 30 can expect a 3 to 5 percent decrease per decade. But while some people may take that as a sign to lay off physical activities, the opposite is actually true: It’s the time to really start “investing in your health.”
“Once people reach my age, we can start falling to sarcopenia, or muscle loss. But thanks to CrossFit, which I first took up around four years ago, people tell me that I look young for my age,” said Atienza, who has been preparing for next year’s Hyrox, an indoor fitness contest that combines running and functional workout challenges.
Atienza works out at least four to five times a week. While that may sound a lot to nonfitness buffs, it’s actually very doable, he said, because each CrossFit session takes only an hour. He also loves the program’s minimalistic, no-nonsense nature—no fancy equipment or gadgets needed.
And the more spartan the gym, the better. “I just put on my top, shorts, my CrossFit shoes. That’s all I need. Sometimes, I even wear Chucks without socks on,” he said. “The gym I go to doesn’t even have air-conditioning, so it’s hot. But it’s functional and I like it that way. There are no mirrors, which is good, because I can just focus on my coach and the movements I’m assigned to do.”
Energized
For Atienza, one of the most obvious benefits of working out is that it leaves him feeling energized for his hosting jobs, especially now that he has a third show to juggle in addition to his segment in the primetime newscast “24 Oras” and the game show “TiktoClock.”
In “Dami Mong Alam … ,” which airs Saturday mornings on GMA 7, Atienza features different trending topics and viral videos on social media, from seemingly mundane everyday news to bizarre animal encounters. But true to what he has become known for, he expounds on these phenomena by uncovering the stories and science behind them.
“I love reading—books, magazines—all the time. But now that things are going digital, I use Kindle. I also watch lots of podcasts and videos,” he said, adding that social media is an important tool that must be used wisely and responsibly. “It’s a must. Some say we should avoid it because it’s bad for our mental health. But it’s up to us if we’re going to use it in a positive or negative way.”
Atienza considers himself a “smart eater.” And his rule is pretty straightforward: Food that he knows is good for him, he eats more of; food that he knows is bad for him, he avoids if he can help it.
“I minimize my sugar intake. Processed food and dairy are a no for me … I eat bread, but not too much. But lean meats and food high in protein, I go for,” he said.
But he doesn’t believe in restricting himself. He still has his cheat days (sort of), which almost always fall on his Wednesday and Thursday taping days sessions for “TiktoClock,” where food is always aplenty. “There is a lot of junk food on the set. And I do have some, I taste them. But I don’t go all out,” he said. “I still eat chocolates and rice cakes. I like a diet that I can sustain all my life.”
Sustainable workout
And this is the exact mindset Atienza wants fitness newbies to have: Choose something that you want to do—and that you can continue to do. “Get into something sustainable for you. Start slow, start easy. And then increase volume bit by bit. If you enjoy your workouts, you will look forward to the next session,” he pointed out.
That’s because the moment you overdo it is the moment you lose it. “It will be hard if you’re just forcing yourself to work out. Yes, you’re losing weight and gaining muscle. But how much longer can you stay at it?” Atienza said.
Keeping yourself motivated is indeed a big part of the fitness journey. And there were points in his life when he admittedly lost drive and discipline, like in the mid-1990s when he first served as Manila councilor, and saw his once contest-ready physique balloon. He lost muscle definition and grew a belly—“the unhealthiest” he had ever been.
In 2010, Atienza suffered a cryptogenic stroke (without known cause). Three years later, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition that attacks nerves and, in his case, caused paralysis in his hands and feet.
“These experiences awakened something in me. I knew I had to be fit,” he said.
But his past health scares aren’t the only things that fuel him. Now, he finds inspiration in life itself and those he holds dear.
“What motivates me is my faith in the Lord first, my family second, and, finally, my job,” he said.
