The Fit For Fashion winner shares how she got back in top shape.
The Fit For Fashion winner shares how she got back in top shape.
Filipino-American Jackie Zapata is the winner of TV’s Fit For Fashion (Season Two), in which contestants undergo 10 weeks of fitness and fashion challenges to look their best. Before the show, the 32-year-old, who admits that sugar is her weakness, had stopped working out due to an elbow injury.
These factors were the very reasons she needed to get back in shape, and the show gave her that opportunity to do so. Of course, there were bumps along the way, but her strong personality ultimately got her through it all.
● How have you changed since the start of the show?
I’ve lost the weight I’d gradually gained after my arm injury. I now have abs, I’m lifting heavier weights, and I see an improvement in my posture and balance. When I look in the mirror today, I see a strong, lean, beautiful Jackie, who can fit into anything she wants, and has the confidence to go with her new sense of style.
I’ve also learned to just have fun, slow things down and not take things too seriously. Fit For Fashion became the catalyst for a big change in my life. I was stuck in a routine. My life was made up of work and more work, busy commutes, eating late and crashing into bed. The show gave me the tools to make changes in my attitude and body.
● What is your best advice for other women who want to start working out but haven’t yet found the motivation to do so?
Self-improvement starts with making one change at a time. I’m living proof that a regular person can improve his or her life one day at a time. Many believe that in order to get results, you have to throw your world upside down, buy a cart full of detox cleanses and herbal fat busters, hire an expensive trainer or spend hours at a time at the gym.
That’s all not true. The key to sustainable weight loss is to start slowly, and only incorporate additional lifestyle modifications once you’ve adjusted. I find that doing this gradually prevents burn out, and the likelihood of self-sabotage by reaching for that slice of cake. My advice is to make these changes in three parts:
1) Improve your diet. Cut salt, sugars and carbohydrates. Try eating clean and colourful. My motto is, “If you can’t pick it, grow it, or catch it, try not to eat it.”
2) Take it a step further. Incorporate weight training to build lean muscle, shape your figure, and boost your resting metabolism.
3) Focus on adding combinations of Highintensity Interval Training (HIIT) and steadystate cardio to your gym routines to fine-tune the fat burning.
● What’s your favourite workout?
Burpees – the perfect combination of full body strength when it comes to training and explosive cardio. I love feeling the immediate burpee burn in my arms, chest, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and abs. And when I’m feeling extra amped, I add a push-up and knee tuck. Generally speaking, I love HIIT circuits and tabata, which incorporate both calisthenics and kettlebells.
Short intervals of high intensity followed by short recovery gives the most bang for my hour at the gym. I love the high sweat factor of interval training along with the benefits of an elevated metabolism for the next 24 to 36 hours.
Fit For Fashion airs every Friday at 11pm on Channel 5.
