MANILA – Having competition-caliber bodies are important for Tokyo hopefuls like weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and boxer Nesthy Petecio, but there’s just something about the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Speaking in a virtual forum arranged by the Philippine Olympic Committee last weekend on May 16, Diaz and Petecio shared their respective struggles about maintaining strength, conditioning and nutrition.
Petecio, who was supposed to participate in a global qualifier tournament this month in Paris, admitted that she has gained weight before getting back in shape in Baguio.
“Di na napapasok minsan ang disiplina sa ganitong sitwasyon po ngayon. ‘Yung abs ko, nagiging tabs na. Buo na po siya. Delikado na!” said the women’s amateur featherweight boxer who ended up consuming anything she wanted due to her more flexible nutrition plan.
Diaz, who is stranded in Malaysia while training for a possible shot at the Tokyo Olympics qualification, also felt the same troubles but is now on the way to her old figure with the help her trainer.
“Before nag-start ang movement control orders (Malaysia’s equivalent of the enhanced community quarantine), talagang kain ako nang kain,” Diaz said. “Lumaki ako. Lumaki ang tiyan ko. Akala ko kaunti lang kinakain ko eh.”
National team nutrition coach Jeaneth Aro said that she understands the struggles of Petecio, Diaz and other athletes during the pandemic but is now working remotely with them with the slight relaxation of the community quarantine.
“Nung simula talaga kasi ng lockdown, ang naging role ko as their own nutrition coach [was] giving them compassion and moral support. Mas inunawa ko ang pinagdadaanan nila mentally,” said Aro.
“Now that things have more or less settled into a ‘new normal’, I am sending meal plans to them to try and keep them in condition,” she added. “Food and supplementation can definitely help strengthen our immune system so we will be able to fight it off.”
Aro is advocating a carb-controlled diet rather than a low-carb diet for Petecio, Diaz and the other athletes
“Meaning is ‘yung amount of carbohydrates na kakainin mo should be dependent on the level of intensity and the frequency of workout that you do in a day,” she said. “It’s not reduced carbs, but rather just the right amount of carbs – preferably before and after they do their training and exercise.”/PN
