The 6 Biggest Mistakes Filipinas Make
When Starting Their Fitness Journey
by Celes Alasco
Updated January 8, 2026
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For Filipinas, fitness often comes with extra pressure. You juggle work, family, stress, and expectations. You want to feel strong, confident, and healthy—but you also want something realistic.
Something you can actually stick to.
This article breaks down the 5 biggest mistakes Filipinas make when starting their fitness journey—in a simple, honest, and judgment-free way.
No complicated terms. No extreme rules.
Just clear insights to help you understand your body, respect your pace, and build habits that last.
When you avoid these common mistakes, your journey becomes lighter, stronger, and more empowering—just the way it should be.
1. Copying Viral Workouts
Most viral workouts are created for views, not for you.
They are often done by people who have been exercising for many years.
It may look easy on the video, but it may actually be unsafe for you, because your body isn’t ready yet (for that particular exercise).
So when you try to copy these workout routines, you might risk injury, burnout, and frustration.
Another problem?
Viral workouts don’t consider your fitness level, body type, health condition, or lifestyle.
Which means, just because a workout worked for someone online doesn’t mean it will work for you too.
It’s never a one-size fits all.
Fitness is very personal, not trending.
What’s best for you to do is to learn the basic. Know the primal movements, for you to establish a strong workout foundation.
Beginners need these foundations to build strength with safety and consistency. Without them, progress slows down and motivation fades.
Instead of copying viral workouts, find and start with a program that matches your current level, goals, and schedule. It’s better to choose simple exercises (at first). Then progress slowly or as needed. Focus on learning your form, and build habits you can sustain.
Be patient and trust the process.
Everyone started as a beginner.
Remember: the best workout isn’t the popular one—it’s the one your body can commit to do consistently and enjoy doing.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, watch this
2. Setting Unrealistic Goals
Did you know that unrealistic goals also put too much pressure on your body?
Let’s say you wanted to lose a lot of weight in one week, or you’d like to set a 2-hour workout daily.
At first, this sounds motivating—but in reality, it’s very hard to maintain.
When you don’t see an instant result, you may feel disappointed and want to quit the process.
So instead of feeling happy and strong with your workout sessions, you’ll feel tired and stressed.
And stress is one of the culprit for health issues, including weight management problems.
Trying to do too much, too soon is like focusing only on the end-results.
It’s not just a one-time event that will end once your goal has been met.
Your fitness journey is a lifestyle therefore, focusing on habits is very much of importance.
Setting small and realistic goals is much better.
Simple goals like:
exercising 2-3 times a week;
drinking more water;
choosing healthier food;
or sleeping earlier are easier to follow.
These habits create lasting results.
The real progress happens through your small daily actions, not the extreme changes
So the next time you set your fitness goals, focus on these:
Start with simple workouts that you can actually do.
Be kind to your body, listen to it.
Trust the process, and remember, slow progress is still progress.
and…
staying consistent is more important than being perfect.
3. Not Tracking Progress
When you don’t track your progress, it’s hard to see if your efforts are working. You may feel like you’re not improving, even when you actually are.
But hey! Progress doesn’t always show on the weighing scale. Sometimes it shows as more energy, feeling stronger, or clothes fitting better.
Writing down your workouts, steps, or even how you feel helps you stay on track and remember what you’ve done. This awareness makes it easier to build healthy routines and avoid skipping workouts.
If you don’t track, you won’t know what needs to change. You might keep doing the same thing without knowing if it helps your body or not. It helps you see what works best for yo, so you won’t get lost.
In doing this, you don’t need anything complicated.
You can use a notebook, your phone notes, or take simple progress photos.
These small efforts are enough.
4. Skipping Warm-ups and Cool-down
When you rush straight into a workout, your body is forced to perform before it’s fully prepared.
This doesn’t always lead to injury right away—but it often shows up as poor performance, heavy movements, or feeling “off” during your session.
Your strength feels weaker, your range of motion is limited, and your workout quality drops. A smart warm-up isn’t about sweating more—it’s about moving better.
Cool-downs are just as strategic. They signal your body to shift from “work mode” to recovery. Without them, tension lingers in your muscles, recovery slows, and fatigue builds up over time.
This is one reason many beginners feel constantly sore or drained even with short workouts.
The real issue isn’t skipping a few stretches—it’s skipping the systems that support consistency.
These activities help your body adapt, recover, and show up ready again. Without them, workouts feel harder than they should, motivation drops, and progress stalls.
Fitness isn’t only about effort; it’s about efficiency. When warm-ups and cool-downs are treated as part of the workout—not optional extras—you move better, recover faster, and train with intention.
That’s how sustainable results are built, especially at the start of your fitness journey.
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5. Comparing Bodies
When you compare your body to others, your focus shifts. Instead of paying attention to how your body feels, moves, and improves, you start chasing someone else’s results.
This often leads to copying what they do, pushing too hard, or feeling like you’re always behind—even when you’re actually doing well.
Every “body” responds to exercise differently.
Some bodies change fast. Some change slow.
But that doesn’t mean one is better. It just means bodies have different timelines.
When beginners compare, they often miss their own wins—stronger arms, better sleep, more energy, can easily move more—because they’re too busy looking at someone else.
Comparing bodies also changes how workouts feel. Exercise becomes stressful instead of empowering.
You stop enjoying movement and start judging yourself. That pressure makes it harder to stay consistent, which matters more than speed.
Fitness works best when your attention stays on you. Your strength. Your effort. Your habits. Progress grows when you measure yourself against your past—not against someone online or beside you.
In fitness, the goal isn’t to look like someone else.
It’s to build a body that feels strong, capable, and confident for you.
That mindset is what helps beginners last—and succeed.
6. Not Having Supplements
This is the part most people miss: choosing the right nutrition support.
Before, I didn’t believe in supplements. I wanted everything to be as natural as possible. Real food only. No extras. That was my mindset.
But living an active lifestyle in the Philippines changed my perspective. I realized something important—not all nutrition is easy to get from food alone. Busy days, limited food choices, stress, and training demands can leave gaps, even when you’re trying your best.
That’s when I started adding supplements—not to replace food, but to support my body.
They helped me keep up with my workouts, recover better, and stay consistent. And consistency is everything.
So to Filipina beginners reading this: don’t be scared to add food supplements to complement your fitness journey. Think of them as support, not shortcuts.
Out of all the supplements I’ve tried, one stood out—IAM Amazing Grape Juice with Garcinia Cambogia. It became a simple daily boost for my weight management routine. It supports my workout energy and helps my body feel more active during training.
For fitness beginners, Garcinia Cambogia is often used to support metabolism and appetite balance—helpful when you’re building new habits.
Fitness works best when it fits your life. Your schedule. Your energy. Your body. Progress doesn’t need to be loud or dramatic. It grows quietly through simple habits done again and again.
When you move with intention, warm up with care, track small wins, and stop comparing your body to others, fitness becomes lighter. More enjoyable. More empowering. Adding the right support—like proper nutrition and gentle boosters—helps your body keep up with the changes you’re asking it to make.
Remember, fitness is not a race. It’s a relationship with your body. One built on patience, kindness, and consistency.
You don’t need to do everything perfectly. You just need to start smarter, stay consistent, and trust that your body knows how to grow stronger—one small step at a time
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