Tae Bo

The ‘No pain, no gain’ slogan is one fact we cannot deny. Healthy, gorgeous bodies are attained through constant exercise and discipline unless of course you opt for easy and effortless surgical procedures to shape your body. Working out in the gym will definitely yield good results but after a not-so-impressive period of time. Patience is a virtue and by that I mean months and even years of constant and quality exercise. 

How wonderful! Chit chat over Tae Bo.

There are many reasons as to why people do not exercise or maybe exercise yet stop in the middle of their programs. A popular reason is of course disinterest in having to suffer painful exercises to burn out those unwanted and excess baggage. Another is the stress of having to pay much for gym exercise. People constantly give excuses such as being unable to exercise because of financial constraints; the pressure of having to wear good clothes so as to ‘fit in’; that their hectic schedules and jobs wouldn’t allow even an hour of allocation for exercise and so on. 

Some people are just born fashionistas.

I don’t know how these *Tae Bo dancing exercises ever surfaced [I have yet to research on that] but it’s doing much good to the constituents of Panay. I first heard of this program through a friend saying that there’s this group of people who gather around E. Treñas Boulevard at Mandurriao, Iloilo to do Tae Bo exercises and that payment isn’t compulsory. Sometimes you can opt not to pay but I don’t think that’s a good idea. Haha. And so my mom and I tried it out. I saw some figures in the business industry sweat their bods out in the exercises, which [to me] is a good sign that people of different walks of life unite for one purpose: to live longer and better lives through exercise.

These kick-punch moves will surely sweat you out.

This grandpa is doing Tae Bo at his own pace.

I admire the people behind this propaganda especially the instructors who patiently and willfully [without fail!] arrive on time, set up their music and dance to the rhythm of the beat while hundreds of Ilonggos imitate their moves.

The ever smiling instructor, Little.

Just last year, my mom almost quit dancing because she finds having to exercise at the Iloilo Boulevard such a difficult thing to do since it’s kilometers away from our place. However, a friend informed her that these same instructors held Tea Bo sessions at La Paz plaza. This was the closest to our home and almost every day [except for rainy days], my mom along with more than a hundred participants dance in the middle of the plaza. 

I had even joined her last year but had to stop since I had to go on duty. The sessions at La Paz plaza started at 6:00 AM but had to be moved to their latest schedule now which is at 5:30 AM to give way to government employees who have to be off to work at around 7:00 AM.
This community of lively and committed dancers started to create an organization. They voted officers who responsibly took charge of events and parties, t-shirt printing and assignment of shirt color for different days of the week.

Here are the shirt colors:

     Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and for Sunday, any color will do.

With these programs at hand, I don’t think I will ever be hearing of individuals who cannot find the time and the reason to exercise. Come to a place where your heart is at, where you’re most comfortable and where you're accepted by great peers. 

This cute little guy here helps to collect donation.
He's a participant as well but rarely misses out a session.

And to answer the seemingly redundant question I get about whether there is a fee or none, there is none but you are highly encouraged to donate any amount you like to give.

*Tae Bo is an aerobic exercise routine that became popular in the 1990s. It was developed by taekwondo practitioner Billy Blanks and was one of the first "cardio-boxing" programs to enjoy commercial success. Such programs use the motions of martial arts at a rapid pace designed to promote fitness. The name Tae Bo is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing.

Sorry about the music. It sounds muffled.