alternative exercises for the kawani l - united...

R.A.C.E.Responsive, Accessible, Courteous and Effective

Public Service

www.csc.gov.ph

PraescriptioChairman Francisco T. Duque III

Civil Service Commission

MENS SANA in corpore sano,” as the famous Latin phrase goes. “A sound mind in a sound body” is what each civil servant should aim for.

To be able to fully deliver services to the public with utmost efficiency, civil servants need not only be mentally fit but also physically fit as well. That’s why “Cultivating Har-mony, Morale and Wellness in the Workplace” is one of the CSC’s strategic priorities. In support of the “Great Filipino Workout”, we give you five alternative exercises for a fit and healthier body (see story on page 1).

In this issue, you can also read about a city government’s fitness campaign aimed at promoting the wellness of its

residents, as well as a means of the city’s economic develop-ment.

For our public servant feature, you may find how working on the research and development project of the “amazing” crop plant sweet sorghum brought about teamwork and ex-cellence that eventually led to an outstanding contribution worthy of recognition.

I encourage each civil servant to stay physically and men-tally fit in the name of public service.

Sound Mind, Sound Body

Alternative Exercises for the Kawani

Last March, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) issued Memorandum Circular No. 8, series of 2011 (MC 8) reiterating its directive to all government agencies to adopt a health and fitness management program for government employees dubbed “The Great Filipino

Workout”. (continue to page 2)

I The eNewsletter of the Philippine Civil Service I May 2011


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

(Continued from page 1)

The Great Filipino Workout was first mentioned in CSC Memorandum Circular No. 6 issued way back in 1995. It was a physical fitness project in sup-port of the National Fitness and Sports Development Program of the govern-ment targeted at reducing the public’s risk of acquiring heart diseases.

Realizing that a healthy and alert workforce is a productive workforce, the CSC sees the need for all govern-ment employees to stay in shape. Thus, in MC 8, it directed agencies to allot a reasonable time for regular physical fitness exercise and to include physical fitness exercises in seminars, training programs and similar events. Agencies are authorized to allot one hour per week for health awareness programs and 20 minutes daily for fitness pro-grams.

While fun runs and cycling events continue to be the trend nowadays, there are a lot of alternative sports and fitness exercises you can choose from. Sticking to a fitness regimen can be

quite a challenge in itself, so it is impor-tant that you pick one you truly enjoy and that works for you.

Yoga

The term “yoga” comes from a Sanskrit word that means “to yoke” or “to unite”, that is, to unite the mind, body and spirit. While a big part of yoga deals with physical exercise (ha-tha yoga), it also teaches discipline and self-control, improves concentration, increases flexibility and stamina, re-duces cardiovascular risks, and relieves anxiety and depression.

The three main focuses of yoga are asanas (posture), pranayama (breath-ing) and savasanas (relaxation/medita-tion). If you’re new to yoga, ask the instructor on what you should wear and bring to class, as well as what to expect on your lessons. At first, you may feel pain when trying to do the poses so it’s a good idea to consult with your instructor or a therapist to avoid injuries.

- 2 -

More experienced yogis can try bikram yoga which involves practicing in heated rooms to more than 37.8 degrees Celsius. Bikram yoga is said to detoxify the body and promote weight loss.

Belly dancing

Belly dancing has gone a long way from its Middle Eastern and African roots where it was regarded a religious ritual and early form of entertainment. Today, it’s become an alternative to ballroom dancing and modern dances as a fitness activity.

(Continued on next page)

Barre3 was founded by American fit-ness trainer Sadie Lincoln.

Work out your hips and strengthen abdominal muscles

thru belly-dancing.

Photo source: http://mizzfit.com/images/photo/cache/Barre3_MizzFIT_Sadie-464x297.jpg

Photo source: http://belly-dance2010.republika.pl/images2/BellyDancing6.jpg


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

- 3 -

Belly dance focuses mainly on hip movements such as rolling the belly and swaying the torso, but as it gained influence from Western dance forms such as ballet, flamenco and jazz, much of belly dancing also involves arm, hand, foot, chest and neck movements.

Belly dance is a good form of ex-ercise that not only strengthens the abdominal muscles but can also aid in digestion, improve posture and help shed off unwanted pounds.

Zumba

Zumba is a fitness dance developed by Colombian dancer and choreog-rapher Alberto Perez in the 90s. It borrows movements from various Latin dance styles such as merengue, salsa and reggaeton. A huge component in Zumba is the music that provides the infectious, high-energy beats and tempo. This dance is not only fun and easy to learn; it’s a high intensity work-out too. It can burn a lot of calories, tone the body, improve strength and enhance coordination.

Barre3

This is the secret to Madonna’s perfectly toned body even at her early 50s. Barre3 combines the stretching

and bending movements of Pilates, yoga and ballet all in a 60 minute-ses-sion. It involves the use of a ballet rail called the “barre” usually seen in ballet studios.

Barre3 is great for toning the mus-cles, increasing flexibility, and improv-ing posture and alignment.

Trampoline exercise

Trampoline exercise, also known as rebounding, is now a popular fitness activity. As one bounces on a mini-trampoline or rebounder, the body achieves a weightless state at the top of each jump and lands with twice the force of gravity. This repetitive shift in gravitational force is said to work won-ders for the body.

Bouncing on a rebounder burns more calories than jogging. It improves the flow of lymph fluid, or in other words, does a good job of cleaning the cells of unwanted junk. It also improves heart performance, thus reducing blood pressure and slowing down ag-ing.

Resources:

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/wellness/wellness/view/20100413-263878/Why-even-Madonna-is-doing-Barre-3http://www.zumba.com/about/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belly_dancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogahttp://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=478561http://munfitnessblog.com/8-practical-tips-for-yoga-beginners/http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/exer-cise/yoga.htmlhttp://www.barre3.com/class_details.htmlhttp://www.energiseforlife.com/rebounding_benefits.phphttp://www.healingdaily.com/exercise/health-benefits-of-rebounding.htm

Zumba, a dance for fitness

Yoga, a relaxing fitness program

Photo source: http://zumbalove.wikispaces.com/

Photo source: http://www.travelvivi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/yoga-egypt.jpg

If you want to try rebounding, don’t settle for toy trampolines. Instead, buy one that’s sturdy enough for adults from a fitness equipment store.

Yoga, belly-dancing, zumba, barre3 and trampoline exercises are alterna-tive fitness programs you may choose from. Try a program that best suits your interests. Remember that staying fit and healthy should be fun and enjoy-able too.•


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

Government did not waver in rehabili-tating and rebuilding the facilities. In fact, the City has recently converted the Park’s parking lot into an 8-storey building for indoor sports. The new building houses gyms for different mar-

A City’s Fitness Campaign:Marikina City’s Health and Wellness Advocacy

Well-known for its craftsmanship of leather shoe products, Marikina is also fast becoming a famous go-to spot for sports enthusiasts. The City is home to the Marikina Sports Park, a park featur-ing an Olympic size swimming pool, an array of courts for various indoor and outdoor sports, and a 400-meter tartan oval track for running which jogging enthusiasts flock to every day.

Built in 1996 by the Provincial Gov-ernment of Rizal under then Governor Isidro R. Rodriguez, the 3-hectare park, initially named Rodriguez Sports Park, was formally turned over to the City of Marikina in the late 90s. It was renovated during the term of Mayor Ma. Lourdes C. Fernando. According to the Marikina Sports Park Marketing Office, the park now has 2 basketball courts, 2 volleyball courts, 3 badmin-ton courts, 2 sepak takraw courts, 4 table tennis courts, a covered gym, a tennis court, and a soccer field. Although the complex suffered greatly from Typhoon Ondoy in September 2009, the City

F rom shoe park to sports park? That’s the question probed by a recent Philippine Daily Inquirer article on Marikina and its plan to become a leading sports hub in the country.

tial arts such as taekwondo.

The Marikina City Government’s focal point is people, and therefore all their programs are geared towards human upliftment. To achieve this, the city government has launched the 7K program, which translates their phi-

losophy, “Tunay na Kaunlaran, Tao Naman” into concrete action

and results areas. First in line is Kalusugan

(Health), fol-lowed by

Ka-

Regular joggers at the Marikina Sports Park


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

- 5 -

runungan (Education), Kabuhayan (Livelihood), Kapayapaan at Kaayusan (Peace and Order), Katiyakan sa Paba-hay (Housing), Kalikasan (Environment), Katapatan at Makataong Paglilingkod (Good Governance).

Health is directly related to the con-dition of each individual, which is why the City Government is putting pre-mium on this aspect. “The City’s health programs opens awareness among vulnerable groups and their families regarding the practice of good health and nutrition,” says Dr. Alberto Herrera, Head of the Marikina City Health Of-fice. “Health programs are also our way to reach communities and to establish good relationship among the local gov-ernment, health officials, constituents and target clientele.”

The Marikina Sports Park serves as a cornerstone for Marikina’s health advocacy. “As a result of our strong advocacy on health lifestyle, people always look for a place where they can exercise or practice sports to attain good health,” explains Dr. Herrera. “The Marikina Sports Park contributes a lot to this purpose. In return, it helps the city widen the reach of its services be-

cause it does not only cater to Marike-ños but to other cities’ residents as well.” Dr. Herrera also added that since the Sports Park has become a popular venue for health enthusiasts, it has also become a contributor to the growth and development of the City thru the revenues generated from the use of its sports facilities.

The Marikina Sports Park opens as early as 6:00 a.m. and closes at 12:00 midnight everyday to accommodate early and late joggers, as well as games and matches. It also has special promos during the summer when people seek more fitness activities.

In the blog www.marikinalife.com, a Marikina City resident wrote how impressed she was by the tartan track and field facility of the Sports Park during the summer. “My husband and I usually go to the track oval between 9 to 10pm. But a few days ago, we had to rush a number of client requests and projects before the Holy Week break, so we were only able to go to the Sports Center later than usual. I was afraid it would be closed, but lo and behold, the Sports Center staff said they're open 24 hours!”

The same goes with the Alabaster Box, a group of women who do aero-bics every Saturday morning at the Sports Park. “We are not from Marikina but we definitely feel very welcome at the Park,” says Jen Fe Andres, the group’s representative. “It has become an easy thing to organize a group ex-ercise activity because the Sports Park already has it all – they have aerobics instructors, plus other facilities which we could choose to use should we get bored with plain aerobics.” Mostly mothers, Andres says the group ap-preciates the reasonable entrance fees at the Park. “Since fees are minimal, we could easily pool our money together and pay for the expenses without hurt-ing our personal or home budget.”

For their health program, the Marikina City Government has received various citations and awards, including Healthy Cities Regional Directors Award given by the World Health Organization in 2008, and Most Outstanding Health Lifestyle Advocate given by the Depart-ment of Health in 2009.

Not only has the City garnered


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

MARIKINA SPORTS PARK RATES

With minimal rates, any person can do his or her fitness activities at the Marikina Sports Park:

Entrance Fee P10.00

Regular Rate/Hour(Daytime) 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Regular Rate/Hour (Nighttime/with regular lights) 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 m.n.

Basketball Gym 250.00 400.00

Basketball Court (Open)

100.00 150.00

Badminton Court 100.00 150.00

Table Tennis 100.00 150.00

Volleyball Court 100.00 150.00

Lawn Tennis 100.00 150.00

Sepak Takraw 100.00 150.00

Running Track 500.00 1,000.00

Swimming Pool 40.00 per person for 31/2 hours

Boxing ring set (including 2 boxer’s equipment set)

500.00 600.00

Soccer Field with special lights:

25-lighted 2,000.00/hr



100-lighted 5,000.00/hr

References: Calleja, Niña. “Marikina wants to be sports capital.” Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 14, 2011.

With special thanks to:Office of Mayor Del R. de GuzmanMSP Administrator Dr. Angelito A. Llabres and the Marikina City Sports Park OfficeMarikina City Health Office

awards, they have also proven that health is indeed gold. The Park brings in an average of a million pesos monthly in revenue. According to the Marikina Sports Park Office, the income of the park for April 2011 alone reached P1.3 million.

The Marikina City Government has shown how an exceptional health advo-cacy program nurtures the wellness of its constituents, as well as how it con-ributes to the economic development of the City.•

The grandstand and oval at the Marikina Sports Park


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

- 7 -

“TEAMWORK divides the task and multiplies the success.”

Such is the experience of

the Amazing Sweet Sorghum Team of the Pampanga Agricul-tural College (PAC) in its com-mercialization of sweet sor-ghum as a viable crop product.

Sweet sorghum, a variety

of the crop plant sorghum, is known to be a “smart crop” for its versatility – it has a wider range of adaptability, more rapid growth and higher sugar accumulation and biomass production potential than sugarcane. It can withstand

Excellence Through Teamwork

hotter and drier temperatures, making it resilient to climate change

Realizing this potential, a team composed of specialists and support staff began exten-sive research and development activities for the use of sweet sorghum as an alternative to human food, animal feed and bio-fuel source way back in 2005.

“Food and fuel are major

economic issues today, and our project has provided sufficient information so that in the near future, the government could

use this generated knowledge and utilize this crop in address-ing the food, fuel and animal feed problems of this country,” says team leader Dr. Norman G. De Jesus.

The food technologists,

the chemists and the engineer of the team also developed various food and non-products from sweet sorghum. Among the many different kinds of food that can be produced from sorghum are burger sor-ghum, pastilles de sorghum, pop sorghum (sorghum ver-sion of pop corn), sorghum porridge and sorghum yams.

“To come up with a relevant research was our primary

concern...This reward is an absolute bonus.”

– Amazing Sweet Sorghum Team Leader

Norman G. De JesusTechnical experts of the Amazing Sweet Sorghum Team inspects the sweet sorghum plantation.


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

Non-food products developed may be used as health care products like body hair remov-er, soap, spa salt, body scrub and liniment oil. They also developed a low-cost cooking stove using ethanol made from sweet sorghum as fuel. Sweet sorghum has shown to have a more beneficial energy bal-ance than corn which makes the crop a raw material re-source for alternative fuel.

With the commercial vi-

ability of the amazing crop, the team established partnerships to promote sweet sorghum production and utilization. They developed information, education and communication materials for the publicity and marketing of sweet sorghum. The team was able to obtain P2 million funding support from the Department of Agri-culture, Bureau of Agricultural Research, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and

Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and International Crops Re-search Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Because of the initiatives of the Amazing Sweet Sor-ghum Team, they were award-ed the Civil Service Commis-

sion Pagasa Award in the 2010 Search for Outstanding Public Servants.

“We just did our best in this project and really never expected this kind of award. To come up with a rel-

evant research was our prima-ry concern, plus it was part of our job to do things well. This reward is an absolute bonus,” De Jesus said.

“Each team member had

worked with joy, energy, en-thusiasm and excitement to contribute in the development of technologies and products that would greatly benefit the Filipinos and the country in general,” he proudly shared.•

The Civil Service Commission Pagasa Award is one of the three honor

awards conferred to individuals or groups in the annual Search for

Outstanding Public Servants.

The team showcases the products and technology developed for the utilization of the sweet sorghum crop.

The Amazing Sweet Sorghum Team


Public Service

May 2011, vol. 5-5

WRITERS/CONTRIBUTORSGen Renella F. LeañoErika Jean C. CabanawanAnne Giselle P. GuevarraEthel T. Montemayor

LAYOUT ARTISTMelendriz Jane P. Teves

PHOTOGRAPHERJessie N. Panlilio

CIRCULATIONEriberto B. Dionisio

ADVISERSChairman Francisco T. Duque IIIDirector IV Maria Luisa Salonga-AgamataDirector III Ma. Theresa C. Fernandez

EDITORIAL TEAM

For your comments, questions and/or story suggestions, contact the R.A.C.E. Editorial at:

Public Assistance and Information OfficeCivil Service CommissionIBP Road, Constitution Hills, Diliman, 1126 Quezon CityTel: (02) 931-4180, (02) 932-0111TextCSC: 0917-8398272Email: [email protected]

alternative exercises for the kawani l - united...

Documents