WELLNESS WEDNESDAY : all about water

"and don't forget to drink more water" ... I told everyone who took time to ask me about my weight loss. I am pretty sure everybody already knows the importance of drinking water. I found 10 benefits of drinking more water in an article on mindbodygreen.com and my favorites are the following: 

-promotes weight loss

-flushes out toxins

-improves skin complexion ( i heard Kris Aquino consumes at least 5 liters a day, no wonder her skin is radiant! ) 

Try as I may, I can not bring myself to drink 5 liters, I think the most I can is 3 liters a day. 

My day starts with a huge glass of water with 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar. 

I go about my daily morning rituals after. Prepare my stuff for work and take a shower. After my shower, I take another full glass this time with half a teaspoon of Herbalife Herbal Concentrate... or what I personally refer to as my fat burning tea. 

After taking my shake, I drink another small glass of water before I leave for work. In as much as I would like to drink more, I can't because I take public transport to work and stopping by a public toilet to pee is not always possible. There was even a time when I did pee all over myself at Ayala Station and had to go commando walking around Glorietta wearing my denim skirt and pee-soaked - squeaking- bubble gum pink Chuck Taylors. Until of course I had the chance to buy fresh set of undies and a pair of flipflops. 

It goes without saying that I always have with me my water bottle. 

Thankfully lemons are now on sale ( buy one take one at the supermarket!!! yey!) No I don't think that lemons can magically zap fats away, but it renders my water less boring. Aside from lemons, I also put fruits, or cucumber, or mint leaves... or anything else that can give my water a little taste... without the sugar. 

I try my very best to not drink flavored drinks, no iced tea, no lemonade, no soda... but I do drink coffee sometimes, especially when I am in a meeting. I drink more water once I am back home, twice as much when I am working out and one big glass before I sleep. 

so there... aside from replacing a meal with my herbalife shake,i drink water! a lot of it, like i am paid to do so.

By the way I have already started my #21dayshakechallenge version 2.0. Aside from another 21 days of replacing a meal with herbalife shake, i am also going to add more physical activities to my daily routine. And what better way to start my shake challenge than to: 

to have it at 525 meters above sea level after a tiring 2-hour trek. Since I am aiming high , might as well take day 1 of my 21 day shake challenge at the highest point I have ever been to... so far. 

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY : the road to healthy

aaaaand I am back.

I feel guilty for flooding Facebook with stuff about the food I eat and my latest obsession about being fit. So to make sure that those who have absolutely zero interest in seeing my meals or the type of activities I do will or the changes in my body no longer be tortured with my posts, I revived my blog.

So over the weekend, I posted my most liked and talked about facebook post so far.

With more than 250 likes and 14 shares, I am predisposed to assume that a lot of people in my network are happy with my achievement. But then again, some might not really appreciate seeing my tummy or any other body part for that matter in the future again. 

So most update on my wellness journey, the food I eat ... or those I try not to, the activities I do ... or at least try my best to do and other stuff I do to shed unwanted fats will be posted on my blog. 

and what better way to start my Wellness Wednesday post by :

an hour of boxing, 15 minutes circuit, 15 minutes on the mat swearing while doing whatever I was asked to do for the benefit of my abs and lastly the most satisfying stretching and massage. Immediately thereafter, grabbed my post- workout meal. 

MONEY MONDAY : Week 6 of the 52 - week money challenge

HEALTH IS WEALTH!!!

It is the time of the year when I feel very grateful that I am not sickly. I just received my sick leave commutation! Out of the 15 days that I was entitled to last year, I only filed for 1 sick leave, so that means I will have extra money equivalent to 14 days!!! $$$

I can spend this money freely, no budgets, I can splurge, treat myself to a day in the spa or buy me a new pair of Jordans. But it seems like I am getting used to this saving habit. So after I have spent half it and kept some for my gym expenses,  I decided to save the rest too.

I bought me a new pair of shoes, a dress, a blouse and one of those collapsible storage wardrobes. I have saved a portion of it too for gym membership, something I did not initially include in my forecast of expenses for this year. But lately all this gym/boxing sessions has been giving me feel-good endorphins so I might as well include gym expenses. Besides who wouldn't want to spend a little more time sweating in the gym when...

and for those of you who do not know him,here's a glimpse at who this Daniel Matsunaga is...

www.showbiz-portal.com

Check your company's perks and benefits too, there might be some way to get extra cash. Take my company for example:

1. PERFECT ATTENDANCE -to ensure that our operations people are well motivated to go to work, we have a perfect attendance program. Every quarter, A PHP 250,000.00 cash prize is equally divided to all those who qualifies for the perfect attendance incentive. No sick leave, no unplanned leaves and no tardiness. Those who can maintain this for a whole year will share among them a PHP 400,000.00 cash prize! That is quite a lot I tell you.

2. SICK LEAVE COMMUTATION - Those like me whose middle name is "TARDY" might not be able to be a candidate for the perfect attendance incentive. I love going to work, it is just that there are times I am too lazy to get up early. But even if I am a bit under the weather and even if I sneeze my nose out, I would still report for work. Every year we are given a total of 15 days paid sick leave. All unused sick leave credits for the year are carried over to the following year. Anything in excess of 25 days will be paid in cash!

3. FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT DETECTION - I had my share of "NBI AGENT" moments back when I was still a check-in agent. This incentive program was put in place to avoid documentation related fines and charges. There is a PHP 1,000.00 incentive for every falsified, tampered or invalid document that an agent detects and has prevented from leaving the country.

4. TRAINING HONORARIUM -  Be a line trainer and get to be paid whenever you hold a class. I used to teach Dangerous Good Awareness Course, Departure Control System Course and Basic Ground Handling Courses. It may not be much but anything extra is welcome.

What incentive programs does your company offer?

Have a good week ahead... by the way, my jar now has PHP 525.00. How about yours?

DID I PASS MY PENCIL TEST?

You will never look at a pencil from my dainty pencilcase the same way again after reading this post.

The first pencil test is meant to be taken by ladies only... To see if they can still go braless in public. Well not that I plan to, but I just want to see if mine are still perky and if they would still look pleasant in a bikini top. After all summer is just around the corner and I plan to bask in the sun.

Here is how it should be performed:

1. Stand straight... Preferably against a wall, half naked.

2. Carefully lift your breasts up, and position the pencil at the base.

The pencil is supposed fall down. If it stays, then Houston, we have a problem. Not one that would require a senate inquiry though. Pencil staying comfortably nestled between your breast and your chest means you need to be more conscious about giving your girls the proper support. Less you want gravity to worsen the sagging.

The next pencil test knows no gender boundaries . Place a pencil beneath the butt cheek up next to the thigh. If the pencil falls, you can give yourself a nice quick butt-pat and whisper " nice job in keeping yourself lifted,booty" . If the pencil stays, or worse disappears like a ship when it reaches the Bermuda Triangle... Fret not. step-ups, lunges, kickback and squats should help bring back the oomph to your hump.

So did I pass my pencil tests?

Yes girls... you still have enough perkiness.

And yes I can still dance to the tune of bootylicious

Now if only I can lose the bulge and have myself swimsuit ready.

yogurt mania

The latest object of my taste buds' affection. Saw this by chance at my usual brunch place...7-11 at terminal 3. At first I was hesitant, after all I am not a hardcore yogurt fan, but curiosity took over me and I had to try it. I grabbed a banana and snatched a cup of this off the chiller:

Sweet little langka bits, in ube flavored base. I am used to eating yogurt in all its fruity glory.. mango, strawberry, melon and raspberry, a bit sour, but this one is sweet, a bit too sweet for something that is supposed to be healthy, but the sweet tooth in me is not complaining. 

Got this for 35 pesos at 7-11, but had a trip to the supermarket and bought a few cups for 28 pesos! Looks like I'll be munching on this for the next few days.

i am a TRY - athlete

That is no typo.. I did not mean to announce that I am a triathlete, I mean to say that I am A TRY-athlete.. a trying hard athlete! For as long as I can remember, sports has always been a part of me. Taekwondo in grade school, Swimming class in high school. In college, I was part of my batch's volleyball team. But don't be deceived, true enough that I did try out to be part of the team, I was a shoo in not because my volleyball skills was spectacular, but because they needed at least 12 players for the team, and only 8 showed up for the tryouts. PE in college was fun, I was able to try table tennis and soccer. 

Despite being employed, I still find time to play badminton, a sport that I have been playing almost 7 years now but still has no confidence yet to play it competitively. I also had a short love affair with tennis, but that sport proved to be too expensive. I also have a pair of boxing gloves collecting dust now  And lately I have been running 5k's.

Last year, I participated in 3 out of 4 events in a company sponsored sportsfest. 

I played basketball but was not able to shoot a single ball. I felt confident about my badminton game, we finished second. The volleyball event was also a pleasant surprise, I felt.. needed and important as I was assigned the tosser and we also finished second. The only event that I did not join was bowling. Balls are too heavy.. not my sport really. 

But I guess there is no escaping bowling. For my Thai Airways group's team building, they have decided to have a friendly competition at the bowling alley. The 7 supervisors of Thai Airways were each assigned a color and drew names from a bowl. I was picked by sir Toti and we were assigned the color red. 

When I learned that I needed to play bowling, I panicked. I have never held a bowling ball! Good thing I was picked by sir Toti, because everybody knows he is very competitive so he had scheduled a day of practice for us. As expected, I performed badly. My balls tend to run straight for a few feet but slowly turns to the sides before it reaches the pins. I was so concerned about me looking stupid on the event that I have asked my mom to accompany me to the bowling alley and practice. My mom obliged and she turned out to be a better bowler than me.

I have surrendered to the fact that I will only make a fool of myself in the bowling alley. But I was still determined to have fun with my friends. And I was pretty sure it was going to be 1 colorful event. With this in mind, I have asked my cousin Ken top borrow his sister's nice camera to document the event. 

Here are some photos of the event:

Here is my team in action

ever poised ms. Phet

nice form from sir Toti!

Greg in action

Monique throws like a boy! My idol!

our most dominant player! 

me of course!

 Guess which group was declared champion?

we are the champions!

After the games, we stayed on for some more photos. Here's me with my photographer and his assistant! HAHAHA

the photographer's assistant

my demanding photographer!

We goofed around the bowling alley after...

jumping is difficult!

more so with an 8-pound ball!

but my photographer needs more shots!

I am not sure if it was the bowling game or the pictorial that made me burn calories. 

i expected a polvoron

I have been to 3 run so far and for my next run, and my judgment on whether or not to join a specific run will be based on the following criteria:

1st it should be an event organized by RUNRIO because I have noticed that runs organized by them are ummm  Organized? and second the it should be an event where my favorite couple Elaine and Emer should be running too. 

I joined the Goldilocks 45th anniversary run last May 15 because it was organized by runrio and Emer and Elaine will be running too. Not to mention the fact that the singlet was branded ( New balance) and I heard that the loot bags are nicely loaded . I did not expect a lot of runners because it coincided with at least 2 other runs and because the registration fee was a bit pricey. I was surprised to see it well attended, and most of the runners were female. Could it be because the ladies were expecting Goldilocks' endorser eye candy Dindong Dantes to run?

Had to do an early morning commute and met with the Emer and Elaine at 4:20am. We went straight to Bonifacio Global City and did our stretching first by Emer's car. We affixed our bibs and D-tags (timing chips) before going to the place where most runners were already congregating, We soon found ourselves behind the stage where a few celebrities were doing their pre-run stretch. The host for the event were DJ's from 89.9. Shivaker is indeed a looker.

Since there were a lot of runners, they have decided to have both the 10k and 5k  in 2 waves. We were running the 5k and have decided to run the on the 1st wave. We were guided to stretch while we were lined up and waiting for gun start. On the huge LED screen, images of Dingdong Dantes, the Eigenmann brothers and Wendell Ramos' huge arms were shown. They were to run the 5k too. After the gun start, Me, Elaine and Emer has decided to go our separate ways and just meet on left side of the finish line.

I definitely felt the difference of running with and without practice. As compared to my 1st 5k run, wherein I felt so tired after running for just 1k, this time, I breezed by the 1k mark still comfortably breathing. I have decided to try jogging until I reach 3k, however a little before 2k, I took a phonecall informing me that I have manpower issues at work. I had to make some phonecalls and fix it so I had no choice but to walk just so the person on the other line could understand what I was saying. After being able to create a temporary fix for my work-related trouble, I resumed running, this time a little bit faster, because I have come to realize that I would be needing to report for duty after the run. 

My official time for the run was 45:03. I chopped of a whole minute from my previous 5k run. I finished  a little before 7:00am and by that time the sun was already shining mightily. I immediately looked for Emer since I saw him pass me by early on in the race, I saw him already holding his loot bag and told me to get mine as well. I had to tell him that I will be needing his help to drive me to the airport after the run since I will be going on duty.

I had high expectations for this run's lootbag. After all it was an event sponsored by one of the biggest bakeshop chains in the country. Much to my disappointment, there was not 1 baked product in the lootbag!!! All I had was a pouch full of over-the-counter drugs, a can of tuna meatloaf,a bottle of water and a sportsdrink! I chugged the sports drink immediately. Here is a photo of the lootbag taken by Elaine who just like me got no use for the pain killers since we both are allergic to them.

 

 I felt bad  that I somewhat forced Emer and Elaine to leave the venue immediately. I know they have wanted to explore the other activities. We had time though to take some photos. Here's me and Elaine with running enthusiast and socialite Tessa Prieto Valdez:

 

Since this was the first race where we all wore a D-tag, Elaine took a photo of our shoes as well:

 

And here is a photo of me and Elaine. My face was still flushed. 

The race results was posted on BazuSports. Too bad I still can not download the photos from their site. I hope all runrio runs will post the race results like the way they posted it for the Goldilocks run. Click here to see my results. It's something more interesting than brag-worthy.

a day at the cove

I used to be a regular at Island cove.  Back in 2005, I lost major poundage playing tennis there. But I had to stop. Mainly because it was financial suicide if I continue. I was not playing competitively, I played with a trainer. So I had to pay for court usage charges, pay for the trainer fees and pay for the ball boy. Back then, what I was shelling out for my twice-weekly game was equivalent to a quarter of my monthly salary. 

My officemate recently spent a day with her family at Island cove and told me that her kids had loads of fun with what the place had to offer. I heard her say that they swam and biked around.  So in my endless quest to keep fit, I asked my nephew to go with me for an early morning bike.

Much has changed since the last time I was there. Very noticeable was the new CAVITEX. The new road that connects Kawit to Coastal road. So for those who will be coming from Manila, you can now be spared of the gruesome traffic along E. Aguinaldo Highway. Me, my nephew Jermaine and cousin Lara walked to the entrance.  Way back in 2005, I used to just enter freely and announce that I would be playing tennis, thereby exempting me from resort entrance charges. But when we got there, we were asked to pay 100 pesos each in exchange for IC (Island Cove... I guess) money that we could use for purchases inside the resort.Fair enough since I heard we are to pay 100 pesos for an hour of bike rental. This is a mandatory charge for everybody. Since I have also tried running inside the resort before. I can not help but ask if I will be charged should I not use any of the resort's facilities and just run around. Yup! I still need to pay entrance fees! I guess nothing really is free. But they offered me membership to their runner's club. For 300 pesos, I will be given an ID to grant me free access to the resort to run. This card is valid for a year. No thank you.

I was not aware that the bike rentals will not be available until 8:00 am ( We went there on a Friday, we were told that on weekends, they operate an hour earlier) We were there as early as 7:00 am. We walked around, visited the fishing village and spent a few moments by the poolside. Since I noticed that my nephew was losing his enthusiasm and was starting to feel bored. I challenged him to a game of chess. Here's a few shots courtesy of my cousin Lara:

 

Here is Maine with his Queen!

After our game.. actually once we saw the bike rental counter was already opened. We rearranged the chess pieces and chose our bikes. Lara and Jermaine picked mountain bikes, old fashioned me, I picked a BMX. After an hour of butt-punishing-leg-torturing biking, we decided to call it a day, or half a day and went home to a hearty breakfast. 

Find out more about ISLAND COVE.For a quick getaway from the summer heat!

What I got for 63 pesos

After almost a month, I did my second run.Most runners I know do their runs progressively, I did the exact opposite: I ran my 5k first before running my 3k! 

I would have wanted to run in the 5k as I have survived my 1st. but the event that I joined required a child partner and my only willing nephew was 10-year old Jermaine. Although he was willing to run in the 5k, he was only qualified to run in the 3k.

I registered for this run on the last day of registration as my nephew did not always show enthusiasm towards running. There would be days he'd wake me up early so we could jog around, but there were also times he'd rather stay home and play with his computer games. So before I finally registered, I had to get his 100% commitment, after all I wouldn't want to waste 500pesos.

After my duty last May 1 (last day for registration), I took an MRT ride to Ayala station.  I had to walk to Greenbelt 1. I am a rehabilitated mall rat, so I did not find the walk from Glorietta to Greenbelt amusing.  After what seemed like a lifetime of walking, I reached L time studio only to find out that they can no longer accept registrations for the 3k run. Bummer! But they advised me to proceed to SM Mall of Asia's Hypermart as ALASKA has set-up a booth for registration there. Not wanting to break my nephew's heart. I hailed a taxicab and went straight to Mall of Asia. 

I reached MOA a little before 5:00pm. Was so delighted to know that all i needed to do was purchase a few Alaska Chocolate drinks and my registration will be free of charge but I had to do it quickly since the registration will be closed by 6:00pm. After I paid for the drinks, went back to the booth and filled-up a registration form, I was handed 2 bib numbers for me and my nephew and another chocolate drink. No shirt was issued to us as only the 1st 500 finishers will be given a finisher shirt.

Come race day, me and my nephew woke up early to go the the Mall of Asia grounds. We just took a bus to Baclaran and took a cab ride to MOA. Gun start was set at 6:30am, we were there at 6:00am as I wanted to be there early since I was unfamiliar with the place. 

2 rehydration stations were set up at the starting point, I told my nephew to have a drink first before we position ourselves to the starting point. Here is Jermaine with his Gatorade cup. Which he did not finish because he said it tasted bad. Hahaha

As this was virtually a free run, it was well attended. I had a hard time looking for the starting point. I was confused because I saw a lot of adult-child pairs wearing the same bib color as ours but they were lined up behind the "FINISH" sign. It turned out that they have placed the signs wrongly. We really had to start at the finish point. At that point I already had a feeling that the run will not be as organized as my first run.

The runners were not guided to stretch so I just asked my nephew to do our usual stretching routine whenever we run. After waiting for around 30 minutes, amidst the whining of children getting impatient, I heard the gun shot that signified our start.

Jermaine started strongly, I always checked on him and kept reminding him that he should tell me when he is already tired. I was a bit worried since he is asthmatic. After the 500m mark, he said he was already tired so we walked. He complained of side stitches every once in a while so I had to remind him to breathe deeply. At the 1km marker, we already saw pairs on their way back, that gave me very small hope that we will be able to get a finisher shirt.

We finished the run in 27 minutes. After the run we lined up for the loot bags. I expected to get just Alaska products but got the surprise of my life when we got finisher shirts! The loot bag contained 4 Alaska yoghurt drink and a sports bottle.Here is my happy Jermaine with his sweaty hair, wearing his finisher shirt and showing his loot bag:

So let's do the math, I paid 63 pesos and got the following:

• 7 pieces of Alaska chocolate drink
• 2 finisher shirts
• 2 loot bags containing a total of 2 sports bottles and 8 Alaska yoghurt drinks
• 3 km run 
• and priceless bonding moment with my sumpungin nephew. 

Needless to say, that is probably the best deal I ever got for 63 pesos.

running away

     I have been wanting to try running for the longest time, and with Ma'am Emily's encouragement and cheerful support, I bravely went pavement pounding last April 10 and successfully finished my first 5k run.

My company decided to send participants to this run...

With free registration fee, free shuttle service, the chance to bond with my colleagues in a healthy environment plus a hearty breakfast, I must say I chose the best way to kick start my running. My official time read 46.09. not bad for a first time runner... Not bad at all for someone who almost gave up when, after feeling like running my legs out, I saw the 1k marker...hahaha

I'm running out of words , I will just let the following photos tell my story.

T'was still dark, we were waiting for our run to start, gray numbers are for 5 k, green for 3k.

A few seconds before we officially started to run... With pretty mommy Joy!

Happy finisher! 

After everybody has finished, we all went to a nearby parking lot where our shuttle was parked for a little bit more picture-taking before we had our breakfast.

Friends for more than a decade....

Now this what we were served for breakfast,

Of course I ate the banana first!

I didn't have a camera that day, so all these photos were right-clicked from Meg, Elaine, Tin and Sir Eric!

Next up:

Yup, I will be running in the ALASKA FUN RUN with my 10-year old nephew. I love the fact that he is more excited than I am. I hope to have time to blog about this too.