Project: Fit

Last Friday, I was invited to the Philippine launch of the Asics Foot Scan ID System at the Asics Expo in Fort Bonifacio Global City.

The Foot Scan ID system is a breakthrough Japanese technology that basically scans one’s feet. The data is sent to a computer which analyzes it.

I was expecting to know the kind of feet I have – you know, if I’m over- or under-pronated, those kind of stuff. But, apparently, the part of the system which measures those involves running on a treadmill and was omitted during the event (probably to save time and accommodate everyone who wanted a scan).

The Japanese experts with Mr. Anil Buxani (right), Managing Director of Sonia Trading, exclusive distributor of Asics in the Philippines

I learned that my right foot is 0.3cm longer than the left (which is normal) and that my feet are borderline-wide.

What’s the importance of knowing your correct size, especially if you run? Read the rest of this entry »

I got my first chafed skin last week during my Wednesday run at UP Diliman.

Man, it was painful enduring it! I wanted to stop running already but I just had to finish my three rounds.

The damage was a 4-inch long chafed skin underneath the bra line, and another smaller area on the left side. The culprit: an ill-fitting bra.

To start with, it wasn’t a sports bra. It fit perfectly well during normal use, and I never found the seam uncomfortable or rough. But I guess the dynamics change when the boobs are, uhmm, repeatedly moving up and down. hehehe. The not-so-smooth seam rubbed with the skin underneath it.

To treat the wound, I have been applying my son Nate’s Desitin diaper rash ointment three times a day or each time I remember to. I figured it should work well. And it does – the chafed skin has dried up and is healing fine.

Lessons learned: 1. Be wary of the risk of chafing; 2. Buy a sports bra.

Here are some prevention tips I gathered from the internet: Read the rest of this entry »

As I’ve repeatedly said, I love running because of the exhilarating feeling – the runner’s high – I get.

There’s something about feeling the wind against my cheek. Sometimes when I run really early in the morning, the only sounds I hear are the birds waking up, my heavy breathing, and my feet softly thumping. I enjoy the sight and the soft warmth of the sunrise.

And that’s only neighborhood- or UP-running. I wonder how high trail running will take me?

Trail running is different from road running or track running in that it’s done closer to nature. Footpaths and trails that go through forests, grasslands and water, up mountains and hills provide a different kind of challenge for the runner. There’s variation of terrain, and wonderful nature views to boot. Trail running sounds like my kind of thing!

The closest thing to trail running I’ve ever done goes back to my younger days in Baguio, when my dad, sisters and I would set out for our favorite route –  the Gen. Luna (our “basecamp”)/Leonard Wood/Gibraltar/Mine’s View/Leonard Wood/South Drive/Upper Session Road/Gen. Luna loop.

Well, yeah, it’s far from a trail run –  especially because we’d often stop to study trees or watch birds or literally smell flowers. Nevertheless, it is just as exhilarating, if not more.

These days, trail running is being actively promoted by enthusiasts. The North Face has been doing a series of Thrill of the Trail running events to promote the sport in the Philippines. Earlier legs were done in Nasugbu, Batangas and Cagayan de Oro.

The third leg will happen in Nuvali, San Pedro, Laguna on February 14th.

Read the rest of this entry »

For the past two (going three) years, I was able to achieve most of my fitness goals – I’ve stuck to my fitness regimen (well, for the most part, anyway); I did not go back to my old weight (whew!), I’ve taken up a sport (running… Well, kinda).

But there’s just one goal that remains to challenge me – getting rid of the last five pounds!

These last five are so stubborn! I’d lose them (and some), but soon I find they’re back.

So this year, I intend, with all my heart and strength, to lose ‘em forevah! Here’s the plan:

Step 1: Workout at the gym at least 3 times a week, and attend at least 3 vigorous group exercises.

Step 2: Run at least 3 kilometers twice a week.

Step 3: Run some more. There are a lot of running events this year, especially during the first quarter. I’d like to train and be able to join more races. (I just signed up, by the way, for the Megaworld Fun Run.)

Steps 4-10: Eat. Less. Carbs. I’ve learned that a huge percentage of weight loss come from eating more healthily.

I know, I know. It doesn’t really sound like a fantastic plan. I need a more precise eating plan, that’s for sure. I will work on it and update you here.

So, let me put this down for the record (it’s been a while!):

Date: 20 January 2010

Weight: 140 pounds

Check back in one two months.

I know this is super late…

Now on with the blog post…

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I am welcoming the year with many changes and challenges.

Changes. I am venturing into at least two new things as the year enters. Both are related to health, blogging/writing and (hopefully) more income. As a result of both changes, I will be spending more time on the net, but this time doing productive work. Goodbye, time-drainer Facebook! I will update you guys as things happen.

Challenges. I started this blog, Project: Fit, in August 2008, but my fitness and weight loss journey really did start in March 2007. I’m going three years into the journey and I am extremely happy I’ve kept to it.

But, as I said in my previous entry, I have stabilized at 140 pounds. Though that is within healthy BMI for my height, I would love to get rid for good of the stubborn last five pounds.

And this is the challenge I face this year:  to get rid of the last five, and stick to 135. For good!

Is it doable? I think it is. As long as I keep exercising, pushing my physical limits, and… and… AND!! And eating more healthily.

Exercise is easier done than healthy eating. That’s my view, and I believe I share this with many who struggle with weight loss. It is just damn too hard to stick to a healthy diet! (Well, for most part of the year, I was able to stick to it. But everything crashed during the holidays…)

Obviously, I have to get rid of the chips-and-chocs habit (which has been greatly minimized by the way, thanks to my son’s allergies to them). More of the good stuff –  veggies, fruits, lean meat, fiber – , less of the evil ones.

Haaaay. I can do this! I really want a leaner, healthier body, one that’s here to stay forever!

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Here’s another good thing that happened this early into the year: I got published on Philippine Star, January 7th issue! I wrote an article on women’s bone health for Nesvita Pro-Bone.

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Have a great, healthy 2010, everyone!

It pays to revisit and take a look at the big picture once in a while.

Nah, I’m not being philosophical here. This is the big picture that’s worth peeking into every now and then…

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Read the rest of this entry »

Brown rice, that is.

My husband has recently decided to kinda tag along in my fitness journey. But he wants to take it easy first. So no exercises or gym workouts involved for now.

Instead, he started with eating healthier – again. (I’ve seen this before you know – raring to start but, along the way, the fire dies and he goes back to the old ways…)

Anyway… Last week, he decided the family is going back to eating brown rice instead of white. And he seems to be reading a lot over the internet, because yesterday at the supermarket, he hoarded on fruits! He says eating fruits at the beginning of a meal is better. I say –  okay, that’s good!

I’m not complaining at all!

Brown rice is unprocessed rice and is considered a whole grain. White rice has the hull or bran (brown covering) taken out, while brown rice’s is intact. The magic of brown rice is in the bran!

Brown rice has great benefits. It’s got a lot of healthy fiber, which is great for digestion. Brown rice is also packed with minerals such as selenium, manganese and magnesium. These minerals act as antioxidants –  they help fight diseases such as cancer!

Brown rice is also a low glycemic index (GI) carbohydrate, with a 50 rating.

Glycemic index is “a measurement of the type or quality of carbs in a particular food, and how fast 50 grams of this carbohydrate raises blood glucose levels, (and consequent insulin secretion and effects produced by the pancreas) as it is digested.” (Quoted from source.)

In simpler terms, glycemic index is how a type of carbohydrate affects blood sugar levels. The lower GI a carb has, the better. High-GI food are known to cause spikes in blood sugar levels, leading to what we know very well as hunger pangs.

I noticed that every time I have high-carb dinner (as in a lot or rice, with cake or ice cream for dessert), I’d often wake up with hunger pangs. The result –  I feel so hungry I can eat a cow for breakfast! (Exxaggg…. but you get what I mean.)

That is an example of high-GI food working against your body.

What happens when we eat low GI carbs? We feel full longer, so we tend to eat less. I noticed that I cannot finish a full cup of brown rice because I really feel full by the time I’ve eaten half.

As a result of feeling full longer and eating less, we lose weight! Yehey!

So cheers to healthy brown rice!

How to cook brown rice? Check out my home and parenting blog.

I’ve often come across the question: Which would you rather be –  sexy or slim?

I used to answer: sexy. Because, back then, my idea of sexy is a body with curves in the right places (or maybe, not all the time in the right places).

Consequently, maybe I chose sexy because I know I will never be slim… hehehe.

But since I started Project: Fit, my view has changed.

I now think that HEALTHY IS SEXY.

It doesn’t matter if you have a curvy or a slim body.

‘Sexy’ is being confident and truly happy with whatever size or shape one has… I may never get perfect, rock-hard abs, but I know I can push myself to my physical limit when I want to. That, to me, is sexy.

That’s an excerpt from some of the things I said in the feature about yours truly on Women’s Health-Philippines Magazine, May 2009 issue.

Really, sexiness is a state of mind. It’s beyond physical. Just like the idea that beauty is having flawless white skin or perfectly chiseled nose, most people’s view of sexiness is botched.

Part of that sexy state of mind is being confident. Being confident begins with self-acceptance.

I have come to accept that my body was meant to be big. My bone structure and height point to that fact. I will never be slim – as in flat-chested, wafer-thin, size-zero slim. If I were that slim, I’d be emaciated, malnourished and seriously sick.

I am not thin. Though I’d love to lose a few pounds more (really for the sake of vanity), my 24 BMI is within healthy limits. I find joy in being fit. Cycling and running make me high. I push myself to the limit during spinning class.

At some point, all of us must come to face and accept the facts of our bodies.

We are not all thin. But we are all beautiful. And, tucked away somewhere in the crannies of your brain is the sexy you. Channel it out.

Yep! Last Sunday, there were over 20,000 runners who joined the Run For Pasig River International Marathon.

And my niece and I were among them! We both finished the 5K route.

It was a beautiful and cool morning at the Quirino Grandstand. My whole family woke up early with me, like they did in my first 5K run with Pinay In Action.

I’m not sure if the gun went off at 6 AM sharp for the 3, 5, and 10K races. But because I just couldn’t hold my weewee anymore and the lines to the portalets were so long, I started about 10 minutes late. Read the rest of this entry »

More important than what to wear is how you prepare your body and mind for a race.

• Physical training is clearly essential if you want to prevent injuries. It’s important to gradually develop stamina and muscle strength. The keyword: gradually.

One important note before embarking on running or any other sport: get clearance from your physician that you’re good to go.

Here is a great beginner runner’s program that you can follow. It’s a gradual step-by-step program that’s ideal for those who want to start running.

How I got started running? I was doing interval sprints. At first, the run intervals were a lot shorter than the walk. But eventually, they evened out. I now do 1.5-minute sprints (9.5 kph) in between 1 minute-brisk walks (6.5 kph)  for 30-45 minutes.

Warm-up is a necessity. Walk briskly for five to ten minutes to warm your body and get your heart pumping a bit faster.

Form during running is important. Maintain proper stance while running to conserve energy and prevent straining certain body parts.

1. Run lightly, and don’t bounce. Lifting legs too high and moving the head/body too much waste a lot of energy. Instead, focus on keeping the strides shorter, and land on your feet lightly. Don’t let your feet pound or slap the pavement (or treadmill). Think quiet and springy.
2. Land on mid-foot and then roll towards the toes. I am a heel-runner (heel strikes ground first). And I’m learning now that heel-runners have over-stride (that is, leg lifted too high -> waste of energy). Toe-running, on the other hand, will strain the calves and cause shin pains.
3. Keep shoulders relaxed. Sometimes, unaware, I have a tendency to square and hunch my shoulders. This tension causes the body to tire easily.
4. Keep the arms relaxed too, with elbows flexed 90-degrees at waist level.
5. Keep hands relaxed too, like you were holding eggs in them that you don’t want to break. Yup, clenching the hands is no-no – too much tension there.
6. Look straight ahead and enjoy the run. Keep the back straight and shoulders level and relaxed. Don’t let the chin jut out as this will strain your neck and jaw.

• Hydration is another area that must not be neglected, especially when running in hot and humid weather such as ours. Dehydration can result to early onset of fatigue and lead to serious health complications. Running under the hot sun without hydration may cause a heat stroke. So hydration is not something that should be taken lightly.

Read the rest of this entry »