I must admit I am not a health buff. Jojo, my husband, is even more: he is a fanatic. He plays basketball, golf, racquetball, bikes, runs, hikes. At home, there is no day he will not tinker with a Tiger Woods golf game either in the computer or with Wii, or watch Solar Sports or the golf channel. His life revolves around a healthy regimen that when his work takes him too late without time to play, he complains his muscles ache. I obviously cannot relate.
When I was at St. Louis Elementary School, I played the dodge ball, takyan, marble and Chinese garter. Any form of sports was only because it was mandatory at PE class. As far as I could remember, I always had other responsibilities given by my teachers.
At high school, I played badminton on my freshman year but ended up being Intramural Manager the rest of my high school years I virtually had not time to indulge in sports or sportsmanship other than during PE class. I usually was the head of the Cheering Team in school games.
At College in Silliman, my hands were simply full with the Student Government. Not that I regret it. Sans any sports, my growing up years seemed normal. It’s just that when one gets older, just mere walking around cannot anymore burn enough calories to “flatten the belly” or “burn the fat”. After having two childbirths through C section, the pregnancy bulge does not seem to go away.
Having a husband like Jojo has been monumental in putting a more healthy direction into my lifestyle.
Before we wed, he convinced me to try taebo so I could fit into my wedding clothes. It was fun and I convinced two childhood friends, Audrey and Chipay, to join me. Really, doing a daily healthy routine matters when done with friends.
I then shifted to yoga with Cathy Carballo after marriage. Even when I was carrying our twins, Jojo bought me a pregnancy yoga tape to follow every morning. That routine had to stop when we knew six months later we were to have twins.
After childbirth, I tried to go back to yoga but they had shifted to the more complex and strength-demanding Ashtanga yoga while I could barely handle. I tried my own walking sessions every other week because getting up in the mornings is just too difficult. I just did a good diet of eating only three meals a day which helped me trim fast.
A second pregnancy came after six years. Any woman who has had two or more pregnancies will testify to the fact that after a second childbirth, the belly busting is doubly difficult.
I joined the campaign in 2010 which necessitated walking three to four hours a day. That exercise brought about by the electoral exercise hastened by going back to shape.
Of course, it was triply taxing. You cannot imagine! It was just in time when in June, Cathy introduced me to a new exercise- Walk Live, a kind of power-walking in place. It was really good. Jojo would wake me up every single morning and take me to Cathy’s yoga sanctuary so I would not miss a session. We did two miles in 45 minutes, which increased to three miles after two months.
The demands of my work and family tasks (which included frequent travels and spending more time with the children at night), however, made waking up during the mornings too difficult. I am now confined to walking from the house to work, and even downtown when I need something that I could get within the proximity of the Central Business District, and eating a balanced diet three times a day.
I sincerely wish I could pull myself to join Cathy and other friends at Walk Live again. It seems like the perfect healthy respite for me.
I honestly do not belong to the group who can be looked up to as exemplars of staying fit and healthy. Jojo probably does. As for me, I simply maintain a simple recipe of health: balanced diet, lots of water and rest, a loving family, and faith in God. I suppose above all the exercise, it is really peace of mind and contentment that can bring glow in anyone’s life.
Our hemophiliac twins give us inspiration to stay healthy so we can take care of them. We make it a point that when we lecture to them about eating the right food, we also practice what we preach.
Having a healthy lifestyle is a work in progress for us. I am no health buff or health expert. I tell you, though, that in this month of love, lots and lots of love and caring will certainly contribute to having a balanced and healthy family life. I thank God for this marriage which has helped me become healthier.