Category:

Women’s Health Care

FWD PLAN WITH PURPOSE CAMPAIGN

by pinksoda March 15, 2020

In winning over cancer, awareness is always key. To promote cancer awareness and the importance of financial planning in winning over the disease, FWD Philippines collaborated with the Philippine Cancer Society to present Plan with Purpose, a cancer awareness and charity drive that happened in FWD Business Hubs around the country, including Cagayan De Oro City.

During the awareness event held in Cucina Higala, CDO last February 27, 2020, the attendees were educated on the following:

Learn the importance of cancer prevention and early detection
Know the real deal between taboos and misconceptions about cancer
Understand the importance of financial preparedness to battle cancer

The cancer awareness discussion was led by Dr. Rachel Rosario, the Executive Director of Philippine Cancer Society. As a medical expert and a cancer survivor herself, Dr. Rosario shared an insightful yet entertaining discussion on the meaning of cancer, how it develops, and how we can prevent it. She pointed out that CANCER can be genetic and hereditary, but it is also a lifestyle disease – which means we can get it because of the food we eat and the kind of lifestyle that we live.

Cancer can be hereditary – If you have a history of cancer in our family, you should be more watchful on your health and do regular check-ups. We don’t inherit the cancer genes in our family but we inherit a weak immune system and other diseases that may lead to cancer.

March 15, 2020 0 comment

Cordillera Mountain Ultra – Bucket List Ticked Off

by pinksoda April 2, 2019

written by pinksoda

“Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t go on but you keep going anyway”

Chose that quote to open this post because that’s how I exactly felt at my recently concluded Cordillera Mountain Ultra race in Tinongdan, Itogon Benguet. CMU50 has been a bucket list since I started trail running. We wanted to join 2018 but we were not able to push through so we put it off a bit as we were also not prepared.

Then 2019 schedule came out and we were on it again, wanting to tick off that trail run race bucket list! I was really skeptical, no, actually scared at first. I had tons of apprehensions and was too scared to go out of my comfort zone. I have this issue of doubting myself even before I do something I want to do (good). Thanks to teammates and friends who are strong-willed, persistent, and confident, who included me in the registration and paid it ahead. I was left with no choice but to train and suck it all up! No turning back now! We knew we were up against a tough race because hey! it’s Cordillera! So we trained the best way we can and the best way we knew how.

One week before race day, after my last cardio training, I GOT SICK! I knew it from the symptoms that I will be having a flu and I was anxious because it would usually take me 5 days to a week to fully recover. So instead of doing taper runs for the week, I ended up staying at home and in bed for the most part of the week just resting. I must’ve consumed all the vitamin C in the world just to feel better!

Met with Sir Toni and C3 in Manila before we took our bus to Baguio

I flew to Manila with my friends/teammates still not feeling well (2 days before race day) and met some friends there before heading to Baguio. We arrived at Baguio 3AM Friday with no reserved accommodation from anywhere. Plan was just to have breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins (That Thing Called Tadhana keshe!), and then market for foods to bring in Tinongdan. We walked along the session road to look for an open establishment for coffee and stayed at Burnham Park until 7:00 in the morning then headed to Elena’s friend’s place to leave our bags before hitting the wet market. And we are all set to our race destination!

Breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins in Baguio with my girls

Going Tinongdan

This year’s CMU race commenced at Tinongdan, Itogon. Tinongdan is the second largest barangay in Itogon, Benguet and is one of the tourist destinations in Cordillera with Mt. Ugo as a popular destination among mountaineers and trail runners. We were informed ahead that there will only be one trip going to Tinongdan daily via Jeepney and it leaves before lunch. We of course made sure we get to the terminal before 11 in the morning to ensure a seat. The jeepney left Baguio almost 2pm! Can’t imagine we waited almost 3 hours just sitting there :D, patience is virtue mga dhai!

April 2, 2019 14 comments

Diet Good Health Tips Lifestyle and Food

Green Smoothie Recipe

by pinksoda February 15, 2019

written by pinksoda

My current favorite breakfast is my green smoothie which I have been raving about since it was introduced to me by a dear friend also a trail runner who went through her own amazing weightloss journey and now a vegan. I stayed in her place few months back during the irongirl short race and it was at that time that I tasted my first green smoothie and I absolutely loved it! Been making for myself since then – as often as I can.

Now that I am back on track with my diet, hoping to shed off some extra pounds I gloriously earned mid december till January (ugh! thanks to cravings and unmindful eating of sweets, salty, and a little bit of everything else! hahaha!). No regrets though as I enjoyed it and totally let go of myself. So, now that I aim to lose weight, my green smoothie is becoming a daily habit. I have posted photos of it and friends are becoming curious about it asking me for recipe. So I decided to put it in a blog so you guys can just go through the recipe and take note in case you want to try it for yourself! Without further ado, here’s the recipe!

February 15, 2019 0 comment

Fitness Good Health Tips

5 Cycling Tips to Help Stay Cool During the Summer

by pinksoda April 20, 2018

written by pinksoda

Let’s Face It – Summers are best time for going on cycling especially if you have friends to company you. But to get the best feeling, you need to plan things, carefully. These are some of the best tips to stay cool & energetic while cycling during the summers —

summer

Get up early – Yep, during the summers, the days are longer and you can get the favorable temperature and lightening, early in the mornings. Navigating at evening in darkness is not a good idea. Getting up early and to ride will become the most exciting part of your day.

On a really hot day, try to go for cycling before 8 a.m., when the index of UV rays is at its lowest. The evenings on a hot day do not offer a very pleasant temperature for cycling. Therefore getting up early in the morning is the best time to go for cycling.

Go slow – Don’t make the most common mistake that all cyclists do, that is riding as fast as possible. During winters, riding fast helps in keeping you warm but during summers, you must slow down your pace. Try to reduce the effort length, it helps in regulating a healthy heart rate and you can enjoy a better cycling experience like this, during summers. You can buy a customize bike which can be personalized according to your age, fitness level and use.

Buy best bikes & wear right clothes and accessories – the bike you are using and the stuff you are wearing can make a huge difference in your performance. Always buy bikes after complete research and study, for ladies, women beach cruisers are said to be best ones available in the market, today. Talking about clothes, you can buy the zip jerseys to allow release of heat. For protection, you can even use a helmet with more vents for summers.

beach cruiser

Stay wet – Evaporation is a great way to keep body cool. So, you can pour some water on your body to lower down your body temperature to help the process of evaporation. You can splash water on your chest, shoulders and neck to allow the wind to create a cooling affect on your body while you ride on your bikes.

Stay hydrated – Instead of carrying water, you can have a bottle of health drink with sodium & potassium in it to ensure that you stay hydrated during cycling and workouts. After every half an hour, you can stop at regular intervals to consume the drinks.

Thus, these are some of the best cycling tips to keep you cool during the summers. One of the most important things is to plan a safe and pleasant route for cycling. Choosing a area with properly shaded cycle lanes is a good idea. Try to keep yourself away from the roads and cycle in a lane where limited or no sun rays are found. You must use good tail light and headlight to stay visible while riding, hope, these tips will render you with the coolest cycling experience during the summers.

April 20, 2018 0 comment

Fitness Workout Corner

The Back Workout

by pinksoda January 19, 2018

written by pinksoda

While most of us women are often worried about getting a smaller waistline and sexy flat tummy, let us not forget to pay attention to the back part of our upper body. I say upper back because, let’s face it ladies, we don’t need reminders in working the lower part of our back body, I mean our glutes/booties/butt, because we make a conscious effort in making sure we pay attention to them when we workout.

back workout

Our back plays a huge role in how our entire body functions, because it attaches to the hips, abdominals, chest, shoulders, and neck. Building the back muscles will benefit us in so many ways. For one definitely is it builds a better-looking body. That large muscles in your back, for example the large wing shaped muscles on the sides of your back — creates an inverted triangle shape when they are in shape making your lower body look smaller. Strong and toned back improves posture and boosts self-confidence. For those who play sports or participate in any physical activity (and you should), a strong back will improve your performance as flexible, athletic back muscles help your body to twist, turn, lift, and move through complex movements more efficiently.

Here are some of the back workout routines I do at the gym. Ladies, do not be afraid to lift weights because contrary to the belief that lifting weights heavier than those 3lbs dumbbells will make us bulky, lifting real weights builds strength, increase metabolism, lessen the effects of aging, and make us look downright sexy. Geez ladies! We unlike men, we lack testosterone! That enables men bulk up more easily. So ditch the cute dumbbells and go lift!

Personally, my upper body needs a lot of work to tone it up. It’s a challenge but it won’t hinder me in working my ass off to ensure I develop these muscles to have a stronger back improving my overall fitness level.

I work on different areas of my body daily because I believe each part of my body needs attention and specific workout to activate and build its muscles. Here’s my schedule most of the time (ideally) on a daily basis. I follow these as much as possible. I only deviate from this routine whenever I am preparing for marathons as I have a specific set of training for it.

Monday- Legs, Abs, Neck
Tuesday- Back, Shoulders
Wednesday- Chest, Arms, Cardio
Thursday- Rest / full body light workout
Friday- Legs, Abs, Neck
Saturday- Back, Shoulders
Sunday- Rest Day

Note: Not every exercise is appropriate for some conditions and certain back exercises may even make the problem worse if you have back pain issues. It is important to check with your doctor about which exercises will help or hinder you.

January 19, 2018 2 comments

Fitness Good Health Tips

Top 3 Wellness Things in Condo Living

by pinksoda October 29, 2017

written by pinksoda

When you think of living in a condo unit or in a building with several doors and units upon opening your own doors, you’d think of a very limited and small space also limiting you to do other things aside from of course the usual things we do at home (resting, eating, sleeping). Condo living can get very comfortable that sometimes we tend to become couch potatoes, and a lazy ass who would refuse to do something else other than eating and sleeping. So, okay I am taking out my megaphone to say, hey you! Get up and look around and move! Living in a condo unit does not mean you also live an unhealthy lifestyle.

That brings me to my Top 3 list of wellness things in condo living. Because living in a condo does not mean you confine yourself to the four corners of your unit. Take advantage of what the building offers to live a healthier lifestyle while enjoying the comfort of condo living.

Amenities

Check out the amenities your building is offering. For Primavera Residences, the wellness amenities is a great bonus for its residents. At the rooftop, you will find the gym accessible and open for your strength training or whatever program you have that will need gym equipment. There’s also the swimming pool where you can do lapses, perfect for your cardio needs and total body workout. There’s also the playground, where you can do yoga, stretching, pilates, or whatever workout you feel like doing outdoors. Love to run? Check out the joggers path and get to run without going far from your home. Imagine the convenience of working out few steps away for your home!

Sunlight

We all need a ray of sunshine. Okay, that’s a little cheesy! Seriously though, to stay healthy, we need a little sunshine. If you are not the morning person like me, do find time to wake up a bit early few times a week and get to the rooftop and get some sunshine. According to the World Health Organization, getting anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes of sunlight on your arms, hands, and face two to three times a week is enough to enjoy the vitamin D-boosting benefits of sun. Soaking some morning sun is a good idea, health-wise.

Trivia: Weak bones, lack of calcium and various skin and hair issues are triggered by Vitamin D deficiency.

Natural Ventilation

“Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space by natural means, meaning without the use of a fan or other mechanical system. It uses outdoor air flow caused by pressure differences between the building and its surrounding to provide ventilation and space cooling.”

Primavera City is designed just like that. Designed to increase natural ventilation and decrease aircon energy consumption. How is it beneficial to your health? Why is it considered part of your wellness? Well, buildings that offers Natural Ventilation like Primavera City is definitely a good pick to live in or to invest as it produces healthier environments since the flow of air prevents a harmful contaminant build up. And because they consume less energy, naturally ventilated buildings can produce less CO2 than comparable mechanically ventilated buildings.

So there you go, my top 3 wellness things to do when in a condo living lifestyle. You just have to be resourceful and committed to live a healthier life, that way you get to appreciate what’s around you other than the place you sleep in.

October 29, 2017 0 comment