Twenty - Twelve : "Leaner & Meaner You" Program

Since Xhi and I became friends, around 2006, it has always been some sort of a habit for us to “declare” a theme for the upcoming year.

Yesterday, we found time to discuss our plans for the upcoming year and had decided to set our goals in line with the theme “Leaner & Meaner 2012”.

I could imagine our beloved readers asking themselves "Hmmm.. what does that actually mean?"

Okey, here goes, as in any plan, we then tackled the WHAT part..

Being “Lean” means cutting down extra fat, extra baggage in life : things that don’t work anymore, be it physical, emotional or mental. Things might be doing good right now, but imagine if you take away the emotional, mental and physical “clutter” in your life – that would definitely be a good way to start off the year.

No drama, no masochistic negative self-talk, no “damsel-in-distress” mentality.

Travel light.

Being “Mean” is about taking charge of your own life - holding the reigns and directing it the way you want it to be.  It’s about living your life with passion. Living your life with that fire burning in your heart, knowing that whatever you do, in the lives that you touch, you bring value in every interaction you make.

The HOW part of the equation had us plan for the actionable items in our list. We had then set our Fitness Goals for the year.

Both of us want to achieve maximum lean body mass / body fat ratio with focus on optimization of functional movements in our physical exercise routine.

We also want to go back to the doing the things we both love but  was just shoved under the carpet when “real life” kicked in – because, what’s stopping you from it not being part of “real life”?

Looking back at the activities that brings us back to our own “happy place”, we were reminiscing the days when we were one with nature. The lush green forests and diversified landscape that we encounter each time we celebrate nature by climbing mountains gives us that happy, heady feeling of blood rushing through our veins, the feeling of being truly alive.

It was unanimous that we SHOULD climb mountains on 2012 – a goal that my hubby fully supports since that is one of his passions too.

Setting a goal should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-bounded.

A realistic number for us is one mountain per quarter. One mountain every three (3) months.

To give reason and rhyme to it all, we decided that the four mountains will be one for each corner of the archipelago: One mountain from the North, one from South, from East and from West.

That got us excited!

For that to happen, as we plan in being more “kikay”, we want to look good while doing it (that’s just our personal preference, don’t mind us. Haha).

Looking good entails us to climb the trails without huffing and puffing our way to the steepest part of the trail and negotiating it with gusto despite the sweat, mud and what-have-yous.

This then needs to be supplemented by going back to the gym and revisiting our Program and the Nutrition that backs it.

January 2012, Xhi will give birth to baby Malcolm, a second addition to her team. After recovery, the plan is a come-back with the “Leaner and Meaner 2012” Mantra.

I on the other hand, plan to spend time with my own team of four lovely girls and further instill in them the value of Fitness – Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual.

This is my WHY - my four lovely daughters.

Have you ever noticed why, for most part, the plans and resolutions one makes at the start of the year ends up being a wish-list than an actual action plan? I believe the main reason for that is that one has not set the most important part of the equation. After plotting the WHAT and HOW, the heart of the matter is the  “WHY”.

What is your  “WHY”?

Why do you need to do what you are doing? What is the consequence if you don’t? How big is your  “WHY”?

Your  own “WHY” should be the fire that powers up your HOW so that your WHAT would easily be met without out even wondering if everything is all worth it.

My  “WHY” is for me to enjoy God’s gift of life to the fullest and be an inspiration to my four daughters.

I would want it that when I grow old, I would still be able to have fun with them, laugh, run, bike, swim and climb mountains if they want to with their own little ones. This lady IS my inspiration.

Xhi and little Lulu

I would want my husband and I to continue on exploring nature having the time of our lives as we grow and mature as partners.

Xhi's "WHY" is for her to be a stronger mother to her kids.

Knowing your  “WHY” is very important in your goal setting for this coming New Year.

Like your own True North, this is the one that fires you up emotionally and is connected to your own sense of happiness, your own sense of pride.

So dear readers, wrapping it up, WHAT – HOW – WHY (of course we got the “when” part covered already!).

 I hope all of us take the time to assess how the year that was came to pass and how we plan to improve on ourselves on the Year of The Water Dragon.

Here’s to a leaner and meaner 2012!

6th Firefly Brigade Christmas Gift-giving Ride

"You will find, as you look back on your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others." - Henry Drummond

Facebook is indeed a wonderful thing. Not only does it reconnect people but it helps the community in a lot of ways. I saw this invite from my Facebook, I believe that this is indeed a cause worth sharing and spending time on.

Photo credit: Crisostomo Family

Each year for the past five years, we don our santa claus and fairy costumes to go around Metro Manila to give out lootbags to kariton families and roadside public servants along our usual bike commute routes to school, work or errands.

Be a part of this annual yuletide CMR... no registration fees to be collected.

When December 17, Saturday
Registration 3.00-3.30pm Meet, Mingle, be Merry!
Assembly/Briefing 3.45
Ride Out 4.00pm
Lootbag-giving 4.00-6.30pm
ETA FB HQ 7pm


Requirements for joining the ride:
1) A happy yuletide disposition and willingness and physical capacity to carry at least 2 lootbags in your own backpack for the duration of the ride

*In case of back problems, you can be our candy man or woman... carry candies for giving away to kids, street families, traffic enforcers, takatak boys/girls and bystanders.

2) Contribute two lootbags (more if you like!) for the ride

3) Wear a Xmas Costume or have a Xmas accent on your bicycle...

4) If under 18 years of age, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

5) Must have blinkers, wear a helmet (if not wearing a santa hat), enough water for the ride


Suggested Contents of Loot Pack:
Option A
2kgs rice
2 Sachets of sardines or corned beef or any ulam in sachets
3 mami noodles
1 pack candies

Option B
Tasty Bread
2 Sachets of sardines or corned beef or any ulam in sachets
3 mami noodles
1 pack candies

Optional additionals:
facetowel, new/pre-owned good condition clothing, slippers
crackers, blanket

You may also donate in bulk any of the following, we'll pack it for you!
Cash
Rice Packs
Rice Cavans
In Sachet Goods (sardines or corned beef or ulam)
Candies
Mami
Pre-owned shirts big enough for wrapping loot in
Food for After-ride Xmas Dinner

We will accept goods at Firefly Brigade's Headquarters:
169 Kamias Road near corner Langka St., Kamias, QC

from December 10-15, Drop-off times are from 1-6pm only. 


-- Christmas is the season for giving.. What better way to give than to combine your passion for biking with gift giving? :D

You may also come early on ride day to help pack last minute donations.

Firefly Urban Night Fun Ride : Bike Advocacy Awareness

It is a strange trade that of advocacy. Your intellect, your highest heavenly gift is hung up in the shop window like a loaded pistol for sale.
      -Thomas Carlyle



Why do we bike?
You may ask --


I personally love the cool wind in my face as I bike my way around.
The sense of freedom that one has by just turning the wheels, by just pedalling..

Biking is one of life's simple pleasures that my dad had taught me when I was a little kid. I had good memories of him as he supported me and I felt his sense of pride as he watched me go about my merry way with my bike.

So I in turn ask, "Why not?"

As we grew older, we forgot how it feels to be free as a kid.
Busy with our day to day lives, we tend to forget how life is at its best in simplicity.

Simple, clean, fun -- this is what this post is about.
Sharing with you one of my advocacies: Biking.

A short fun night urban night ride on NOVEMBER 26, 2011

Assembly at 4.00pm SM MOA at the Firefly Lighting Xmas Tree area (near the Police Station)
where we have been invited to the pre-lighting activities of the Firefly Lighting Christmas Ride.

Ride around SM MOA at 4.30-5.30pm
then ride out to Manila and where our wings will take us!
Attach xmas accents to your ride para mas fun!
We'll also be announcing our Xmas Gift-giving plans.

Pace: 10-15kph
Kms: 10kms aorund SM MOA
Beyond SM MOA: 10-15kms

Requirement: No helmet, No Ride!
A fun, happy disposition and a love of night riding :)


No registration fees.
A funky, fun, useful surprise await early birds and participants  at the pre-lighting event :)


First 100 participants get a shirt. :) 


We're also signing a big get well soon card for Carmela Yap, a lady biker who is recovering from a jeep-bike accident


- An invitation from Firefly Brigade.. Come and join!

Bike To Light : 10,000 Bottle of Lights

BIKE TO LIGHT : Deliver 10,000 Bottle Lights to Filipino homes

On November 30, take part in a monumental campaign to deliver light to thousands of homes in Metro Manila.

... ... Join hundreds of bikers to help bring 10,000 solar bottle bulbs from Camp Aguinaldo to the historical Pinaglabanan Shrine, where they will be distributed amongst volunteers and installed in 30 communities.

FREE FIRST PRINT ' LITER OF LIGHT' T-SHIRTS FOR THE FIRST 1000 BIKERS
... FOOD AND DRINKS TO KEEP UP THE ENERGY OF ALL YOU REVOLUTIONARIES

Be part of the documentary that will be shot on this day which snippets will be shown in Durban South Aftrica on December 6, 2011 on the Climate Change Convention where Liter of Light is invited to speak to 500 world leaders ! Help make this BIG for the Philippines who is leading the way in community built solar lighting.

This Bonifacio Day, commemorate history. Make history. Be a part of a new revolution!

To register - www.isanglitrongliwanag.org/biketolight

ROUTE MAP

Technology at Work : Health & Fitness Online

We are living in the NOW generation.

In today's modern world, it is not unusual for one to read the daily news in her mobile phone, send messages to various groups of friends in just a flick of a finger, or even work and reply mails in the middle of a metro-traffic situation.

From the net

Technology has made it easy for all of us -- this made me realize that we have at our finger tips instant access to all the information we need (unlike a few years back, we have to go to the library to do our research and spend hours and hours of reading and taking down notes!)

This got me really interested in finding ways on how to simplify our quest for tracking and monitoring progress for our fitness goals; interestingly, kudos to Mr. Technology, I was able to stumble upon this infographic from greatist.com.

*PinayFitness.ph' long term goal is to be a community that connects with others having similar goals (forums, contributors, the works) with the vision of helping each other achieve  personal improvement

Read and learn my friends!

Bike Forest Bike!!!

Today, upon checking out my Facebook, I saw this event from The Firefly Brigade - Phils.  It caught my attention because it brought back memories of the days when biking for me was just like breathing air.   Bike to work from Makati to Alabang and back; bike to the trails of Montalban (Padyak All The Way); heck, even bike to do groceries in SM Makati!
	My pink KHS bike and Mel's blue Trek Looking at my old pink bike, I was having flashbacks of how urban riding was so much fun that I have to re post this as an invite to all bike enthusiasts out there. Mel of WOWPinay, Ricky of Firefly Brigade, Rissa of PinayFitness 11.12.11; 7am to 10am; Marikina City Hall A Partnership Fun Ride to  highlight the International Year of the Forest, the 2nd Annual Science Film Festival and Clean Air Month.

Pinays in Sports

 THIS PAGE will feature articles about our home-grown Filipina Athletes and Weekend Warriors who shares the same passion for the sports.

Pinay Fitness is open for contributors as we want to hear from you.

Email us at pinayfitness(at)gmail(dot)com

Off-road Mountainbiking with Ani De  Leon Brown in the island of Boracay

Rissa with First Filipino/a Ironman Kona Hawaii Quafier, Ani De Leon Brown

Kanlungan ni Maria : "Sharing" as a Form of Spiritual Fitness

Christmas Season. A time for giving. A time for loving. A time for sharing. 

We have often been talking about Physical Fitness, Mental Fitness and all other form of fitness that support our over-all well being, but this season, have you stopped for a while to reflect and consider focusing on Spiritual Fitness?

Spiritual fitness is so simple that most of us fail to practice it for ourselves. This blog's link made me realize that we do not need a gym membership to be spiritually fit. Spiritual fitness, starts with nourishing the spirit within -- it is putting God first in our lives; and as the Good Book had it written, "Faith without works is dead", there is nourishment in sharing what we have with others.

LMV RFAC Relief Operation, Bulacan

I remember every year, when I was still in the corporate world, it has been a tradition for us to get involved in charity events. 

Now that I'm on my own and helping hubby out with the business, "Find a need and fill it" hits the mark for me and as I was talking to my motor cyle riding sisters; Las Marias Viajeras, I thought that this is indeed very timely.

As I am a proud member of the group (No.07), it feels such a privilege to be with a group that helping out with various causes like tree planting, helping out flood victims, the poor remote areas where a car cannot go to but motorcycles can -- and this November 27, 2011, we will be visiting  Kanlungan ni Maria : Home for the Aged

 LMV FB, Tree planting Activity, Riders of Mother Earth

The said institution is looking for kind sponsors and those who have the heart to give and donate any amount for their cause to help  promote the welfare of old people living in the institution.

They are located in #17 Lanzones St, Nayong Silangan Subdv, Antipolo, Philippines.

LMV, together with Pinay Fitness, will visit the Institution for gift giving on November 27, 2011 and is currently open for donations and help on this project.

SECRETS REVEALED: The Right Way to Losing Weight, Fast - Part 2

As promised, this is a continuation of the previous post found on this link.

6) Drink plenty of water

The only thing you should be drinking in your diet is water. Cut out all of the sodas, alcohol, sport drinks and fruit juices. You'd be surprised how notice the difference right away once you cut out the seemingly harmless iced tea every time you order out and start drinking water.

Drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of clean water every day, spread out throughout the day.

7) Cardio exercise is a must

Sweat it out! (image from the net)

If you want to lose the fat, you need to do cardio exercise as part of your routine. 
This is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and all it takes is 20 to 30 minute sessions, 3 to 5 times per week. 
You can walk, jog, rid a bike, swim, jump rope, use a treadmill, elliptical trainer or whatever else that gets your blood going. The point is to consistently do a cardio exercise 3 to 5 times per week for 20 to 30 minute sessions.

If you are just starting out, you will need to start at the low end and work your way up and this means progression. Remember to challenge yourself as you start to improve.

8) Weight training is a must

We need to retain all the muscle tissue that we have as we try to lose to fat. If you’ve never weight trained before, this means building up your muscle base. There is no way of getting around this simple fact.

You need to build up your muscle base which will then shape your body rather than just shrinking it down to a smaller size (with saggy skin/muscle). 
The secret to all of this is to use both aerobic activity such as cardio and combine it with weight bearing exercise or resistance training such as weight lifting.

Your going to have to remember that muscle is a very active tissue and once you get the muscle going, it’s like having a built in fat burner working for you 24 hours a day!  Once you start working your muscles, you’ll notice the difference immediately.

9) Weight yourself at the end of every week

It's funny how I had incorporated this habit of weighing myself everyday.
The best time to do it is in the morning at the same time with no clothes on.
Note that the healthy way to lose is at least one pound of body weight per week (with a max of three pounds). Once you start losing more than three pounds of body weight per week, you risk losing muscle and bone density.

If you’re not losing at least one pound of body weight per week, your going to have to cut out an additional 300 to 500 calories per day. I try to do it with 250 calories from nutrition and the remaining 250 from exercise.


Each time your weight loss stops for more than two weeks, cut out 300 to 500 calories per day until you start losing at least one pound of body weight per week.

10) Take a body fat percentage measurement

We want to keep lean tissue and get rid of fatty tissue. This means finding out how much fat we are losing as compared to the amount of muscle we are retaining. 
I suggest you try and take a body fat percentage measurement once a week along with your weight in. This way, you will know if you are losing the optimal amount of fat while retaining as much muscle mass as possible.

What is your number? (Image from the net)

The body fat calipers are pretty cheap and fairly accurate, however, and easy body impedance analysis can be obtained via a weighing scale or your friendly Mercury Drug Store (@ a friendly price of Php5.00 ; coin operated scale).


There. 
Eleven "not-so-secret" Secrets on how to lose weight.


And with that, I leave you with an English Proverb to ponder on till the next post:  "Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork"

SECRETS REVEALED: The Right Way to Losing Weight, Fast - Part 1

Have you ever wondered why some people just don't appear to gain weight despite what seems to be their eating habit and you'd blame it all on their fast metabolism?

During our teens, we vaguely remember that we can get away with eating 2 - 3 cups of rice without ballooning into a puffed up version of ourselves. Big slices of cake with ice cream and soda on the side would not be that much of a problem because we have youth on our side.

As we mature, we notice that it does not work that way anymore. We have to be more careful with our choices lest it sabotages our health -- making it more like poison, than nutrition.


With this, I am listing down some notes that I had on tips on how to lose weight fast -- I know you all want to look gorgeous for your upcoming Christmas Party Celebration, so read on!

Top 5 Diet Tips to Change Your Eating Habits

Few more months and it's Christmas once more.

I could just imagine how various festive activities like parties and reunions would pack up the pounds without us knowing it.

I was able to find an article about preventive maintenance for our diet by Gold's Gym Nutrition Director Brian Rosental on changing bad eating habits to help shed pounds.

Loved this!

1. Turn off the TV and eat at the table. Take a moment before eating to acknowledge having the food you have in front of you and slowly appreciate each bite. This will reduce the tendency to overeat.

2. Get the snacks off your desk or coffee table. "Studies have shown over and over, we will eat it just because it is there," says Rosenthal.

3. Forget the diet fads and meet with a dietician or a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist. Every body is different and what your body needs will be different from your friends, family and colleagues.

from the net

4. Eat every three to four hours whether you are hungry or not! By eating small amounts all day, you burn more calories digesting, keep your blood sugar levels normal, reduce cravings and reduce the chance of breaking down muscle.

5. Always have protein when you have carbohydrates. Because protein takes longer to digest, you are less hungry as often.

Rosenthal tells his clients that a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing, moving forward process. "Your body is the way it is based upon a complicated string of events in your past that have resulted in how you are now," said Rosenthal. "Think about your health for a moment. The thought is now in the past. What you do moving forward determines what your health is and will be in the future. That being said, it is important to discover what your body needs in terms of fats, proteins and carbohydrates-and then implement a plan!"

- Very well said.. on a different note, Pinay Fitness would like to Congratulate Amor Milana and her friend Mia for being the first to sign up for the FREE MAKE OVER PROMO-

Pregnancy and Exercise

Have you heard of the news on the woman who gave birth after running a marathon?
Yes my sisters, she finished the whole 42 kilometer stretch and still managed to eat dinner with her husband before she felt the actual signs of giving birth.
When I heard about this, I was amazed!

Taking a trip down memory lane, I remember continuing my running even up until the second trimester at 7 months. I could still bike around our subdivision back then until I get to be 6 months, but after that, the balance is kinda off so I opted to wait till I gave birth -- but actually doing it until 9 months.. I was surprised that the doctor actually allowed her - well, maybe she is that fit to go through 42 kilometers of running, both physically and mentally. KUDOS to her.

taken from the net

It occurred to me that there are many women out there has this idea that one should be extra careful when pregnant but unless the doctor says that you are at risk (threatened miscarriage, low lying-placenta, previous medical conditions), pregnancy is a phase that one goes through in life that one has to prepare of. Pregnancy is not an excuse to stop being active (unless your doctor requires you have bedrest, then you have to follow doctor's advise).

Come to think of it, it is common knowledge that exercise promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance. If one continues a routine while pregnant, it can help you carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, prepares the you for the physical stress of labor, and make it easier to get back into shape after the baby is born.

I am a mother of four lovely girls and I know that being active during one's pregnancy can also reduce the physical discomforts of backache, swelling, and fatigue thus improving your mood and self-image and make you feel "sexy" despite the bulge!

A Crazy Facebook Post on Health and Nutrition

I was browsing through my friend's Facebook posts when I read a note about a supposed interview with a doctor on the ever controversial topic of Health and Nutrition.

The first part had me thinking "Is this for real?!" and I was showing it to my bestfriend hubby since I was really disturbed on how it was being presented.

As the interview progressed, it hit me -- it was a joke.

(from cartoonstock.com)

Stop me if you've already heard this but I just wanted to share because, as much as it scares me.. there are those who would definitely believe this.
Enjoy!

(Thanks for sharing this Mai!)

Cold vs. Flu

Yesterday I was literally bedridden. 

My head hurts when I start walking my way to the kitchen to get food.

It's a feeling that one just wishes to go away.

Now that the "BER Season" is here, one could easily catch these things. But I wonder, is it the common cold? or The Flu? 

Doing more research, I found out that, although the common cold and the flu share many similar symptoms, they are 2 different conditions.

Below is a representation on how to differentiate a cold vs. the flu.

Bike to Work for Fitness

I am retyping  and posting an article written by Fara Manuel of The Firefly Brigade for the 10th Tour of Fireflies Newsletter where yours truly was featured for an interview about Biking to Work.

"They are ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. They are everywhere among us. They are bike
commuters! In the streets at sundown, it has become a pseudo-bike parade for menial workers who bike commute. Their bikes become make-shift carriages & extensions to shovels, construction materials and what-have-you's. But this street parade is not at all exclusive. More and more "weekend" or recreational cyclists are joining the trend!

*Urban Assault : going down the stairs of Luneta
(Photo courtesy of Karen Menez)

Mountainbiker, Rissa Falvo is a 38 year old, Control Systems Design Engineer for a multi-national company and a mother of four. Her commute? a 20km or 50 minute bike ride from Makati to Alabang.

It Takes 21 Days to Form a Habit..

Here's a secret, fifteen (15) days ago, I added an activity in my To-Do-List :
A 30-45 minute work out EVERYDAY.

I know that most people would advise against a daily workout, but if one is building a habit, one should be consistent until it reaches a point when it gets to be human nature already; like breathing air.

¹The 21 day habit theory as sourced from The Aristotle Blog "Dr Maxwell Maltz wrote the bestseller Psycho-Cybernetics. Originally a Plastic Surgeon, Maltz noticed that it took 21 days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in the amputated limb.


From further observations he found it took 21 days to create a new habit. Since then the '21 Day Habit Theory' has become an accepted part of self-help programs.

Brain circuits take engrams (memory traces), and produce neuroconnections and neuropathways only if they are bombarded for 21 days in a row.

This means that our brain does not accept ‘new’ data for a change of habit unless it is repeated each day for 21 days (without missing a day)."
Whew! now that geeky stuff and references are out of the way, we continue with our conversation.

I am now in day 15 and I have 5 more days to go for this 21 Day Challenge with myself.
Yes my friends,I talked myself into working out everyday.


In the past, I did all the tricks that I could think of to trick myself into working out.
I kept with me this handy notebook that I log my workouts in.
I had nice little stickers used as a reward on the days that I worked out with the idea that I'd fill up the whole week of my moleskine with stickers indicating that I did a workout the whole week.
Sadly, because it was not a habit, I was not successful in having it ingrained in my system.

I know that we all want to be fit and healthy, but those things don't just happen. Those things are planned, monitored and done.

When I decided to go for the whole 21 days, the first few days were fun.
Week two though had been a challenge and this was the time when I have to be creative.
Will power and commitments will be compromised and questions would creep in -- why am I even doing this to myself? I sometime ask.

Being creative had me incorporating workouts with family time.

*My 12 and 11 y.o. stopping for a pose during our jogging session

The other weekend, I invited two of my kids for a run at Bonifacio Global City. Yesterday, I had my 11 yo girl accompany me in the gym to lift weights while her sisters took a swim.
Combining activities that create fulfillment for myself further strengthened the habit because of the reward it brings.

*My youngest doing a set of 10reps of dumbbell presses

Creativity would help you take out the monotony factor in the equation.

This would help you out with drafting your Plan B in case Plan A does not work out.
Challenge yourself to do a positive change for 21 days in a row.
Start with something small and start NOW.

By the time you finish the challenge, you have programmed your brain making it easier for you to keep going with your new habit.
So decide what positive habit you want to build and act on it!

Mental Fitness: Exercising The Mind

It was around noon time when my brother and I took the MRT from Ayala to Quezon Ave Station to attend a learning event at the Executive Lounge of Hotel Rembrandt in Tomas Morato. 

The dark sky shows signs of impending rain but we were decided on finding out more about "Blogging for Fun, Fame and Fortune" -  indeed, with such a catchy title, who would not be that curious enough to travel from one side of the metro to the other?

Photo taken from http://www.thelearningaddict.com/

Being FIT and STRONG..

What does this really mean?
For most of us, it means being physically fit.

*image from the web

Lifting the heaviest weight one can have, running the longest mile with the fastest P.R. or even carrying your groceries without the help of your yaya or hubby or whoever.

Today, is one of my little girl's birthday.
This day had me contemplating on the other meaning of STRENGTH.

Yza Mae, is a sweet kid who is kind hearted, dreams big and loves life.

I remember when I was in the hospital eleven years ago, the doctor was wondering why it was taking long for her delivery -- and eventually found out that she was in distress due to an abnormal dual cord coiling on her neck -- after grueling hours of operation, she survived.

Her doctor had announced that she is a lucky kid, with a lucky birth date - 9.9.00.

Time: Our Friend

Exactly six months ago .. I had my blog entry for the year..

I know, I know!  That is not the way to work on a blog!
Excuses like, "I was too busy.." "Office workload and deadlines were way too much..." yadda yadda yadda..

The list goes on and on.

After assessing what had transpired, I found out that, it's not about the things that you HAVE to do, it's about HOW you schedule the things that you WANT / NEED / HAVE to do!

Everyone is pressed for time. Everyone has their own personal deadlines. Everyone is BUSY.
Heck, that's one of the reasons why we cannot even "Squeeze in a workout" in our super duper busy schedule.

Time management is a skill that most of us are not born with, but as with every skill, it could be learned.


Time is the great equalizer. We need to use our time more efficiently.. so you ask, how do we do that?

Fitness and The Outdoors

The past months, my hubby and I have been travelling and having adventures of our own.
Since we started our friendship seven years ago, we have been climbing mountains, doing cave explorations and river trekking while other couples were dating and watching movies as their courtship stage.

Fast forward years and years after, we're still at it.