See you in Ayala Center Cebu Tomorrow!!!

I was invited to talk tomorrow at the Ayala Center Cebu Indoor Activity Area at 4:30pm. My topic: "Starting a commitment to an Active Lifestyle".

See you!!! 

Staying Healthy this Holiday Season

Christmas Season is fun and memorable for all Filipinos. We Eat. Then Eat. And Eat. Parties almost every night starting from the 3rd week of December until the first few days of January. Then comes Sinulog!!! 

But not everybody wants to attend parties. Some people (myself included) try to steer clear of overeating opportunities to avoid gaining weight during the holidays. It is really hard to control your appetite when all your favorite dishes are being served and waiting to be devoured. My weakness? Humba. I just can't stop eating our home cooked (Heart attack guaranteed) Humba. I also can't refrain from having an extra serving of any vanilla/ chocolate Ice cream. I am heavy built and gain weight easily whenever I indulge.

I created a healthy lifestyle plan to keep my weight at bay during the holidays. I hope it works well for you as well. Good Luck!!!! 

1. Whenever you are invited to a party. Arrive LATE! As long as you are not bringing food for everybody then it is acceptable to be late. Be Tardy enough that all the good and tasty food have vanished and you are left with just water and Soup. 

2. Stick/ Hang out with healthy weight-conscious Friends. Some of my team mates from Multisport Team Reborn are healthy but not weight conscious because they are blessed with bodies able to metabolize large amounts of food. I try to stick with team mates who are trying to control their food intake as well during the holidays. One for all, All for one. 

3. Make aerobic/ fat burning exercises a group activity. Organize a group bike ride or run to make the holidays more jolly as well as healthy.

4. Schedule Lunch or Dinner parties after regular training hours. This will help increase your metabolism during the party and burn some of the calories you are taking in. 

5. If its not too important, SKIP IT! Try to make an excuse for not attending the party. Be polite, not rude. 

6. Earn your food. Eat only what you have burned prior to the meal. Remind yourself that training is hard and burning 500 calories is equivalent to running at moderate intensity for an hour. Drinking one venti-sized Frappuccino (>500 calories) can be burned by running for more than an hour. 

7. Count calories. I am not a big fan of this but I just remind myself that a cup of hot Cafe Mocha is more than double the calories compared to a cup of Cafe Americano with no sugar and cream. A bottle of San Mig Light is 100 calories and a regular glass of red wine is 100-150 calories.  

8. Eat more vegetables or fiber. I eat cereal bars for breakfast while driving to work or after a workout. During parties, I try to fill my plate with veggies first before meat or carbs. 

9. Love Peanuts and Peanut butter. I never run out of peanuts in the car and peanut butter in the office. I love Jiff or Peter Pan Reduced Fat Peanut butter and Cheding's Greaseless Peanuts. These help reduce my food cravings between meals and provide me with enough protein and calories for recovery. 

10. Pick your food. It does not have to be expensive as long as it is not processed. Despite my love for Cheeseburgers, I try to refrain myself from eating fast food unless there are no other choices. I eat chips, fries and Ice cream only during "cheat days" 1-2x a week to keep myself motivated to exercise and burn the calories I have consumed. 

11. Drink water. This, for me, is the most important. A glass of water before meals and 30-60 minutes after a meal. I consume around 2-3 Liters of water on a regular day. If its really hot and humid outside or if I am training, I consume more. No beer, soda or artificial juices during parties. 

This regimen has worked well for me these past few weeks. I have not gained weight since the start of the holidays and I feel lighter. A regular and healthy diet supplemented with a consistent Aerobic exercise program (moderate intensity, at least 30 minutes/ day for 3-5 days/ week) will help you feel younger, lighter and healthier. Happy Holidays!!! 

Light that Cigarette

In my outpatient clinic, I often receive patients complaining of cough and difficulty breathing. After careful observation, I ask the patient “So, How many sticks of cigarette do you consume in a day?” They hesitate to answer.

“How long have you been smoking?” I usually don’t ask if the patient smokes when I see subtle clues that the patient is a smoker.

Patients sometimes pride themselves of smoking since their teen years. They started smoking because their friends or families smoke. “If you cant beat them, Join them.”

After a brief explanation that smoking is the cause of the patient’s complaints, I ask. “When do you plan to quit smoking?” This is where I am amused by different replies I get from my patients. Many would say “I quit already, Doc”.

“Since When?” I asked. “When my cough started”

“Do you have plans of going back to smoking after I relieve you of your complaints?” Then they humor me with their reply. 

“No Doc.”

I smile as I tell my patients “Istoryahe!”

Smokers deny the fact that to quit smoking is a difficult process. They often boast “I can quit anytime I want but I don’t want to do it just yet”. Many smokers have tried more than once to quit smoking. They remain smoke-free for a few weeks but relapse after a night out with friends. To quit smoking is not easy when your family or friends are smokers.

Cigarettes are addicting. Some of the constituents of cigarette smoke affect the emotion centers of the brain and stimulate your heart. After smoking, you feel more alert and focused. Many also claim that lighting a cigarette lightens up their mood.

So light that cigarette. They can help.

They help Doctors make a living when you get smoker’s cough or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cigarette smoke destroys our lungs and increases the incidence of lung infection. They also increase the likelihood of getting lung and oral cancer. Light that cigarette today and visit your Doctor tomorrow.

Smokers also help solve the problem of overpopulation. Smokers often have short life spans because smoking increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and sudden death. Cigarette smoke contain chemicals that are poisonous or dangerous like formaldehyde, arsenic, cyanide, naphtalene, cadmium, carbon monoxide, mercury, lead and cloroform. Smoking also causes erectile dysfunction. Forget birth control. Light that cigarette.

They also help kill insects because cigarette smoke contains DDT (a very potent insecticide). Smokers sacrifice their lungs and their health to help prevent dengue fever and malaria. Go ahead. Light that cigarette. Burn your lungs and kill those mosquitoes.

Cigarette smoking does have unique advantages. If you think about it, maybe smoking is not so bad after all. Go ahead. Light your next cigarette.

Occasionally, patients joke about their smoking addiction and ask me “Doc, what can help me permanently quit smoking?” My reply is brief and simple. “Lung Cancer. Its free and effective”.

Published: Sunstar Newspaper November 21, 2011