Come Away: health

9:29 PM

Healthier & Wiser!

I've been striving to eat healthier these days. Not just because i want to lose weight but because i wanna prevent any form of sickness from getting me, and overall a healthier lifestyle makes anyone feel great.

So this year i made more research about healthy food options, recipes and learned more about how our body processes food. I was gaining all these knowledge and i knew that knowledge is nothing if not applied in life. I started evaluating my lifestyle last year, and realized that even with all the exercise and hours spent working out at the gym, i still was not able to reach my fitness goal. Mainly because i procrastinated a lot , and thought that after all the hard work i deserved that cup of ice cream. This year, i wanna see results! I wanna feel lighter & healthier, and i wanted to join marathons and bike a little further. With pure motivation, and determination to reach our goals, my friend and i decided to plan about it and eventually act on it.

However it's easier said than done. Everyday, i wake up early to prepare my meals for school so i wouldn't be tempted to grab a fast food meal (it's also cheaper), i shop for my own groceries, and had to change my mindset about eating. It's difficult at home as well, my family eats like any other Filipino family, although my parents also are into some healthy food, but not as into it as i am. We eat meals as a family, and they have these all kinds of delicious food that i would naturally crave for, while i have a piece of wheat bread, a whole lot of veggies, chicken or tuna, and fruit on my plate. But surprisingly, i do not feel deprived, nor do i feel hungry. I feel satisfied, a healthy kind of satisfaction!

But it doesn't end there, the temptation is outside! Yesterday, me and my friends went out to just spend time with each other, and we ended up in Mcdonald's. But i wasn't even tempted to order food there, while two of my friends ate burgers and ordered sundaes, me & Katrina chose to grab food outside Mcdonalds. Before, i would feel so deprived in that kind of situation, but yesterday i did not. While i was looking at their food , the facts about how unhealthy they are keep coming on my head. But don't get me wrong, i'm not shutting off burger & sundaes for the rest of my lifetime, it would be nice to eat them sometime. Maybe i just might try to create my own healthy version. So where was i again? ....I did not feel hungry that moment, but i felt like an over-comer, there i was in a situation where i would normally give in, but there wasn't any wisdom in giving in, and i imagined how i would feel if i gave in.I'd feel terrible. But don't think i have mastered the art of eating healthy, i'm trying to learn to eat what my body needs as well as what i want.

Overall, it's a really good practice of discipline. I can relate this to our lives as Christians. I think if we would just spend time reading & meditating on God's word more and more, it would be easier for us to run away from temptation. Like when i spent time researching about food, it became easier for me to choose the healthy ones, because i knew how it can affect my body. As Christians we must know how sin can affect our relationship with God, and how it can lead us to danger.

Right in that moment while we're facing temptation, we would remember what the Bible says about it, we would remember that there is no wisdom in giving in, and we would remember that it would not please the Lord. I love how the Lord teaches me lessons while running, biking and now even while eating!

I haven't reached my goals yet, but i'm getting there one meal at a time ;)

9:52 PM

Let's talk about cycling!

My Dad has always been into cycling since i was young, this is something my Grandfather passed on to him. I saw my dad enjoy the sport, watched him spend hours fixing and improving his bike and so i got interested. Later on i got hooked.

Although i do not use those top of the line bikes, i ride a racer bike that has been very special to my Grandfather and Dad. It was their very first bike and i was blessed to ride it and enjoy it as well. My dad taught me almost everything i need to know, from riding it to repairing it. The experience gets more fun when me and my friend Katrina started our cycling sessions. Katrina and I has always been into trying a lot of sporty & extreme things, and this is something we ultimately enjoy as friends!

Sometimes we would have my dad join us, especially when i was just starting to ride. He always reminded me that it's very important to keep in mind that when you bike, you do not own the road so you have to take note of traffic signs and ride harmoniously with the traffic to avoid any accidents. He used to always go with me until i learned not to freak out while biking along the high way!

It didn't take long for Kat and I to encourage two more friends to join us. Now we also have Jasmine & Ame with us during our cycling sessions.

Aside from the fact that it's a fun thing to do with your girl friends and it does not contribute to any sort of pollution , let me give you some of the reasons why you have to go and ride a bike as well.

1. Helps you lose weight. So if you're just like me who's been trying so many work outs in order to lose weight but ends up quitting, why don't you try cycling? It's more enjoyable to ride and go places than to stick yourself in the gym. Biking has the ability to keep you interested for a very long time. Because every time you ride you can take a different route. Cycling increases your metabolism and your calorie consumption, therefore helping you get rid of that excess fat on your body.

2. Minimizes the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Just like any physical activity, when done regularly, it helps your body stay healthy by improving control on your blood pressure. It also improves the ratio of your good and bad cholesterol.

3. Helps you beat sickness. “Moderate exercise makes immune cells more active, so they’re ready to ﬁght off infection,” says Cath Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital in London.

4. Makes you look feel and look younger. According to my research if you cycle daily you will have the fitness level of 10 years younger than your actual age! Why? Because cycling reduces your heart disease rate by 50%. Scientist at Standford University have also found out that cycling protects your skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation, therefore reduces the signs of ageing.

5. Makes you feel good. When you cycle you release those feel-good endorphins that helps you have that brighter mood throughout the day. This is true, I remember when I and my friends went for a 2 hour ride, the fulfillment we felt was more magnified than the physical exhaustion. Starting the day with a workout makes everything seem brighter.

6. Improves muscle strength. Pretty obvious right? Those pro cyclists you see on Television have an amazing leg muscle power. In addition, cycling also helps you work out your core, which gives you more muscle strength.

7. Helps you during Child birth. If you're a woman who’s afraid to give birth, then cycling is really for you! Regular exercise like cycling benefits women during child birth. Doctors say that will be easier and less painful.

The list goes on and on, but I suggest you try it yourself and experience the benefits. If you're looking for ways to spend more quality time with your partner or your family you can go and start pedaling. This is a perfect way to jump start your way into a healthier life style. I've been running & cycling for quite some time, and now I find myself even more interested in maintaining a healthier lifestyle! And don't be afraid or intimidated, you don't need to be a pro cyclist, what's important is that you spend time doing something physical.