Women’s Health Beauty and the Beach

Every woman—fine, a man too—needs a break from life every now and then.  Thanks to Women’s Health, I got the perfect weekend getaway right when I needed it the most.

Last April 16 & 17, 2011, Women’s Health sent me to Boracay to attend the Women’s Health Beauty and the Beach in celebration of its second anniversary.  It was a weekend of fun, fitness, and adventures shared among ladies who deserve to pamper their bodies and refuel their minds.

– with Lara Parpan, WH Editor in Chief, and Christine Ong, Summit Team Publisher –

– with Marie Calica, Runner’s World Editor in Chief –

We were encouraged to register for various fitness/dance activities over the weekend, which were all new and foreign to me:  Indian Bollywood, Chair Cabaret, Hapa Haole Hula, and fitness Hula Hoop.  Admittedly, my two left feet and I chickened out, so I ended up going for the competitive event: Havaianas Always Summer Race to Hawaii on Saturday followed by a relaxing Sunrise Hatha yoga session on Sunday.

– Mia Bayuga of Magic 89.9 hosted the event. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mia! –

For the Havaianas Always Summer Race to Hawaii, I was introduced to my teammate just a few minutes before the race: TV host/athlete Reema Chanco.  Of course, she was a familiar face, but it was the first time we had met.  We were enlisted for this race as “media” so weren’t qualified to win the big trip to Hawaii.  Shucks.  So, we took our time, walked—while everyone else ran—and chatted our way into the first challenge.

The first challenge: Guess the ingredients of two fruit shakes…

– with our shakes! Mission accomplished! –

The second challenge: Search for two items buried under the sand.  Our team had to find a rake and a lei.  By the time we arrived several teams had been digging endlessly. We dug, dug, and dug.

And, in less than 10 minutes, we found our items!  We were the only team that found our items before cut off! Oh boy, this “win” triggered our competitive sides and got us raring to win the entire race!

– Mission Accomplished! –

By the 3rd challenge, Reema and I were running across the shore, sweating it out under the sun, and were pretty darn serious about coming in first for this race.  (Uhm, this wasn’t really surprising given our backgrounds!)  We worked well as a team and covered each challenge smoothly and seamlessly.  Before we knew it, we accomplished all tasks and met the race director, good friend Neville Manaois, at the finish line.  We had reached first place as Media!

– with Reema and Neville at the finish –

– Feeling like real winners! –

Since we didn’t qualify to win the Hawaii trip, we were given Sony Cybershot DSC-3000 as prizes!  Woohoo!

– What a thrilling adventure! And what great prizes! We were happy campers! –

Dinner was at the Havaiana’s Cocktail Party followed by the Women’s Health Dinner Buffet.

– with my dearest sis, Janice of Creative Juice, the organizer of Havaianas Always Summer Race –

– with good friend Nevs who did all the brainwork for the race –

The following day, I ran 5k along the shores of Station 1 in Boracay. It was a fast run yet it felt easy with less impact landing the soft sand, the sea breeze hitting my face, and the wonderful view of Boracay.  I then joined the Sunrise Hatha Yoga along with other participants of Women’s Health Beauty and the Beach.

– Lara Parpan welcomes participants –

The rest of the day was spent sunbathing by the sea.  The perfect way to end a fit and fun vacation for this bull.  Thank you once again to Women’s Health for a great weekend.