Day One: Misibis Bay Fitness Escape

Day One: May 17, 2011 | Tuesday

Leaving hubby and the kids behind for a much needed break, I packed my bags for the Misibis Bay Fitness Package. With only 2 hours of sleep, I was thankful for a smooth one hour flight from Manila to Legazpi on board Cebu Pacific. It was my very first time to spot Mayon Volcano from the plane. I heard it more than once from the locals that we were lucky that the weather cooperated with us; they said it’s not very often that guests spot Mayon’s perfect cone.

– Misibis Bay is an hour’s drive by bus from Legazpi airport –

– View from my floor-to-ceiling glass windows –

– That’s my villa right there! Villa #31 –

– Some villas have this as their view –

– My home for the next two days –

Along with Armand and Mitch Mendoza, the trainers for the program, and the four other registered participants, we were welcomed warmly by the staff of Misibis Bay complete with fruit juices, dancers, and an escort to our individual rooms. After a quick change, our Misibis Bay Fitness Escape had begun!

– Welcome drinks –

– with my favorite fitness couple and coaching team Armand and Mitch Mendoza –

First, Armand and Mitch gave us a briefing on the itinerary. Oh boy, we had a packed sched! (Insert nervous laughter here). Then, we had a weigh in (more nervous laughter in that room!) followed by a medical check up with the Misibis Bay doctor. After a healthy fruit snack, we had a fitness assessment: VO2 Max, strength and flexibility tests, and a brief gym and fitness orientation.

– This was a reminder that we were here at Misibis to get fit, not fat –

We had a sumptuous Japanese lunch, but before digging in, Mitch took a photo of the food on our plates. (It was to be this way for all our other meals!) Well, I couldn’t complain much. After all, I had signed up for this to drop some weight, not to binge while on vacation!

– Lunch at The Spice Market in Misibis Bay –

Our lunch was followed by light exercsies called “Gentle Burn” led by Armand…

– We faced the sea during gentle burn. How invigorating! –

Then, we headed to the gym where Armand gave us a brief talk on fitness…

– Intro to Fitness Talk by Armand –

We had CIRCUIT TRAINING of 20 reps, 3 sets each for strengthening…

– Armand demonstrates the exercises –

After the gym, it was time for more exploration of the outdoors! This was the fun part!

We explored Misibis Bay on foot (or in the air) and we did this while burning calories! Isn’t that the best way to lose weight? Check out all the stuff we did—all on our first day here!

– Photo op at the Misibis ampitheater which was a pitstop at Amazing Race Asia –

– On our way to the zipline via golf cart. Fantastic view! –

– That’s me at the 450m zipline! It’s not obvious that I’m afraid of heights huh? –

– On a zipline high—literally! –

After ziplining, we hopped onto mountain bikes and further explored Misibis. Before the sun set, we ran by the sea with Mayon Volcano to our right and a full moon to our left. Now, that’s a sunset run for you!

– Mountain biking adventure –

– Biking by the sea –

We winded down early by having a Vietnamese dinner by the sea and under the full moon while being serenaded by a band.

– After a delicious healthy buffet dinner –

Then, as if they didn’t spoil us enough, Misibis gave us free foot massages; therapists came knocking on our room doors!

– The perfect way to end a tiring but fun day at Misibis –

Next: Day 2 – Misibis Bay Fitness Escape