It’s our 5th and LAST Bull Session for TBR Dreamers 2014 on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at our race venue, NUVALI, Sta. Rosa, Laguna!

Event: BULL SESSION 5
Date: January 25, 2014, Saturday
Venue: Solenad Activity Area, NUVALI, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.  (Near Yellow Cab) Click HERE for location map.
Length of Run: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Assembly Time: 4:00AM
Briefing: 4:15AM
Start: 4:30AM

REMINDERS:

• Please come on time.
• We recommend you leave your baggage in your cars, but if you must bring them, you may leave your baggage with our staff during the run. TBR will not be responsible for lost or stolen items so please avoid bringing valuables.
• Gatorade will be providing hydration only at two points (start and at the junction) on the route.  Please bring a hydration belt or bottle for refilling. (For race day, we will be providing both water and Gatorade every 2km)
• Please bring your own water.
• If you have flashlights or headlamps, we recommend you bring them.
• Bull Sessions are free and open to the public. Feel free to invite your friends!
• There will be NO shuttle service provided due to the lack of riders from previous sessions.

For any questions, call Macel at TBR DM Hotline: Sun 0942 477 6099 or email tbrdream@gmail.com

TBR Clean & Mean Routine is a series of nutrition and wellness tips from for people who wish to start the year right by living cleaner, healthier lives. New tips are posted every Monday from Jan. 13 to Feb. 24.

MEALTIME: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

As mentioned, our TBR Clean & Mean Routine is about eating clean food. It’s also about being MEAN. M in Mean is for meals of 3 and snacks of 2, but, at the end of the day, we advise you to listen to your body.

Tip 2: 3 MEALS + 2 SNACKS

This week, focus on eating clean, wholesome, nutritious food (as in Tip 1) and eat them during your three meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and two snacks (mid-morning and mid-afternoon.) This is what works for most people, especially us Pinoys.  Personally, this is what works for me, too.

But, as I mentioned in the past posts, we’re not going to go on a “diet” but we’re going to start living a healthy lifestyle. So, while I recommend what works for most people to help them maintain a healthy weight and make good food choices, you should still listen to your body and choose a way of eating that works for you.

Nowadays, you’ll always hear about diets that allow you to eat more and still lose weight or recommend you to eat 6 mini meals a day. I tried it in the past and it was a nightmare. I was bringing out fruit containers during meetings and parties because I had set this strict rule of eating clean every 2 hours. After 4 months of attempting to live that way, I realized that it was completely unrealistic for a busy working mom like me to inconvenience myself with any type of diet. I started eating 3 healthy filling meals and two snacks.  It was simple and easy and, best of all, it was sustainable . That’s what we all want right? We don’t want to be constantly thinking of what to eat, where to eat, and when to eat, we just want to live healthy so we can go on living!

Truth is, experts have said that it really doesn’t matter when or how often you eat. What is important is what you eat and the total calorie intake for the entire day.

HOW SHOULD YOUR PLATE LOOK?

We all grew up with the vision of that Food Pyramid in our heads.  Little of us know that that has been updated.  While I’m not familiar if our government has released its own food guide, I am familiar with the new My Plate of the US.  This is how it looks and I like it!

This is how I generally eat except for the dairy portion.  I don’t believe one has to take dairy daily (if at all but that’s an entirely new issue).  I only take milk along with my coffee or as post-workout drink (Enervon HP) after a long run to aid in recovery.

Anyway, that is how your plate should look during each meal.  It may quite difficult to execute during breakfast so aim at least for lunch and dinner.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

• Eat a good breakfast.  Breakfast is a key meal. It sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you skipped breakfast, you’ll usually end up bingeing later in the day. If you eat junk, like leftover pastries or soda and crackers, don’t you notice you don’t take care of your body throughout the day, too?  Take the time to eat a healthy, wholesome breakfast with family instead of rushing out the door.
• Dine at home. It will be easier for you to eat clean, good-sized meals if you eat at home. You can control how much salt goes into your food. You can use olive oil instead of cooking oil. You can skip the loads of butter drizzled on veggies. And, you aren’t confronted with a plate that looks like it’s meant for two!
• Drink a lot of water. Drinking water before your meals fills you up. Skip sugar-laden soda and juices and you save yourself tons of calories too.
• Listen to your body.  Like I said above, there is no one diet that works for everyone.  Do what works for you and what fits your lifestyle.  The key is to be mindful of what you put in your mouth and when you do it.  Don’t just eat all throughout the day without paying to attention to your nourishment and nutrition.

ARE YOU READY TO COMMIT?

If you want to join me and others on our TBR Clean and Mean Routine for 2014, just do this:

Post a comment on TBR FACEBOOK PAGE that you commit to practicing the tip for the next 7 days. If you don’t have FB, you can post your comment on this blogpost.

Watch out for our weekly TBR Clean & Mean Routine tip every Monday. I will ask you to post a comment on each of those weekly tips until February 24.

Throughout the week, feel free to chat and converse with others in the TBR FB Page who are trying to apply the weekly tips in their lives.

By the first week of March, I will ask you to submit a story on how this plan worked for you and what changes you saw in your life. The most compelling and interesting submission will win a pair of running shoes from me.

Let me know how this week goes for you! See you next Monday!

Read:
TBR Clean & Mean Routine – Part 1 & Part 2
Tip 1: Eat Clean

Join The Next Step Triathlon Camp if you’d like to learn more about triathlon or how you can take your performance to the next level. The Next Step Tri Camp is led by my teammates, friends, and fellow endorsers of Enervon Activ (oh yes, we have a lot in common except for speed LOL), Coach Dan & Ani Brown.

I joined The Next Step Tri Camp way back in 2011 when I barely knew how to bike. In other words, “saling pusa” You can read about it HERE.

Sign up now before slots get filled.

You’ve trained well for the upcoming race and you’ve got your brand spankin’ new apparel all laid out.  But, have you thought of how you’re going to carry your gels, car keys, and cash? Nope, I don’t think your new running shorts can hold all those in its hidden pockets.  And, don’t you know that those safety pins punch tiny holes into your running tops that tend to ruin the fabric in the long run?  Most importantly, have you figured out how you’re going to carry your iPhone during the race?  You must capture that perfect running selfie as you cross the finish line, right?  Aack, running problems! Haha!

Enter the RUNNING BELT. There’s a wide array of running belts available in the market nowadays from light race belts that will hold your race bib to larger ones that can hold anything from your car keys to your smartphone to a Chihuahua (okay, maybe not the latter but you get the point.)

Below are four running belts that I currently have in my possession. Three of them I received during the Holidays: one as a gift and the other two for road testing. The last one, the Spibelt, is one of my favourite products. (No, I’m not their endorser, just a huge fan who has used their belts and armbands during my last 4 marathons.)

Tune Belt – Sport Belt for iPhone 5

The Sport Belt for iphone 5 holds the iphone 5 horizontally and protects it from perspiration, bumps, scratches, or drops. The belt is made of a lightweight and super comfortable neoprene material, which stretches easily and snugly across the waist. It has an extra pocket in the back to hold keys, cash, and other thin items.

I like the fact that you can see your iPhone through the plastic, but I found the belt too long and too thick for my size. Perhaps the size would be more appropriate for a man.

– Front of Sport Belt with my iPhone 5 inside –

– Back pocket can hold essentials but items can’t be too bulky –

– Back of Sport Belt –

Price: To follow.

Available at Planet Sports, Runnr, Toby’s, Chris Sports, Riovana, The Athlete’s Foot, R.O.X.

SPIbelt Endurance

SPIbelt is sleek, expandable, secure and does not bounce. SPIbelt Endurance Series features a larger neoprene pocket compared with the Original SPIbelt.  The new Endurance Series can hold an iPhone, keys, energy gels, and other essentials. It also comes with a larger elastic (1.5″) so it’s more stable with heavier loads. It even has holsters for energy gels and adjustable race bib toggles. It also has a reflective trim for increased visibility.  Pockets expands to 6″ x 3″ x 2″.  Fits waist size 29″ through 50″.

The inside of the SPIbelt has a special, water-resistant lining to protect your items, but this is not completely waterproof. I would keep my iphone in an Otterbox Preserver or a ziplock bag.

This is probably perfect for the runner who doesn’t mind carrying the extra weight as long as he/she has all his essentials along for the run.

Price: P1,690

– Front of SPIbelt Endurance –

– Back of SPIbelt Endurance –

While the SPIbelt Endurance can hold more items, I still prefer my Original SPIbelt.  It’s thinner, lighter, and can expand enough to hold my iPhone, a couple gels, and tissue.  It’s perfect for the marathon where you need a number of items, but you don’t want to be dragged down by the load during the last 10 kms.  I used my SPIbelt together with  the SPI Wrist Pocket.  Okay, the Wrist Pocket isn’t a belt but I might as well mention it. I reviewed both items HERE.

– Original SPIbelt –

– My Original SPIbelt. He was with me for 4 marathons and probably in the next one too. A friend purchased the race bib toggles for me separately –


– SPIbelt Wrist Pocket. A convenient way to carry gels and cash for me –

Available at Splash Underwater Imaging, Inc. Level B, Store # 2003 Shoppesville Arcade. Phone. 7249803

Website: http://www.spibeltph.com/

i-Fitness Race Number Belt

i-Fitness Race Number Belt has an ultra soft dual-adjust waistbelt so there won’t be any extra elastic bands sticking out. It holds your race belt and has 6 loops for your gels. It’s simple and perfect for a runner or triathlete who doesn’t want the bulk nor extra weight but needs a belt to conveniently hold his essentials. It also has high visibility reflectors.

– Front of i-Fitness Race Belt –

– Back of i-Fitness Race Number Belt –

Price: P499

Available at Runnr, Toby’s, Secondwind, and other leading sports stores

More models to choose from on this LINK 

Website: http://www.sriphils.com

TBR Clean & Mean Routine is a series of nutrition and wellness tips for people who wish to start the year right by living cleaner, healthier lives. New tips are posted every Monday from Jan. 13 to Feb. 24.

Tip 1: EAT CLEAN FOOD.

This week, from January 13 to 19, focus on eating clean, wholesome, nutritious food. I know, you’ve heard this many times before. Everyone knows that this is the key to losing weight. It really is! But, for most of us, the difficulty comes in applying it. We can eat healthy for a day, or maybe a week, and then we fall off the healthy eating wagon and feel like a complete failure.

The difference now is in your mindset. Change your mind about healthy eating. Do not even think that you’re going to start a new short-term diet today. You’re not. You are starting a new, better way of living. Ready? Game!

WHAT ARE CLEAN FOODS?

What food should you be eating most of this week? Clean food!

Clean foods are foods that are as close to its natural state as possible. They come from nature. These are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish, and nuts. They rarely come packaged, but, if they do, they have only one or two ingredients in the label.

Choose a banana over a packaged bar.
Choose tilapia and brown rice over spam and white rice.
Choose fresh buko juice over soda.
Choose a handful of nuts over a bag of chips.

CROWDING OUT

By eating more clean food this week, we will fill our bodies with healthy food that make us feel satisfied so that we don’t even have space for junk. This is what we call CROWDING OUT in my nutrition school.

This week, focus on all the clean food you can have and get excited over it. Try a new fresh and healthy recipe. Think of new restaurants that serve awesome grilled salmon and fresh salads. Look forward to eating. Period.

Since we’re just starting out, you may notice that you still want to eat some not so good food. Go ahead. Don’t stress over it. Just do so in moderation and make sure you are eating the clean food that you should be eating. You’ll notice that, as you go along, you’ll be craving less of the junk and filling yourself with clean food without even thinking about it.

WHAT YOU DON’T WANT TO DO

Two things I don’t want you to do this week:

1) DO NOT think about all the food you will scrap from your diet this week. DO NOT tell yourself that, this week, you will not have red meat, rice, dessert and soda. This will leave you feeling angry and deprived. And, if you mess up, you will feel like a complete failure. Focus on the good food you will be eating and how you are nourishing your body.

2) DO NOT be too hard on yourself. I said we want to eat clean MOST of the time, but SOMETIMES we can allow ourselves to indulge and enjoy not-so-healthy food. So, if you want to have a taste of cake or a sip of soda, go ahead! Life is too short to quit eating cake for a whole year (I have friends who’ve done that. Boo to them!) I say, live your life to the fullest!

ARE YOU READY TO COMMIT?

Come and join me and others on our TBR Clean & Mean Routine!

Here’s how to join:

• Post a comment on TBR FACEBOOK PAGE that you commit to practicing the tip for the next 7 days. If you don’t have FB, you can post your comment on this blogpost.
• Watch out for our weekly TBR Clean & Mean Routine tip every Monday. I will ask you to post a comment on each of those weekly tips until February 24.
• Throughout the week, feel free to chat and converse with others in the TBR FACEBOOK PAGE who are trying to apply the weekly tips in their lives.
• By the first week of March, I will ask you to submit a story on how this plan worked for you and what changes you saw in your life. The most compelling and interesting submission will win a pair of running shoes from me.

Let me know how this week goes for you! See you next Monday!