Everyone seems to be juicing nowadays. I heard someone say that it’s the new milk tea in Manila. Not a week goes by that I don’t spot a glass of green, orange, or purple juice on social media. And, I hate to say it, because I’m not a big fan of fad diets (well, I’m not a fan of FADS or DIETS, for that matter), but I’ve joined the juicing bandwagon and I’m loving it.

It’s been two months now since I started juicing and I’ve been juicing like crazy for myself and the kids.  I’ve also been doing a lot of research on juicing and juicing recipes and here are some basics I’d like to share with you should you be interested:

CHOOSING A JUICER

You don’t need to purchase the most expensive juicers around to make your own fruit or veggie juice.  There are various brands available in the market.

Having said that, if you do want to invest in the best brands, I learned, after much research, that the top two brands to consider are Hurom or Breville.  Breville is endorsed by Joe the Juicer who visited Manila a couple of months ago, just about the time I was considering one (It was a sign! LOL).  One day, while I was on my knees praying to the high heavens for a juicer to fall from the sky, the hubby came home with a Breville in tow nonchalantly saying: It was on sale so I got one.  I stand corrected; it was fate!

THE GOODNESS OF JUICING

Juicing has a lot of great benefits for the body.  It’s a good way to get nutrients from veggies and fruits into your system.  This works best for people who don’t normally eat a lot of veggies and fruits (or those who freak out once they are served some like my kids!)

– Halloween “Treat” for myself and the kids made of apple, pineapple, and carrot –

Juicing advocates say that juicing is actually even better than eating veggies or fruit because all the nutrients are absorbed by your body almost immediately as opposed to eating the veggies or fruit which takes quite some time for your body to digest and your body only gets around 40% of the nutrients by that time.

Juicing is said to clear the body of toxins and hardened deposits in the body hence the bandwagon for detox diets through juicing.  Doctors say there is still no scientific proof for this though.

For me, I take a veggie juice the following ways:
1) as a meal replacement for dinner on those days when I feel bloated from overeating,
2) for extra nourishment on days when I feel a cold is coming or I feel weak,
3) as recovery during breakfast the day after a long run to replenish lost nutrients, or
4) as a healthy snack instead of junk food.

– My Swiss-Chard Gutierrez Juice (hahaha!) made of apple, swiss chard, cucumber, lettuce, and lemon –

THE NOT SO GOOD SIDE OF JUICING

There’s a whole lot of good to juicing, but experts will tell you—and juicing advocates may disagree– that it is still better to EAT and not drink the veggies and fruits.  Juicing gets rid of the pulp from the fruit which has all the good fiber for your body.  You won’t feel as full drinking an apple rather than eating it.

If you want to lose weight, juicing is a restrictive diet that isn’t realistic nor sustainable.  I’m not a big believer in “diets” to begin with.  If you do lose weight on a juice diet, you eventually need to learn to to eat properly and exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Otherwise, any weight lost through a juice diet will just return.

DO’S & DON’TS ON JUICING

Here are some tips on juicing that I’ve learned from Nutrition School, research, and personal experience:

(1) DO use more veggies than fruit.  I limit fruit to 1 piece of either red apple (my fave), green apple, orange, pineapple, or any other fruit in season.  Some fruits are high in sugar and a large quantity may increase calories so you want to limit this especially if you wish to lose weight.  The rest of the drink is composed of veggies such as swiss chard (love this!), kangkong, spinach, cucumber, lettuce, carrots (not too much because this is high in sugar too), ginger, etc.  Add a twist of lemon for a punch.

(2) DON’T wait over 30 minutes to drink the juice.  Juice starts to oxidize beyond 30 minutes and you lose the live enzymes and vitamins in it.  I always drink my juice as soon as it’s made.

(3) DO experiment with veggies and fruits in season.  In the beginning, you will want to follow juice recipes online or in books.  But, you don’t need to!  Go to your local market and experiment with the freshest greens and fruits in season that you can get your hands on.

(4) DON’T try a Juice Diet while training for an A-race.  With juicing being the biggest fad diet nowadays, it’s best to consult a doctor before you try  a juice diet, especially if you’re currently training for a run or triathlon.  Juice diets are low in protein and may make you lose muscle mass.

(5) DO continue to eat your veggies and fruits.  Just because you’re drinking your green juice, it doesn’t mean you can eat less healthy food.  Continue to fill your plate with vegetables and fruits.

St. Luke’s Medical Center calls on the Fitness Conscious people in the Philippines to put on their running shoes and step up for their health by joining the St. Luke’s Run for Wellness on December 7, 6 a.m. onwards at the Bonifacio Global City grounds.

Aiming to engage experienced and first-time runners, the young and young-at-heart in a running activity like never before, the Run for Wellness promises to be a creative, non-traditional fun run that combines the exercise of running and fun-filled activities along the race route. It is also St. Luke’s way of promoting disease prevention and overall well-being for the general public.

Among the stations the participants will encounter during the race are: the Water Gun Station where marshalls will spray runners with water along 100 meters; the Color Me Blue Station where blue powder will be thrown as runners dodge their way through the course; and the Air Blower Station where runners will be dried off and blown away as they try to reach the finish line. The fun doesn’t stop as other activities, such as the Giant Slide, Creative Photo Booth, and Balloon Wall await them.

Registrants may choose from the 3K, 5K, and 10K distance race categories all sold at 750 pesos only. Each runner also gets a St. Luke’s Run for Wellness shirt, bib and freebies from participating sponsors. Winners also get Executive Health packages. On top of that, part of the proceeds of the Run for Wellness will go toSt. Luke’s Medical Center Foundation, Inc. (SLMCFI), which funds projects that benefit social service patients, provide scholarships for underprivileged medical students, and support continuing medical education for doctors and medical research.

This activity also coincides with the hospital’s celebration of Dr. Joven Cuanang Week, which pays tribute to its Senior Vice President for Medical Practice and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joven R. Cuanang who has dedicated 51 years of service to the medical profession and has significantly been instrumental to the hospital’s success.

Register now to be part of St. Luke’s Medical Center’s milestone this December. For complete registration details, visit www.stlukesrun.com or visit any of the following establishments near you: Toby’s (Mall of Asia, Trinoma, Glorietta and Shangri la), Runnr (Bonifacio Global City and Alabang Town Center), SM Cinema, and St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City.

On The Heels of a Dream is a weekly column by guest writer Obbie Suguitan who is currently training for his first marathon, The Bull Runner Dream Marathon, on February 16, 2014.

One month – this is how long the 2014 Batch of Dreamers have been ‘officially’ training marked by Bull Session 2. At this point, the training has been supposed to allow us to run-walk continuously for 70 minutes. After chatting with some of my batchmates and engaging them in some form, I found out that a lot of them have been running for years already. They’ve done 10Ks, 21Ks, and in-between distances. For a lot of them, this 70 minute run isn’t that much of a challenge. For me, it’s a big one. I’ve let my health degenerate over the years that being on my feet for 70 minutes under the sun is a feat. Those thirteen or so years of smoking 3 packs a day have taken their toll and I’m hard-pressed to reclaim what’s been taken away.

The two maintenance runs that preceded the Bull Session weren’t any different from the other maintenance runs but they were two more points on the board in scoring for consistency. It’s not that they were negligible but rather just doing them added a little bit of uniformity in the effort and keeping the calories burning and the muscles stretched and conditioned. A small variation was that I ran them on the road along a declined/inclined circuit in my neighborhood. My previous place – Capitol Commons – had become too short. Hah! Too short! I never thought I’d say that about any route I’d take! Even as the term maintenance sounds too perfunctory I’d like to think that each and every run adds confidence however small. When I coached basketball decades ago, I remember always telling my team that games are won in practice. This time I get to take my own advice.

At the Bull Session, this one was markedly different from the first one in that the air was lot warmer, friendlier, more festive. Batchmates who’ve kept in touch online got to chat face-to-face and establish an actual connection to the faces. Even with my bad eyesight, I got to respond to several greets. A lot of the batchmates I’d met only digitally even volunteered in person to pace me.

For this session, I was in Group 6 – the second 2:1 group. After the pack As I am wont to do, I fell back in the pack but didn’t stop at any point. I got to meet and chat during the run with several people – two of whom were a 6-ft tall Luis Manzano look-alike named Chal, and a fellow named Arvin. They were the sweepers of the group who provided a lot of cheerful encouragement. At some point I lost my running buddy Joanne but there were Ms. Jo and Jojo – lovely ladies who distracted me with chat – enough to keep my mind off the minutes that lay ahead. There was also Mr. Evan who people referred to as Smiley and Ms. Macel who kept pace with everyone on her trusty Segway so she could visit with virtually all the groups.

– Joanne and I –

– with Joanne, Chal, and Arvin –

After what seemed to me longer than 70 minutes, the pack was herded by our sweepers back towards where we started. Surprisingly, it was over. Ms. Jo chatted me into the home stretch and we found ourselves putting our 2nd Bull session behind us. Chalk one up for persistence. After post-run hydrating, the whole group went through a pictorial where everyone was in very high spirits. The mood was still in high energy – as if most still wanted to do another 70 minutes. Maybe next time. Bull Session no.2 – check. Two sessions down, three more to go.

I received two Contigo water bottles in the mail a couple of weeks back and I wasted no time in testing them both.

– Autoseal Kangaroo Water Bottle –

– Autospout Addison Water Bottle –

I’ve encountered a number of major mishaps with water bottles in the past (just a few months back, my bottle spilled in my gym bag soaking all my clothes and had me attending a meeting in wet underwear and jeans! TMI!), so I crossed my fingers that these new products would spare me from any water bottle misery in the future.

After using the bottles for two weeks, here’s my review:

[ LIKES ]

+ Spill-proof and leak-proof. The Contigo Kangaroo comes with a patented Autoseal technology. Liquid doesn’t spill nor leak out unless you press the button on top.  This was made for fools like me!

+ Pocket for small items. The Kangaroo has a small pocket which comes in handy for holding locker or car keys, credit cards, IDs, or cash. Such a nifty idea for gym goers who have locker keys to carry along with them.

+ Convenient.  It’s made for one handed drinking.  I stay away from bottles that need twisting and turning with the other hand. Hey, I have no energy for that when I’m exhausted from a run or swim.

+ Easy to carry. The Kangaroo comes with a flip up handle with a carabiner which attaches easily to your gym bag. You can also hold it around the handle for easy carrying. It’s size also fits quite nicely into pouches of backpacks.  I love this feature especially when I have my heavy gym bag and swim stuff to carry.

+ Shows volume of drinks. Both the Kangaroo and Addison have ounces and ml on the side of the bottle for those who track their hydration during the day. Perfect also for me when I mix Enervon HP with water for my post recovery drink.

+ Easy to drink from. For the Autospout Addison bottle, the spout pops up with one click which makes one-handed drinking easy. My kids love this!  It also keeps the spout clean when not in use so this Mom loves it too!

+ BPA free and Titan technology.  Not only is are these bottles BPA free but they also have high impact resistance and don’t retain odors.

+ Comes in a variety of colors and designs. Contigo water bottles come in various colors and sizes for athletes and even non-athletes to choose from.  The Kangaroo comes in 24  oz (P910) and in blue or purple.  The Addison comes in 24 oz (P940) and 32 oz. (P1,040) and comes in cobalt, smoke, tangerine, watermelon, and citron colors.

[ DISLIKES ]

+ No cooling system. These bottles won’t retain coolness or warmth when needed.

+ Pricey. These two bottles cost P900+ each.

TBR SUMMARY

Owning fancy hydration bottles are purely optional.  But, if you can afford to spend on attractive gear with functional designs, then these Contigo water bottles are perfect workout partners.  The autoseal and autospout technology and the handle with carabiners are useful features that make drinking during a workout a less-messy and more enjoyable experience.

For more info on Contigo products, visit their Facebook page.  Online orders are accepted on FB.

Retail Outlets:

• Bikram Yoga – Tomas Morato, Greenhills
• Gold’s Gym –Timog, New Manila, Acropolis, Alabang
• Baby Couture – SM Megamall, Glorietta 4
• Soon to be available:
• SM Department Stores – North EDSA, Mall of Asia, Megamall, Makati

The Rappler DO MORE Awards “aims to recognize Filipino achievers who have the courage to challenge the status quo. The awards will be given to those who take the initiative to go beyond the call of duty.”

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Rappler informing me that I was a finalist for the Challenger category of the Rappler DO MORE Awards. I was stunned. Then, I was overjoyed. Then, I was thankful. Cliche as it sounds, being chosen as a finalist already makes me feel like a winner. I am deeply honored.

Now, here’s the thing.

The Rappler DO MORE Awards winners will be chosen via online voting. And, if you know me, I like winning. Heehee. BUT, I like winning fairly. So, I’m not twisting your arm to win your vote. I hope you can vote for me if and only if you think I deserve it.  (Spoiler alert: If you read until the end, I will give you an awesome thank you gift for believing in me!)

Now, here’s what I suggest you do:

1) Read my profile on Rappler. Click HERE.

2) Next, pretend you interviewed me one-on-one and asked me this:

YOU: TBR, why should I vote for you for the Rappler DO MORE Awards?

ME: Vote for me because you believe in my cause and what I’ve been trying to do. I don’t just DO MORE than is expected of me or what I expect from myself. I think a lot of athletes and non-athletes are capable of that.

But, beyond that, I (and the rest of my wonderful Dream Team and generous supporters of TBR) have DONE MORE and we try to continue to DO MORE by changing lives through our passion, running. Through TBR Dream Marathon, we have helped over 2,000 individuals to DREAM BIG, to ACHIEVE what they once thought was impossible, to live as WINNERS who live healthier, better, fuller lives, and, last but not the least, to serve as INSPIRATION to everyone around them (ripple effect, baby!).

TBR is not just a blog, a magazine, nor an event. It’s not about me. It has gone beyond me and even beyond running. TBR is about transforming lives and helping others to do the same.

3) Now, read the profiles of the other finalists in the Challengers category. They are Coach Arnel Aba, the amazing one-legged national athlete, and Mimi Lucas, a 24-year-old triathlete. I am in good company and I’ve got great competition, noh? If I met these two, I think I’d be starstruck and inspired.

4) Decide on who to vote for. If you wish to vote for me, then please click on the link below, scroll down and click on my photo to vote for me…

<< Click here to VOTE for me at the RAPPLE DO MORE AWARDS >>

5) Lastly, if you did vote for me, please leave a comment below with the following:

– Your name
– Email
– Shoe size
– Optional: Suggestion or idea on how can DO MORE for running/runners

As my token of gratitude, all those who comment below and voted for me (honor system please!) will be eligible to win one (1) pair of Brooks Running shoes.  Only comments entered by November 14, 2013, 11:59 PM will be considered for the raffle.  The raffle will be held on November 15, 2013.  Winner will be announced on the blog.  Only one comment per person please. This is my little thank you gift for your continued support through the years. Mwah!