EAT. DRINK. REST.

 My 65th birthday is just around the corner and for the first time in my life, I have come to realize that indeed, I am not getting any younger.

My whole body is in pain. My fever is on and off. There’s a huge fiery lump in my throat. I cannot tell if I feel cold or I feel hot. A civil war is actively brewing inside my stomach.

Our family doctor did not prescribe me anything except paracetamol for my fever. Instead, she advised me to eat a lot (except vegetables), drink lots of water, and coop myself inside my room for 5 days.

But, if I still have fever by tomorrow afternoon, then I should return to her clinic because according to her, that is BAD.

She asked me what I did for the past week. Well, I attended the Handmaids of the Lord International Conference in Pampanga from May 12-14 where there were a total of 2,450 people inside the Laus Event Center. I already noticed the harshness of my voice when I spoke on stage for 15 minutes. She told me that could be the start of the virus trying to enter my body. We were back in Las Piñas Sunday and the following day, I did a Speed Interval Workout with my yoga coach. Instead of resting my tired body, we ran intensively for 40 minutes. My doctor told me that was the opportunity the virus was waiting for.

By Tuesday, I could already feel the pain in my body but simply brushed it off.  I just rested until Thursday then hopped on the Ab Booster Plus and lifted weights. That’s when all hell broke loose. By 7pm yesterday, I was running a high fever after relieving myself in the toilet every 30 minutes. 

So here I am. Alone in my room. My son Gio wants to order anything that I want to eat but NO, I am not craving for anything.

Now that’s a first!

(Thank you for dropping by. Please chat with me via Messenger or email me at ndelr62@gmail.com. Stay safe everyone!)

Thank You Omar!

In my effort to ditch the last 5 lbs. of my stubborn weight, I joined BetterMe for 1 month. It was a glorious journey with Omar, my favorite among the Coaches there.

For those who are not familiar with BetterMe, the program consists of a customized meal plan and strategic workouts to reach your goal. They were drawn based from a series of questions that you honestly answered before you joined. It also offers different Challenges for a fee but the Intermittent Fasting Challenge is free. When you enter the IF Challenge, you will be guided on a day-to-day basis which I found really amazing. I love the Message Platform where you can ask questions and Coaches answer. One Coach particularly stood out among the rest. Omar.

Omar would patiently read my rantings and answer them in a meticulously detailed fashion. He would also ask specific questions and lavish me with advices not only with concerns on fitness but on life’s drama as well. He is a dedicated coach, a caring teacher, a supportive friend, and an inspiring therapist-in-one!

In a nutshell, here are the lessons I learned from him:

1. Do not compare yourself with others. The only person you should compare yourself with is yourself:   He told me this when I was frustrated that some people could lose 10 lbs in less than 3 months of IF while I only lost 2-3 lbs after 5 months of 16:8 IF.

2. Track your daily calorie intake using a food scale. You could be under-eating. Chronic under-eating can lead to metabolic adaptation. Your metabolism slows down and as a result, you struggle to lose any weight:   Interesting point! Omar told me to use the calorie tracker of BetterMe which I didn’t know existed. And when I did, I was surprised that it included our very own native Filipino dishes like sisig, pinakbet, tokwa’t baboy, etc. It even includes my favorite pulutan Chicharon Bulaklak!

3. Your mom has her unique metabolism, body stats, activity level, etc. It is also not realistc to compare yourself with her:   I couldn’t help it. I am so envious of my 88 yr-old mother who only weighs 110 lbs. without any effort while I struggle from dawn to dusk just to maintain my 120-lb. chunk of weight.

4. Weight loss is not a true indicator of progress. If you gain muscle mass at the same time you are losing body fat, your weight may not change and might even go up. Waist circumference is the most affected by changes in body fat:   Now this really made my day! I have miraculously lost 3 inches off my waist so I should be jumping in jubilation! 

5. You’re in your 60’s. Your body’s ability to recover is much lower and hence you can easily over-train and chronic over-training can lead to elevated cortisol levels that can interfere with your body’s ability to lose weight, especially if combined with a stressful life or lack of sleep:   Ouch! Hard to accept but true . . . What a revelation! Now I know.

6. With the intense training program that you have, better follow a non-intermittent fasting regimen to maximize your performance:   I love this advice!  One Coach from BetterMe suggested that I could level up my fasting from 16:8 to 20:4 without even knowing how I spend my day. Unlike Omar. He asked for my daily activities, both exercise and non-exercise. And he came to the logical conclusion that I should stop Intermittent Fasting based from my intensive training program. I promised Omar I will end it on Easter Sunday, signifying a new life for me.

7. Feel free to eat sweets and food that you love as long they are within the 20% of your food choices. The 80% should be healthy options. Of course, the 100% should be within your calorie target:   I am happy that Omar and I share the same Food Philosophy. 80% of our food intake should be healthy and 20% should be what we love, whether it’s healthy or unhealthy. The problem is, in reality the proportion is oftentimes reversed—we indulge in food that we crave for 80% of the time!

8. If you cannot control yourself when you crave for unhealthy food, keep them out of reach:   Easier said than done. We are actually 8 in our household so you can just imagine how much food we store but I will try my very best to follow this. Self-discipline is the key.

9. To prepare for an upcoming event, practice 6-7 days of calorie-saving before the event:   This will probably be the only advice I won’t be following. Instead of saving calorie for 6-7 days, I will just fast the day before and fast again the day after the event. This is easier for me than restricting my calorie intake for 6-7 days. I will only have to suffer for 2 days heheheh . . .

10. Take a break from dieting for 4-6 weeks:   Yehey! This is the BEST advice ever! According to Omar, 5-6 months of calorie restriction is too long already. So beginnng today, I am on a Diet Break. He told me to maintain 1,900 calories a day but I think that is too much. I will try 1,500 to 1,600 calories first.

Thank you so much Omar. You’re the best! Thank you for correcting my misconceptions and giving me hope to carry on. I really enjoyed our chats, talking about fitness, wellness, lifelong friendship, spiritual journey, personal and family goals, etc. 

Praying for your health and safety. Wishing you success in everything you desire to do. May you experience true joy and happiness in this lifetime.

God bless you and your family Omar!

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WHAT HAPPENED AFTER 6 MONTHS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING & 3 MONTHS GENTLE YOGA?

 You all know that I started 16:8 Intermittent Fasting last October, 2022 but nobody knew that I delved into Gentle Yoga since January this year. Yup! I certainly did! With Gio, my unico hijo and the one and only Ate Ella (my 77-year old Wind Beneath my Wings)

Coach Emy calls it Gentle Yoga but we are probably using different dictionaries because in my book, it should be called HARSH! I swear I could almost feel my bones cracking with each challenging pose and silently wished that if God plans to end the world soon, that particular moment when I was struggling to cope would be the perfect time hahahah...

Today, Easter Sunday, is my Resurrection Day. Today is the start of my new life without Intermittent Fasting. However, I am not saying Goodbye to IF forever for I might do it again someday—if and when my favorite son calls my legs “logs” and starts counting my chin again. 

So are you excited to know what happened after 6 months of Intermittent Fasting and 3 months of “Gentle” Yoga?

Brace yourself folks! 

I actually lost 3 inches off my waist and 4 inches off my hips!

How I lost these inches without losing significant weight will be answered in my next post. For now I am quite satisfied, happy and ecstatic with these overwhelming results!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

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LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY FIRST DNF

 DNF is what we runners call a race that we Did Not Finish.

The Luneta to Tagaytay 60km Ultramarathon last Feb 25-26, 2023 was my first DNF since I started running 15 years ago. My running buddy and I decided to stop at Km 47.

Well, as the saying goes—there’s always a first time heheheh . . 

For those who already conquered an 80km Ultramarathon in the past (like yours truly), does it follow that they could easily finish the measly 60km?

Sadly, it is non-sequitur. So, what did I do wrong?  There are many actually:

1. While others swear that Undertraining is better than Overtraining, for me intensive training is still the best. I trained for almost 7 months for my first 60km Ultramarathon. This time, it only took me 4 months to prepare. I was then 59. Now I’m 64. I obviously undertrained.

2. I should have run more hills. Again, lack of proper training.

3. I should have done more tempo runs (pace faster than the actual race pace). 

4. I should have religiously done at least 1 Strengthening Training a week.

5. I should have done more back-to-back Long Runs.

6. I should have brought a tennis ball to roll my foot on, when plantar fasciitis strikes. I failed to foresee that I might be suddenly attacked by plantar fasciitis. Negligence on my part.

7. I should have done more heat trainings. Rain was pouring cats and dogs in my first 60km Ultra but last Feb. 26, the heat was intensely unbearable.

8. I should have done proper CarboLoading before the race.

9. I should have gotten enough sleep.

10. In my first 60km Ultra, I was already injured at Km 7 but I still finished the race. Why? What was the one motivating factor that propelled me to go beyond my limits?  It’s because I was then running for the benefit of the Down Syndrome Association of the Phils. Inc. (DSAPI). So many pledges came from generous people who would donate for every km that I ran. So quitting then was NOT an option for me. I had to finish the race to support the families of children with Down Syndrome for them to enjoy better lives. This time, I purposely did not seek pledges because I was reserving it for my supposedly 100km race at age 65 (I am now wondering if this dream could ever be a reality . . .).

(Thanks for dropping by. For comments, please email me at ndelr62@gmail.com or we can chat via Messenger. Stay safe everyone!)

This Is The Day We Get To Test Our Limits

Finally! The tine to test our strength and endurance is about to commence. While I was having a mental note of what else should I prepare for our much-awaited Luneta to Tagaytay 60km Ultramarathon, my favorite son was blabbering why I did not dye my hair hahahah . . .

I actually don’t mind being seen in public with my white hair but to preserve peace and unity in our household, I decided to give in to my son’s bickering. Praise God Ate Ella is still with us to lend a hand. No need to visit the beauty parlor. She colored my hair in a jiffy. 

Pansit Palabok and pork barbeque are my usual pre-race meal. They will arrive at 4pm. The whole family will attend the 6pm Anticipated Mass later because I am sure I would prefer to sleep tomorrow after coming from Tagaytay.

My cousin Wendel will drive our support vehicle and her wife Minerva will also be with him. So with Elvert, Ann’s darling husband. 

Dear God, give us please a favorable running weather. Send your angels and saints to protect all of us runners and our Support Teams. Mama Mary, please be with us every step of the way from Luneta to the Finish Line in Tagaytay. Cover us with the mantle of your maternal protection. Help us arrive there before 1pm tomorrow without any injury or accident or any mishap. These we ask in the name of Jesus and the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(Thanks for dropping by. For comments, please email me at ndelr62@gmail.com or chat with me in Messenger. Stay safe everyone!)

Only 1 More Day And We’re Set to Go (Are We, Really?)

 One day left for our 60km Ultra and this morning’s post by the Organizer astounded me.

They gave us a list of Mandatory Gear that we should bring and among the 5 listed, I don’t have 3 namely: Reflective Vest, Blinker, and HeadLamp.

Thank God I don’t have high blood pressure or it could have rose to sky high. I immediately contacted my running buddy Ann and I was beyond relieved when she told me that her darling husband was already looking for them. Wow! Awesome! How could some women be blessed with loving and supportive hubbies?

After dinner Ann sent me the pictures of the gears they purchased from the Bike Shop of her husband’s co-teacher. Now I can sleep without any worries. Thank you Ann!

(Thanks for dropping by. For comments, please email me at ndelr62@gmail.com or chat with me via Messenger. Stay safe everyone!)

Last 2 Days

 Would you believe I survived the whole day yesterday without taking any solid meal, not kissing my First Love, and not indulging in any form of sweets?

The first thing I did when I went out of our bedroom was to grab our weighing scale and miracle of all miracles, I finally saw the much-anticipated drop in pounds! 

2 days before our Luneta to Tagaytay 60km Ultramarathon, I now weigh . . . 119 lbs.!

Nothing happened after 4 months of 16:8 Intermittent Fasting yet only 1 day of fasting and abstinence during Ash Wednesday, I lost 3 lbs. Hmmm . . . I should probably do this once a month.

What do you think?

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