The Golden Girls

My friend Agnes had this crazy dream before: Our BS Statistics group of friends will settle in Tagaytay when we retire and there, we can pass the time away chatting, playing, dancing, eating, etc. And because I am the only runner in the group, I will be in charge of running errands heheheh . . .

Miracle of miracles, half of my friend’s dream came true. She was able to buy a huge property in Tagaytay, built 4 houses for her family and her 3 sisters inside the compound! I could probably join her someday, when my son decides to get married and raise a family of his own. Of course I will take Nanay and Eia with me. 

Whenever Gio and I watch the TV Series The Golden Girls during his lunchbreak, I can’t help but imagine how happy it would be if our fantasy became a reality. Who knows? Maybe it will, in God’s appointed time.

What is Your Diet? (Part 2)

Last Saturday, Eia and I enjoyed a sumptuous lunch with the company of BEC 5 friends to celebrate our neighbor’s 88th birthday. We had salmon sinigang, boneless bangus, lechon kawali, grilled squid, lengua, pinakbet, pansit sotanghon. There was lumpiang Shanghai which I chose not to eat, giving my share to my beloved daughter who adored it so much. For dessert, turon with sesame seeds and avocado ice cream. I didn’t have the heart to eat the cake. It was so beautifully crafted I felt it was sacrilege to even touch it.

I almost choked on my food when my friend’s husband announced excitedly “CHEATDAY!”

That word seemed foreign to me now because I already ditched all strict weight-loss diets long time ago. A CHEATDAY is the day when you allow yourself to eat the food you want, considering that you forbid yourself to do so for the rest of the week. This is to avoid the feeling of deprivation leading to unwanted cravings.

In my mind I told myself “maybe for you, but not for me.” I cheat everyday!

What do I mean? 

I don’t wait for the 7th day to eat what I want. I do it everyday practicing the 80/20 Rule: 80% of my food intake is healthy and the remaining 20% is anything that I want, be it healthy or not.

For someone whose passion will always be eating delicious food, this is the best “diet” for me.

What’s yours?

(Chat with me via Messenger or at ndelr62@gmail.com. Stay safe everyone!)

A Whole New World With Nanay’s Alzheimer’s (Part 10)

When my dearest Tatay was still with us, I used to say that I am a single mother taking care of 3 children—my 87-yr old father, my 14 yr-old son and my 12-yr old daughter. Back then, Nanay was still strong as a bull, braving horrific traffic from Las Piñas to Pampanga and vice versa. As Philamlife’s Senior Agency Manager for Pampanga/Olongapo, she stayed in Pampanga Mondays to Fridays. We only saw her during Saturdays and Sundays. In her own words: “I am just a VISITING GUEST in my own house. I don’t even know where the rice bin is.” Tatay’s classic line whenever Nanay leaves for Pampanga went like this: “Pray that I am still alive when you get back and I pray that your guilt will not haunt you forever.”

Tatay was semi-bedridden when Nanay finally decided to leave her beloved company of 50 years. After only 8 months of living together, my father left us for good exactly 1 week before his 88th birthday. I thought Nanay’s presence in our home would prolong his life but I was wrong. He confided that he was ready to go. He could rest in peace knowing that Nanay was already around to look after me and my 2 children.

It has been 13 years since Tatay passed away. Much has tremendously changed since then. Nanay is now a PERMANENT RESIDENT in her own house. She doesn’t want to go out anymore except for the Sunday Mass and for her random joy rides around the village.

Several tennis courts, a swimming pool, billiard and pingpong tables were literally at the back of Nanay’s house in Pampanga. Beside it was the Bowling Center. She was probably the most visible player in Greenfields Country Club Homes. She was also a regular golf competitor inside Clark US Air Base. I couldn’t imagine how a very active woman like my mother loathes the slightest movement now. She doesn’t even want to take a walk inside the beautifully-renovated park of our village or stroll at the mall. Just outside Philamlife Village is VistaMall on the left and SM Center on the right. 

Nanay used to joke that she was no longer the Manager but the Telephone Operator in their Office during LunchBreak. During those days, employees were required to work during Saturday mornings but they were given a Break from 12 noon to 2 PM for the whole week. Everybody took advantage of this by taking a nap after lunch except for Nanay. She was the only one awake so she answered telephone calls until 2 PM. She often boasted that she never took a nap in her room or anywhere else.

That may be true then. Nowadays, she takes a nap right after waking up! She also takes a nap after eating breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner. Oftentimes, she even takes a nap while eating!

So now, I am a 67 yr old single mother taking care of 3 children—my 91 yr old mother, my 27 yr old son and my 25 yr old daughter. No wonder my Soulmate could not find me!

Practical Tips on Portion Control

 Weighing your food before it enters your mouth is time-consuming and stressful. Besides, you cannot just take out your food scale in public to monitor your calorie intake. Here are some practical tips to somehow manage the amount of food you can tolerate.

1. If you cannot eliminate rice from your daily consumption, limit your serving to the size of your clenched fist. This is equivalent to 1 cup so if you want to lose weight, use a 1/2 cup measuring utensil. As time goes by, your eyes will be used to what 1/2 cup of rice looks like. It is approximately the size of a tennis ball.

2. If you prefer pasta over rice, 1 serving equals 1 cup so it is also equivalent to your clenched fist.

3. 1 slice of bread equals 1 serving so if you are eating a sandwich, you are eating 2 servings of bread.

4. A 3-ounce serving of beef, pork, poultry and fish is approximately the size of your palm.

5. Now this is exciting:  You need at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 1 serving of vegetables equals 1 cup. The more fruits and vegetables you consume each day, the better for your body. 

6. How many eggs should you consume in a day? Some say 1 egg is enough but others think you can have 2  a day. In one of Dr Willie Ong’s YouTube presentation, he commented that if you eat 2 eggs today, you should not eat any egg tomorrow.

7. A serving of butter is roughly the size of a domino.

8. You may take cheese equal to 3-4 size of dice or 1 matchbox.

9. Eating 1 slice of pizza is challenging. So when I eat 2 slices during snack time, I don’t eat dinner anymore. 

10. If and when I am about to indulge in Unlimited Buffet Lunch (which happen a lot nowadays), I resolve to fast the day before and the day after.

How To Exercise When You’ve Got No Time For It

 Let’s face it. Not everybody has the luxury of time. There are days when we just find it hard to squeeze all the things we ought to do in 24 hours. And this happen to tbe true whether you are an 8am to 5pm employee, a business proprietor, a WFH professional, a homemaker, a salesperson, etc. We want to allot some time for exercise but we simply can’t find the time.

Well, here are some practical tips:

1. Upon waking up in the morning, roll your head, shoulders, arms, wrists, fingers hips, thighs, knees , legs, and toes while saying your morning prayer. This only takes 2-3 minutes and you already nourished your body and soul.

2. Join your family when they walk your furry pet. You bond with your loved ones while gaining some steps. 

3. Customize your working table. As much as possible, stand while working. Sit when you feel tired.

4. If working while standing is impossible for you, at least try to stand when talking over the phone. You may also walk around your desk. Or just lift your body pretending you’re a ballet dancer.

5. Don’t waste time circling for a parking space near the Entrance of your building. Park at the first available slot then walk towards the Entrance. You saved gas and gained strength.

6. Instead of queuing at the elevator, take the stairs if you’re only going to the 2nd or 3rd floor. Your heart will thank you for that.

7. Take 8-12 glasses of water everyday. That way, you will have more trips to the kitchen or the office pantry. Taking 8-12 glasses of water would also result in more trips to the Rest Room resulting in more steps in a day.

8. When you put eggs in boiling water, it takes 10 minutes for them to be cooked hard-boiled. Take this opportunity for a 10-minute exercise. 

9. When queuing to pay at the Cashier Counter, lift each leg one at time. Hold as long as you can for each leg. Monitor your improvement by using a stopwatch or just counting mentally.

10. If you are a Catholic praying the Rosary everyday, do so while climbing up and down the stairs or walking in the garage. This would amount to 15 minutes exercise. If you are non-Catholic and enjoy listening to music to relieve your stress, do so while doing some form of activity.

11. When refilling water for ref bottles, hold them up high on the way to the refrigerator. You stretched and strengthened your arms.

12. Use a coconut husk to shine your floor instead of a floor polisher. There are coconut husks specifically modified to serve this purpose. While scrubbing the floor, stretch your arms up for a whole body workout.

13. When you are standing in line for whatever reason, engage your core. You can do this by breathing deeply (you should feel your stomach inflating) then exhale slowly while purposely tucking your stomach all the way in. You can also do this while sitting down. Keep your chest very still. Only the stomach expands and contracts. Do this regularly and you might be surprised to lose that stubborn belly fat!

14. While watching your favorite TV show, exercise during commercial breaks.

15. When watering your plants, use 2 pails of water instead of a water hose. Carrying the 2 pails of water is your strengthening exercise while the trips to the faucet takes care of your cardio exercise.

16. If you are living in Metro Manila and driving your own car, you can literally exercise while stuck in traffic.

17. People are surprised that my car is not automatic. It is not a vintage vehicle but I specifically requested for a manually-driven SUV so I could still move my hands and feet while driving. If you are still planning to buy a new car, give it some thought.

If you have additional tips to share, do chat with me via Messenger or email at ndelr62@gmail.com. Stay safe eveyrone!

A Little Bit Of Family History

Nanay was 89 when she was medically diagnosed to have Alzheimer’s. Her father and brother also had the same disease and passed away at a much younger age than her. Her mother did not have Alzheimer’s but did not escape a fatal stroke. Taking care of 10 children would certainly make a mother’s blood pressure surge.

Tatay left us at 1 week before he turned 88. His father passed away at 96 and a week later, her mother joined her darling hubby. She was 98. They lived in Naic, Cavite where they enjoyed the freshest of fish everyday.

On her death bed, my mother’s grandmother asked for pork adobo with visible fat.I know this to be true because I was there beside her when she finally said goodbye to her family. She was only 103.

What can we deduce from these limited yet significant piece of family history?

1. If you have a family member who had Alzheimer’s, there is a high probability that you will have it too. Therefore, it can be concluded that I am at risk to have Alzheimer’s. This blog is actually my journal which I can go back to if and when I need to refresh my memory (to put it mildly). 

2. When Nanay asks me how long do I think she will live, I answer her: “Apung Deni died at 103 though she ate lots of pork with fats in her lifetime. You should live longer because you always followed a healthy lifestyle.”

3. My grandparents in Naic Cavite almost reached 100. They were fortunate to have fresh fish everyday. For 79 years the couple ate together in one big plate. They also advocated the 1 fruit per meal principle. They believed that eating different kinds of fruit at the same time destroys the stomach. My father was the extreme opposite of his parents’ principle. One Christmas Season, there were already 13 kinds of fruit on the table yet he will still ask for more! (In case you’re wondering, the 13 fruits were banana, mango, papaya, avocado, guava, santol, apple, pineapple, pomelo, melon, watermelon, chico and orange.) When he asked for more, I bought him mangosteen, marang, and pear. I would have bought durian, rambutan and lanzones but they were not in season.

4. Each body is different. Eating fats may be bad to most people but it did not affect Apung Deni, my great grandmother.

5. My father and his parents all had superb memory. My grandmother, even at her 90’s could still add and subtract without using pen and paper. She and my grandfather still knew the names of all their acquaintances. Unlike my mother’s father. When someone approach him and ask him “Tatang, what is my name?” He would answer back:”You are already this old, you still don’t know your name yet?”

A Whole New World with Nanay’s Alzheimer’s (Part 9)

THEN and NOW:

1. I used to dose off when Nanay talks non-stop. Now, the situation is reversed. Nanay sleeps when I begin to talk.

2. Nanay used to love veggies. She looks at them now with hostility.

3. Nanay started walking everyday when she retired. Then her walks became irregular. Then shorter until they completely stopped.

4. Nanay loved gardening before. Whatever she planted bloomed and bore fruits. We had santol, avocado, papaya, banana, jackfruit. Those days are over now.

5. Nanay used to dance aerobics and lift dumbbells even after she retired. Her exercise now consists of stretching, bending and pulling when she changes her undies and clothes.

6. Nanay stayed in Pampanga Mondays to Fridays. She travelled to Las Piñas Saturdays then back to Pampanga Mondays. She no longer leaves the house now except for Sunday Mass and joy rides around Philamlife Village.

7. She doesn’t recall staying in Marbel or in Pampanga. She knew she was a midwife but forgot she worked with Philamlife for 50 years. However, there are some recurring flashbacks that happen every now and then.

8. She still remembers her brothers and sisters but sometimes, she forgets who are still living and who already passed away.

9. She used to boast before that for 365 days a year, she prayed the rosary 365 times. She still recalls the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries when prompted. 

10. She still recognize everybody in our household. I tell her everyday that I am her only daughter. She knows her daughter’s name is Norberta but she has no memory of our past as mother and daughter. Not a single one. One time, she did not remember me at all. She knew Gio and Eia as her grandchildren but she forgot their mother. I had to hold myself together to prevent a nervous breakdown. I know it isn’t Nanay’s fault to forget her one and only daughter but it still pained me. I have no choice but to be strong for her and my 2 precious jewels. So help me God.