Wear your Santa Hat and be a hero for kids at the "Lahat Santa" Christmas Charity Run

Save the Children’s #LahatSanta campaign wants you to put on our Santa hat and be a hero for kids.



October 30, 2017, Save the Children launches its new Christmas campaign #LahatSanta giving everyone an exciting opportunity to become Santa to poor kids.

“In the Philippines, 1 in 3 children suffers from stunted growth due to hunger and malnutrition, and this means that they wont be able to reach their full potential. Poor families struggle to feed their children and its estimated that 1.5 million Filipino children go to sleep hunger every night, not having eaten a thing all day” says Amado Parawan, Save the Children health and Nutrition Advisor.

Be a hero, wear a Santa Sombrero
Lahat Santa is a new fun way to celebrate Christmas@ save the children encourages individuals, schools and companies to wear their Santa Hats, raise funds in their own creative way and make the holidays much more meaningful by donating to save the Children’s programs

Upon signing up on www. Lahatsanta.ph, participants get a free fundraising kit which includes a coin bank, Christmas poster and a Santa hat. The kit includes ways you can fund raise, from bakes sale to the good old Christmas caroling, it is up to the participants how they’ll spread the cheer.



On the day of action on December 15, save the children calls participants to put on their Santa Hats and shout out on social media how the are fundraising for save the children using hashtag #LahatSanta. The fun does not stop here. On December 17, a fun run will be organized to benefit Save the Children’s Christmas campaign.

Filipino artists and influences such as Ria Atayde, Bianca Guidotti, Jeush Wenshiu and Trish Ramos have also expressedi nterest in the campaign. Many reputable companies have also come together to support the Save the Children’s campaign, including BPI foundation, Family mart, Strong Media Avertising Soultuions, INC< light Network, Nyxsys, OLX, ANC, Business mirror, Page One, Manila Scorep, Philppine Graphic, Lamudi, Manila Times, Manilan Bulletin, Manila Business insight, Pilipino Mirror Zen Health and When in Maila.

“With every Lahat Santa Hat comes great responsibility. Your commitment to Lahat Santa camping could mean life-saving support for a child. Your donation  an provide treatment to babies suffering from malnutrition and help expand our programs that could impact their lives in the Long run

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. First, SIGN UP on www.lahatsanta.ph to receive a free fundraising pack which includes your coin bank, Christmas poster and your Santa hat for December 15. We’ve included some tips and ideas there too

2. Plan your fundraising activity and gather your family and friends from work and school to help you out, Whether this is through a garage sale. Good old caroling, selling artwork and doing Christmas dares, Because you are Santa we want you to be as creative as possible




3. Send your donations to save the children, the sooner we receive it, the soonerwe can put it to good use.

How do I pay in my donation?

You can send your donations to Save the Children through bank transfer, facebook https://www.facebook.com/SavetheChildrenPH/ or by visiting our office!

Bank details: Please contact one of our Save the Children staff at 852 – SAVE (7283) for our bank details.

National Office:
G/F Midland Bldg. 1040 EDSA Magallanes Village, Makati City 1232, Philippines
Luzon Program Office:
4F Sunnymede IT Center, 1614 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines

Team Runner Rocky, Team Run Direction, Podium queen Seanna and Guerilla Race director and obstacle racer Gas joined forces at the Lahat Santa Media Launch 

Wear your Santa Hat on December 14 and have a shout out post or selfie using hashtag #lahatSanta selfie to show us how you are fund raising for children.

TeamRunnerRocky discovers ANYTIME FITNESS’ secret to exponential growth (not just muscles but in business too) from Anytime Fitness CEO Maurice Levine

October 17, 2017.  Anytime Fitness, the world’s number one, largest, and fastest-growing fitness franchise has opened the doors to its 50th branch in Glorietta, Makati, in the Philippines. The brand is recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as the world’s top global franchise in 2015 and 2016, as well as the International Franchise of the Year by Franchise License Asia three years in a row.

(From left to right) Billie Pech, Director of Glorietta 5 Branch; Michael Pineda, Director of Glorietta 5 Branch; Mainard Sahagun, Multiple Club Franchisee; Maurice Levine, Anytime Fitness Asia CEO; Rey Bolivar, Anytime Fitness Asia COO

“We are thrilled to replicate our global success in a country like the Philippines, where the hunger for health is growing. Our franchise system has allowed Anytime Fitness to support local communities’ increasing need for safe, secure, and welcoming environments for Filipinos access to get to a healthier place. We are honored to have franchisees who are just as committed to providing our members with the tools to help them reach their goals as we are,” says Anytime Fitness Asia CEO and Master Franchisee Maurice Levine.


In less than three years since Anytime Fitness opened its first gym at Pioneer Center, Pasig City in 2014, the chain has branched out beyond Metro Manila to Laguna, Pampanga, Baguio, Cavite, Cebu, and Davao. With strong year-on-year growth of almost 250%, Anytime Fitness Philippines joins the ranks of over 3,000 gyms in 25 countries servicing over 2.5 million members annually.


What’s the secret to their success?

“Anytime Fitness empowers our franchisees through our 4 Ps: People, Purpose, Profit, and Play. Our people – from the members to the staff – are at the core of our business. Their goal of a healthier place, is our shared goal, and we all have fun reaching it,” Levine explains.

“There is no pressure to lift heavy weights or look like a model, and our team truly cares about each member that goes through our doors. Our facilities – open 24/7, secure, and world-class – that’s what inspires people to enter. But it’s our people, our culture, our environment that makes members stay.”
With each membership opening the door to every other Anytime Fitness around the world, the brand has a unique global reciprocity that allows members to work out not just anytime, but anywhere as well. “The Glorietta branch, just like most of our gyms, are located in communities within 1-3 kilometers of where people work, play, and live. We look forward to further growth in the Philippines, in Asia, and around the world, and we invite everyone to get to a healthier place with us,” Levine states.

For more information on memberships and franchise opportunities, visit www.anytimefitness.ph and follow Anytime Fitness Philippines online at https://www.facebook.com/AnytimeFitnessPhilippines/.

Now you can have your cake (actually it's cookies and cream) and eat it too.

Yes you can have your cake (actually it's cookies and cream) and eat it too.

After two decades, Herbalife launched two new exciting additions to its product line-up in the country: a new favor of Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix - Cookies and Cream, and Herbal Aloe Concentrate Mandarin. 

Mr. Rosalio Valenzuela, General Manager of Herbalife Nutrition
Philippines.

The launch event was held at the Herbalife Nutrition Philippines Corporate Office in Bonifacio Global City Taguig. It features an exercise routine led by Herbalife Fitness Coach Dwan Abantao, a wellness evaluation, a live demonstration on how to prepare Herbalife Formula 1 Shake, and a sharing on the results of the 2017 Balanced Nutrition Survey – spanning 15 Asia Pacific countries including the Philippines.

Body fat and muscle mass analysis using Tanita bioelectrical impedance technology

We got to shake our butts and buns during the workout, then had our thirst quenched and energy replenished with the new F1 Shake flavor cookies and cream!

F1 shake demo and preparation

With the F1 Shake cookies and cream, you can rejoice in the taste of cookies and cream and get the benefits of:

Balanced nutrition: with high levels of vitamins and minerals to help you achieve your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).

More energy: With the low glycemic index, you get a slow release of energy to helps you stay invigorated and alert, instead of  insulin spikes, sugar rush and crash you would normally get from high glycemic sugary sports drink and artificial fruit juices.

Weight control: Instant Herbal Beverage can help you: stay hydrated, improve mental performance and avoid sugary drink alternatives and tailor use it as a meal replacement for fat loss or a supplement and post workout shake for muscle gain and workout recovery.

Herbalife Formula 1 Shake provides balanced nutrition through an optimum mix of high quality protein, vitamins, minerals and fibers. It is recommended for people seeking an easy-to-prepare healthy, balanced meal to support their daily nutrition, and is also available in Dutch Chocolate, Wild Berry, and French Vanilla flavors in the Philippines. 

Herbal Aloe Concentrate (HAC) Mandarin flavor is made from aloe vera concentrate with natural mandarin flavor. It complements the established Herbal Aloe Concentrate mango flavor, and likewise prioritizes healthy digestion.

Cheers to health and fitness!

Laarni Paredes spills the beans on juggling career, being a mom and finishing the hardest triathlon in the world.

Laarni Paredes is not your regular work-at-home mom. She can swim 4km, bike for 180km, run 42km and is a consistent podium finisher in running and triathlon events.  She is also a qualifier and finisher of the Ford Ironman World Championship, and a 7 time full IronMan finisher.

And as if that’s not enough, she recently became the first Filipina to finish the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon last August 5, 2017.

The Norseman Extreme Triathlon is dubbed by many as the hardest triathlon in the world.

It takes the full Iron Man distance to another level of torture as the swim is done in 13 degrees celsius and below, the race starts by jumping off a boat and swimming to shore.  


The bike ride has a total elevation gain of a little more than 3,000 meters going uphill and down, and the marathon run will have you running uphill with an elevation gain of 750-1500 meters including the infamous Zombie Hill, which is so steep you will regress from running to walking like zombie.

That makes Laarni Paredes a #CertifiedMamaw

During Herbalife’s pressconference, I got a chance to ask Laarni about her training, how she juggles working, being a mom and being a top athlete for Herbalife’s triathlon team together with her husband. 

Here's a snap shot of Laarni's typical day, life and training:

On juggling a full-time job, being a mom and triathlon training

It helps that her husband Omar is also a triathlete, so they both understand the level of sacrifice and healthy lifestyle one needs to have in order to maintain top condition. 

Laarni works as a home-based digital content manager and most of her work hours are at night. In the morning, she makes breakfast for her 5 year old daughter, sends her to school and as soon as she gets home, she starts her training. She does light workout in the morning and reserves the hard part of her workout late in the afternoon to the evening.

Mileage

For a full triathlon training, she did eight 180 km bike rides and runs 60 to 70 total km per week including 32 km long easy runs. And in the final weeks before race day she includes hill runs aside from the swim and interval work.

Injury prevention

She keeps away from injury by listening to her body and backing away from the intensity of training by taking it easy but keeping the volume or by focusing on the other aspects of the triathlon, the moment she feels any kind of pain.


Mindset and race strategy

“Kung kakayanin ng lalake, kaya din ng babae” 

What motivated her to do the race and what kept her going during the times in the race where she felt like giving up:

 

"Inisip ko lang yung mga taong nag-support and nag-offer ng prayer"  

I

Her race strategy was to keep an even pace throughout, especially on the hills where it was critical to conserve energy as much as possible.

On how she endured the extreme cold

Although the bulk of her training was done in the Philippines, she stayed in Norway 5 weeks before the race to acclimatize to the extreme weather. She trained in Mt. Makiling and the mountains of Baguio to prepare her for the five mountain passes on the bike leg. 

She was also more prepared and confident learning from Omar’s mistakes and experience with the race (her husband who was the first Filipino to finish the race last year… making them the first couple Filipino finishers of the Isklar Norway Extreme triathlon)

Laarni also read the book “Becoming the Iceman” by Wim Hoff and implemented his protocols using cold thermogenesis and breathing techniques to boost her immune system and endure extreme temperatures.. 

During the race, she ended up using 4 layers gloves as she needed to change gloves every time it would get wet and iced up due to the extreme weather.

When Laarni started having difficulty gripping and using the brakes of her bike as her hands started getting numb, Omar came up with an idea to make her wear dish washing gloves inside on top of the other gloves to keep the ice and water in check and it worked perfectly preventing her hands from succumbing to frost bites.

What’s next for Laarni?

Right now her priority is to sleep and recover and go back to being a mom. Her husband also implied that they were planning to include another child in the team. 

Nomnomnom...
 We got a taste of  Herbalife's new cookies and cream flavored nutrition shake and a shot of aloevera concentrate as we raised our glasses in celebration of Laarni's triumph

Laarni used Herbalife's comprehensive performance nutrition line of products to help her get ready, get set and get fit. Balanced with carbohydrates, protein , vitamins and minerals, it provides optimal recovery and fuel for athletes to help you go beyond the finish line.

Addicted To Coffee: How To Reset Your Tolerance To Caffeine And Still Get The Kick Of Coffee And All Its Heavenly Glory

If you’re in love with coffee and all the goodness that comes with it, but want to break free of your increasing caffeine dependence and all its deleterious effects, this post will show you how...

The verdict on coffee: Is it good or bad?

Recent studies concluded that “the relationships between caffeine and coffee intakes and telomere length, shows that as caffeine intake increases, telomeres tend to be shorter in U.S. adults. On the other hand, this investigation indicates that as coffee intake increases, telomeres tend to be longer. Because telomere length is a biomarker of the senescence of cells, the present findings suggest that cell aging may be accelerated in U.S. adults as caffeine intake increases, but may be decelerated as coffee consumption increases.”

https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-017-0162-x

So coffee can jncreases your lifespan and shorten it at the same time!?!

Coffee extends telomere length found in your genes which is correlated with lifespan and longevity but not caffeine ( increase intake of caffeine actually shortens your life)

The anti oxidants in coffee could be responsible for the health benefits but long term caffeine use could lead to adrenal fatigue, caffeine addiction, increased tolerance and a host of other negative side effects.

Confessions of a coffee lover

I love coffee. In fact I’m willing to sacrifice a little bit of my lifespan (more specifically telomeres) just to enjoy the aroma and taste of a strong full bodied coffee and the extra kick I get from the caffeine as part of my morning routine right before I go for an easy run. 

It’s my pre workout drink… and sometimes my post work out drink and my afternoon delight.

One does not simply... go caffeine free

However, I’m a slow caffeine metabolizer. Other people can drink coffee at night and have no trouble sleeping even just after a few minutes. If you’re a slow caffeine metabolizer you should stay away from caffeine at least 9 hours before your bed time for any hopes of getting a good night sleep.

And If you’re an avid coffee drinker and you can’t let go of coffee and caffeine like me, it’s recommended you still go caffeine free for a week out of every month to reset your brain’s tolerance to coffee and get the same kick from caffeine on small doses otherwise you will fall in a downward spiral of caffeine addiction and adrenal fatigue in the long run.

How you get your (fake???) energy from caffeine

The hormone adenosine is what tells the brain that you are tired and what caffeine does is block your brain’s cell receptors for adenosine so you don’t feel the fatigue and tiredness.

Caffeine also tells your brain to release hormones that tell your adrenal glands to produce the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline which triggers a "fight or flight" response hence the boost blood supply, alertness and increased heart rate.

It’s not a problem with occasional cups of coffee but if you use caffeine (which is present not just in coffee but in a lot of energy drinks and workout supplement) for your pre-workouts or find yourself relying on coffee just to be able to function well, you will find you need more and more to “get a kick” and over the long run this is what can cause adrenal fatigue.

The good news

You just need to take a break from caffeine for a week out of every month to reset your brain and get prevent caffeine intolerance. IN as little as 7 to 12 days, your adenosine receptors start going back to normal and heighten your sensitivity to caffeine back to normal.

To decaf or not to decaf

If your trying to curb caffeine consumption and tried the decaf route, you would have quickly found out it's not the same as a good'ole brewed coffee. 

And according to Jeffrey Rose, clinical hypnotist and a nutritionist:

“Some people might think of trying decaf during the weaning period. But it is important to keep in mind that most decaf, even some that say “naturally decaffeinated” on the container, has been made with solvents such as methylene chloride, and a significant amount of these toxic chemicals are left as a residue on the newly decaffeinated coffee making it unhealthy. Decaf coffee is also highly acidic and many feel that because of this, it is not health promoting. "

A better alternative

Going for coffee substitutes may be the best decision you can do today for your health. Right now my favorite go to drink when I’m craving for coffee at night or when I'm on a 1 week caffeine detox is Barlico. 

It taste just like coffee but it’s actually made of 2 super food ingredients, barley and chicory.  And it’s100% caffeine free but I still get a different kind of boost in energy which is more stable and without the caffeine crash. 

The ‘kick’ that you get from Barlico comes from energy in natural and plant based sources, and not from caffeine.

Barley is one of the most widely consumed cereal grains in the world. It has high fiber content, loads of vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants that help with heart health issues and diabetes. 

On the other hand, chicory a close relative of lettuce and cabbage, has woody and fibrous roots that have a similar flavor as coffee when roasted and brewed. Among its many benefits include better gall bladder and liver function, improved bone health and more effective absorption of calcium by the body.

Sasja Mulder, CEO of Densworth Corporation is on top of her game and drinks Barlico to keep her mind and body sharp.

New mommy Ruffa Mae Quinto 
Barley and chicory is great for pregnant and breastfeeding moms! 

Zahra Bianca Saldua, Ms. World 2013 runner up, founder and CEO of ZS Professional Hosts Events Specialists.
Ms Zee drinks Barlico on an intermittent fasting protocol to keep her sane and gives her a pre workout  energy boost