Why wellness doesn’t suck!
Did you know that giving in to your favorite chocolate mousse is okay? But it only becomes healthy and satisfying when you share your favorite dessert with your friend and partner it with water and fruits.
Unfortunately, a whole lot of Filipino food is unhealthy and Americanized, leaning toward the oily, fried, and fatty food choices. In fact, stress and sluggishness, dubbed by experts as the Black Death of the 21st century, may be attributed to one’s food preference. But then again, leading a healthy lifestyle is a conscious effort and choice. It does not mean restricting your diet to mere salad and water and starving yourself from your comfort food. It is all about balance.
“Go ahead, eat your sisig, but don’t eat it 100 percent,” health and wellness coach and specialist Catherine Brillantes-Turvill says. Incidentally, she is also the owner of the Nurture Wellness Village, a destination spa in Tagaytay (Pulong Sagingan Brgy. Maitim II West).
The Nurture Wellness Village offers the Work Well Project, which focuses on helping people, especially the young and working class, to live a healthy lifestyle. The project injects hip, fun, and doable activities one can apply at home or in the workplace.
The project banks on the growing cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cancer because of sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy food choices, and tobacco and alcohol abuse. Most of the victims of the NCDs are the working class aged 20 and above. The World Health Organization says that more than nine million of all deaths attributed to NCDs occur before the age of 60 and 90% of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, including the Philippines.
Work Well Project
“We are a hospital in many ways but we advocate more on the prevention. We want to take away the negative notion that health and wellness is baduy (outdated) and for the oldies only,” Turvill says.
Some of the activities one can do when in the village include a five-minute happy dance, which, despite the Tagaytay gentle wind that enveloped our body, made one sweat and pant in a therapeutic way. Also, the lush garden and scenic view was the perfect setting for a Tai Qi Gong, a traditional Chinese exercise, which improves health by increasing the energy flow through graceful repetitive movements.
For the tired and weary mind and body, the village offers traditional massages and a simple head and shoulder massage, which can be practiced in the office or at home.
Despite the craving for a hot bowl of bulalo to perfectly complement the chill weather, we consciously chose a healthier and organic food fare thanks to the healthy food preparation demo, including the fruit and vegetable juicing. Throw in any favorite fruit and vegetable in a blender, add water, and voila! — a healthy and cheap concoction.
Kale: the super veggie
Among all the fruits and veggies one can juice, kale perhaps is the best option. Kale, dubbed as the wonder veggie, is closely related to cabbage and broccoli. It contains vitamins A, C, E, K, magnesium, calcium, iron, B6, potassium, and omega 3, among others.
Aside from these, the leafy vegetable is also a good anti-oxidant to fight skin problems and a good cancer protection thanks to its organosulfur compound, which is said to reduce the risk of cancer.
Add kale to your diet by injecting it in your malunggay-lemon juice combo or in your favorite soup.
Healthy at home and work
But if you don’t find yourself visiting Tagaytay any time soon, here are some easy-to-do tips for a healthier lifestyle you can apply while at work or home:
• Have a five-minute breathing exercise before going to work
• Bring a healthy baon
• Bring water jug
• Walk or stand up every one hour
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Juice your favorite fruit and vegetable
• Eat in smaller plates
• Only eat when you are hungry
• Control hunger pangs with apple or bubble gum
The Nurture Wellness Village offers team building events, wellness packages, and wedding reception among others. For more information you may visit www.nurture.com.ph.
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