Category: Fitness

Me, Parking & My Sprained Ankle

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On March 1, 2010

Parking fees at our office building is pretty expensive (Php 130/day). Usually the slots are also filled up already when 9AM comes in. With that in mind, a lot of us decided to park somewhere far away in a parking lot owned by A. Venue. Parking costs just around Php40/day but disadvantage is.. we have to walk like 10minutes to reach the office. For me, I thought of it more of an advantage because:

we can save like Php90 per day for the parking fee
we can use the 10-minute walk as an exercise

I usually bring slippers as I can’t walk 10 minutes wearing high heels. However, I decided to just wear my high-heeled wedge shoes today. Since they were wedge shoes, I didn’t think it would be dangerous for the walk. Unfortunately though, I fell on the street today.

I fell hard… fell on my knees with lots of people around. Noone helped me though, they just looked at me. I sat a bit on the floor for a few seconds as I felt the pain in my foot. Anyhow, I managed to get up and continued walking towards the office. This time, I walked really slow as pain really started to set in.

When I arrived at the office, the pain became unbearable such that I couldn’t walk anymore. I went straight to the clinic. Here’s what they did to help me:

Asked me to sit in a comfortable chair.
Held my feet up high
Put ice compress on the pain area
put inflammatory cream on the area
asked me to take some pain meds
put some elastic bandage on my ankle.

They also asked me to go to a hospital and have an x-ray. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really walk so I ended up just glued to my seat. The x-ray is needed to check if there are fractures. I really just hope I don’t get any. I don’t think I have the energy to drive myself to the hospital because my right ankle is the one that is injured.

The pain really gets worse as time passes by. I don’t know how long this will be. I decided to just work from home until I get well. Hopefully it does heal soon, I hate staying at home. Internet connection is really slow as well (I work more effectively at the office).

A close friend of mine asked her brother who’s also a doctor for medical advice (she’s such a sweet friend!). A great advice that I will follow while I’m nursing this sprained ankle. Here are the useful information I got (maybe this could help some of you too):

cold compress for the 1st three days and continue as long as it is swollen.
should completely rest the ankle & let ligaments heal.
take pain meds for 1st two days. Take it as needed after if pain still persists.

Learned a lot from this experience. Though I assume my friends would think that I would quit wearing high heels, well they’re wrong. I’ll still continue to wear my high heeled shoes hahaha! I’m sure though that I won’t be walking that 10-minute activity with high heels (no matter if wedge or not), I’ll just wear my friendly slippers…

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Running for Beginners

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 15, 2009

Last week, I attended a very informative seminar about running. It was conducted by Second Wind Running Store. Neville & Hector who are Second Wind Running’s owners were the main speakers.

Let me share with you what I learned from the event. A few things really stuck my mind. For one, finding the right shoes. Then there is what to drink when running & how often we should run.

First off, let’s talk about running terms that were mentioned in the seminar:

Marathon – 42 kilometers
PR – Personal Record
Pace – Rate of Movement in Run (usually minutes/kilometer)
Gait – manner of running
Stride – to run with long steps

One thing they emphasized was that a 5k/10k/21k run are NOT marathons. I also noticed how people loosely use the word “marathon”.

Another important point that was shared in details was how we should choose the right equipment for our runs. Things like buying the right caps, shirts, shorts, watches, socks & shoes.

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Knowing your foot type is very important when buying shoes. The Second Wind Running Store can help us analyze our foot type and give input as to what shoes to buy for running. We have to run at the treadmill so they could see the behaviour of how we run. It’s really amazing. I will visit their store soon one of these days.

foottype

Part of the seminar also talked about running trivia. Did you know that it is best to buy shoes in the late afternoon when our feet are at its largest state? Did you know that to ensure that the shoe fits, you try to insert your fingers at the front and back? Also, don’t wear 100% cotton socks as it keeps your feet wet. Synthetic blend socks are best to fend off moisture. It’s best to drink a sports drink like Gatorade rather than water, because the former has potassium content and can give us more energy.

Okay, details are done. But I’m sure you’re asking if this is such a good idea. You’re not alone in asking that question. A lot of people have been asking if running can help us lose weight. After listening to the seminar, I can give you a definite “yes”. These are just some guidelines regarding calories burned during running & other stuff that could help us decide what kind of approach we’re going to do.

for every 1.6 kilometers, you will burn approximately 125 calories.
running long and slow burns a higher percentage of fat calories. It teaches our body to be more efficient in fat burning.
running shorter and faster burns more total calories per minute or mile. It helps us lose weight, including body fat.
faster running also increase “afterburn”. That means the body is still burning calories after the running stops.

I’m so glad that I attended this since one of my goals for 2010 (take note: I take it seriously this time) is to go jogging. One of my main goals is to stay fit and I have chosen to do that by jogging and learning swimming. So this running seminar came at the right time as I prepare to reach my 2010 goals.

More pictures regarding the seminar can be found here.

Roch’s Body Fat is at 34.5%

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On November 26, 2009

Our office launched a challenge for its employees called the FQ challenge. This is aimed to give us a better work-life balance. Ofcourse, It is an exciting way for us to be more determined and also a great way to inspire us to aim for better fitness quotient.

Last week was our weigh-in for baseline measurements. I was totally shocked and became a bit (okay, really very!) worried about my result. Would you believe my body fat is 34.5%????!?

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That just means that my body is composed of 34.5% fat! It just proves that I’m overweight or obese!! Wow! Am I really that fat? I may not look fat but having that big fat percentage is a signal that I should start working on my health as it shows that I’m not healthy with the rate I’m going.

I made a bit of research and found out that body fat are dependent of age & gender. It also depends on how we live our life. Some people do exercise regularly that result to better health. Here is a table developed for ideal body fat percentages:

fat-table

Our health team used Omron Body Fat monitor to check our measurements. We just have to hold it with our hands stressed for a few seconds then we’ll be able to see the ff.:

Body Fat Measure
BMI
Body Type
BMR

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The other usual checking was done as well. Weight, height measurement, age & gender. I don’t know what my FQ (fitness quotient) is as our HR team will need to compute it for everyone. I guess we’ll be able to view our result very soon.

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With that in mind, I vow to already start one of my new year’s resolution — to be better fit. Things that I’m planning to do are:

Jog at least 5k every saturday & sunday mornings.
limit cravings for comfort food like Wendy’s Iced Tea & KFC Hot & Crispy Chicken.
Eat healthy: more fruits, less junk food.
learn to swim. Take lessons within 2010.
I also learned that we need to exercise at least 30minutes a day. That I have to think what to do. I’m thinking to do those video workouts in my room whenever I wake up or jog around the village every morning.

So you should expect more fitness-related posts in HeaRty’s Haven. Join me in my journey to better health! 🙂

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Nestle Fitnesse 14 Days to Show Off Your Shape Contest

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On November 8, 2009

Would you like to have a fabulous figure in just 14 days? Not only that but get a chance to show off your fabulous figure after, and win a wardrobe like this:

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No, I’m not joking! What do you need to do to have that fabulous figure and a chance to win that Chanel dress or a dress designed by Manila’s finest fashion designers?

Join Nestle’s Fitnesse 14 days to Show Off Your Shape Contest!

This diet is not just about slimming down, but is all about fitness and a healthier lifestyle!

Here’s what you need to do:

Register on the official site.
Form a team.
Attend the public launch & weigh-in on November 14, 2009 at Greenbelt Park. In this event, you’ll also be able to catch the expensive clothes unveiled.
Take the 14-day plan

The meal-plan is to maximize the benefits of Nestle’s Fitnesse product on your figure.
packshots

We need to replace breakfast and one other meal (dinner or lunch) with Nestle Fitnesse. If there’s a need to take snacks in between, fruits & vegetables are the only ones that Nestle recommended to eat. For best results, this meal plan should be coupled with exercise 🙂

Invite your friends to vote for you 🙂
write a journal stating your experience on the 14-day plan.
Attend the final weigh-in on November 28, 2009 at Nestle Center, Rockwell.

Winners will be announced on December 10, 2009.

You can also nominate a fashionista friend on facebook or on the official site. I nominated Pauline Ang. She was a chatmate in MiRc way way back in 1998. I just remembered she’s someone who really dress so fabulously and deserved this nomination from me.

Hurry, you only have 1 week to go to form your team and join the contest! I wish I can join but I have an appointment on November 14 & with that, I just lost this chance to win the Chanel dress that I want :'(

But you can so join now! It isn’t everyday that you get the chance to win designer clothes and also get a good plan for a diet. 🙂

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A Run To Help Save Pasig River

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On October 15, 2009

It is sad that the impression of people regarding Pasig River is that it’s heavily polluted (dirty).

The Ilog Pasig (as we call it here in the Philippines) was once a beautiful river. It connects Laguna de Bay (Laguna Lake) to Manila Bay. It basically divides Metro Manila into 2 (North and South).

Due to continuous development of industrial surroundings and negligence of the people, the 25 kilometer river became very polluted. It is even considered dead (the river can not sustain life) according to experts 🙁

The government and environmentalists have been establishing programs, initiatives, activities to slowly revive the river and bring it back to its old glory. I definitely support those kinds of activities and really hope we succeed in our cause.

One of those activities is the Run for the Pasig River, which will be held on November 8. This is an activity organized by Kapit Bisig Para Sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP). The route will cross 13 bridges of the waterway and will allow runners to get close to the river, as portions of the race will be run alongside the river itself.

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One thing that I found unique about this race is that you can run a full 42 km marathon by being part of a relay team composed of either 20 or 40 people.

There are also short distance categories of 3k, 5k and 10k runs. Age limit for those races is 6 years and above. The run will be supervised by race director Rudy Biscocho and his team.

Water stations will be situated every 2km from starting line to finish line.

To participate, you just need to pay Php250. Free running clinics will be available for 1st-time runners. Registration forms are available online for marathon & relay or register at the ff. outlets:

KBPIP office at 3/F ELJ Building, Mother Ignacia QC
ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. Head office
IZOD boutiques
Vanheusen Boutiques
Gold’s Gym
ROX Running Store
Second Wind, Race Inc.

Let’s join the cause to save the Pasig River & run!

Here’s the plug:

Do join the forums too & join the Facebook event page of Run for the Pasig River Marathon 🙂