By Theriz Lizel R. Silvano
The saying “health is wealth” has never been truer than it is today. The ongoing global health crisis has magnified the importance of our overall well-being, from head to toe, inside and out.
A virtual talk, dubbed “What’s Your Daily Dose?”, held recently discussed some of the facets that promote and help achieve a truly healthy well-being, beginning with having a healthy mindset and working to have a healthy body amid a pandemic.
Make time to work out
The pandemic has made celebrity endorser Camille Prats-Yambao realize the importance of health and “why we should make it our top priority”.
Recognizing its value, she commits to working out even when she does not feel like doing it. It’s all about the mindset, according to her.
“For me and my husband,” Prats-Yambao related, “we make it [working out] our top priority. Each morning, we get up, we get dressed, and we go down to our garage and we start working out. That’s how we start our day—even if we feel like ‘I don’t like it’, even if you feel lazy, even if you feel you’re not in the mood—it’s just really making time for it.”
Have a good relationship with food
Nutritionist-dietitian Jo Sebastian highlighted the role food plays in a person’s well-being to better understand its value.
“There’s physical hunger, where you’re actually physically hungry and you need energy. There’s practical hunger, where you don’t have the appetite, but you feel that you have to fill yourself. There’s mouth-taste hunger, where you are craving something specific. And you have emotional hunger, which often happens because you’re going through [a] stressful event,” Sebastian explained.
With this in mind, fitness trainer Carla Piscoso talked about building a good relationship with food, particularly its role in a person’s emotions.
“Sometimes I feel bad when I eat or when I eat too much. But at the end of the day, just don’t be too hard on yourself when it comes to diet. It’s okay to think of food as something as a good thing rather than associating it with something bad,” Piscoso shared.
Sebastian seconded, “Food is not a bad way to cope with your emotions. Food has more to offer than simply fuel; it’s also comfort, it’s memories, it’s culture and tradition.”
Boost the immune system
With a virus still around, mutating even, extra care and precaution is necessary, so much so that dermatologist Dr. Winlove Mojica said today was the worst time to get sick.
“We have to do everything to stay alive, especially now that more people are getting vaccinated against the virus. We need to have a strong immunity to fight the pandemic,” said Dr. Mojica.
He said the best way to boost the immune system was good nutrition.
“Kailangan maayos ang ating pagkain [since] our diet is the main source of vitamins and minerals that keep our immune system functioning at its best,” he explained.
Dr. Mojica also discussed the vitamins and minerals that help fight harmful substances, including vitamins A, C, and D, iron, and zinc. To avoid vitamin deficiency, the medical expert recommended variety in meals following the prescribed “Pinggang Pinoy” of the Science and Technology department’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
Don’t forget mental health
According to family psychologist Dr. Michele Alignay, the physical body reacts if a person is stressed, hence the importance of caring for our mental health.
“There is no health without mental health,” she reiterated in her brief discussion.
She said there were eight “daily doses” a person needed to be mentally healthy: having a better physical condition, being happy and optimistic, being open and self-aware, keeping healthy social connections, practicing mindfulness, de-stressing appropriately, being clear with your life purpose, and creating self-care strategies.
The talk was hosted by Puritan’s Pride, a company offering vitamins and supplements. The insightful discussion coincided with the introduction of Prats-Yambao as the firm’s brand ambassador.
