Category: Inspirational

Malnutrition is a growing problem with children worldwide. It occurs when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. What’s quite alarming is that it begins not when the baby is born but from the time when a child is growing in the mother’s womb. Apparently, more women who are anemic are prone to having kids that are malnourished and are more likely to get sick.

In the Philippines, the National Statistics Office reports that the population of the “0-14 years old” age group in the country is now over 30 million, while the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the DOST states that at least 5 million children are malnourished. By quick calculation, 17% is a staggering number that shows the issue is closer to home than we think.

Hearing the bad news, many groups and foundations in the Philippines are encouraged to partner up and help one another to fulfill a common goal—and that is to not only supply food for families but also provide them with the right knowledge on how to prepare meals and nutritious dishes that promote good healthy. Sustenance is key to solid living. Everyone should learn and be empowered to appreciate the importance of having a balanced diet.

Knorr’s “Lutong Nanay” Nutrition Program Battles Malnutrition

To form part of the solution, Knorr teamed up with Kabisig ng Kalahi for Metro Manila’s leg of the initiative to build a sustainable nutrition program that goes beyond simply distributing food. With simple, easy to follow healthy meals, moms got to learn to provide their kids with delicious and nutritious dishes.

Knorr recently visited two barangays in Smokey Mountain, Barangay 101 and Barangay 128, with its ambassadors. Dimples Romana, Danica Sotto-Pingris and Sari Jorge joined forces to help educate moms and children the importance of a healthy diet for the family. Over a meal of afritada, they also shared their personal experiences, cooking secrets and how they entice their kids to eat a healthy, balanced meal with the help of Knorr.

“It was a beautiful experience na makasama ang katulad kong Knorr Lutong Nanay moms together with our children in sending out a message to all the other Filipino moms like us to join in our fight against malnutrition,” said Dimples Romana.

Meanwhile, ambassadors Carmina Villaroel and Chesca Kramer joined Knorr at the Cardinal Sin Village. Mothers and children collectively learned the importance of a vigorous diet for the family. The program was a good exchange of insights, experience and learnings not only from the ambassador, but from resident mothers as well.

“Feeding our families nutritious food doesn’t have to be expensive. What’s important is that we give them a well-balanced meal every day,” says Carmina Villaroel.

As the theme of sharing experiences and learnings continued, one mother shared, “Ngayon, kaya ko nang magluto ng pagkain na hindi lang masarap, masustansya pa.” Another participant shared how she realized the importance of preparing healthier meals for her family by incorporating vegetables in their meal plan unlike before, where they usually prepare meals with minimal consideration to nutritional value.

Wrap Up

With the help of Knorr’s Lutong Nanay nutrition program, more and more moms are inspired, motivated and informed about how important it is to serve healthy meals for their family. It’s a long way to go but Knorr’s ongoing program is a big step towards fighting malnutrition in Filipino children.

Knorr continues to empower Filipinos to cook flavorful, nutritious and affordable meals everyday. It emphasizes that moms are the pillars to help alleviate malnutrition. Together, Knorr’s Lutong Nanay dishes and moms can diminish this issue that affects so many Filipinos, one mom-cooked meal at a time.

Lutong Nanay Nutrition Program Food Fair

To take an active role in alleviating malnutrition, join Knorr and its partners for the first Lutong Nanay Nutrition Program Food Fair:

Knorr Lutong Nanay Food Fair
Saturday, 24 October 2015 at 4:30 PM
Mercato Centrale, 7th Ave cor. 25th St.
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Proceeds will go to the Knorr Lutong Nanay Nutrition Program and its partners, World Food Program and Kabisig.

To know more about this cause and join us in helping alleviate malnutrition in the Philippines, visit www.knorr.com.ph and follow Knorr Philippines on social media:

https://instagram.com/knorrph/
https://twitter.com/knorrph
https://www.facebook.com/KnorrPhilippines

“Move your dreams forward and bless the world.”

Last September 27 2014, I joined Dreambook Project’s workshop on World Dream Day and was inspired to dream different. In the event, we were asked to choose specific areas of goals and rate them according to how close we thought we were getting to them (1 being the farthest attaining the goal and 10 being the closest).

My three goals then were as follows:

• Health: I dream to have a leaner, more toned body. (9)
• Family: I dream to spend more quality time with family discovering new places and learning life lessons together. (9)
• Career: I dream to open up a business without having to compromise my day-job. (7)

With my Dreambook (an effective life-coaching tool), I have made simple steps toward achieving those three. For instance, to fulfill my “health-related” goal, I have subscribed myself to a one-year membership at Fitness First last November. I work out at the gym three times a week after office hours. I also regularly attend group classes such as Zumba, Body Jam, Retro Pop, and Yoga to feel stronger physically and mentally. Fitness really means a lot to me since being fit is about maximizing my potential.

To fulfill my “family-related” goal, we have planned different trips throughout the year to spend more time together without talking or thinking much about work. We also have staycations in local hotels to appreciate each other’s company while still being at the comfort of home. Busyness may keep creeping in, but I’m fighting the current, struggling for the balance, so I may know, meet, and be with the people who really matter.

In terms of career, I was very blessed to have been promoted to a more senior position in the company. Though the expansion of my personal business plans is still in the works, I believe that with the help of God, it will be done. As Joel Osteen puts it, “When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.” Oh yes. Amen!

If you would like to be inspired and need help in achieving your dreams, here’s the good news:

There will be another interactive workshop next month where you can make your first step in turning your dreams to reality. 🙂 Join many other dreamers on May 2, 2015, 2:00PM to 5:00PM, at the U-View Room, Basement, Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street and attend the Move Your Dreams Forward workshop for free.

To be facilitated by Coach Claude Sta. Clara, the interactive workshop will include dream board making and goal planning. Coach Claude has been coaching and facilitating for over 20+ years, and he’s internationally certified as a Meta-Coach and a Neuro-Semantics/Neuro-Linguistic Programming Trainer. He is part-owner of Organizational Change Consultants International and Mind Pool. While you’re there, it’s a great idea to get a Dreambook for yourself for only PhP 880. 🙂

On the same day, you will be given materials to aid you with thought-provoking and clarifying exercises, playful exploration, and creative self-expression. This is your chance to get clear on what you want to do in life and liberate yourself from limitations and self-doubt. Your dream board will serve as a roadmap to make your dreams happen! 🙂

To register, send your full name, email and mobile number to dreambookproject@gmail.com or contact 0920-9086576.

Thanks to Franc‘s invitation, I was able to hop on to the opportunity to join the much talked about Berghaus Urban Adventure Games at Global Circuit Event Grounds in Circuit Makati last Saturday, November 15, 2014. Berghaus is a UK-based outdoor clothing and equipment company which promised to take adventure racing to the digital age for the first time in the Philippines.

Before the event, I must have had read the same blog posts published about FAQs and mechanics of the game for over 10 times. Yup, that was how anxious I was for it! The sentence “THIS is not your usual adventure game.” was among the most striking, as it left me hanging with mixed emotions. Not usual?? 😯 I certainly did not have any idea on what kind of physical and mental challenges to expect apart from those that were given away on the Cyburban-Berghaus page:

“We have sports checkpoints (football, frisbee, basketball, etc.),
parkour obstacles and cross-fit challenges that will test the players’ fitness levels
in strength, balance, agility, skill and tenacity.”

I’m not good at any of those mentioned sports and they didn’t sound fun to me either. Haha! Nevertheless, I looked forward to trying them and doing all that’s required for the sake of experience and enjoyment as well as helping the team score points. I’ve set my heart and mind to it and came the earliest to the venue on the big day (an hour before the orientation proper)—even ahead of the organizers. #DiMasyadongExcited 😉

Circuit Makati at 4:20AM

4 Things I’ve Learned From the Cyburban-based Berghaus Urban Adventure Games 2014 (Circuit Makati)

1. Mobile Data Connection (or Wi-fi Connection) can be a Deal Breaker

The Berghaus race featured an app-based race format, the first of its kind, where teams composed of three members each would receive challenges on Android mobile phones. (Note: For now, the Cyburban app can be downloaded only from Google Playstore and I’m not sure when it will become also available in the AppStore.)

For every completed challenge, we had to scan a QR code to accumulate points. These points were updated online and in real-time. All members of the team were advised to use the Cyburban app and the points will be reflected in all devices. There was a leaderboard showing the rankings of the teams. That said, a basic fundamental in the Berghaus Urban Adventure Games was reliable mobile data or wi-fi connection.

Many times, we met the “Network Error” notification since we could not establish a good 3g connection/wi-fi. We had to retry the connection over and over and wait until the answer is verified before we could move on to the next stop.

2. Get Together With the Right Team

Getting together with the right team is important, as you’ll spend a fair bit of time in the game. We joined the Competitive category and that meant us playing for four hours, whereas those who joined the Fun category played in an unlimited number of hours. The timer began as soon as one of us in the team hit the “Start Game!” button on the Cyburban app.

Team FrancRamon :)

This style of adventure-racing is a team sport so we could only cross the “finish line” together. Some challenges required only one person to achieve the goal, while most required all of us three to participate. A mismatch in the commitment to the tasks would open the door for frustration, so it’s a good idea to get a balance of personalities.

I was grateful that I had Franc and Jham with me in the team. Both of them are experienced runners and endurance athletes who regularly go through intensive training programs to be ready in time. It was my first time to meet Jham but I’m glad that we also got along well. Franc was supportive as usual and competitive in the best possible way. 🙂

Quests we’ve accomplished are as follows:

• Berghaus Social Challenge – posted a selfie picture on Instagram inside the Berghaus photo frame
• Object Hunt – found and uncovered hidden QR codes everywhere
• Toby’s Sports Challenge – tent folding, hula hoop, basketball, skateboard, darts challenge, football goal and football freestyle
• Trivia and Riddles – solved mind-boggling trivia and riddles with the help of Google search 🙂
• Crossfit Halcyon – burpees and jumps over a box, sled pulls, pack run challenge (carry 40kg sand bags and run)
• Parkour Obstacles – the floor is lava (complete a circular course with a twist), parkour speed, get over it, rolling hills (roll on a hill), animal relay (crawls), through the wire

3. Safety First, Regardless of the Weather

Weather was not cooperative. It was drizzling before the game began all the way through the end. I thought the light showers would signal cancellation of the activity, but it didn’t. Instead, we just had a slight delay because the organizers needed more time to set up. Fair enough.

As weather plays a significant factor in the comfort and performance level, the lesson here is to always come prepared whether it’s rainy, cold, windy, or dark and think of safety foremost. Choose running shoes that will be able to grip the slippery pavement. Wear a cap or raincoat or carry an umbrella like we did. It would be miserable to be drenched to the skin in rain.

4. You Vs. Yourself

Typically, competition is defined as an engagement where opponents push one another to achieve excellence while abiding by the rules of the game and playing to their utmost abilities. On the other hand, competition works to inspire us to perform better while learning valuable lessons about teamwork, goal setting, and staying cool under pressure—without trapping us in drama, ego bruising, and poor sportsmanship.

Ultimately, it’s about challenging the self and knowing if and how we can beat our own previous bests by some substantial margin.

Wrap Up

The Cyburban-based Berghaus Urban Adventure Games 2014 was a success. It was a great chance for us to take another step along our own path and take pleasure in learning about the game and about being gracious in both victory and defeat. This kind of outdoor adventure offers curious athletes, friends, and families an opportunity to try different sports and challenges to push themselves to the limit. For more stories about our experience, you may visit Franc’s detailed post about the event. 🙂

Attending in World Dream Day’s activity in Powerbooks, Greenbelt, Makati City has been a respite from the modern chaos, a time for diversion, for recharging my drive to accomplish what’s next in my list of dreams. Thanks to Dreambook as well, I am getting more charged up and excited about life every single day. For those who haven’t heard about World Dream Day Philippines or the Dreambook Project, I hope that you take the time to read this first. 🙂

Now assuming that we’re all on the same page, let me take you through the highlights of the event last Saturday. It was the first time that the Philippines has celebrated and joined the many other dreamers share their dream on World Dream Day. I thought that this was a great moment for people to take the time to focus on their dream and turn it into reality.

The theme for this year was: Dream Different. It’s to establish and write a dream that will make a difference in the world. Founder of World Dream Day, Ozioma Egwuonwu, explained in a video that people who have dreams are people who contribute to a better world. While watching her, I found myself nodding lightly and agreeing to the said statements. Dreams empower global progress. As we start to identify what we want to do and build on the idea, we become more excited and we tend to encourage the realization that’s being conversed to the world.

The goal was for World Dream Day Philippines to help participants specify, clarify and celebrate their dreams or goals, and plan on how to reach these dreams, with the help of a few pages from the Dreambook.

Life Coach Claude M. Sta. Clara was the speaker and facilitator. He has been very effective in clearly and succinctly communicated and guided us in writing our dream and unleash our potential. He has been facilitating training, consulting and coaching for the past 24 years.

He specializes in coaching using neuro-semantics, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), timeline therapy, hypnotherapy and self-actualization psychology. Coach Claude is currently a consultant at coaching companies Mind Pool, Organizational Change Consultants International, and Fullness of Life Foundation.

4 Steps to Make a Dream Come True – by World Dream Day and Dreambook

There are four steps on how to make a dream and make it come true, Life Coach Claude M. Sta. Clara said:

1. Rate: Rate three areas in our life, specifically in health, family and career/studies, from 1 to 10 (1-farthest; 10-closest). Encircle the lowest number and know that it corresponds to the area that you should improve on the most and dream about achieving.

Not to give the answer of others, I’d just share what I had in mind here.

Health: I dream to have a leaner, more toned body. (9)

I actually don’t have a lot of excess fats around my arms, tummy and legs. You would probably think that I eat sinful food all the time because I’m a food blogger. Haha! But that’s not true. In most days of the week (5/7 or 6/7), I eat really clean and healthy food cooked by my mom at home and pack food for lunch in the office.

I practice exercise regimens such as pushups, situps, crunches, stationary jogs, stretching, jumping jacks and squats non-stop for at least 20 minutes in a day usually an hour or 1.5 hours after dinner. I think it’s a good training routine to keep, targeting fat burning to the maximum. To move further though, I can dial in a more advanced fitness program. I’ve tried the Insanity Workout before and I think I can do it again. 😛

Family: I dream to spend more quality time with family discovering new places and learning life lessons together. (9)

I am very close with my family—my parents and sister. We see each other every day and discuss what happened during the day when we’re all back at home. We have dinner together and eat at the same time around the same table at least five times a week (weekdays). We even sleep in one room! 🙂

I just dream that we get to travel to more destinations next time since my sister will be graduating from college very soon. There’s no more deadlines and homework she has to attend to (well, those are usually what hinders us to have free times in the weekend).

Career: I dream to open up a business without having to compromise my day-job. (7)

I am still in the process of making this dream happen. With ashitabaplant.com, I am able to educate people about the wonders of ashitaba plant and the chalcones (such as lower blood sugar and fight diabetes, lower high blood pressure and treat metabolic syndrome, lower high cholesterol, etc.) and sell ashitaba products from Japan.

Operating this online business is relatively easy and does not interfere with my day-job. Apart from that, I’m a practitioner of online marketing and content development for search engine optimization (SEO), and I do this as part of another online venture. As a workaholic, I thought I have not yet maximized my time and pushed myself to the limit. Hence, still not giving up the security of a regular salary, I’ve just newly opened a door for an “online extravaganza.”

In my case, having the lowest rating of 7, career must be the area I should work on in my dream.

2. Write: Write your dream in the following format: My name is __________. My dream is _________ on or before __________. This is important because _______.

Everyone was asked to stand in front and share his/her dream. Some were at first shy about it because they’re probably not really used to speaking in front of a crowd but through the support and encouragement given by the others, they became more comfortable in the end. I was the last to share mine, and it was this:

My name is Rochkirstin Santos. My dream is to launch expoPinoy.com, an e-commerce site which is envisioned to promote and export the best of Pinoy products online worldwide, on or before December 2014. This is important because I feel challenged to imagine the dream I have in my heart and that’s to become successful both in business and in career. I intend to serve as an inspiration to others as well. This is also to prove to myself that being young doesn’t mean being unprepared, inexperienced or weak. And hopefully, I can do just that, with the help of others and God. 🙂

3. Plan: Planning steps on how to make your dream come true will make you become more guided realistically.

Planning based on whims and fantasies does not form the backbone of a strong plan. As in the case of IT project management, I have been most exposed to planning firm schedules with the right budget, people and resources through tactical execution of strategic vision. It wouldn’t be as hard to go through the same exercise with the online business development.

If you’re doing a plan for the first time, I suggest sitting down with a piece of paper. This can be in a journal, spiral notebook, or a blank document on your computer—whatever works best for you. Jot down what you need to get accomplished and create a timetable. Set priorities and monitor your timetable regularly. Review what you’ve finished and stick to the plan. When possible, list out also the risks and create a risk management plan and strategy to keep issues from developing into emergencies. Assess the risks and plan on how to address them.

4. Act: Act according to the plan.

People are full of dreams but realizing those dreams is another thing, and dreams would be useless without work or action. There are many ways to achieve our dreams, and one of the most essential things is having the confidence and motivation that will make us do everything to get to the dreams that we have.

I believe that God has already lined up the right people and the right opportunities and He wouldn’t have given us the dream if He wouldn’t allow to bring it to come to pass. The Bible tells us that God “by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” (Ephesians 3:20 LB). Dream a dream so big only God can fulfill it. 😀

Snack Break and Dreambook Raffle

Before the session ended, we enjoyed some food and drinks and also congratulated those who won the raffle draws. Prizes were three copies of the Dreambook. Those who bought the Dreambook that day were also winners as they were able to avail of the special 10% discount.

Wrap Up

World Dream Day is an international movement that makes us specify, clarify and celebrate our dreams, plan on how to reach the dreams, and begin a community of dreamers supporting each other. In collaboration with Dreambook, it has communicated that dreams are continuing visions of what we want our life to be at its highest level of fulfillment. Through sharing the four simple steps, I hope that you, my readers, can also think about your dream—what you want to do, how you want to do it, what kind of person you want to become in the process.

What’s your dream story? Share it below. Please follow the format: My name is __________. My dream is _________ on or before __________. This is important because _______. Thanks! 😀

This was a good and timely break from all the food events I had attended in the same week. Thanks to Franc, my mom, friend and I got the chance to lace up our running shoes once again for the Ensure Acti M² Mind and Body Challenge 2014 last Saturday at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The run was a success, with Ensure in partnership with FOX International Channels and BGC. It was a combination of a fun run and some interesting fun challenges in one great event.

I knew I should have gone to bed earlier the night before the run to sleep the optimum hours and fuel my body with energy. But I couldn’t do that because I came from the KTG Mooncake Festival + Dice Game and reached home nearly at 10PM. A bit of worry also crept in, since I didn’t prepare intentionally and specifically for the 3k run. I couldn’t just cram physically! Anyway, I just prayed that my daily stretches and workouts would be enough not to shock and stress my body so much during the event.

My mom and I woke up at 4AM and left home at 5AM. An hour later, we were at the venue and received our race kits from Franc. Immediately, we changed outfits and got ready. Ensure booth attendants welcomed us to engage and try the Word Search, Labyrinth, Guess-timate and the Physical Strength Challenge (with free tasting of the Ensure Acti M² milk.

The Ensure Acti M² is formulated to supplement the diet. It is free of gluten and is suitable for individuals with lactose sensitivity. It’s great for adult nutrition and I love the taste of vanilla-flavored milk. 🙂

Ensure Acti M² Mind and Body Challenge 2014 (Bonifacio Global City, Taguig)

To warm up, we joined other participants in a short-minute exercise led by two dance leaders on the stage. And before we realized it, the run had started with no break in between. It was a sterling day, with good temperature and a nice breeze (but more sun than I expected at 6:45AM).

The 3k Ensure Run Route

The first 500 meters were a cinch. We stopped by a water station, drank one cup of cold water and continued running without feeling pressured. I ran at my own pace but stopped every so often to wait for my mom behind. While walking briskly to let her catch up, I admired the clean views in BGC. Not long after, we came across inflatables and tried one of them. It was crazy fun! I was smiling all the way since it was my first time to go through the inflatable obstacle as an adult.

pic credit: francramon.com

Also part of the mind challenge was the Spot the Differences Challenge. Runners were to count the differences between two Ensure posters and decide which path to take on. We got the correct answer so we did not need to swing on the monkey bars. The final obstacle was the labyrinth. We worked our way through it easily and were just so darn excited upon seeing the finish line ahead.

So this was where it ended…and started.

All finishers received a loot bag from Ensure. Yay! 😀

Wrap Up

The Ensure Acti M² Mind and Body Challenge was not hard; it was accessible to people of varying fitness levels. One didn’t necessarily have to be a pro runner or even particularly fit to successfully complete the course. I felt so happy and proud of my mom because she made it! *cheers* The voice inside her head didn’t give up easily. She allowed her mind to be right until her body realized it was wrong.

In the end, she boasted that she’s stronger than Mommy Osie of The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition Doubles. Huh? Mommy Osie finished 21k and that’s not actually comparable to what we achieved in this run. Here’s me hoping we’ll get to that also next time! 😀

To those who haven’t tried joining a fun run: Know that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Almost all challengers sprinted until they could run, run until they could only jog, and jogged until they could only walk. The biggest hurdle is most probably overcoming the fear of the unknown and participating in a fresh, unique event where the outcome is uncertain and the challenges are not described in detail prior to the event. Well, participating is the only way to find out. 🙂

The journey towards the 3rd annual World Dream Day has finally begun! This is the time of the year once again to take the time to focus on a dream, a goal, a desire and think of actions you could take to make this dream real. All these will be happening on Dreambook Project’s World Dream Day Philippines, on September 27, 2014 (Saturday) from 1PM to 5pm, in PowerBooks Greenbelt, Makati City. Mark this day on your calendar as I invite you to take the Dream Day Challenge! 🙂

The Dream Day Challenge

“All it takes is one conversation to change your life.”

It’s been said that we are more likely to accomplish our goals when we first visualize them and write them down. On Dream Day, participants are encouraged to do both. No more wondering “what if?” It is important to focus on ONE action you can take to move your life, your family, your business, and/or your community forward. Declare your commitment to creating the world of your dreams!

What is Dream Day all about?

Do you frequently tell yourself that you’ll do better “next time” and then don’t change when the time comes? Do you often decide to do something “later” only to find that it never gets done? If you answered “yes” to either one of these questions, you’re probably ignoring the fact that your behavior today is a strong indicator of your behavior tomorrow.

Dream Day aims to activate the transformative power of dreams by empowering dreamers to DO. This is the day when the dreamers, the visionaries and the innovators are honored. The overall mission of this initiative is to empower  individuals, organizations/business and communities around the world to believe that dreams, when combined with thoughtful action, truly CAN and WILL change the world.

World Dream Day and the Dreambook Project

World Dream Day (WDD) is an international movement that is acknowledged by the United Nations. It seeks to unleash human potential and by doing so transform the world. You can browse dayfordreamers.com for more info. The founder of World Dream Day, Ozioma Egwuonwu, has given the go signal for WDD Philippines.

WDD Philippines will use a few pages from Dreambook to help participants specify, clarify and celebrate their dreams or goals, and plan on how to reach these dreams and move these dreams forward. Life coach Claude Sta. Clara will be the speaker and facilitator for the program. Coach Claude is currently a consultant at Mind Pool, Organizational Change Consultants International, and Fullness of Life Foundation.

Dreambooks are inspirational life coaching journals which are currently sold via National Bookstore and Powerbooks. It guides people to unearth their dreams and inspires them to make those dreams reality. Also, it invites users to take action and stay true to their dreams. Please browse facebook.com/dreambookproject for more info.

Wrap Up

I will be joining the Dreambook Project’s World Dream Day Philippines on September 27 in Powerbooks Greenbelt, and I hope to see you there, too. 🙂 I hope that we can be led to feel more empowered and more encouraged to move our dreams forward and together become a community of dreamers supporting each other! May this be a momentum going for our dreams! I expect that participants will be able develop their own road map better, formalize their  dreams, and with simple but powerful tips and techniques, make them come true.