Healthy Morning Routines and Habits

It must have been a little too hard for people to absorb the term work-life balance. Whoever coined it must have been buried in work still to take credit for it, but I fully understand because we all have such a fast paced lifestyle. This makes you think a lot about how you could start your day right.

Yes, a good routine would certainly be beneficial for folks like us. Starting at breakfast, we need to make sure we have the right amount of food that can increase our energy levels so when it's already time for work, we have the power to induce productivity when we need to. A short prayer, meditation, would clear your mind off things before ticking off tasks in the office.

Waking up with a meal like yogurt and oatmeal would be sufficient, something fruity and light so you don't feel sluggish in the first hour, to last throughout the day. Like Dr. Angelica Carsula who does this most of the time, she feels it's best to have a low fat yogurt, and team it up with something that is good for digestion (oh oatmeal does that!).

Aside from the usual fare, you could add activities to help you get into the mood. There are tons of exercises that Eloiza Regaliza suggests you do, particularly running and riding a bike. It gives her focus to do a lot, but never forces friends to over exert themselves, just encourage them. She even adds eggs, veggies and bread with the yogurt too.

Popular host Show Suzuki can be seen extra energetic every time we see him in events. He does the same routine to make sure he has the energy to also make the audience feel his vibe, as it is one of his priorities. He gets one of these Nestle Yogurt cups to push him at the start of the day. This is with the help of over 1.25 billion live healthy bacteria that not only gives the energy, but also strengthens his bones and boosts his immunity. He makes sure it is part of his breakfast, because he cares much about his gut health. If you want to see the possibilities, go follow Nestle Yogurt FB and IG accounts, their website, or simply but a cup off fridges in leading supermarkets and stores nationwide! 

As they say, #YoGurtThis!

TCL Philippines Works with TESDA to Encourage Healthy Food Consumption

Promising to see how global electronics brand TCL Philippines has been working with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in various efforts in food preparation and skills training at their TESTA Technology Institution centers in the National Capital Region. Recently, they donated units of the state of the art TCL AAT Inverter+ Refrigerators. They also added some training supplies for the center's trainees which will surely benefit more people in the long run.

Eric Li, TCL's Product Manager for Washign Machine and Refrigerators says "Our collaboration with TESDA hopefully inspires everyone. We are looking forward to work with more entities in the near future." They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TESDA officials at the TCL Philippines Headquarters witnessed by stakeholders. TESDA actually trains individuals in food processing to equip them with skills to perhaps bring source of income for their families. July is also Nutrition Month, so it surely is perfect timing!

TCL produces home tech products and puts them at a reasonable price, and make sure it's environmentally friendly and easy to use.

TESDA is currently doing a lot of community based training, they promise to put it to good use and benefit a lot of individuals who go through their courses. TESDA was also represented by their Manila District Director Niña Connie G. Dodd. This is just the start of TCL's movement, and they hope to work with even more organizations in the years to come.

For more information about their CSR efforts, make sure to follow their social channels by searching for TCL Philippines on various platforms.

Healthy Recipes for Summer from Woolworths

It looks like it's a good day for recipes since it's been extra hot in the Philippines. There's always good stuff around, like fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, lots of things you can whip up for a meal, afternoon snack or a drink to cool you down. Here's some of them you can follow so you can prepare some for your loved ones, quite easy too.

Fiber is a really good place to start. For breakfast, there's this Muesli Breakfast Bowl which you can prepare for your kids or husbands/wife. This also is good for the heart much like other fiber rich foods, so enjoy!

Muesli Breakfast Bowl

Combine half a cup of Woolworths Toasted Honey and Cinnamon Muesli in a bowl, the juice of one calamansi juice, half a cavendish banana, and chopped dried mangoes. You can also add a small container of low fat yogurt, a quarter cup Woolworths Free Form Lactose Full Cream Milk, Coco Sugar or Honey, a dash of ground cinnamon, cashew nuts on top and eat it all!


Summer Macaroni Salad

The usual Macaroni Salad in the country isn't really that healthy, but here's an alternative recipe that would make you probably a few pounds lighter after a holiday. In a mixing bowl, a cup of Woolworths Macaroni, a quarter cup red onion, a small minced carrot, a stalk of celery minced, a cup of Woolworths Tropical Fruit Juice (which you should drain), half a cup of cooked ham, a cup of Woolworths Mayonnaise Shredded Chicken Breast (lesser calories than usual Mayo), a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, plus a teaspoon of coco sugar. Put it in the fridge and serve during snack, before lunch or dinner.

Tomato and White Cheese Penne Pasta

A really good mix of the usual flare and local "Quesong Puti" is just something so good to pass on.

Get 400 grams Woolworths Penne, 2 table spoons cooking oil, 5 table spoons Olive Oil, a medium bulb onion chopped, 400 grams Woolworths Diced Tomatoes, 2 table spoons Tomato Paste, one Thai Bird Chili (siling labuyo), salt, half a cup Quesong Puti cut to small cubes. Cook pasta to package directions, mix everything together and simmer in pan, top with Quesong Puti and lower the heat til it melts. Add veggies if you prefer, much better if you've got basil too.

Couscous Salad

Couscous has low glycemic index so no worries for diabetics like me. Get half a cup of it and cook to package directions, mix half a cup of red and green bell pepper, yellow if you have that too. Add two table spoons green onion, a handfull of chopped parsley, lemon juice to taste, a third of a cup of olive oil, salt and chopped oven toasted almonds on top. Enjoy!


Drink: Peach Papaya Power Smoothie

Something cold to have on a summer month would be good no? This smoothie would be a nice play to start to get needed vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables.

Get 1 Papaya Sliced, half a cup Woolworths Peaches in Juice, half a cup Woolworths Unsweetened Almond Milk, one and a half cup crushed ice, a teaspoon chia seeds. Blend all ingredients together and just sprinkle the chia seeds on top. This can get you protein, fiber, antioxidants you need throughout the day.

There's a lot of ingredients over a Woolworths you can get at Shopwise, Marketplace by Rustans, Robinsons Superstores or shop online via the Go Robinsons app or their website. I personally consume the couscous and several Filipino products they also offer in the Woolworths section in these stores, there's a lot more where these healthy products came from!