Check out our awesome new logo!

From our friends over at Mio Global, here's our logo for Mio Watch Philippines! Tell me this doesn't wanna make you wanna wear it on a shirt!

A little help from Multiply

Great news for the holidays! Mio Watches are now available via Multiply! I'm very excited because as a longtime Multiply user, they've really kicked things up a notch to help businesses, especially small businesses.

From just being a showcase for items, you can now BUY through multiply by clicking the BUY NOW button and paying to Multiply in one of a number of convenient ways. Visa/Mastercard, Paypal, Gcash or even bank deposit.

Added to that, the items will be shipped to you in 1-2 days, most likely via their partner courier, Xend.

All this makes it so much more convenient for buyer and seller alike.

So drop by at miowatchph.multiply.com and browse through the watches! Wellness was never so easy!

Mio Watch Philippines is ONLINE!

Finally put up the Mio Watch Philippines Facebook site! Its taken some time to get to this point, but I feel we're going to make good headway heading towards the end of the year as well as looking forward to the next one.

With our partnership with Mio Watch, the path to wellness becomes that much easier. As a person in need of wellness himself, I can't help but be excited. So far we've got the 4 models in. Namely the Classic Select (retailing at PHP2988), the Motiva (retailing at PHP4498), the Motiva Petite Pink (retailing at PHP4498) and the Energy Pro (retailing at PHP4998).

As we go into this next phase of Social Media Marketing, then on to partnerships with existing stores, and maybe into full-blown Mio-dedicated or 1life dedicated stores in the future, I hope you take this journey with us into wellness.

Head on to our Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/MioPH. Also follow 1lifewellness on Twitter.

Be well. Be fit. Be happy.

alternative exercises

Diet is only half of the battle when losing weight. Its also important to have an exercise program.

Now as per a dietician I used to go to, the minimum amount of exercise for weight loss is 5 one-hour sessions a week. And you can't say that you played basketball for 3 hours so that takes the place of 3 sessions. That only counts as one. 1 hour is simply the minimum amount of exercise you should be getting.

As per one of my fitness trainers, it has nothing to do with the length of the exercise, but more of the intensity. But still, the baseline is 5 times a week.

There are many ways to exercise. The more traditional activities are running, biking, swimming, aerobics and weight training (gym machines or free weights). Then there are your typical sports like basketball, tennis, golf, futbol etc. 

Personally, some of the exercises can be boring. So I've decided to list a number of alternative exercises that most people don't even consider.

1. Martial Arts: 

I've been doing one martial art or another for years. Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido. Right now I'm doing Tai Chi. You might think "but thats for old people" or "but thats so slow". Thats not true. There are a number of styles of Tai Chi, some faster than the others. And those who advance far enough get into Wushu, which is a sword art. How cool is that?! But as Tai Chi has a lot to do with control, this is an underrated way to keep in shape, as well as to find inner harmony. 

Martial arts don't just help keep you in shape. They also teach you how to defend yourself, something very important. Advance far enough into an art and you will find solutions for different situations. Solutions that may one day save your life, or at least keep you from any major harm. 

2. Dragonboat: 

Most people are more familiar with crew rowing. This is the kind of rowing that the rowing machine in the gym simulates. What they don't realize is that there is another kind of rowing, or paddling as we call it. 

Dragonboating is a Chinese sport whose origins are surrounded in myth. Whereas for crew rowing, your hands are both stretched out in front of you, in Dragonboat, you have a paddle and you paddle on one side of the boat. In crew you face the rear of the boat. In Dragonboat you face forward.

This is the hardest sport I've even tried. Races are only a few minutes long (the longest I've done is a 15 minute endurance race) but afterwards it feels like the life has been sucked out of you. Recommended to people who love the water and welcomes a challenge.

3. Yoga

True, yoga has become quite a phenomenon in recent years, but it still has a ways to go. I've never tried it myself, but I know people who swear by it, including my girlfriend. 

There are a number of different kinds of Yoga, the most difficult one being (BLANK) where you don't just do yoga, but do it in a heated room. 

Much like Tai Chi, Yoga is focused on balance and harmony, and looks like a good way to find one's center.

4. Suspension Training

Another activity gaining some momentum is suspension training. For this, most people are most familiar with the TRX brand. But there are a number of alternatives, each with their own advantages. 

There's EFX, which was developed by a mountain climber, hence the more "hard core" image. You can even attach olympic rings to it . 

The great thing about EFX is its all based on body weight. So if you're a big guy like me, you're burning more calories (as well as having a much harder time) doing the exercises. 

Another benefit of Suspension Training is that all you need are the straps and somewhere to attach them. No need to buy a full complement of free weights or exercise machines. No need to even hit the gym to use those weights and machines.

I do, however, recommend going to a certified trainer for at least the first few months. Just to make sure you're doing it right. As in any sport or exercise activity, ignorance results in injury. 

The main thing though, with any exercise program, is to mix it up. This destroys the monotony, and also makes sure you're working out different muscles all the time, adding to the muscle confusion, a key concept I'll be tackling later on, that has a lot to do with optimizing the amount of calories you burn. 

My biggest suggestion is to engage in a sport. Nothing drives you more than competition. And when you become fully engaged in a sport you don't count the minutes or the hours. It doesn't become a chore. It becomes something you look forward to and try to build on. 

weight for it

Everyone is trying to lose weight nowadays. It seems like a phenomenon of the 21st century. In the 80s, everyone was all fast food, fast food, fast food. Jollibee opened its doors in 1978 and McDonalds followed shortly in 1981. In the 90s came a slew of lose weight quick schemes and exercise paraphernalia (remember the Abflex?). 

And now we have the 2000s. The 21st century. This time around, its all about awareness. We can thanks scientific advances, such as biochemistry and nutrition. But more than those, I think a big factor has been the internet and media. Now, more than ever, we are exposed to 2 things driving our society to health consciousness: 1. more info on health and disease and 2. more images of good looking and fit media darlings. 

In fact, the diets are changing, and for the better. Back in the day, we had the Atkins diet, a starvation diet of sorts that didn’t take into consideration the damage it was doing by depriving the subject of carbohydrates. We simply knew that “carbs are bad” but didn’t know the science behind it.

Now we have more sustainable diets such as the South Beach Diet and more recently, The Abs Diet. There’s also been a growing sentiment for vegetarianism and veganism as well as organic food.

The health industry itself is a growth industry, with companies such as Nestle focusing on wellness, and groceries like Robinson’s Supermarket also focusing on health and wellness. 

And it doesn’t stop with dieting. There have also been changes in the way we exercise. I remember in the 90s it was all about cardio. Wanna lose weight? Run everyday. Nowadays though, we are taught that weight training actually helps us lose more weight, and more importantly, more fat, as well as burns more calories. Again, I remember being a kid and my parents forbidding me to lift weights as I would only bulk up. Now there is some truth to what they said, but now it seems that with the right program, lifting those weights are actually the better alternative.

We also have access to more kinds of exercise programs. Its not just about bench presses and bicep curls anymore. Or even straight up aerobics. Now we have spinning classes, kettle bells and suspension training (TRX/EFX). We’ve also seen the resurgence of running and biking, something thats been kinda missing since the 80s. 

Needless to say, we are on the right track. Awareness is always the key to improvement. So join me in my journey for health. I’ve been a fatass for more than half my life, but its time for a change. 

But this isn’t just about weight loss. Its about wellness. Its about looking good as well as feeling good. The thing about wellness is that it encompasses a myriad of different things, each of which I hope to be able to tackle and discuss with whoever reads my ramblings. From food to exercise to environment and lifestyle. Again, lets take this journey together. A journey towards wellness.