A journal of rewards
ANNA UNSON-PRICE
When I used to compete in Bodybuilding, my idea of deserving rewards was six to nine months of killer workouts, 12 weeks of food that tasted like cardboard and plastic (washed tuna, boiled chicken, pasta cooked without salt and eaten without sauce, etc.), and then huge amounts of the most evil food possible right after competition night.
The week after one championship in Cebu, my Dad took me to a lunch buffet and was absolutely shocked when I brought seven different desserts back to the table. But that was how all bodybuilders did it then, bulking up and then cutting it all down before a competition.
Sometime after that, the bodybuilding industry became somewhat more knowledgeable about preparing for a competition – it was more advisable to keep your weight just a little above your competition ideal, not allowing yourself to get too big, nor cutting down too low. That would enable you to make muscle gains throughout the year that you wouldn’t lose due to desperate dieting.
So nowadays, I make sure I train regularly and eat properly, making room for rewards every once in a while, especially when I feel I deserve it the most. The most important thing I learned was that rewards didn’t always have to be food-related! Here is my mini-journal of some rewards you might want to try that can make the hard work beforehand very worthwhile:
Le Chef
I’ve been wanting to go to Baguio for ages, and we finally had a chance to go last summer, taking our three-year old with us, which made it even more fun. One of the highlights was visiting Billy King in his aptly-named fine dining restaurant at The Manor at Camp John Hay. We tried to make it for breakfast but had taken too long having hot chocolate with the babies, so we got there in time for brunch, were seated at a wonderful table on the terrace, overlooking the garden with the mountains in the distance.
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| Marinated Salmon with Prawns Salad | | Billy recommended the Marinated Salmon with Prawns Salad, since I said I wanted to eat light. I did have every intention of eating light, but when this gorgeous dish appeared in front of me, all my good intentions disappeared! They give everyone a plate of salsa for enhancing the bread, but the salad was pretty sizable so I decided not to have bread, even though their rolls and ciabatta are my favorite.
I should have asked for the Creamy Balsamic dressing on the side because the amount poured over the salad is extremely generous, but it was the perfect complement for the marinated fresh salmon, pan-fried prawns, grilled shiitake mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese shavings and mixed lettuce greens. Good to know that if I get the urge to have this salad or some other Billy King specialty, I don’t have to come all the way back to Baguio! They have practically the same menu in The French Corner, his restaurant at the Westgate Center in Alabang. Great to know that my salad will taste exactly the same way, especially since consistency in taste is a big concern of his. That’s why Billy will always be the King of fine dining!
Sassa Activewear Yoga Wednesdays
Recently, Sassa Activewear sponsored a series of my Yoga Moves classes at the Somerset Olympia in Makati for their special friends and guests. I love introducing Yoga to beginners or people who have come back to it after a long while because you have to make it challenging so they stay interested but not so difficult and out-of-reach that they never show up again!
We had some really great participants, but part of what made the project so much fun is that I wore specially made for me Sassa outfits for these sessions. After all this time of wearing expensive brands, I’m pretty choosy about comfort and fit but I couldn’t find anything to complain about with my Sassa pants and matched tops. The pants were very soft and had the two-way stretch we need for Yoga workouts, and on the market they sell for a little over P500. You can pay four times that for imported brands, and Sassa’s styles are ultra-cute and stylish! The matching shirts are a little less than P300, which is the price (or even less) of an ordinary T-shirt.
One of my favorite matched sets is a powder blue top and black bootleg cut pants with small belt hoops and a powder blue belt which ties at the front. The full set costs less than a designer pair of slippers, can you imagine? The problem now is that I’m thinking up all sorts of colors and combinations, like chocolate brown with cream, or oh gosh, pink and light gray. I guess just because we’re Yoginis doesn’t mean we’re exempt from the shopping bug!
(For comments and suggestions, email wellbeing@mb.com.ph.)
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