Celebs at Ironman share their fitness motivations
Its Ironman weekend in Cebu once again, with triathletes and supporters from all over the world gathered here to try and conquer the rigorous swim, bike, and run course.
For the fifth time, financial services organization, Sun Life Financial Inc., brings their executives, employees and endorsers to join in on the fun, with actor Piolo Pascual at the helm of the Sun Life Tri Team.
Alongside Piolo are GoWell brand ambassadors Enchong Dee and Bubbles Paraiso, as well as Sun Life executives, employees, and professional athletes who talked about their fitness journey in a press conference yesterday at Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa.
Piolo, flag-bearer for the whole Sun Life delegation who will compete on the bike for one of four Sun Life teams, expressed his delight at being back in Cebu.
“It gives me so much excitement to represent a brand that promotes health and wellness apart from financial stability. I just want to encourage all the athletes. I train even when I’m so busy with work. You have to walk the talk,” began Piolo, who had his celebrity son, Iñigo Pascual, along with him for support.
Piolo says he’s looking forward to be amongst Cebuanos once more.
“Thank you to the people of Cebu. When we go out to race, even the students, they were in their uniforms, they cheer for us. I’m looking forward to that: going around the cities of Cebu, hopefully to meet and shake hands with them. Sana hindi lang maaksidente because once in a while they try to mob you.”
The actor also welcomed fellow Kapamilya star Enchong Dee into the Sun Life fold as the latter is now part of the GoWell wellness community.
Enchong, a former member of the Philippine national swimming team, will be competing in the swimming category this year. He shared how one should be comfortable and passionate about the sport they choose to get into.
“Six years old ako nag-start [swimming]. It was just a recreational thing. I fell in love with the sport the year after,” the 29-year-old says.
“When people ask me the secret to finding a sport that you can stick to, I say look for the one where you will really fall in love with so that hindi mo siya gagawin dahil uso, dahil dito may endorsement. I want to do it because I feel better with that sport, I get healthier with that sport, and I inspire people with that sport,” Enchong advises.
Swimming is mainly his way of keeping fit. “The sport really helps a lot. Kasi isa sa motivation ko is to really move more than what I eat. And I eat a lot, trust me. So I really find time. If you want something that bad, you would really do something for it. And I really want to look good for you guys.”
The celebrity swimmer reminds everyone who might be thinking about starting their fitness journey, that the whole thing is a process, that it takes time and a lot of work. For the Ironman competition, he made sure that every other commitment was planned around his training.
“Madalas ang nakikita ng tao is the end result. Hindi nila nakikita yung process. Ang ginawa ko for this specific competition, I made my swimming practices my priority and everything adjusted around that. I went to Ultra, Greenhills just to train. Then I adjusted my schedule for work and rehearsals,” he says.
Enchong would like to finish the complete Ironman course someday and work his way up to other international marathons.
Actress and model Bubbles Paraiso, who will be competing for the relay event, says that it takes a lot of sacrifice to juggle being an athlete and a career woman.
“Like Enchong, I started as a young athlete. I started competing for tennis at the age of seven. I grew up having sports in my life but over the past years, I’ve been doing triathlon,” says Bubbles, who also teaches yoga.
“It’s really time management. I bring my bike trainer with me to work, get some extra two hours. Lunch time I’m there running. We have to make sacrifices. Say goodbye to your social life – and that’s really hard for me. Know what your priorities are. As long as you manage every aspect of your life, then it’s pretty doable to be an athlete and still have your job.”
Piolo – who headlines Sun Life’s “SunPIOLOgy” obstacle, run, and cycling course that doubles as a fund-raising program for various causes—says that exercise shouldn’t be treated as a chore.
“I tried taking care of myself when I joined showbiz. You have to inspire and motivate yourself because of what you do. For me, it’s more of a lifestyle. Not just a thing you do to be fit, it should be part of your daily routine. You want to take care of yourself, you want to live longer, and enjoy life better,” says Piolo, currently seen on the ABS-CBN primetime series “Since I Found You.”
Asked how they manage to balance the long hours at work with training for sports events, Piolo, Enchong, and Bubbles agree that exercise for them is a stress reliever rather than a stressor. For them, exercise hardly comes in the way of work. Instead of exhausting them, it allows them to make more use of their potential and make the most of life.
“It’s an outlet, actually,” says Piolo, who is eyeing to join the Berlin marathon when he turns 42 next year (he registered last year but management had to cut his schedule short).
“It’s proper time management. You want to enjoy life better, you want to sweat it out. It’s not really a big deal to wake up earlier for a workout. If you make it part of your lifestyle, it’s easy even if you have work. It makes life more balanced.”