Alden and Nadine stay strong
THE pandemic has proven to be a challenge for everyone across the globe. Apart from the risks of illness, it has been hard to maintain a positive mindset and take care of both physical and mental health. Even for top actors Nadine Lustre and Alden Richards — who have continuously voiced their health advocacies to help inspire more people — this crisis has been DIFfiCULT TO DEAL WITH.
They are part of the celebrity Superbods of Century Tuna, an annual competition and community to promote a fit and healthy lifestyle through diets and exercise. The actors have evidently achieved this part of healthy living. However, both Lustre and Richards have advocated for mental health awareness and used their platforms to speak up about ending the stigma.
And just like everyone, they too have struggled with adjusting to life’s crazy turn. With this in mind, the company launched the Stay Strong campaign, which serves as a call to action for Filipinos to remain physically and mentally resilient given the new risks of the world today.
During the campaign launch and introduction of the Everybod Superbod contestants via Zoom,
TheManilaTimesEntertainment had to ask the top stars and health advocates how they managed to take care of themselves while under the pandemic, not to mention living amidst various social issues.
Lustre said that it was hard living under the Enhanced Community Quarantine ( ECQ) as she is living far from her family and friends. Only living with her brother, assistant, and dog, the award-winning actress and musician said that she is very thankful to have friends who constantly ask how she is doing.
“I’m really thankful because they’re always there to check up on me and just ask me how I was doing,” she said. “We always watch a movie and then chat at
the same time.”
Since gyms are closed and trainers are only available through online classes, Lustre would do simple workouts at home, using an exercise band and books rather than equipment. Another way for her to deal with stress has been through meditation and yoga.
Over the past few months, one of the hobbies that Lustre has discovered and become passionate about is writing.
“I’ve been writing a lot because I have thoughts and
I was very emotional during the ECQ kasinga I was really far from my family. There’s really no one to see here kasi not allowed to go out as well. That was one of the things that kind of helped me with everything that’s been going on.”
The hobby- turnedoutlet has eventually become a driving force for releasing something creative, as Lustre hinted that her writings will be part of an upcoming album. She has released music under the label and production company Careless Music Manila. Lustre has also proven her talents in directing music videos for artists under the label.
Richards, meanwhile, said that the pandemic and quarantines really “challenged my sanity.” He remembered how everything had happened so suddenly and that not being allowed to go out had been such a big change for him.
“I will have to admit, during the first weeks of this crisis medyo he expressed. “I’m a very active person, I always went to work 24/7 for the past five years.
“I mean, mentally, of course, you wake up, you do your thing. You take a bath, you workout, and then you sleep again. And for the past three months, ganunlang yungnangyayari.”
Around the second month of the quarantine, Richards recalled himself thinking, “Kailanba matatapos‘to?Anghirap, I’m not used to this.”
Nonetheless, Richards understands that it would still be up to him on how to take in the current situation. He knew that keeping a positive mindset would already be a huge help in getting by. Also,
time at home for the movie and TV star meant personal communication with his family, as opposed to their usual calls and messages.
“What really kept my sanity during this period was I took the time to take advantage of spending time with family and to do other recreational stuff, such as I got into online gaming and streaming.
“What I did really during this pandemic was to look at the bright side of it and not look at the things that I can’t do anymore.”
Richards has become popular in the gaming industry, which is something he is very passionate about. A photo of his customized gaming rig became viral and has gained more popularity for his Mobile Legends streams.
Journey to self-love
Lustre and Richards also spoke about their insecurities. When asked by a member of the media whether they would join a competition like Superbods if they were not celebrities, they both said that it was unlikely.
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s really hard to stay fit and to stay healthy especially if you’re a foodie like me. Iba kasiyung discipline ngmga Superbods eh. They really have a routine, they’re strict with their food, they’re strict with everything. “So to be honest, I would love to join, but personally, I don’t think I’m that I’m disciplined enough to be in a competition like this,” answered Lustre. Richards answered, “Siguro prior to my showbiz career, it would probably really take a lot of push from the people around me kasi I really lacked self-confidence durn ing that time.
“I [had] insecurities in a lot of ways — my attitude, my physical look, even my motivation to join competitions kasi I have a fear of showing myself in public. I always feel like all the other members or contestants are better than me.”
Richards’ journey to building self-confidence was the product of various personal and professional experiences. He had never made the final cut in talent search competitions, made ends meet as a model, and appeared in a string of films and television shows, but has only garnered popularity after being in the industry for years. Now, everyone knows his name and his work as an actor, host, recording artist, and endorser.
Going through so much to build the good career he has now, the hardworking actor had some pieces of advice, and shared that getting to know oneself is definitely the key.
“Find your strengths, find your weaknesses. Find your passion, pursue that passion,” he noted. “Kasi for me personally, I went through that phase wherein walaakongbilibsa
sariliko, I feel like I’m not good enough in a lot of things.
“But really, every individual is unique, and they have their own capacity to deal with things. By knowing yourself first, then probably you can start off somewhere and really conquer that insecurity.”
The 26- year- old Lustre has a similar story, in which she also did not love herself growing up. The actress noted insecurities with her body and personality. Like Richards, she had to work extra hard to build a good career. She was 12 years old when she started in showbiz, but gained mainstream success in 2014 after appearing in “Diary ngPanget.” She continued to shine, and just last year, won best actress awards from two of the country’s top film honors, the Gawad Urian and Famas, for her lead role in “Never Not Love You.”
“To be honest, I’ve struggled with [ self- confidence] for so long. But eventually, I learned how to accept everything. I had this thing before when I would always be too hard on myself if there are things that I couldn’t do or I couldn’t achieve, paranglagi
kongdina- down yungsariliko.
“Like what Alden said, nagiisa katuladmo. So you just have to accept all your flaws and love yourself for who you really are. Love the skin that you’re in, wala kanangkatuladeh.”
The biggest lesson she learned was to be best friends with herself. “Because at the end of the day, yungsarilimolangyung kakampimo and that’s a really beautiful thing.”