Eating Healthy

Food. Everybody loves food. We need it to live, but some people simply have to have lots of it.

At a former office, people find ways to celebrate something because that would mean there's going to be food -- birthdays, employment anniversary, impending departure from the company, even first paycheck at the company. Except for the last one wherein the celebrant spends, someone would go around asking for contributions in any amount from those present and the pooled money would be used to buy celebration food -- pancit or spaghetti, grilled chicken, cake -- along with some other dish that would fit the budget. Suffice it to say, I grew in that company, sideways.

Wise people have said time and again that too much or too little isn't good for you. And it's true in this case. Our frequent celebrations weren't doing us any favors in the health department. Quite a number of my officemates there had developed hypertension at an early age, people in their 20s and 30s.

When I moved companies, it was for a health supplement company; so my first week was spent studying literature on the products. It was then that I felt ashamed of my diet, and felt blessed that I do not have the illnesses other people my age were already afflicted with.

So what should I eat?

There is of course the usual balanced diet recommendation of the scientists. There are also shortcuts. Since I had gained so much weight from the other job, I was particularly interested in the shortcuts. So I was dismayed by this.

But let's face it, eating healthy is not a one-time thing. It is a lifestyle. Nutritionists recommend the healthy food plate:


They also say "eat the rainbow". Of course, it's not the literal rainbow they refer to. It's more about having a variety of vegetables and fruits, plus proper hydration and enough activity and rest. It turns out, all that talk about too much and too little applies to everything.

Speaking of rest, I love to sleep. I have this clingy relationship with my bed. even my computer is stationed right beside my bed so I don't have to get up to use it. On weekends, I stay in bed a lot, and mostly asleep. But then, this is not very good to my health. Just like too little sleep, too much of it can cause problems in the same areas that lack of sleep can affect-- the heart, the eyes, the muscles and... well, just about all parts of the body.

So now I am at a crossroads -- I have to stay healthy, but I have all these nasty habits that are not healthy. I love bacon and cakes and sleep; and yes, coffee and chocolates too.

One day I'll decide to be fit again (as I was once a long time ago...). For now, I think I'll love me and feel good about me first.

Here's a scoop!

Have you heard?

Get a scoop of your favorite feel-good-food right in the middle of Bonifacio High Street. Yup, it's all about ice cream and they have a new store in town -- Baskin Robbins at B8 building. It's fairly easy to spot:

If you still can't spot it, look for this rock:

Those were the event tents during the launch. 

They're usually no there, so you can see the store facade from across the park.

This is the 14th branch of this beloved ice cream chain. And the goodies inside do not disappoint. You've got scoops, waffles, sundae fundaes, cakes with many flavors to choose from-- just perfect for cooling down or for those big celebrations. And the neat thing about it is that they have the Junior scoop available for only P31!

This is the Junior Scoop!

Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the the creation of more than 1,300 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious treats.

To catch their promos, visit their stores at Uptown Place Mall, Central Square and Aura at BGC, Greenbelt 5, Glorietta 2 and 5, 2/F SM North, SM North The Block, Fairview Terraces, Trinoma Mall, SM Southmall, SM Dasmariñas and Solenad (Sta. Rosa). You can also check out their website at www.baskinrobbins.ph, or like and follow their FB page (facebook.cm/baskinrobbinsph) and their Twitter and Instagram accounts (@baskinrobbinsph).

Career Shift? How about Forex Trading?

When you’ve been on the same job for a long time and the days  seem to grow longer and longer, your mind drifts to the thing that could have been. What would have happened if you took on that other offer? How would you be now if you had taken the risk back then instead of going for this safe choice? Would you be rich by now? Would you be pursuing a passion instead of clocking in and out and counting the days until pay day?

If you want the droll to change and you have some money set aside, you might want to try out foreign exchange brokerage. Mind you, this is a high risk venture – it comes with the possibility of profits as well as losses. But before you give a hard pass, read up about it first.

How does it work?

At FX Action Team, there are seminars for those interested in getting into foreign exchange brokering. In these sessions, they explain the workings of forex and how to earn from it. They tap their best agents to give newbies a glimpse at how they have earned in the five to six figures in a day.

The first thing to learn is how to work The Spread -- a system that monitors activities on the foreign exchange market. The key is to be able to predict which way the activities will go -- whether it is going up or going down. When it is going up, the best thing to do is buy. When it is going down, the best thing to is sell. You choose which currencies you will exchange. The system has all the major currencies.

Take note: since this is an online activity, you could be anywhere at anytime and do this.

There is of course an investment involved. The FX Action Team got itself organized so that investments are better taken care of by ensuring that brokers are educated in the market and the system and the way the whole thing works, thereby ensuring that risks are minimized.

The group takes advantage of a structure wherein a forex broker has an introducer and that introducer is connected to the national master introducer broker (MIB). In this set-up, the license and access to the online app for brokering is shared by the group. Each agent gets his own access, and all his transactions are recorded under that access. The MIB takes care of the processing of payments between the agent and the brokering system.

At FX Action Team, they have created an organized group of agents who help each other earn from this endeavor. There are three ways:

1. Test the waters

This requires a $300-500 investment. Yes, that’s in US dollars. You go through the seminars and get a chance to pick the brains of the FX Action Team leaders. They will actually help you make sense out of the whole thing, and even tell you how to deal with losses. They’ll also make sure you don’t get too aggressive-- buying or selling too much-- and stay in the safe zone of brokering. You’ll have a maximum buy/sell monies of 1% of your available investment (the $300-500) per spread. While the earnings will be low at first, this will teach you how things work by letting you try it out for a spin. If you get others to join in, you get a 10% referral bonus.

2. Going big

This refers to the Standard/Premium account, which means you can invest a bigger amount. How much is up to you.  You will also not be limited to the 1% ceiling per spread. This one presumes you are already adept in the system and can take sizeable risks. In this case, the profits can go very high but the losses can be just a high.

3. Using the automated investor

The FX Action Team and its international affiliate, FX United, has developed a program wherein a $1,000-10,000 investment will let you take advantage of the automatic buying and selling program called Capital Gain auto Trading or CGAT. It will monitor the spreads and buy or sell on your behalf. It also assures you of a minimum monthly return of 12-20% per month. It will hold your investment for a year. You can renew it after then, if you want to. If you withdraw it before the year is up, you will have to pay a processing fee of 3%.

In all these three methods, you will be part of the FX Action Team. The team holds a weekly group selling activity where the brokers interact and help each other earn while buying and selling. And you also get an 8% group sales bonus.

You can also get other people to invest in this using. In the FX Action Team, if your recruits get into the CGAT system,  you earn from them through the Affiliate commission. Your direct recruits are your Level 1’s and you earn 4.5% from them. When they recruit and those get recruits also, you get to earn from them up to five levels, in diminishing percentages.

So, if you have the cash to invest on this, why not give it a try?

If you're interested, the FX Action Team is having a megapreview on Sunday, October 9 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (near Robinson's Galleria). The event starts at 6:00pm.

Novuhair Supports Alopecia Areata Awareness in Celebrating Inner Strength

In August last year, I had my hair cut very short. (See A Drastic Hair Change.) Back then, my hair was long enough to be cut and donated for a good cause -- alopecia.  Here is a follow-up on that cause.

September marks the month-long commemoration of Alopecia Areata awareness worldwide. Alopecia areata is a condition when hair loss occur due to faults in the immune system attacking the hair follicles which results in partial or total loss of hair on the head and other parts of the body.

Leading this year’s celebration in the country is Alopecia Philippines, a group founded by singer and songwriter Abby Asistio in 2012. She has been championing the cause of empowering citizens with this condition.

Abby is no stranger to alopecia, having been diagnosed with alopecia areata since she was four years old. Abby’s decision to come out in public with her condition was a major turning point in her life.

On September 2012, Abby decided to start an online campaign in time with Alopecia Awareness Month by inviting family and friends to pose with the double “A” (inverted “V”) sign using their fingers on the photo sharing site, Instagram. It quickly caught on and Abby was overwhelmed by the response from netizens, with over a thousand photo contributions to date.

This paved the way for the beginnings of Alopecia Philippines. It aims to raise awareness about alopecia and correct common misconceptions and perceptions about it, provide encouragement to people afflicted with it, and create an online support community for them.

Inspired by Abby’s honesty and courage, men and women, kids and teens from different walks of life began sharing their own stories and struggles living with alopecia. What started out as a group of ten is now more than 300 members strong and its Facebook page – Alopecia Areata Awareness, draws followers from all over the world.

Novuhair has been supporting the cause for Alopecia Philippines through Abby Asistio. Abby have been using the brand continuously since March 2013 and she has only praises to share using the product.

Nature has provided a safe and effective answer to hair loss and scalp disorders. Novuhair is the only topical scalp lotion in the market that has the highest concentration of natural ingredients, FDA-certified and ACD-compliant. Novuhair is a homegrown, proudly Philippine-made product that is globally competitive.

Novuhair Topical Scalp Lotion, Shampoo and Conditioner are available in all Mercury Drug Stores and other leading drug stores nationwide. For more information visit www.novuhair.com, like the brand’s official Facebook Page at Novuhair Official, Instagram: @NovuhairOfficial and follow it on Twitter at @NovuhairNatural. You may also call the Novuhair hotlines at 4136570 and 09228830575 and order online at Lazada and regaloservice.com.

Abby Asistio Alopecia Awareness Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/18z01PGOW0w