Dr. Chelsea Elizabeth Samson, medical director of Centuria Medical Makati encourages everyone to practice self-care. “We truly believe that the best way for you to take care of others is for you to take care of yourself first,” she said.
To spread awareness and promote the importance of self-love, Centuria Medical Makati recently launched #WeSelfLove, an advocacy that promotes the importance of self-care so individuals can be the best version of themselves.
A series of self-care workshops took place at the 28-story facility, with doctors and experts giving tips on how to get in shape—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
One of the workshops delved on self-love for men. The talk focused on preventing injuries, eating a healthy diet, understanding men’s health, and practicing mindfulness.
Angelica Binayug, a physiotherapist from ProHealth Sports and Spinal Physiotherapy Centre said that doing a proper warmup can help avoid injuries. “It prepares the body for the main event—before you engage in sports, in games, or a playing event. It’s up to you how long you’ll do a warmup, just make sure there’s mild sweating without fatigue,” she advised.
Meanwhile, talking about those who spend hours at the gym to stay in shape, Coach Gelo Abendan from Pinnacle Performance Fitness Centre said “overtraining is real.”
“You’re making your body prone to maladaptation and burnout,” asserted Abendan. He reminded gym buffs to always consider their age, genetic background, and response to training before working out.
Experts also strongly recommended to replenish what is lost. Coach Tim Ting of Pinnacle Performance talked about aspects of nutrition one can focus on, but opined it was best to maintain weight first.
“In order to maintain weight, you need to remember the 80-20 rule: 80 percent must be allotted for whole, minimally processed food, while 20 percent can be for cookies and milk teas. Eat healthy food, but have a wiggle room to enjoy yourself.”
Men’s health is not only about the physical well-being of males. “It’s the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. It’s not just the absence of disease, it’s also about identifying and preventing conditions related to men,” explained Dr. Quincy Raya of Raya Wellness & Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Raya mentioned that most lifestyle diseases are preventable. The major lifestyle diseases encountered by men include high blood, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. Aside from these, the medical expert said men also need to understand male sexual dysfunction, which can be a physical or psychological problem.
“Diseases are all inter-related. You need to do proper exercise, and manage stress and your weight. The key is early detection so you can have early treatment,” she added.
On the other hand, Dr. John Michael Dellariarte of NEU Advanced Aesthetics and Dr. MJ Torres of The Zen Institute discussed the importance of protecting the skin from sun damage, and face and body boost solutions for men, respectively.
“Solar radiation causes dermatological issues and skin cancer is on the rise. The moment the sun touches your skin, it damages the skin,” explained Dr. Dellariarte, who developed a unique fabric that blocks solar radiation and a one-of-a-kind umbrella, which won awards abroad.
Capping off the Self-Love for Men workshop, mindfulness teacher Dax Cobarrubias had a talk on how a few minutes of silence every day can help manage stress.
“Some say it’s hard to meditate because we have so many thoughts. When you have a lot of thoughts during meditation, just go back to your breathing. Thoughts during meditation means stress is leaving your body,” said Cobarrubias.
He said when a person falls asleep during meditation, it’s the body’s way of telling them that they need more sleep.