interview with Vina Morales


originally from HealthToday Online: http://staging.healthtoday.net/dispcp.cfm?cty=4&filename=vina.htm

Active Vina



Perpetually in motion Vina Morales isn't the typical, by-the-book 
health and fitness buff.  But one can't argue with success. By Gina 
Abuyuan-Llanes

There's no better way to remind yourself how important it is to be fit 
than to be in proximity to someone who is.

Vina Morales--singer, actress, TV host--has that effect on people.  
It's almost impossible not to look at her body and compare it to your 
own, and wonder how many hundreds of bicep curls and crunches you'll 
have to do to catch up.
 
It's a lazy Monday afternoon and we're at the Celebrity Sports Plaza 
tennis courts, where Vina occasionally practices with Philippine team 
coach Elmer Arcega.  Standing around, waiting for her, we catch a blur 
in white.  It's the petite dynamo herself.
 
While others would've walked, she runs--and hardly has to catch her 
breath.  While others would have opted for a classic shirt to hide a 
bulge here and there, she dons an athletic bra top to show off her 
magnificent abs.  "I feel great!" she says.  And she looks it. 

Vina admits she's no gym rat and that she eats anything she wants.  You 
look at her and you think she's either joking or extremely lucky.  But 
she is neither.
 
Just stay active. That's the secret behind her perfectly chiseled body.  
Even as a young girl, Vina found herself drawn to exercise.  "I was 
never the type to play with Barbie dolls or to play house.  I played 
boys' games.  I was always an active kid."  Nowadays, when she isn't 
playing tennis and attending her once-a-week ashtanga yoga 
class, she's doing crunches on her own at home or working up a sweat 
rehearsing her high-energy production numbers in her weekly TV show, 
ASAP.  On top of all that, she holds provincial concerts and is 
even gearing up for a U.S. concert this month.
 
No diets

Before the great triceps and washboard abs, Vina was just like any
other teenager eager to get rid of her baby fat. "I wanted to have good
abs, I was so conscious of my body," she says. So at 18, she went to
the gym for the first time. She started doing crunches. She toned her
muscles. Eventually, her whole body followed, and it was more than just
wanting to look good. She wanted to be fit, to be in a sport, to feel
good about herself. And for the next eight years, get into sports she
did--first there was golf, then tennis, then flag football (she had to
give up the sport because of her hectic schedule), then scuba diving,
then target shooting, then horse back riding, then volleyball.  "It's
important that I swich from sport to sport or else I'll get bored," she
says.
 
"People always ask me how many times I go to the gym or how come I have 
a body like this," Vina says. "I just work out at home. You can do it 
at 
home." She also doesn't have a personal trainer or a formal exercise 
program but asks around for guidance and tips.  Although her yoga 
classmates are all vegetarians and traditional fitness buffs would 
frown on indulging in sweets, Vina eats meat and chocolates.  "I'd 
rather work out or play sports.  With dieting, you'll just go hungry."

Staying focused

Vina's determination and focus to keep her body in shape is remarkable.  
Her motivation is simple:  "If you want to look good, you have to work 
at it.  You feel good, you get more confident, and you strive to work 
out harder.  Then people compliment you.  This just makes you even more 
confident."  She has been enjoying the benefits of exercise--boosted 
levels of endorphin, the feel good brain chemical released after a good 
workout, heightened stamina and energy.  But it wasn't all fun, 
especially at the start when she still had to go the gym twice a week 
to do aerobics or tae bo.  "You get frustrated sometimes, especially 
when you can't attain what you want with your body."

To fight off the blues, Vina focuses on her goal. "I wanted muscles, so 
I worked out. I didn't care about what other people say as long as I'm 
happy with what I'm doing and that I have the body I want."  And when 
physical exhaustion sets in, she keeps going by chanting her mantra:  
"You can do it, girl!  You can do it!  You can do it!"

Not just the body

A person's attitude towards exercise is molded in childhood.  Active 
children--or children of health-conscious parents who encourage them to 
be physically active--are more likely to be mindful about their own 
health when they mature.  And while some may slack, some never forget, 
even when the comforts of a sedentary life tempt and tease.  "Decide on 
an activity or sports that you like to do, that makes you happy," says 
Vina.  "That's why I'm always switching--I like to try everything and 
see what I like.  Nothing and no one can make me stop exercising."
 
When work and personal problems stresses her out, it is exercise that 
relaxes and calms Vina. "Physical activity really helps me forget my 
problems." Of course, spending time with family and friends is always 
important, she adds. But it isn't only her body that Vina keeps in 
shape.  "I spend time alone, read the Bible and pray.  It's not just 
about the physical, you have to exercise your spiritual life, too."
 

Original material is provided by HealthToday.

Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature only. It is not 
intended as a substitute for professional health advice and no person 
should act in reliance on any statement contained in the information 
provided and at all times should obtain specific advice from a health 
professional. To the extent permitted by law, MediMedia Limited, their 
employees and agents accept no liability (even if negligent) for any 
injury, loss or damage caused by reliance on any part of this 
information. All rights reserved.


Tom Bolling's home page