Wanna know why I love to travel? Read on. :)

At last! After more than a year of absence in the blogging world, I once again mustered an inspiration to post a new entry on my dear travel-blog site. ^_^  

Friends keep on asking me why I travel a lot (well, not really. Three to four out-of-the-country trips per year on an average are enough to keep me going). With that, I decided to write this post to answer this question – why do I travel? Here are some of my reasons:

1.      It gives you the opportunity to discover and get to know yourself more. This one is true especially if you engage yourself in solo-traveling.  Some people call this “me” time. Traveling solo in an unfamiliar place unleashes your hidden characters and abilities because it forces you to step out of your comfort zone. It also helps in strengthening your personality as you meet different kinds of people as you go along.  

2.       Traveling is a form of breather. “I need to find myself” and “I need space”. These are the most commonly used lines of those who travel or go to faraway places to seek refuge or to just temporarily escape the hustle and bustle of his or her surroundings. Some people, including me, make traveling an avenue to unwind and to de-clutter. It keeps your mind busy with more fun activities brought by your relaxing destination of choice, thus temporarily shifting your focus on recreational things that will also, somehow, aid in releasing your anxieties, worries and unnecessary stresses brought by your regular daily grind.

3.       Remember, life is not all about home-work-home. There are lots of wonderful and beautiful places to explore and discover even just in our own country, so why limit yourself to such a naïve routine? I know you heard this a lot of times but I am telling you again anyway – LIFE IS SHORT! Travel while you are still able (physically) and capable (financially). I strongly believe a weekend plus two vacation leaves (for those who are working like me) twice or thrice a year won’t cost you your entire hard-earned career. Besides, what will you do to your money when you are already sickly and too old to travel? Everyone, even a devout workaholic, needs a break. So don’t just live, learn how to exist!

4.       It is a major eye-opener. Being a citizen of a (still) developing country, traveling, especially in a foreign soil, is a major eye-opener. It makes you really think why some countries have these sophisticated developments while we lack even the most basic facilities. I won’t elaborate further on this item as I don’t mean to incline this post politically, but I would suggest, if you haven’t tried traveling overseas (especially if you are from a third world country) go try even once and discover for yourself what I actually mean.  

5.       Source of motivation. Are you feeling tired? Too stressed out to continue pursuing your daily activities? Think of a place you want to visit – your dream destination would do (but if it is too expensive and you still can’t afford the expenses, think of other places that interests you the most), book a flight in advance (the farther the date, the better, so you could still save up for your pocket money), and plan ahead for your upcoming travel! This somehow gives you something to look forward to amidst the pressures you encounter on a daily basis.   

Health Tips - Healthy Body - Happy Travels! ^_^

Hola!! I know this is not a travel-related post, but for the benefit of those who are asking repeatedly, putting this write up here will make it easier for them to locate these health tips than on my FB wall :) Besides, it is important for us to have a sound mind and healthy body to enable us to travel! Yay! Anyway, I'll post a new travel write up anytime soon; I am just organizing my thoughts ^_^   

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

For the benefit of those who are consistently asking (also for those who are about to ask), I’m sharing with you the changes I had to do to my lifestyle to lose weight. Please bear in mind that I am not a health or diet expert. The tips that I am about to share may or may not work for you, so it is always best to consult your doctor or health mentors (if you have one).

1. Eat small, frequent meals. This is what I do since I have a bad case of GERD. Or better yet, eat only when you’re hungry. Just make sure you don’t binge as you’ll have a hard time burning the excess calories. Btw, EAT ON TIME. Listen to what your body tells you and follow your body clock.

Photo credits: www.magicalhealth.co.in

2. Be conscious of your food choices. Educate yourself with your daily nutritional requirements (that’s why it’s necessary to consult a health expert so they can give you pieces of advice on what foods to eat and avoid). Check food labels. If the product is high in calories, fats (saturated ones), sugar and sodium, better think twice. Avoid instant noodles, canned and other types of processed meats while you still can as they contain high calories and sodium.

Photo credits: www.eatright.org

3. Walk! Jog! Move frequently! Use stairs instead of elevators! Being a lazy, couch potato would not burn all the calories and fats you ate for the day. If you have the luxury of time and money to spend on memberships, hit the gym. In short, engage yourself in an active lifestyle.

Photo credits: www.naradanews.com

4. Load on fruits, veggies and good source of protein (fish, nuts/beans and white meat chicken); trim on carbs and other meat types. I usually do the juicing (any greens – kangkong, pechay, saluyot, alugbati, parsley, camote tops, spinach – basically any leafy veggies plus one or two fruits of choice [if you have GERD like me, just skip citrusy fruits], blend with one cup of water, fresh coconut juice [the one that came from the fruit itself, not the packed ones] or unsweetened soy milk). Drink the concoction first thing in the morning thirty or more minutes before taking or eating anything.

My daily morning ritual -- green smoothie!

5. Manage your cravings. We all have our own cravings, it’s still fine to give in to them but make sure you know when to stop. I still crave for the salty and crunchy foods hehe! But instead of popping a bag of potato or corn chips, I look for other alternatives such as nuts, taro or sweet potato chips and mushroom chicharon. Again, always eat in moderation as anything excessive is bad.

Popped beans and vegan mushroom chicharon for my crunchy cravings.

6. As much as possible, avoid sugary drinks or anything sweet. Good thing I don’t have the sweet tooth so I don’t indulge myself too much on chocolates and candies. Oh, speaking of chocolates, if you can’t avoid eating them, just choose the dark cocoa variant. It’s the lesser ‘evil’ hehe. For sweeteners, use coco sugar as it has a lower glycemic index compared to regular sugar (even muscovado or brown). Refrain from using artificial sweeteners.

Photo credits: www.traincommune.com

7. Get enough sleep – at least 7-8 hours.

Photo Credits: www.reilycenter.com

8. Drink lots of water!

Photo credits: www.pyeongchang2018.com