HEALTH | FITNESS – daniela medalla

the wellness journey, so far

May 2, 2020May 2, 20201 Comment

It has been a year and a half since I got diagnosed as an autoimmune patient. During this time, I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs, physically and emotionally, as I expected to do so coming back to “normal life” after being sick. I am lucky to be surrounded by family and friends that have been the most supportive. I am lucky to have been supplied all the help–doctors, medication, books, guidance, you name it. Everything I need to get better, I got. And the fact that things seem to have gone back to normal for me is something I am forever grateful for. God has truly been the greatest guide and teacher, and it is through Him and what He has provided for me that I am where I am today.

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lessons, one year later

October 20, 2019May 3, 2020Leave a comment

Exactly today last year, I got my first horrifying blood test results. It has been a year. I always go back to the experience because it was a defining moment in my life—so much so that I’ve clung on to it, afraid of the thought of going back to who I was pre-disease.

I always tell people, “God is so good—He made my sickness long enough for me to learn, but short enough so that I could get back on my feet again.” One year later, I can say that it had to happen, and that it was a blessing I didn’t know I needed.

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how to get that fitness journey going

April 1, 2019Leave a comment

The other week I joined the Power Mac #NoExcuses contest and was challenged to share a 3-minute video of my fitness journey. They had a mini awarding over the weekend, and I’m glad to have been chosen as one of the winners and got to win some really amazing prizes. To see more of the entries of the contest, you can watch them here.

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Shot during training at Focus Athletics with my strength and mobility coach, Jaako Bernardo.

To those who still need a little push or are thinking of ways to start getting fit, here are some tips that will get you to make time to workout (or get anything you’ve ever thought of doing, done).

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my #noexcuses power mac fitness entry

March 17, 2019March 17, 2019Leave a comment

Most of my life I was active, but last year I encountered a hurdle in maintaining that. I got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which held me back from keeping fit and working out. I’ve written about it here, but let me give you a glimpse of the sickness and my drive to get back in shape through my Power Mac #NoExcuses entry.

The challenge of Power Mac’s #NoExcuses contest is to share your fitness journey. This is mine, as I strive to get back in shape after an autoimmune flare-up. I got a little anxious with the thought of posting this video. I’ve been sharing a lot of my sickness journey online, but never thought I’d decide to share some of these videos/photos. I took them because I always document stuff even if I don’t plan on posting them. But when I saw the Power Mac Center #NoExcuses contest and felt the urge to join it, I knew it had to be shared.

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my autoimmune disease – from the start

January 30, 2019January 30, 20192 Comments

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When I first found out I had an autoimmune disease, my family, Anton and I immediately turned to the Internet to see what it had to say about my condition. It’s not always advisable to do so, because what you get from typing a disease on Google almost always leads to the worst case scenarios, like death. There’s some truth to what you might find, but be wary with what you decide to take in. As expected we got different results, read about extreme cases and possibilities of death, but also remission. From these readings it was testimonies from functional doctors and actual autoimmune disease patients that were most convincing. My mom then suggested that since testimonies played a major role in educating me, I should share the experience as well.

This might be a rather lengthy post, meant for those really interested to know more about autoimmune, what the disease is and what it does, what’s being done to recover, and basic health tips anyone can learn from this experience. In case you’re interested, you can read on to learn more about it.

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big day brews

May 18, 2017May 18, 2017Leave a comment

Never in my life have I tried any dietary supplement or diet plan. I’ve always tried to fix my eating habits on my own, because I felt it’s something more doable in the long run and it doesn’t make me dependent. To some extent it has worked, but I have to admit that it’s not exactly the strictest, healthiest diet. I’ve seen a lot of these diet plans and meal replacements online, and I was always curious about them and if they actually really worked.

Lucky for me, I got the opportunity to try Big Day Brews, a natural weight loss regimen that contains just the right amount of nutrients your body needs. It’s fresh, delicious, and even has different flavor options to choose from that serve different purposes. The best part? Each person’s Big Day Brews purchase can actually help someone in need.

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Learn more about it below.

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victory run

May 24, 2016November 11, 20181 Comment

I’ve been wanting to make a post about this badly because of the high I got after the run, but I was waiting for the results to come out so I could include it. It was my first half marathon, which I thought I wasn’t going to finish well because (1) it’s a half, and (2) the heat in Manila is crazy (between 30-35C that day). Gun start was at 4:30AM, but being on the last wave delayed me by around 10-15 minutes. Sun was up by 5:15AM and I was roasting before the clock hit 6:00AM. The heat was almost unbearable, but I, along with 3,999 others made it to the finish line.

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skin + health care

February 16, 2016April 25, 2016Leave a comment

I am a huge fan of makeup and girls who can manage to draw up a good brow. But sometimes the foundation, contouring, highlighting and lining just don’t cut it, and no matter how much makeup you put on, it isn’t enough to hide the blemishes, eyebags and unwanted marks on your skin. Sometimes I feel that girls who try to hide their marks with makeup might actually look better with the blemish showing through, and the layers of foundation and powder and primer just work against trying to look good.

I personally am guilty of this at times because I can’t stand to see pimples and allergies on my skin. Since I have eczema, I would occasionally have red hickey looking marks on the side of my face, my chest and on my back. I sometimes opt to wear lower necklines that reveal the marks and I (used to) try to hide it with a bit of foundation. I knew this was just going to make the situation worse, so I tried to find a way to fix it. Same goes with the blemishes on my face.

Here are my go-to’s when it comes to skin care

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condura skyway marathon 2016

February 9, 2016April 25, 2016Leave a comment

On a gloomy Sunday morning last weekend I ran my first run for the year. I’ve been running for about four or five years now but only started joining runs last year–Nike Women’s 10k being my first one. This year I told myself I’d join more and challenge myself to better my time and increase my distance one run at a time, starting with the Condura Skyway Marathon 2016. I signed up last minute and chickened out on the 21k, so I signed up for 10k.

The drizzle that morning was on and off, and I was lucky to be spared from it during my run. Right when I got down from the skyway, the rain started pouring so I barely got to spend time in the race grounds where they had different booths, photo walls and a mini concert. Here runners can claim their hydration kits and medals, buy shirts, take photos and rest while enjoying the band/artist on stage.

I don’t remember exactly my time during last year’s Nike run, but my goal in this run was to outdo my time in the previous one. Weirdly enough I think I was two minutes longer in Condura, but I found the route to be slightly easier than that of Nike only because the roads were smoother, well lit, and the uphills in the skyway run were less by one or two.

The results.

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why workout: confessions of a workout-aholic

January 13, 2016January 31, 2019Leave a comment

Before I start blabbing about workout, gym, fitness, health and whatnot, I’d just like to establish that I am not a fitness trainer nor am I a learned nutritionist, or have any legitimate background on any of the two. Just take this as a note from a few personal life experiences and observations of a regular gym rat who cares about her health and body and admires physically fit women and Victoria’s Secret Angels and continues to struggle (and dream) to be either of the two.

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