Long time no update, my Belles! But for a good reason—it's been really busy here at the BelleToday offices with a lot of exciting stuff. First, when we launched the Bon Appétit Diet at the start of the year; and now, we're offering the Chrono-Geno-Nutrition Diet for you all to try at an introductory price for a limited time on CashCashPinoy.

Last but not least, we also have the BelleToday Wellness Weekend in Antipolo in June (see embedded video at the top)! Trina and Gisa are currently in talks with experts and speakers for our workshops and talks—they're all good friends of ours and certainly among the cream of the crop at their respective fields—and we'll pass on more details as they become official. I am loving how everyone is totally excited about it! For our VIPs, you can also expect Gisa, Charmaine, or Laarni to call and personally invite you to this event.

So, that's what the Team is up to, for you Belles. And now, here's what we've been doing to improve ourselves!

Our co-founder and CEO Fabrice, in line with our core value of being passionate for well-being and sports, generously offered his own personal trainer for those of us willing to stick around for workouts after office hours. And it was great to see well over a dozen of us there! Shout out to Rolly for organizing the sessions with our trainer Angelo; and to all the people who have been attending—Jerry, Isabel, Karen, Charmaine, Crizelle, Christine, Merdie, Ivana, Malou, Chloe, Allen, JP, Edouard, Shy, Maricris, Louis, Adrien, Christian, Angela, Leo, Darwin, JMB, and Kia.

The workouts were up my alley—circuit-training type routines of cardio, plyometrics, planking, and ab workouts. Each move would be done no longer than 30 seconds before switching to the next one, perfect for ADD-addled me.

Photos by the lovely Joyce

We've all been at it for a month now, and just last night, Angelo pointed out that everyone's endurance and strength has improved remarkably. When a month ago, we took longer breaks in between sets; last night, we'd be back in line, waiting for our turns, a few seconds later.

Having a trainer there to push us has really helped. I admit, when I work out on my own sometimes, I just do half-hearted attempts for the sake of getting it over with. I'm grateful that we've been given the chance to train with a pro.

Anyway, I pushed myself extra hard last night, and to reward myself, I've already booked a 90-minute deep tissue massage for tonight. Perfect timing, because right now, it even hurts to walk.

Until next time, my Belles! And ideally not too long from now!

I'm pretty proud that I actually followed through with the No Junk Food Challenge, the last BelleToday Challenge, up until the very last day. Last Friday night, we had a company basketball tournament. I was so tired that I reluctantly turned down dinner invitations and headed straight home. I knew that my brother's birthday cake was in the fridge, but since it was only Friday, and hence not part of my Wed-Sat-Sun dessert schedule, I obliged and brushed my teeth right after I'd finished showering.

You see, as I wrote in my previous entry, I'd gone on a junk food and alcohol binge, and the horrible consequence was that I got eight fresh pimples. (Of course, I didn't write about it then, so I wouldn't draw unwarranted attention to them!)  I'd never gotten so many new zits at one time, not even when I was a stressed out student. That was more than enough to scare me out of my wits and follow the final BelleToday Challenge. That also shows you how much one's diet contributes to one's looks!

So, with the challenge completed, I treated myself to a facial and diamond peel at Skin Dermatology, inside The Spa at Bonifacio High Street. And I have to say, it was the best facial I've had—the room was gorgeous, the products smelled and felt lovely (Pevonia, I assume), and the aesthetician had a feather-light touch. I didn't have any marks on my face after the extraction. Today, I noticed something different about me; I actually looked....nice, if I may say so. And then I remembered I did go for a facial yesterday.

Yes, in real life, the rooms really look like this. Photo courtesy of The Spa's website.

I also celebrated my success in the most fitting (by which I mean, ironic) way possible—with a quarter-pound cheeseburger and fries at Cav Wine Shop and Café around the block.

I look forward to the weekends to keep me sane, after all.

I wrote last week that I have failed all three BelleToday challenges so far—no-sweets, steps, and water.

Or have I really?

It's amazing—those challenges have already passed; but because of the duration at which we were doing them, a week at a time, my habits as of late have been influenced by the challenges.

One example—before the no-sweets challenge, my breakfast and snack would always be something sweet, if not made of refined carbs. White bread, cake, cookies, and the like.

Since then, I no longer crave for something sweet when I wake up. I've increasingly switched to more savory food or at least on to slightly better carb choices for mid-meal snacks.

I've also stopped my daily desserts and alcoholic drinks. I'm going back to my old habit of a drink once a week and desserts thrice a week. The challenges helped me curb those bad habits and open me up to healthier options.

I was already good with both water and exercise even before the challenges started, but sweets have always been my biggest hurdle. I don't expect to quit sweets any time soon, but relearning to limit them is the little step I can do for better health.

Be sure to also read Laarni's blog on the community aspect of group challenges!

This challenge couldn't have come at a better time for me! Just last week, I was thinking to myself, "I really have to stop eating so much $%@#," after I've been loading up on fried food, meat, fat, sweets, and alcohol this past month.

It's going to be easy for me, since I rarely eat junk food, instant food, and fast food these days. But I'd also like to take the opportunity to be more mindful of my intake of fried food, sweets, and alcohol this week. The problem with me is that I can get away with it, because it doesn't show on the scale. Still, I can't help but think that there's this "heavy" feeling that I get from eating unhealthy food.

I actually used to be a voracious junk food eater, during my childhood and student days. I was capable of eating three-quarters of a bag of Ruffles potato chips WITH a tub of Philadelphia cream cheese as a dip. Really, really gross, I know.

Then, when I made the decision to lose weight, that's when I figured, I have to stop eating junk food, or at least stop eating so much of it in one sitting.

Just like that. Cold turkey. I didn't have trouble with quitting my junk food habit. No cravings, no problem.

I used to associate eating junk food with watching TV, so I would mindlessly be close to eating an entire large bag of chips. One of my resolutions as well while losing weight was to stop mindless eating situations. I very rarely bring snacks into movie theaters.

Another thing that helped me curb my junk food eating habit was to read the nutritional labels and ingredients list. If that won't be enough to scare you off eating junk food, I don't know what else would be. Look at the calories, fat, and sodium content of those snacks...as well as all those unpronounceable ingredients! Imagine putting all that in your body!

But I do admit, I do sometimes grab a handful of junk food from time to time; often only at parties or in social situations. My particular favorite right now would be cheddar jalapeño Cheetos. I've also employed a trick—when I can no longer taste the flavor of the junk food, that's when I stop eating.

Gone are the days when I would resort to them as merienda. And somehow, since I've done so, I haven't had a weight problem. That just goes to show that the quality of your food definitely matters!

Long time, no update during these past two challenge weeks, Belles. We've been busy with soooo many new changes cooking up here at BelleToday.com.ph.

First, my report on the 7x7 Challenge, last 6-12 February:

As you can see, I only mustered three days of over 7,000 steps. The thought of running for over 30 minutes just to reach the goal was so unappealing for me, because I've already done it for years, and I know I'm bored with it.

As for this week's Nothing But Water Challenge....

I've been cheating from the start.

On Monday, I woke up early in the morning to be able to watch a live basketball game. I feigned ignorance of the challenge and had a cup of coffee at breakfast, to keep me up during the day.

On Tuesday, I gave this no-coffee thing a shot, only to end up very groggy through the morning. I was muttering to myself that coffee was just a placebo, in hopes of jolting myself awake. It didn't seem to work, as I struggled to stay alert while I was driving to work...and I ended up nearly colliding with another speeding car (I was also speeding) at an uncontrolled intersection. I had to slam my brakes just to avoid running into the stupid driver. (I had the right of way, since I was going in a straight line, while the other car was turning onto the road.)

Anyway, that was when I decided that no silly challenge was worth risking my life or my car. Who would pay for my car repairs, had I gotten into an accident? The team? Pfft. Maybe coffee does have a mere placebo effect on me, but I would rather experiment on mornings when I wouldn't have to drive!

The point of the whole Nothing But Water Challenge anyway was to get us to drink at least eight glasses of water, which I do a very good job of anyway. I am not dismissing the challenge at all, but do forgive me for erring on the side of paranoia.

On to next week's challenge then. After failing all three challenges so far, I have to seriously make up for it next week!