Fitness is this thing that I’ve wanted to really put in my system for a very long time. Friends usually ask me if I hit the gym regularly, but honestly, no. I guess I’m just one of those lucky guys who does have the capacity to burn fats faster, and I am very thankful for that. As I recall the last time I hit the gym was two or three weeks ago. But now that I’m in my 30s, I know I have to be more conscious about my health and fitness.
With my kind of lifestyle, committing to being and staying fit is somehow difficult. But with the right determination and will power, very achievable. It is not just about proper scheduling and time management, but food also plays an important role in whatever kind of fitness journey I’ll be taking.
A few months ago, I was lucky enough to meet the Tao Tribe team. I realized being part of this group could help me boost that drive to attain a body like an athlete. Every now and then, members of the Tao tribe calls out for a group training in different parts of Manila, doing different kinds of workouts from a simple run to those hardcore Obstacle Sports runs. It was hard to keep up with these people but it was still a good thing that I’m trying.
(1) Tao Tribe Team doing a birthday workout courtesy of Rubie Gyn (2) Will Devaughn giving a motivation to the team (3) I’m dying keeping up with them
Leading the pack are some of the top and known personalities in the fitness arena whom I become friends with over time. I was privileged to learn a lot from the members, from the basic exercises up to doing the more complex exercise routines. And of course an important part in every fitness journey – the food.
Tao Tribe Team (George Irineu, Sam Ajdani, Noel Agra, Eduardo Lara and Hideo Muraoka)
Having the right food is essential whether you’re planning to lose or gain weight. I know you have heard it a lot of times already but as they say it, it is always 30% workout, 70% food.
And when we talk about food for fitness, it is best to ask those people who are already doing it. A friend of mine who is a Model and Bodybuilder, Anjo Ressureccion, says when he decided to start embracing fitness as his lifestyle, he made potatoes as his staple food especially when he is competing. Potatoes have become his main source of carbs.
“Potatoes are good source of complex carbohydrates that an athlete needs as their fuel or energy for their daily exercises/workouts. For bodybuilding, complex carbs break down slowly to keep your insulin and blood sugar balanced which then it reduces the body’s need to store fat.”
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Chef and an avid obstacle course racer, Noel Agra, who is also part of the Tao Tribe Team knows that, “Potatoes have more potassium than bananas and have high Vitamin C content, it only gets a bad rep because we prepare potatoes in an unhealthy way by frying them most of the time, But it really has a lot of micronutrients plus it keeps you full.”
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Most of my friends who are into fitness might have different ways on fulfilling their body goals, but I realized that they all have something in common, and that is, they all eat the right kind of food like potatoes.
Climbing every mountain with US potato-packed power
For members of the UP Mountaineers, perhaps the country’s most popular mountaineering organization, some adventures were meant to be savored by the palate. To spur culinary creativity, the UP Mountaineers came up with the UPM Kalawang Chef, a challenge that dares teams to raise the game in their outdoor cookery.
Contestants must incorporate a secret ingredient revealed only at the start of the cook-off. This year, the competition was held at the UP Vanguard and the mountain-climbing cooks were presented with their most nutritionally packed food to date, US potatoes.
Contestants were challenged to think beyond canned, convenience food and consider what US potatoes could offer in the great outdoors. Here is a fat-free, sodium-free and gluten- free ingredient with as little as 110 calories per medium-sized serving.
Coach Edsel Segovia, a strength and conditioning expert, gave a presentation on US Potatoes for Health and Nutritional Performance to some 70 members of the UPM.
Edsel Segovia, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a National Strength and Conditioning Certified Personal Trainer (CSCS, NSCA-CPT) started things off in the challenge with a brief talk on fitness and proper nutrition.
Mountaineers and their guests later learned more as Potatoes USA presented a US mashed potato buffet, to further highlight that potatoes are versatile ingredients.
UPM Member Category – 1st Place – Team Young Mom – Dish No. 3 – Potato Snowballs
UPM Member Category – 3rd Place – Team Pocheness – Dish No. 2 – Pork Pochero with Creamy Potato & Tomato Sauce
UPM Applicant Category – 1st Place – Team Be-Ol-Ya – Dish No. 2 – Shepherd’s Pie in a Bread Blow
Perhaps with the next climb, trek or hike, more mountaineering enthusiasts will perceive US potatoes in a new way, and keep a healthy stash ready for camp.
Know your Superfood Potatoes
US potatoes are now in the country thanks to Potatoes USA-Philippines, the organization tasked with making these particular taters known. US frozen, table stock and dehydrated potatoes are available in the local market, ready for different recipes running from main dishes to snacks, soups, salads and desserts.
Dedicated growers in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture help ensure that only the best potatoes in different varieties make it to dining tables worldwide. And, high quality potatoes are specially selected for processing into frozen and dehydrated potato products.
US potatoes are already classified as a superfood, a nutrient-dense food that can help fuel huge exertions from physical exercise and movement. Potatoes are high in potassium, even more so than a banana, and are also full of vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, iron and magnesium. Prepared with the skin on, US potatoes are true power-ups. Potato skins are a great nutrition source of proteins, phytochemicals and amino acids, especially lysine. Lysine promotes healthy organ and muscle growth, and also helps convert fat into energy.
For more information on US potatoes, and how it can power up physical and mental performance, visit www.potatogoodness.com/performance/ or like and follow Potatoes USA-Philippines on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PotatoesUSAPhilippines/.
https://www.potatogoodness.com/performance/
www.potatoesusa.com
