We’re now on the fourth instalment of Woman We Love here on the blog and if you haven’t figured out the common denominator among the last three amazing women I got to write about, you should check them out through the links at the bottom of this blog post. I’ve had the privilege of bonding with the girls of Encantadia 2016 and got to know each of them on a more personal level.
This week is all about Glaiza de Castro, aka Sang’gre Pirena on the upcoming re-make of GMA Network’s Encantadia.
I literally took Glaiza for a spin when we joined an indoor cycling class at Saddle Row with one of their instructors, Pattie Poniente.
A full cycling class at Saddle Row is about 45 minutes long. But because of schedule constraints, we asked Pattie to cut it down to just 30 minutes and she willingly did so saying she was going to give us an “Express Class”. I thought it was gonna be a breeze.
Cut to…
Yep. It wasn’t a breeze. But it was tons of fun, though. Can you see how much I sweat in her class? Let’s wind it back just a little bit.
Glaiza and I came in fresh and smiling and walked out SOAKED in sweat, but still smiling! Haha It was her first time to try an indoor cycling class and it was MY first time to take Saddle Row’s Resistance class.
Although it was her first, Glaiza didn’t have much problem keeping up with the challenges on the bike.
Mind you, the class that we took included your usual sprints, uphill (high resistance on the bike), upper body and core movements but with the addition of resistance bands.
Pattie didn’t let us off easy even as we came closer to the end of the class. My arms were sore the next day from all the pulsing we did with the bands.
It was a pretty intense workout that Glaiza and I ended up wondering how much more challenging it could have been if we had the full 45 minutes to do it.
There was practically a pool of sweat around me, so I couldn’t deny the difficulty of the workout. Glaiza was sweaty after too ,but I wondered why she seemed so strong. I got the answers when I we sat down to chat after the sweat session.
FROM TRYING TO TAKING CHARGE
About three years ago, Glaiza started working out. She did Muay Thai, she went running and tried different types of exercises with a goal to get thin. She was pressured by the fact that her job required her to be thin especially because the television added 10 more pounds to her real weight. While she tried, she didn’t really stay on track. It wasn’t easy to keep going when her only motivation was to become thin. Each time she hit her target weight, she went back to her unhealthy habits again.
It was only in December last year that she decided to become fit and healthy inside-out. She challenged herself not to take advantage of the Holiday feasting. She ate, but with controlled portions and won over her cravings.
When news about the Encantadia auditions came, she pushed herself further combining proper diet and nutrition with personal training and consistent exercise.
Glaiza works out with a personal trainer and she proudly admits that this is the first time she has ever been consistent with her health and fitness habits and so far these are reflecting on her performance on set and in her workouts. She’s happy because her personal goals are aligned with what is needed from her to play the role of Sang’gre Pirena with ease.
She says the whole cast of Encantadia is preparing themselves for the project. “First day of taping ko, may fight scene agad eh”, She says, stressing that they do not just prepare themselves emotionally but also physically for the demands of the series. Glaiza believes this project has taught her to stay on her toes, not just to relax, and continue to hit her personal fitness goals even off-set.
HER TIPS ON HITTING THOSE GOALS HARD:
- Prepare your meals. Nothing beats bringing your own baon. Glaiza is known for bringing her own food to the set of Encantadia. She loves Sweet Potato (Camote) Fries, Cauliflower Rice, Quinoa, Broccoli and other sorts of vegetables in her meals.
- Plan Ahead. If you know busy days are ahead, plan your workout schedule and get ready to really squeeze in your workouts whenever you can. Glaiza’s current schedule still allows her to work out often but once taping goes on full blast, she expects to have less time to train. As early as now, she has blocked off days and times for her to train in between taping days.
- If you can’t beat them, get them to join you. One of the biggest challenges in a Filipino household is how everyone seems to eat more high-fat, meat dishes or fried food with steamed white rice. Something we all know can easily drive our diets down the gutter. Glaiza influences her family to serve better meals little by little. She started by getting them to eat brown rice instead of white and eating less meat. She has completely eliminated pork and beef in her diet and is focused on adding more veggies to what she eats. Influence your family, friend, officemates to eat better quality of food with you and you just might find it easier to sustain healthier habits.
Catch Glaiza de Castro as she plays Sang’gre Pirena on the upcoming remake of Encantadia, airing in July 2016! Follow her on Instagram, @glaizaredux, to get inspired!
Take a peek at our workout on my Instagram account and follow me there if you haven’t yet!
Others on the Woman We Love Series (The Sang’gres):
Photos shot at Saddle Row 2F Serendra Piazza, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Find them on Facebook or Follow them on Instagram to know more about their class offerings and check their weekly schedule.
