Tag Archives | natural health
January 24, 2012

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naturalhealth.ph

Find What Works

I had a breakfast meeting with an older gentleman yesterday, and as it is when spending time with people who know more than you, I walked away with more than a few nuggets of wisdom. One of the things we talked about was how simple living actually makes for healthier living. We talked about how different the world has become. These days we have so many options that it has become hard, even stressful, to choose. Worse, we jump from option to option, fad to fad, diet to diet, breakthrough workout to breakthrough workout, supplement to supplement, sport to sport, and sometimes, gym to gym. The main problem here is that we don’t stick to anything long enough to get really excellent results.

Don’t get me wrong. I love doing a lot of things. I play quite a few different sports, paint, play the piano, write, have a few businesses, teach a business workshop and have since taken up programming among other things. But I’ve arranged them all in an orderly sequence of daily events and alter as necessary. As much as possible I stick to a predetermined schedule set way ahead and plan around anchor activities. With all my different activities, a relatively rigid schedule allows me to enjoy my different interests and spend enough time on them to grow. As for health, I try keep my diet simple, use natural products when I can, take at least 6 capsules of squalene everyday, oil-pull with virgin coconut oil, run regularly, and workout at home. I don’t spend a lot and I feel good. Two other things that are very very integral to me are deliberate gratefulness and earnest prayer. I try my best to live right but, to be very honest, I know how incapable I am because of my many physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual weaknesses. I’m glad to have found a Father who is more than able to make up for what I lack.

This is what works for me.

While it may work for others, it may not work for a lot of people. We all have different needs, interests and contexts. You need to find what system works for you. But just to be clear, you still need a system, a disciplined way of operating in the different areas of your life. Why? Because without ordering ourselves, our lives will naturally slip into disorder.

I thought your promote Natural Health+?
Yes, it is. We promote natural AND health. But what has become natural to us, the fastfood, stressful work, pollution in the environment and media, were never intended for us. That’s why they make us unhealthy. Food was meant to be enjoyed. Work was meant to be fulfilling. The environment was meant to be sustain us. And media, which are simply ways of storing and transmitting information, was meant to document our development and pass on a legacy of knowledge and wisdom. Our lives have become very un-natural. That is why shifting to a simple life is so difficult.

So find what works for you. By that, I don’t mean do whatever you want. What I mean is, find that consistent, disciplined, and effective system by which you can achieve your purpose, enjoy life, and stay healthy. And when you do, COMMIT.

Visit us for more from Natural Health+.

October 11, 2011

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What's It Worth?

Business Dashboard

I remember my first day at the Issho Genki office, I was 23 years old, excited, scared, and clueless. Of course clueless sometimes helps. When you’re clueless you don’t realize that taking over a company mired in debt with very little cash is career suicide. Or was it? Sure it was difficult, sure it was stressful, and sure it took time but it wasn’t suicide after all. It was more like a rebirth.

I’m convinced that, just like my business, many businesses need some sort of rebirthing or restructuring or remodelling or even a re-imagining. It probably is nothing drastic, sometimes it’s just one tweak that leads to incredible returns. Whether it’s a tiny adjustment or an overhaul we need an instrument that will help us effectively monitor, evaluate, and adjust our businesses depending on the situation.

This is where a dashboard comes in. A dashboard, just like the one we find in cars, is a tool that helps us monitor and regulate how we drive, in this case, how we drive our businesses. Here are some thoughts on dashboards:

A dashboard doesn’t have to be complex, in fact, it shouldn’t be. It should just contain the essentials. You can always go deeper if you want to but at the very least the basics are covered.

A dashboard’s elements should be easily identifiable and easy to recognize. The whole point of having a dashboard is to monitor and adjust. Many times when our metrics are too complicated we get lost in them rather than use them.

A dashboard should be visual. There’s just something about being able to see things. Our businesses cannot remain in the abstract and conceptual it has to be executed at some point, so having a visual guide helps.

A dashboard is dynamic. This is what makes a dashboard different from a road map. A road map is set with fixed points. A dashboard is changing and adapting to the current situation.

A few years later since that scary first day at Issho Genki, after so many mistakes and miracles, I have started 2 more businesses (Natural Healh+ and SOLUSYO), and have helped coach others with their own careers, startups, and distressed businesses. It’s my small way of giving back the kindness my own mentors have shown me and helping others avoid the mistakes I made.

Since more and more people have been asking for it, we have decided to make it available as a class at the Modern Academy in Fort Bonifacio starting next month. We have limited slots and a few are reserved already so be sure to get a spot early.

Looking forward to discussing your business with you. If you’d like to reserve a slot or want more details please email Jenny Yrasuegui (pronounced “eerasuwegi”) at jenyrasuegui@gmail.com.

August 22, 2011

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naturalhealth.ph

How I Stay Healthy Cheaply

There’s a common misconception that living a healthy lifestyle is expensive. It can be expensive depending on how we approach it, especially if we add expensive gym memberships, fancy outfits, commercial energy bars and drinks, as well the latest craze equipment and books. But this can’t be true. I’m proof of that.

Being a young entrepreneur, I don’t have much of a disposable income. In fact, sometimes, there is no income. I’m trying to pay myself better this year (something I learned is actually a good practice for small business owners), but most of that still goes to paying mortgage. I can’t afford a lot of the fancy things out there but I still need to be healthy, so let me share with you my guide to being healthy cheaply.

Tip #1: Focus on the Basics
Many people spend so much money on the latest fitness or weight-loss craze. I’ve realized more can be achieved by just covering the basics. Here are some examples:

- You won’t need to spend money on losing weight if you’re already at your natural level because of a healthy diet of moderation and balance.
- You won’t need to spend on hospital bills, treatments, pills and other medication because your body is healing and regulating itself and is fed with the right nutrients and naturally flushes out toxins with a lot of water.
- You don’t need all sorts of stress and depression medicine or shrinks because you simply rest when you have to rest, don’t take on too much, and lift your worries to God in prayer.

In other words, before jumping into the next craze check the following:
1. Diet – am I eating right?
2. Water – am I drinking enough?
3. Rest – am I sleeping enough?
4. Less Stress – am I doing too much?
5. Nutrition – what supplements can I add to my already healthy diet?

You’ll notice that the 5 things I wrote above can be found relatively cheaply. 2 of them (rest and less stress) are actually achieved for free.

Tip #2: Look for Free / Low-Cost Alternatives
Instead of a gym, invest in dumbbells and faithfully do exercises at home. Use the stairs. Use your body weight (like with pushups and crunches). Ask friends for tips, or watch YouTube videos on how to do your form right. You’ll save so much from working out at home. No more parking. No more extra drinks, or special towels, or fancy outfits, or locker fees, or irritating mirror Adonises. You can even workout naked if you want – just make sure your room is locked and curtains drawn.

I used to buy a lot of those protein and energy bars. But these days, I go for eggs, nuts, and milk more. Instead of expensive probiotic pills, my friend, Alex Van Hagen, gives my his extra Kefir. My treadmill was moved to my parents’ house and I now run for free outside. I don’t even join races anymore. Why pay to run when you can run for free? Unless of course you believe in the cause.

Tip #3: Be A Regular Customer and Ask For Discounts
At the risk of sounding super cheap, discounts are something I definitely ask for. The best way to health is to be consistent, and since this pretty much means entering a routine, you can forecast what food, supplements, or other expenses you’ll have. Because of this, you can now become a regular consumer of certain products, and as you build loyalty, you can ask for discounts. A faster way to achieve this is to buy a year’s worth and ask for a volume discount. This is what I do because things are much cheaper. Of course you have to commit to using what you purchased or that would be the biggest waste of all.

Tip #4: Just Be Consistent
I tell myself this and I tell my staff the same thing: just do the things you have to do over and over better and better and you’ll breakthrough. You don’t need to jump from one health fad to the next. Just pick one and faithfully see it through. You don’t need to always be part of the latest. The old works just as well when done consistently.

I would have saved some money if I knew this earlier. So learn from my mistakes and take my advice. Being healthy doesn’t have to be financially expensive. All it takes is desire, resourcefulness, and a whole lot of commitment.

Read more at Naturalhealth.ph

June 13, 2011

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naturalhealth.ph

Going for A Profitable Life

One of the main questions people ask me (especially business people) is “How does Natural Health+ make money?” Many time this is quickly followed by “Is it even profitable?”

Being a young businessman, I do understand by now the need for a business to become sustainably profitable as quickly as it can. But being the alternative thinker that I am, I also believe that profitability isn’t always financial.

(I can now imagine my partners groaning.)

To be profitable means more than just it’s most popular definition: “money-making”. To be profitable can mean “yielding benefit” or “useful”, or in my favorite way of saying things “delivering value”.

For Natural Health+, profit for us has been agreed upon to be able to deliver the following:

For Customers:
1. Great selection of naturally healthy products and services
2. Well-packaged, well-prepared products and services
3. All of this at an affordable price

For Partners:
1. Production support (financial and technical support)
2. Marketing support (access to our distribution channels and market strategy)
3. Profitable relationship (of course we have to make money!)

You’ll notice that our strategy for affordability is all about giving to our customers and our partners real value. The goal of Natural Health+ was always to be profitable but not in the traditional sense. While I know we’re economically feasible, the goal of Natural Health+ is to allow people, specifically those in the Philippines (including me), to live healthy lives – naturally. If we’re able to do that then I would consider this a success.

Part of being healthy is living a balanced life, and part of living a balanced life is knowing that life is more than just about financial profit. My encouragement for you this week is to live a profitably balanced life. Work hard, be healthy, enjoy great relationships, and be grateful to God in everything. There’s nothing complicated about it. Like anyone else, I have my challenged and problems, but I try to keep my perspective right.

It’s easier said than done but it’s well worth it.

For more health articles visit naturalhealth.ph

May 31, 2011

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naturalhealth.ph

Health Doesn’t Have to be Complicated

Health doesn’t have to be weird. It doesn’t have to be unreachable, or impossible, or expensive. That’s what we at Natural Health+ believe at least. Part of the motivation for starting Natural Health+ was to be able to bring in our favorite all-natural health products for our own use to share with friends at a reasonable price. It didn’t make sense to us why nature’s gifts at its purest form was always so expensive to enjoy when obtained from popular chains.

Think about it.

People in the provinces, in areas where fruit trees and herbal plants are abundant, enjoy the health benefits of these products at very low cost. Many of them literally just pluck their vitamins of trees. Of course that’s not so possible in cities but there is a way to make health more accessible to every day people like me.

Ayurveda
Among the many health disciplines around the world, the oldest is Ayurveda which stands for “life science”. I’m not into the mystical side of Ayurveda (like I said, I want something simple), but a health system that has been around for centuries must be doing something right. We’ll be featuring more articles, contributions, and Ayurvedic products.

More at Natural Health+

May 24, 2011

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naturalhealth.ph

Free Luxuries

I did something different today. Instead of going straight to work after my 6:00am prayer, I packed my laptop, iPad, and mobile phone, along with all the papers to sign and went for a walk. It was still around 6:45 when I left my apartment building and the Coffee Bean down the street wouldn’t be open until 7am so I walked slower than usual, kept my mind free of concerns, and just enjoyed watching the morning unfold.

I was reminded of the free luxuries available to us, free luxuries that are actually healthy to enjoy. Peaceful mornings, concern-free sleep, the green on grass, the brilliant hues on petals, and the sight of other living things remind us to value the gift of life itself.

Enjoying life and being healthy don’t have to be expensive. A lot of benefit can actually come from free things that come when we learn to slow down, be grateful, content, and continue to hope.

As you read and enjoy our articles, remember to enjoy the free luxuries available to you every single day.
For more natural health articles visit naturalhealth.ph

January 25, 2011

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naturalhealth.ph

Lay A Foundation Of Health

Before anything else, Happy New Year! This first month of the year has been a time of recalibration and setting of priorities for Natural Health+. Among the new things we’re bringing in this 2011 is a line of certified organic from the land of Ayurveda: India. This is an exciting range with the best teas and natural supplements I’ve tried. As many of you know, Ayurveda is the oldest health system. Practitioners of Ayurveda have been refining this thing for centuries.

To start this year off, I’d like to encourage you to lay a foundation of health for yourself. Being healthy opens up many opportunities to experience new things. Some of you have probably wondered what it feels like to run a marathon, or climb a mountain, or go sailing, or even have the energy to complete the day. The good news is these are all within your reach. Here are some tips to help you lay a foundation of health for 2011 and for the rest of your life:

1. Start today. Don’t put this off. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t be complacent. Don’t worry about whether you’re ready. Just start. Many times the first step is the most difficult, so get that out of the way by beginning your healthy life right now. How? When you have your next meal skip the high sugar drinks, don’t overeat, and stay away from processed food. But don’t start tomorrow or next week. Start right now.

2. Start small. I wrote an article on my blog davidbonifacio.com about How to Eat an Elephant. I wrote about how big things can be achieved through small increments. We all like to make grand resolutions and buy a lot of equipment, but instead I suggest that you start as small as possible and build your way up.

3. Start with someone. It’s no secret that working together with others helps keep us accountable and motivated. Find someone who is also willing to commit to laying their own healthy foundation

4. Start learning. You don’t have to know everything to start. No one ever does. Start by reading our articles, asking us questions, or buying a book on health. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing, but there’s no reason why we can’t enlighten ourselves.

I myself have decided to prepare more of my meals instead of always eating out. Slowly I’m equipping my kitchen and looking up recipes. Someday I’ll have more things and eating healthy home-prepared meals will be second nature. In the meantime, like you hopefully, I’m taking small steps to lay down a foundation of health.

For similar articles visit us at Natural Health+

November 8, 2010

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naturalhealth.ph

With a Little Help from My Friends

NATURAL FITNESS COMING SOON!
I just finished a meeting with my friend and fitness expert Dr. John Cuay. He’ll be in charge of naturalhealth.ph’s Fitness category when we launch it at the end of the month. John is better known as the instructor to the beauty queens and was responsible for sculpting the bodies of some of the Philippines’ most beautiful women including Venus Raj who did very well at the last Ms. Universe. He was actually the one who introduced me to the TRX before it got popular here. I was at a camp for kids where John was helping out when I asked him what I could to stay fit without having to leave the house. He has many ideas regarding this and Natural Fitness will be all about getting and staying fit in a way that’s practical and natural.

Running Around the City
Last Friday, I, along with naturalhealth.ph contributors Paul Pajo (Health Geek) and Tina Pamintuan (Healthy Appetite, COMING SOON!), tested the 10km route for the Real LIFE Foundation’s Race for LIFE 2010 that will be held this week at Fort Bonifacio.

Since we all have work, Tina at her restratunt L’incontro, Paul as a professor, and me at Issho Genki, we agreed to meet late in the evening and start from the Every Nation building. What I forgot to mention to Tina was that we would be running on the Edsa-Buendia flyover, which isn’t such a bad route, but running it in the rain with cars whizzing by can be quite discomforting for people who are not used to running with traffic.

To make a long story short, we survived, but we had to alter our route to avoid running through the overpass.

We followed this up with a nice Japanese dinner and excellent conversation.

With a Little Help from my Friends
The two stories above capture what naturalhealth.ph is all about: a group of people helping each other and others to live naturally healthy lives. Health doesn’t have to be mysterious; you can ask us or one of our friends. It doesn’t have to be expensive; you can mix higher-priced high products with lower-cost but just as effective natural ones. Finally, health doesn’t have to be inconvenient; you can do it at home, make it a part of your life, and even enjoy free delivery. There’s just so many ways to be healthy these days, and naturalhealth.ph is just one way we hope will not just inspire you to be healthy but actually be a resource.

Another thing I want to underscore is the importance of having relationships that push you to become a better version of yourself. I get to meet a lot of people but my closest friends are those who won’t settle for mediocrity just because it’s more fun or convenient, and they’re not the type who’ll let me settle either. My closest friends and I push and encourage each other to move a little forward, reach a little higher, dream a little bigger, and work a little harder to enjoy better lives.

I hope that as you work on getting healthier, that you surround yourself with people who care about you enough to partner with you, and even more, that you would be that friend who will help others as friends are supposed to do – naturally.

For more health articles visit naturalhealth.ph.

Naturalhealth.ph
Be Healthy – Naturally!

October 1, 2010

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naturalhealth.ph

Running in the Rain

“Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.”

I like running in the rain. I actually prefer it to running under the heat of the sun. I like it because it takes me back to a time when running was purest for me, when it wasn’t about my personal best, or the distance, or my outfit, but simply about enjoying myself and having a good time.

It’s with that picture, that picture of running in the rain as a kid, that I begin this section on www.naturalhealth.ph. I wanted to write about one of my passions, health, but I also wanted to approach it the way children approach anything: with curiosity, excitement, and fun.

Being healthy is very important. But just because something is important doesn’t mean it can’t be something that intrigues, excites, and brings joy.

It’s really a matter of perspective. If health to you is about starving and dying in the gym then you’ll never probably ever really sustain anything long enough to be healthy. But if it’s about discovering yourself, your body, your capabilities, and enjoying a better way of living then you’ll see the disciplines differently.

If you’d like to interact more with me or have questions feel free to add me on Twitter: davidbonifacio or Facebook. I may not be able to answer all of you but I will try.

Wishing you all a lifetime of health – naturally.

You can read more articles at my Natural Health Philippines Blog here.