By: Sherry Tenorio
When Pilar Angela Paraiso started talking about her first encounter – after 12 years – with steak, we paid full attention. She tells her seemingly mundane story – about her dietary vacillations – with so much verve that we were ineffably drawn in. Bubbles (as she’s more popularly known), recounted how she journeyed from being an ovo-lacto vegetarion (after watching a PETA documentary) to a full-on carnivore. This shift is not without a plausible explanation, however. Her newest passion – triathlons – compels her to predominantly gorge on protein to better equip her slow-twitch muscles and give her strength.
“After I joined my first triathlon race, I was advised to eat meat to get stronger for my training. I didn’t want to, but I began feeling dizzy and weak. When I went to see my doctor, I was I told I had anemia. So, it was a choice of eating meat or taking heavy protein supplement for my body. So, I heeded, and ate steak – it tasted weird but I liked it. I actually felt bad, but I really liked it,” she narrated with bubbly candor.
Prior to becoming a triathlete, this gorgeous model-slash-artista already had an active lifestyle: she is a Muay Thai enthusiast and a practicing yogi (she also co-owns Beyond Yoga in Serendra). Bubbles confessed that she had to give up Muay Thai after participating in triathlons. I’ve been into Muay Thai it since 2005, but I had to make the difficult choice to discontinue it since it would be very taxing for my body doing all these different disciplines. So, now, I focus on yoga and triathlons.”
We asked Bubbles which between her two passions she loves more. “My passion is still yoga. Whenever I’m teaching yoga class and practicing, it makes me happy. While, triathlon keeps me sane – I become more competitive with myself when I run, swim and bike. Both are very meditative, which I like. When I run, I can’t run with music, so like with yoga, I have to internalize how to push myself to the limit.”
She added while flashing her pretty smile, “I remember my first race, I was like screaming inside ‘ayoko na!’. I was questioning myself why I was doing it, and why I even paid for it. I was in the middle of the race, and I wanted to stop. But, at the same time, I told myself ‘I’m here because I can’. So, I pushed myself, and crossed the finish line. I was crying.”
More than the physical changes, her passions also positively influence her emotions and spirit. Being active shapes the body and enhances flexibility, and it shapes the mind and nurtures one’s being. According to Bubbles, yoga taught her how to pace life slowly and become more forgiving. Meanwhile, after joining triathlons, she became less conscious of how she eats. “My concept of beauty changed so much after becoming a triathlete. Before, I couldn’t leave the house without full-on makeup. Now, cheek tint lang, masaya na ako. And, before, it was always about being skinny. Now, I just want to be fit. I would look at my old pictures, and I would see a skinny girl who was weak and had less energy. Before, I ate only five times a week. Now, I eat five times a day. And, it’s more than okay because I burn what I eat,” the stunning kids’ yoga teacher said.
Yet, the kikay will always be a kikay. Her honest crack, “I admit the there are days when I miss being dolled up. So, I would go to the grocery and dress up like a Stepford wife. There was a time when after a race, I would run to my hotel room and quickly change into a swimsuit which I paired with a dainty skirt. I would tell my teammates, I’d dress like a triathlete when I race, but I’d dress like myself when I get my medal. So, I did!”
Bubbles’ true beauty surfaces when she seeks herself from within. With the help of her hard work and commitment to following an active and fit lifestyle, her inner glow radiates. Bubbles may not be the skinny model that she used to be, but people look up to her now for her incandescent beauty that radiates and influences.
Know more about Bubbles’ journey toward improving her core, in our continuing series for this month of February.
Next week, learn how yoga helped Bubbles heal a broken heart.
Guest Editor ERICA PAREDES
Photography DIX PEREZ
Videography ANDREW APUYA
Makeup AMANDA PADILLA
Hair JET BABAS
Fashion Styling MATT PANES
Special thanks to MillenX for the active sportswear
