Having fun gets you fit: Ask Jeena Lopez

MANILA, Philippines - For most of us, it’s difficult to imagine that fitness is less than being obsessively dedicated about the rigors and routines of working out.

And then, we meet a fit woman who laughs our obsessions off.

One look at her makes us wonder if she’s even serious. Her abs, after all, contradict a life of moderation — but Jeena Lopez, the active equestrienne, social butterfly, entrepreneur and owner of Headware, and mother of Blade, Sabrina and Isis, assures us that she is as balanced as it gets.

“Sometimes, I won’t work out for five days and just work at the Headware office, then it all catches up with me,” she says, revealing that she has no fitness program at all (which leaves a lot of us gasping, and then shaking our heads in confusion). “I’m a spontaneous ‘get fit’ person. I believe that moderation in everything can still help you achieve a healthy lifestyle. When I gain a few pounds and my pants get tight, I force myself to work out continuously and diet a few days (or more) and I lose those pounds. I see my horse and then do yoga; how can that not be fun? Then all that creates space in my mind to work again and think of new ideas for Headware.”

Health is not obsession — Say what?

In Jeena’s book, “health” and “obsession” are two words that don’t necessarily go together. She says: “Sometimes being healthy includes indulging in pleasures in life, like chocolates, or cake and especially alcoholic beverages. Those things may not keep my body that healthy but keep my mind happy and healthy.”

Indulging? Chocolates? Cake? Alcohol? Is this woman for real?

It can’t be. Impossible!

Anjaneyasana, also known as the Crescent Lunge pose: this stretches the chest, lungs, shoulders, neck and belly areas. It also strengthens shoulders and arms, as well as the back muscles. The same pose also helps strengthen and stretch the thighs and calves area, making runners more flexible when they run.

A closer look on her day-to-day activities reveals a picture of a busy woman. Of course, to call Jeena average would be lying — there’s nothing normal when your schedule is as packed as hers: she starts her day at 7 a.m., when her kids wake Jeena up before they go to school. (Sometimes she gets an extra hour of sleep, sometimes she jumps straight out of bed.)

Between 8:30 and 10 a.m., she does a bit of horseback riding, after which she heads back home to shower. Next on her itinerary is throwing herself at work in her office. She is the managing partner of Headware, a very new and completely Filipino-owned brand. She works until late in the afternoon, but manages to squeeze in lunch with her friends, lots of errands and then rushes back home to be with her kids to help them with their homework, have family dinner together, then it’s off to bed they go.

On certain occasions, Jeena goes out for a late dinner or a movie with her friends. By 1 a.m., she’s tucked in for a few hours’ rest until the grind starts again in a bit.

On weekends, she is usually out of town paragliding with her friends or at the beach with the kids. Work hard and play hard.

Um, she must have a secret, right?

The trick: It’s all in your head

Perhaps discovering yoga a year ago at Bliss Yoga Manila was crucial in reinforcing the balance that she cultivated in her life.

“Yoga of any kind and form is always great for my mind,” Jeena shares. “Aside from being physically challenging, the best challenge is focusing your mind, on the task, the breathing, the flow of the energy in your body and the mental picture of the poses. Yoga keeps me centered, aware of my body and what goes on inside. While my work and socials keep me aware of what’s going on outside. Of course, I cannot deny the physical benefits it has.”

An avid practitioner of power yoga at Bliss, she gives a glowing recommendation of the renowned yoga studios: “I like the aura of the place. The people are nice. The teachers are very warm and encouraging. There’s always a feeling of being part of the family, no matter what level of yoga you practice. You always leave the studio with a smile.”

Founded by Roland dela Cruz and Monique Borja, Bliss Yoga Manila creates a community atmosphere that promotes health and well-being, by teaching skills that students can take when they leave their yoga mats and go on with their lives. And with Bliss Yoga Manila’s aspiration to strengthen each yogi and yogini’s body and clarify their mind, Jeena keeps calm despite the duress of her everyday life.

Bliss Yoga has two branches in Metro Manila. The Makati branch is along Jupiter Street in Bel-Air, while Greenhills branch is just across Ash Creek Center in Sekai Center on Ortigas Avenue corner Madison Street.

It’s hard to imagine a person like Jeena. But she is real — and she preaches a philosophy that wellness and enjoyment go hand in hand: “I believe in moderation. Overly disciplined is obsessive and too much of one thing is not my definition of healthy. I like to enjoy the pleasures of life, from good food, to hard work, to a good workout. That’s the reason they were created. It keeps me centered with my feet on the ground. I teach my kids the same thing. You need to do a sport, play a musical instrument and all your homework. When that’s all done, you can play in the rain!”

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For more information, visit www.blissyogamanila.com.