Ina, slight pa lang ang ramdam sa pagme-menopause!

“Self-care. Kasi if you take good care of yourself, then it could come from within that you know you’re doing yourself good,” sabi ni Ina Raymundo, 50, kung bakit mukha pa siyang kwarentahin sa kanyang edad sa kasalukuyan.

Dagdag niya: “So, then you’ll be happy. You’ll be in a good mood.”

At sa edad niya ngayon, wala pa siya sa menopausal era.

“Thank God, hindi pa ako nagpi-perimenopause.”

As in wala pa raw.

“Wala. Sometimes hot flashes, pero I understand it so well now that if it happens, you just have to like, ‘okay, it’s gonna go. It’s gonna go away in like a minute.’ It’s true, right? Kapag nag-hot flashes ka mabilis lang, huwag kang mag-panic. Because if you panic, it’s not good. You need to relax. Sometimes I do feel palpitations, but I realize it’s gonna go away. So, I don’t make a big deal. So, so far, I’m thankful.

“Siguro nga working out helps.”

Pero wala pala siyang diet except sa pork.

“I eat everything. I don’t eat pork. And I avoid fried foods. So, I really eat home-cooked food.”

Pero kumakain daw siya ng rice.

“I do. One cup per meal.”

So three times a day pero brown rice raw ‘yun.

Tungkol naman sa kanyang work: “I lift weights. Kasi sabi nila, when you age na, you need to lift weights para iyong muscles mo mag-form. Yeah, because it’s for your posture. It’s for everything. It will help you not get injured. Kasi ‘di ba when we don’t work out, ‘yung bones natin nagiging weaker that’s why the number one cause is injury, fall. So, once that happens to you, you can’t walk anymore. Wala na. So, tuluy-tuloy na ‘yan. So, kailangan talaga, you need to strengthen your body. Simple workout.”

What about vitamins?

“I just take vitamin C. Sometimes vitamin D, when I don’t get any sunshine and calcium for the bones. Kasi for me, I feel like I get everything from food.”

Pagdating naman sa kanyang mga anak, wala raw talagang gustong mag-showbiz.

“Wala akong anak na... kasi happy sila. Hindi sila naghahanap.”

So lahat sila sa abroad, ‘no?

“Iyong tatlo. Si Erika nasa Canada tapos ‘yung dalawa nasa US.”

Nagwo-work na siya?

“Kaka-graduate niya lang (Erika). So she’s still trying to figure out kung siguro sa Philippines na lang.

“She should see. If anything, Erika was the very first student of Jade Riccio (Celebrity Vocal Coach). And Jade helped Erika to prepare her for her school. So she created a portfolio. She sang. That’s why na-accept siya sa Berklee, because of Jade. So ayun talaga, kailangan niya ulit bumalik,” sabi niya sa amin na sa totoo lang ay parang kapatid lang ang tatlong anak na babae.

Pero ang bunso aniya nila ay nakikita niyang magso-showbiz – si Minka Eve Poturnak. Siya ang ika-limang anak nina Ina at ng kanyang asawang Ukrainian-Canadian na negosyanteng si Brian Poturnak. Pero hindi pa raw ngayon.

Samantala, kabilang si Ina sa magpi-perform sa World Stage Concert by RMA kung saan makakasama niya sina Rhian Ramos, Scarlet Snow Belo, Jade Riccio and Michelle Dee.