Running and Financial Planning

Photo credits

Running has become a popular sport among the young and old alike. This sport had seen tremendous interest for the the past few years, with droves of people participating in such number of running events in the country and other places worldwide. The running craze has hit the Philippine shores with many of our citizens had become aware with health benefits and consciousness of being healthy and the awareness of living better. Nowadays, running is trending with with almost every weekend that there are running events on Saturdays and Sundays, there are competitive also races from half marathon to triathlon events happening in Metro Manila or somewhere in the Philippines. Such events are organized by social groups to corporate entities looking on marketing their latest products and services for commercial purposes or to worthy causes that is socially and environmentally relevant and can create impact today. 

In any case how does running and financial planning have in common?

I like the analogy of running and personal finance it has simple rules to follow. Running is easy to do but going an extra mile would require a lot of trials along the way. A person intending to engage in this sport must be physically and mentally trained in this type of physical sport. Sharing my sentiments on this sport, I have been running for sometime now and participated in short distance running mostly 2.5 Kilometer to 5 kilometer runs in the past. We know for a fact they are both different in a sense but there are lot of lessons I learned from these two different disciplines.  

What I have learned in Football and Financial Planning

What I have learned in Football and Financial Planning

By: Benedict F. Baluyut

Being a one of the Football Managing Staff and Financial Planner are both different things and aspects. Both professions have similarities that can be applied in realistically. This in hand can be useful in many ways of motivating oneself to reach its potentials and goals in life. 

Football or Soccer has become a passion for me after rediscovering it again in 2010. I haven’t played a major 11-aside tournament after leaving high school and proceeding to college more than a decade ago. Other than running and badminton, this sport have become my outlet recently in relieving stress, renewed motivation to exercise and be fit and meeting with old and new friends who shared the same passion as well. 

I learned how to play the sport at age 11 in early 1990s. It was fun time of learning the basics of football. In football playing countries learning the sport at age 11 is already old but I started to pick it up at that age and stayed away from playing basketball at the moment and become one of the Euro football fan (from Dutch and Italian Serie A) and recently with English Premiere League, Spain’s La Liga, German Bundesliga and our very own United Football League Philippines.

My first run for 2012: 3rd Animo Clark LaSalle Run

Photo from Life123.com

 I got excited to wake up early one Sunday morning and smell the dew on the pitch at Clark Freeport - CDC offices where the beginning of the 3rd Clark Animo Run organized by De La Salle Alumni Association of Pampanga last 11th of March 2012. This will be my first time again to run for more than 3 years of being busy with work and other activities related to career building.

 Running became a part of my training regimen when we were younger. We were required to run from post to post during soccer / football days or run indoor on basketball court in barefoot during my Taekwondo years or just warm up with the rest of the guys during a one day recreational basketball game with friends and sometime do short distance sprints on table tennis practice. It increases your endurance and agility to the maximum level keeping your fitness level high. 

Lost sense of being in top shape after not qualifying for a possible varsity spot with the school I was enrolled in back in college plus being in constant danger of loosing my academics during college with other priorities from studying and other extra-curricular activities.

Back then in my teen years:

To tell you, I was a former athlete in my younger years. Sports became a part of my life since early years of my education. I got into tremendous competitive edge type of activities that my dad and mom sometimes are irritated when I got back from home smelling like being burned from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays making me darker complexion even today after a football match with some old colleagues from my high school days.

Unhealthy Lifestyle and getting sick:

Back in 2009, I was always tremendously getting sick with some lifestyle disease that got me afflicted since I was 19 years old. It is hyperuricemia (High blood uric acid). I got to drink some pills then and have to watch my diet and also exercised a lot in order to lose weight and at the same lessen the intake of food with high purine content but after battling this out I was diagnosed with another disease, Gastroesophageal Acid Reflux (GERD) or Acid Reflux for short came about it June 2010 when I was doing my speaking engagement in Caloocan City with RFP Philippines.

It was a painful experience of being in constant pain in your stomach and the same time in your throat and esophagus area coughing like there is no tomorrow. It had served as a wake up call for me to find a solution on this health problems I have encountered recently.

At present and today:
 
I spend my time wasting my body with physical activities such as sports in order to sweat it out and joined running competitions as well in 2.5 to 3 kilometer runs as a baby step of not jeopardizing my untrained body for the this event feeling the self-fulfillment of finishing the race even if you are not on top runners list but it was a worthwhile experience in participating in such event as this for a cause. I finished the course in 38 minutes which good for me anyways. Looking forward in making it to a 5 kilometer soon.

Copyright 2011 - 2012. PinoyMoneyVantage| Personal Finance Help Philippines

Exploring the world of Sports in Badminton.

Photo courtesy of sportsmanila.com

I have a confession to make. 

To tell you the truth I haven't  been really active with ball game related sports for the past few year after having a long hiatus with sports related activities due to injuries and sedentary lifestyle although I do take time to walk or run a few laps in a jogging trail it seems work  has taken toll on my physical well-being.

Other extracurricular activities for the past few years that I am not engage with are Soccer / Football or even Basketball. Feeling the wear of being an old fellow and getting heavy with my weight that kept me from playing this sports.

Inspired to make an active lifestyle again, I was invited by my younger sister to join her to play badminton the other time and it really felt good because I really perspired a lot after the game and felt rejuvenated with that concept of keeping myself fit again and feeling happy and not stressed from work lately.

Rekindling Football

Football or soccer would make a comeback among Philippine fans young or old. Although I am not an avid fan of the Philippine team in the early years. The last time I watch an international game was way back in 1996 or 1998 during a Philippines versus Thailand match at the Tiger Cup ASEAN Football Championships. Well, our athletes lost then by the way. As I see before, most of the players are either active servicemen with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and some hailing from University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National College Athletic Association (NCAA) member colleges and universities in Metro Manila such as University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University, Ateneo De Manila University and others colleges in Central Philippines like Iloilo.

During my years as a high school player I was stucked in being a local kid and  played in intramurals against lower years and at the same time represented our school in some events. Expanding my horizon of playing as an athlete for a university or college was promising but I wasn't cut out for it with the demand of academic studies taking up a pre-medical degree in securing my future so decided not to pursue it anymore. 

I became a fan of European football watch the Union of European Football League (UEFA) seeing Italian, Spanish and English pit against Russian, Dutch, German top leagues and international players. Also  I have seen how the Brazilians play in the World Cup 1998 and 2002 with Ronaldo as their star player.

I never thought that football is a big sport in the Visayas region with Iloilo / Bacolod would be the capital for football and the small town of Potatan, Iloilo has grassroots of follower who have played the game as early as the age of 4 as what Emilio "Chieffy" Calindong mentioned on one of their interviews with Ms. Ces Drilon on ANC a few nights ago after winning the first match for 2011 beating Mongolia. (2-0) at Panaad Stadium in Iloilo last February 12, 2011. 

Compared to basketball, football requires a lot of running, wits and stamina to play a 45 minute first half in a very wide open field plus it doesn't require height advantage plus long reach compared to basketball which are assets for a players. As long as you run, kick and fool your opponents you are still good. Football is a team effort sport and there is no "bakaws or takaw bola" type of players in this sport.

It was the first time that I see foreign born players with Filipino blood such as the Younghusband brothers, Etheridge and others would play for Philippine National Football team together with our local boys which has become a good chemistry of local knowledge mixing with infusion of international skills of these players with make a lethal combination during their previous match with Vietnam, Malaysia and others.

With upcoming match in Mongolia this coming March, I hope the Philippine team aka the Philippine is Azkals would get tremendous support from our government with the needed fund of PhP 31 million pesos in for 2011 it is undoubtedly huge some of money but how I wish that some of our companies would sponsor the needs of this team and would eventually give glory to our country like Rep. Manny Pacquiao did in his boxing match. Hope he will support the Philippine Azkals in their effort of achieving a victory and a slot in SEA Games, ASEAN Games and The World Cup 2014 .

Copyright 2010 - 2011. PinoyMoneyVantage| Personal Finance Help Philippines