The Signs We Ignored — Until Our Bodies Started Crying for Help

Whenever I’d ask him if I looked fat, he’d grin and say, “Hindi ka mataba, you’re voluptuous.” 🤭 And I, of course, would accept that answer with a smile, thinking, “See? No need to diet.”

We were “healthy.” We ate vegetables daily, we did weekly fasting, and we even shared on a previous blog post about our eating habits. But the truth? We were feeling less and less healthy every day.

Maybe you are experiencing subtle signals below that your body sends that you keep ignoring. And we ignored them too… until they became impossible to brush off.

The Signs We Ignored — Until Our Bodies Started Crying for Help

1. Body Odor That Came Out of Nowhere

We take two showers a day — one in the morning before work, and another thorough cleaning at night before stepping into our bedroom. So smelling bad? Unthinkable!

But one day, I noticed my shirt smell funky. Abbey said it was just that one shirt. Few days after that, same problem — and I started blaming the washing machine. After observing… surprise! It wasn’t the shirt. It wasn’t the washing machine. It was my sweat. Something in my body chemistry had changed, and that was a big red flag.

2. Shortness of Breath Without Effort

Running out of breath while running? That’s normal. But losing breath while simply talking? Not normal.

Our fun conversations turned into tiring chitchats. I’d end up gasping instead of laughing — which was both annoying and alarming.

3. The 3AM Wake-Up Club

Almost every night, I’d wake up at 3AM and struggle to fall back asleep. The next morning, I’d start my day foggy, cranky, and unfocused. That’s a sign my sleep cycle were out of balance.

4. Unusual Clicking Sounds

If you’ve ever used noise-cancelling earphones while walking, you’ll know you can hear your own body. One day, the music stopped, and I realized… every step with my left foot came with a clicking sound. My leg felt uneasy, like something inside wasn’t moving right. That’s when I knew — this wasn’t just age catching up, this was my body complaining.

5. Afternoon Cravings That Hit Hard

We’ve been doing OMAD (One Meal a Day) for years without much snacking. But this year, by 4PM, both Abbey and I would crave something salty or sweet. It wasn’t about hunger — it was our body crying out for electrolyte balance. We ignored it until the light-headedness became too obvious to dismiss.

💡 Here’s the reality:

These were our body’s warning signs — small whispers that could have turned into shouts if we didn’t act. We finally stopped denying the truth and made a choice to restart our health journey.

So, I’m sharing this to ask you:

Bukod sa di kasyang pantalon, ano pa ang signs na dapat mo nang pagtuunan ng pansin sa katawan mo?

Sometimes, accepting these flaws isn’t about shame — it’s about giving yourself permission to reset, recharge, and rebuild.

Let’s go and reset our body now! 

You can join/follow our routine and eating habits. 

Read our first post! 

We Thought We Were Healthy... Until 2025 Hit Us Hard 🥲 (Our Gentle Reset Story)

When I got a full-time job, Abbey and I slowly slipped into a comfortable routine. We were working hard, eating once a day (OMAD), and convinced that as long as our meals were mostly veggies and fast once a week, we’d stay fit and healthy — even if we barely exercised.

But as 2025 began, reality hit hard.

Despite eating meat only once or up to three times a week and having mostly gulay sa ulam, our health markers didn’t lie. Abbey was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I had elevated uric acid. Oof.

Kasunod pa noon? Abbey got a sprain. I started noticing that my shoulders were always clicking. He had to see a physio, and I was told to always warm up before any workout. That was our wake-up call. It felt like our bodies were rusting. 😢

People say it’s because of age or hormones — but honestly, we don’t fully buy that. We believe the ALMIGHTY wants us to live healthy and joyful lives, so we won’t use aging as a reason to let ourselves go.

It’s not our body’s fault. It’s our habits and mindset.

So we began searching for a sustainable way to reset our lifestyle. That’s when we discovered Kaizen by Cho Lim. We were actually ready to join even if it cost ₱20,000. But to our surprise, the price was ₱40,000 per person. 😲

We took the online orientation, slept on it for a few days (literally 😆), and decided not to join — not because we didn’t believe in it, but because we wanted to test our own discipline and commitment first. Again! 

What stood out to us from the Kaizen call was this:

✔️ It’s not just about body workouts

✔️ It’s also about mindset, habit building, and accountability

That’s when we remembered: during the pandemic, we opened a small support group among our family and friends — and it worked. So why not do it again?

We Thought We Were Healthy... Until 2025 Hit Us Hard 🥲 (Our Gentle Reset Story)

Thus, The Gentle Reset for 40s Community was born.

💡 Our Plan

Each week, we’ll post:

✨ Our actual weekly exercise routine

🥗 Our simple, budget-friendly, healthy weekly menu

🧠 Small mindset shifts that helped us stay consistent

This is not a fitness challenge. This is a reset. A gentler one. For us 40s na hindi na bata, pero hindi rin matandang-matanda. 😅

If you’re also in your 40s and want to feel stronger, lighter, and more in control again, join us on this journey.

See you on next week’s update!

✨ ITO NA ANG SIMULA. ✨ 

You can join/follow our routine and eating habits. On our next blog we will post what we ate for Week 1.