Gisella Gequinto

Masungi Georeserve Hits

8:59 PM

The Masungi Georeserve is a conservation site located in Rizal, Philippines. If there's one thing our group would take away from our trip is that pictures cannot truly justify the beauty of the Masungi Georeserve.

Our group made minimal preparations for the trip hence we were left unprepared for some less than ideal situations that happened during the course of our visit. We booked the visit a month in advance, paid the conservation fees right away, and reserved a van with driver for our transportation. Getting to the site itself is an easy task as the location can be easily plotted via Waze and/or Google Maps. All you have to do is to be on time! Our guide informed us that the georeserve has an average of 16 scheduled group visits with 30 minutes interval per group going into the site. Don't forget to eat a healthy amount of breakfast prior to the visit! This is the mistake that our group made prior to the visit. We just ate quickly at a McDonald's on our way to the georeserve which didn't satisfy our appetite at all.

The day of our visit was very hot! Good thing we wore light and airy clothing, a must if you're going to trek in very warm conditions. We didn't bring any hydration as we are aware that the local guide would be providing us 1 liter of water per person. We did bring FitBars and some candies in case we would need to have some light snack during the course of our trekking. In line with this, remember to KEEP YOUR TRASH WITH YOU and don't leave any mess behind.

Ropes, heights, and stairs! Those are the three main things you have to prepare for during the approximately 3-4 hours trekking. You would be climbing and going down through ropes with only a helmet as a safety precaution. Don't sweat though as there have been no accidents yet that happened in the georeserve. If you're afraid of heights, you would have no choice but to get over it. Again, don't sweat as the breathtaking views would be worth it. The trek would be very tiring! The numerous amount of stairs and climbing would take a toll on your body so be prepared for a leg day exercise. You would be visiting around 8 main trail destinations with a lot of trekking in between. The 8 main trail destinations are the photographs which you often see online and on social media which are: sapot, yungib ni ruben, tatay, nanay, ditse, patak, duyan, and liwasan. Your group would be treated with some snacks and cold towel at the end of the trekking, which is a very welcoming sight after climbing and trekking for so long.

Main takeaway from our trip: nature is definitely a breathtaking sight if only we protect and take care of it well. In return, nature would protect us as well from calamities and the like. No amount of words could express our group's gratitude and admiration for all the locals and other individuals who saved and are now taking care of the Masungi Georeserve. For more information on the Masungi Georeserve, visit their website at http://www.masungigeoreserve.com/

Just A Thought

No Labels

5:44 AM

Travels and Adventures

Summer Cruise Is Your New Summer Booze

5:10 AM

Wanting to have a stress reliever for a while, my sister invited us to this local diving place called Summer Cruise. Located in San Luis, Batangas, Summer Cruise offers an adventurous and relaxing get away for those looking for vacation places near Metro Manila. Travel time only takes 2 to 3 hours via bus to Lemery, Batangas then a tricycle ride to Barangay Balite, San Luis Batangas. A boat would then pick you up from the parking lot of Summer Cruise to take you to the site itself.

The parking lot already offers you the refreshing sight of the ocean, which you could dive into once you get to the diving site. The place isn't your normal kind of beach per se since it has no sand but it does offer a relaxing view of the ocean, which you could snorkel and dive into if you'd like.

Summer Cruise is owned and run by Japanese nationalities who took to themselves to teach locals how to dive and explore the natural beauty of the Philippine waters. Some of the visitors are Japanese nationalities as well who're enthralled with the natural beauty that the Philippines has to offer. The friendly and accommodating staff and dive instructors, however, consists of locals who will make your stay truly relaxing and unforgettable.

The Summer Cruise diving and snorkeling site offers a very captivating underwater experience. Sad to say but nature's natural beauty truly comes out in places unknown and lesser visited by man. The various coral reefs and underwater species in the diving site of Summer Cruise is already present the moment you step out of the barricade of Summer Cruise and, trust me when I say this, it will definitely take your breath away. It is one of the main things why my sister and I decided to keep coming back to the diving site and also to explore more diving sites here in the Philippines. In a short span of time underwater, we have already seen a lot of the aquatic natural beauty and interacted with a lot of underwater species, which we have only seen in pictures and videos prior to the visit. In conclusion, the Philippines is definitely world class when it comes to natural beauty. The government and Filipinos, in general, should just learn how to take care of our environment and to take pride in it as well. We don't actually need to go to another country just to see natural wonders. I encourage my fellow Filipinos to explore local sceneries, take pride in it and, most importantly, take very good care of it. In support of local tourism, I recommend Summer Cruise since it definitely will be your new summer booze!

Research Study

I: The Final Stretch

7:53 PM

About a year ago, I started to post in my blog about researching the efficacy of aquatic-based exercise training versus land-based exercise training in the lactic acid threshold of sedentary college students. After I delved into research on how to get the lactic acid threshold of individuals without using invasive methods, I decided to push through with obtaining the anaerobic threshold instead. From the start, I'm set on not using invasive methods in extracting data because it would take too much time in getting a formal permission from the University board to allow me to do such methods. I also decided to focus on the aquatic-based exercise program instead of the original plan of comparing the land-based and aquatic-based exercise programs because, my premise in the first place, is that the aquatic-based exercise program is effective. Furthermore, I'm operating under the primary objective of knowing the effects of the aquatic-based exercise program instead of comparing the effects of the aquatic-based exercise program with the effects of the land-based exercise program, which could be done secondarily after finding out the effects of the aquatic-based exercise program.

Research title: The Effects Of An Aquatic-based HIIT Exercise Program On The Anaerobic Capacity, BMI, Body Fat Percentage and Recovery Heart Rate Of Physically Inactive Filipino College Students.

Problem: Would an aquatic-based HIIT training program elicit an improvement in the anaerobic capacity, BMI, body fat percentage, and recovery heart rate of a physically inactive individual?

I settled on researching on four main variables namely BMI, body fat percentage, recovery heart rate and anaerobic capacity. My study includes four sub-variables to determine anaerobic capacity namely maximum power, minimum power, average power and fatigue index.

I particularly chose the three main variables (BMI, body fat percentage, recovery heart rate) because of their possible implications with regards to the possible change in another main variable, the anaerobic capacity of an individual. Furthermore, I chose recovery heart rate because of the possible implication that the improvement of anaerobic capacity could also improve the individual's aerobic capacity.

I chose a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) program because my main goal is to improve my subjects' anaerobic capacity, which means the most immediate energy system utilized in the first few minutes of exercise. Usually, this energy system is dominantly used in power sports such as sprints, weight lifting, high jumps, long jumps, etc. I chose physically inactive individuals because, given the time constraint I have for the study, there is only a limited amount of time I have to improve the given variables. Based on the principle of diminishing returns, physically inactive individuals give me more opportunity to spot an improvement in a short period of time compared to physically active individuals. Risk of injuries and harm from environmental factors during training are reduced significantly because the subjects are placed in an aquatic environment. I obviously have some requirements when I chose my subjects for safety purposes which I will quickly discuss in the methodology portion of this blog.

Methodology

I was able to gather 30 participants, 15 male and 15 female, through convenience and snowball sampling. At the end of the research study, a total of 5 participants dropped out for various reasons. I employed the Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) to obtain the values for the minimum power, maximum power, average power, and fatigue index of the participant, the 3-minute bench step test to obtain the values for the recovery heart rate of the participant, and anthropometric measurements to obtain the values for the BMI and body fat percentage of the participants. The duration of the intervention was 6 weeks with 2 sessions per week for a total of 12 training sessions. The test results were analyzed at 95% level of significance using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank test.

The subjects I chose are willing to be placed in an aquatic environment during training sessions, wear proper swimming attire and submit the PAR-Q test and signed consent form before being considered as research subjects. Due to varying time schedules, I wasn't able to set a constant training time for all my subjects as we have different class schedules. Therefore, I required my subjects to set two training sessions with me every week. To prevent the varying water temperature that the subjects would be placed in, I required my subjects to schedule afternoon training sessions between the time of 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Furthermore, to prevent the varying water depth that the subjects would be placed in, I required my subjects to train in the area where the water level is just within the range of the tip of their chin and jugular notch. Due to time constraints, I was able to execute the intervention for 6 weeks only.

To obtain the anaerobic capacity of the subjects, I utilized the Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test which measures the maximum power, minimum power, average power and fatigue index by obtaining the time of the sprints of the subjects. The subjects were given 6 sprint runs with ten seconds rest between each sprint run. Each run is timed then the time is recorded and placed into an excel file, which already has the formula for each of the power variables.

Summary of Findings

The aquatic-based HIIT program proved to elicit statistically significant improvement in a physically inactive individual’s anaerobic capacity, specifically minimum power, average power, and fatigue index, as well as BMI and recovery heart rate. On the other hand, the aquatic-based HIIT program did not elicit a statistically significant improvement in a physically inactive individual's maximum power and body fat percentage.

I particularly stated 'statistically significant improvement' because in actuality all the variables, including maximum power and body fat percentage, elicited an improvement from the pre-test to the post-test but it just wasn't 'statistically significant'. This could be a factor of the time constraint given to the intervention period.

When comparing the post-intervention results between the male participants and female participants, the males elicited higher results in the following variables: BMI and the over-all anaerobic capacity represented by the following sub-variables: minimum power, maximum power, average power, and fatigue index. On the other hand, the female participants’ were able to elicit a lower recovery heart rate post-intervention test results when compared to the male participants; even though the pre-intervention test results showed that the males were able to elicit lower recovery heart rate test results.

Conclusion

The objective of this study is to find out if an aquatic-based HIIT training program would elicit a statistically significant improvement in the anaerobic capacity, which is represented by the sub-variables minimum power, maximum power, and average power, BMI, body fat percentage, and recovery heart rate of a physically inactive young adult. The Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST), 3-minute bench step test, and anthropometric measurements were employed for testing in this research study. This study serves as an initial step towards proving that the aquatic-based HIIT could serve as an alternative training method of an athlete and as a part of a new training regimen for non-athletic individuals as well.

The test results showed that the participants elicited better post-intervention fatigue index and post-intervention recovery heart rate test results. This occurrence proves that the participants’ over-all anaerobic capacity improved due to the much latter occurrence of fatigue, as evidenced by the improved time consistency during the Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST), and due to the recorded decrease of heart beats after exercise. In line with this, the participants’ Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) improved as well due to their bodies’ physiologic demand being able to recuperate back to resting levels faster, as evidenced by the participants’ recovery heart rate improvement. The female participants elicited better post-intervention recovery heart rate test results compared to their pre-intervention test results, which showed that the males elicited better recovery heart rate test results, which is also considered as not statistically significant difference.

The test results also showed that the participants elicited statistically significant improvement on the minimum power and average power post-intervention test results; however, the participants did not elicit a statistically significant improvement on their maximum power test results, even though results showed that 15 of the participants’ maximum power post-intervention test result improved. This occurrence could be related to the fact that the participants’ body fat percentage also did not elicit a statistically significant improvement, which means that the participants lost a statistically significant amount of weight but did not lose a statistically significant amount of body fat nor did not gain a statistically significant amount of muscle mass, which caused the post-intervention maximum power test results to not improve significantly. On the other hand, the participants’ post-intervention test results showed a statistically significant improvement in BMI values, which could be in relation to the participants’ improvement in minimum power and average power as well. Since the participants are now relatively lighter in relation to their respective heights, the participants are now able to power themselves more hence the narrower range values between the minimum power and maximum power.

Based from the pre-intervention and post-intervention test results’ effect sizes, the participants elicited a medium effect size in the following variables: minimum power, average power, fatigue index, and recovery heart rate. Furthermore, the participants’ pre-intervention and post-intervention test results elicited a large effect size in BMI. This occurrence explains that the six week aquatic-based training program impacted the participants’ BMI the most followed by the minimum power, average power, fatigue index, and recovery heart rate.

In conclusion, the six week aquatic-based HIIT program proved to be effective in significantly improving the BMI, recovery heart rate, and general anaerobic capacity, which was represented by the following variables: minimum power, maximum power, average power, and fatigue index, of a physically inactive individual. Furthermore, the six week aquatic-based HIIT program proved to be effective in improving all the variables included in the study: BMI, body fat percentage, recovery heart rate, minimum power, average power, and fatigue index of a physically inactive individual while providing a safe and low-impact environment for the participants to train on, which decreases the risk of injury and other external harm from happening to the participants during the course of the training sessions.

Further Thoughts on this Research Study

If given the opportunity to further my research in this particular study, I would lengthen the intervention duration first of all. Secondly, I would like to gather more participants to be able to elicit a much more reliable statistical data. I would also like to include a more explosive exercises which I could add into the training program for more variety.

In line with this research study, I'm looking into researching about the possible implications of the different exercises when done in the aquatic environment modality. Also, the possible implications of the aquatic environment characteristics, such as water temperature, water depth, etc. and their physiological effect on the individual. Finally, I would like to research on the aquatic-based HIIT program and their possible implications on physically active individuals and elderly.

That's it for my first ever research study! I'm really hoping for many more to come! Thank you!

Just A Thought

This Complicated Thing Called Life

12:07 AM

The 4th Tri Ilocos Norte is the 3rd race I helped organize with Trisports (c) Trisports Solutions, Inc.

Having graduated last December 2015 from my undergraduate degree in Uni, I decided to work for awhile before going into med school. After all, the extra money that I get to earn would be helpful in paying off med school tuition fees and other pertinent things I might need to buy. Little did I know that life would hit me hard.

When a stranger would view my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter posts, you'd perceive me for an adventurous young adult. After all my recent posts often consist of me travelling, diving and going to the beach. Behind the adventurous facade however is an over-worked and pressured young adult just trying to make it big in the industry I'm currently in. Indeed life is such a complicated thing. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I'm genuinely happy with the way I'm living life or I'm just leading myself to believing that I'm happy. My social media self tells me that I'm happy because I get to earn money and, at the same time, be able to travel. On the other hand, my working self tells me that my body is tired and over-worked, at the same time, under-compensated and under-appreciated. Which one do I believe?

For quite sometime, I led by myself to believe my working self. I led myself to believe that I indeed deserve something better and that I needed to be compensated more and appreciated more in the work force. After all, who works continuous 9 hour work shifts and sometimes 12 hour work shifts? Who works on midnights, or weekends, or even on holidays? Who works on priority tasks with within the day or urgent deadlines on an almost daily basis? I was jealous of my friends who are still finishing up their units in college because they get to have time to rest and go out with friends and org mates. I was jealous of my friends who get to make mistakes and not have to face dire consequences for it. I was jealous of my friends who have the freewill to cram requirements and still meet the deadlines. Well, after 6 months in the work force, I realized I was wrong to complain because, after all, this is what they call life.

Life is indeed complicated. They say most young adults are "opinionated without knowledge, entitled without wealth, and demanding yet dependent." That is true... Just in some way. Let me explain. After 6 months of being in the work force, I learned not to complain because that is how we learn and gain experience. I realized that sometimes it is okay (and also necessary) to pick up that wood and hammer tool and be the one to hammer and build your own set stage, even if it goes beyond your job description. I realized that it is okay to be the one to carry boxes and boxes of items to and from different places, even if it is also beyond your job description. It is okay because I get to experience the hard times. At some point in the future, I would get the chance to be able to ask someone else to do that for me but, for now, I have to suck it up. For now, I'd have to learn and get through the ropes before having that chance to be the one to give out orders. Humility, they say.

In another light, I say that it is okay to be opinionated, entitled and demanding. We are the movers and shakers of this generation! We have the right to challenge and defy norms. Society progresses with proper discourse. Proper discourse starts with respectful and open discussion about matters important to society.

Do I have to follow? Or do I stand up and say that something is not right? I came to learn how to properly place myself in different situations. Different situations call for different measures. However, what do I know? HA! Life indeed is complicated!

Research Study

I Dry Run: Data Gathering

10:42 PM

The previous week, our class was given the task of gathering a group of 18-24 years old physically inactive individuals to prepare us for data gathering on our own thesis in the near future. To start off, we defined physically inactive individuals as those people who don’t exercise for at least 3 times per week for 30 minutes per session. To remove gray areas in our research, we didn’t include individuals who just started exercising within the past 3 months. Our research design includes the following: PAR-Q, a questionnaire provided by our professors, an interview, and a physical test. For this post, I would be sharing the things that came to mind while the interview process was going on.

The subjects that I chose are close family members and friends, which made the interview aura informal and comfortable that it seems like we are just chatting about random things like we normally do. Informal as it may seem, I was still able to get ample data and information regarding my subjects’ own definition of fitness, which is what matters most in our research. Our class came up with three general questions that would lay down that interview process: 1.) How fit do you think you are? 2.) Why did you say so? 3.) What is your definition of fitness? From these three questions, I was able to come up with additional questions and lengthen the duration of the interviews as my subjects had a lot to say regarding their fitness level and fitness, in general. At first, my subjects were hesitant with their answers because they felt like “they were being judged,” which was a phrase I quoted from one of my subjects. As the interview process went on the general idea that came to mind was that they think of themselves as fit. Fit in the sense that they are able to do daily living activities such as walking the dogs, going up and down the stairs all the time, walking in heels, etc. with much efficiency and little difficulty. However, when I asked them to place themselves in a sports setting, they then start to think that they would probably experience a little difficulty in that area. My subjects also don’t have a regular physical activity routine as they are university students and professionals, which is why they have a hard time inserting a regular physical activity routine in their schedule. From the interviews, I also observed that my subjects view fitness not just something physical but physical, mental, and emotional well-roundedness of the body and mind. They would often include eating healthy and mental/emotional relaxation as a component of being fit. At the end of the day, I think that my interviews went really well. My subjects were really comfortable and they were just being themselves during the whole process thus they were able to share most, if not all, their thoughts, which became really helpful for me in extracting more information from them.

Research Study

I: The Road to Clarity

10:47 PM

From the time we began the process of building up our research paper, I always had this general topic in mind: water training. I bumped into this topic in an article I saw online, which says that an elite cross country runner uses underwater training as a regimen for success in her career. During that time, I didn’t bother to read and understand the article fully as I was busy doing other things back then, but it was an article that caught my interest above all. When we were asked to come up with a topic, underwater training was the first thing that popped into my mind and I just decided to stick with it since it was a topic that interested me in the first place.

I first began with underwater training and its physiologic effects on the human body. My topic was very broad indeed! I then asked myself: Why would I want to research on my topic? Why would readers be interested in my topic? What significance could my research have on society? On a hunch, I decided to research the health problems the Philippines is facing today. Surprisingly, the increasing occurrence of obesity among Filipinos is one of the major health issues our beloved nation is facing today. With the constant popularity increase of the fast food economy, the constant work-related and academic-related stress, and other factors our modern society is bringing us people are becoming more and more unconscious of what they eat and what they do. This was how I came up with my topic on the effects of aquatic-based training compared to land-based training and the effect of aquatic-based training on the lactic acid of sedentary individuals. Significant? Yes, I believe so.

Currently, as I am searching for more previous studies about my research topic, I found out that aquatic training is being extensively studied by more and more researchers most specifically on rehabilitation. However, relatively fewer studies are present about aquatic training and its effects on healthy individuals. Even though there isn’t as many material to guide me in my research, those few studies that I had read are significant enough to guide me and give me more ideas on how I would conduct my research and on what angle I would take my research on. Most authors included detailed suggestions and comments on the factors that could affect aquatic-based training such as: musical cadence, water temperature, water depth, etc. With that said, I’m optimistic about the outcome of my paper. It may take a while; nonetheless, I’m positive about the research I would produce.

Masungi Georeserve Hits

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Summer Cruise Is Your New Summer Booze

I: The Final Stretch

This Complicated Thing Called Life

I Dry Run: Data Gathering

I: The Road to Clarity

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