Richard Gomez admits developing hypertension during pandemic | ABS-CBN

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Lifestyle

Richard Gomez admits developing hypertension during pandemic

Richard Gomez admits developing hypertension during pandemic

Leah C. Salterio

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MANILA -- How can an actor-politician maintain a healthy lifestyle despite being constantly mobile and seriously focused to what his constituents need?

As most everyone knows, Richard Gomez is not only a successful actor-politician. He is also known as a physically-active athlete, loving husband, devoted father and more recently, despite having a busy schedule, a kitchen wiz.

Gomez was a recent guest in the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) post-Father’s Day special and men’s health month celebration “Puso ni Daddy: ‘Sinlakas Pa Ba ng Haligi?”

In 2017, Gomez became PHA's advocacy ally. He gladly started to espouse and advocate the PHA healthy lifestyle and the following year, he became PHA ambassador.

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Now 55, Gomez admits that the pandemic has changed his lifestyle. He started taking medicine for hypertension. “Because of the pandemic nag-high blood ako,” Gomez told ABS-CBN News.

Thankfully, his hypertension has been controlled. Thanks to his doctor, Rhodette Arevalo, president of the PHA Eastern Visayas chapter.

“Things are okay now,” Gomez assured. “I take my medicine regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I try to eat a balanced diet and meal. I also try to maintain a healthy heart.”

He added the pandemic brought him to a lot more meetings, which includes eating. “But I try to limit my food intake. I try to eat healthy. But you know, bantay talaga.

“I want to live a long, quality life so that I can enjoy my time with [my wife] Lucy and [daughter] Juliana. It is really a balance of diet and activity, which is very important.”

Gomez’s healthy habits extend to his daughter Juliana, with whom he enjoys doing physical activities regularly, like fencing, a sport where he has been known to excel. He is also the president of the Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) for the second term.

“I am a very relaxed person especially with Juliana,” he said. “I always tell her I am very fortunate because at 55, I am able to do fencing with her and a lot of other activities.

“I tell her I keep myself healthy. That way, I can enjoy more quality time with my loved ones. I have to be healthy, that’s why everything is done in moderation all the time. You can eat good food, a little of alcohol. I do it that way. Again, in moderation.”

Father and daughter also do yoga together. “When it comes to cooking, Juliana does the dessert and I do the food,” Gomez shared. “We complement each other. I do the cooking. She is into baking and does the dessert.”

Not surprisingly, the pandemic changed Gomez’s schedule. “I go to the office early because there are a lot of things to be done,” he said. “I used to do my extra-curricular activities after office, but now, I get to do it on weekends.

“We try to limit the people entering our offices. In the mayor’s office, where most people transact business, we have an ante room. That’s how we maintain our distance with other people.

“It’s difficult because we are basically frontliners. We are all exposed to a lot of activities and people. The best we can do is to use face masks, face shields and keep our hands clean all the time. We try not to take off our masks.”

In January last year, even before the pandemic ensued, Gomez started his weekly vlogs whipping up delicious meals.

“While I was doing my first three vlogs, the pandemic came and everything around changed, but I still continued,” he said. “I have done more than a year of cooking on YouTube.

“People are enjoying my cooking show. I try to prepare simple dishes. It is my language of love. It’s fun. My recipes are easy to follow and cook.”

Gomez’s number one reminder to dads is to take good care of themselves. “The best thing we can give to our family is our quality time and our presence. Be there during meal time.

“Join them in the activities that they do and the best is to have a healthy heart and have a healthy body. Give more time to your wife and your kids.”

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