Remember the shoe that made me nuts at the Nike Sportswear Fall-Holiday 2011 launch?

I’m giving one lucky reader (Metro Manila based) the exact same pair by answering a very easy question:

What’s your favourite workout routine & why?

Answer this question by:

1) following @phoebeann on Twitter
2) stating your answer plus (shoe size)
3) ending your tweet with http://goo.gl/fb/wrgds @NikePH
NOTE: Not following instructions = disqualified *snicker*

Here’s a sample:

@phoebeann surfing cause I get toned up while getting a tan (8) http://goo.gl/fb/wrgds @NikePH

Get a bonus raffle entry by following Fitness In Manila via Google Friend Connect (go to the site and look for the Fitness Junkies section). I will pick the winner at random on September 30, 2011. We’ll coordinate with Nike Philippines’ PR as to how you’ll get this prized pair. Good luck and start letting me know what’s your favourite workout routine! :)

Press Release

To rekindle their beginnings, to continue their shared adventures, to be ready for what their partnership brings and where it takes them—four engaged couples said “I do” to fitness and health.

Fitness First partnered with WeddingBellsBlog.com and PhoebeAnn.me in July to give engaged couples a chance to try its new and exclusive weight loss program, Lose It!, which helps individuals lose up to 10lbs. in 4 weeks. Lose It! can help members stay healthy, be more energized, or fit into that ideal dress size just in time for their most special day.

For sharing their stories, four engaged couples will be awarded a Lose It! flexible four-week exercise plan that will be tailor fitted to their fitness goals and schedules.

Jor-el Delos Reyes was a high school senior and Meg Ramos was a junior when they were first partnered for their prom. On May 9, 2011, they actually recreated their prom! Meg recalled, “I thought that it was just another fun event that our friends wanted to put up for kicks. And then the same song that we danced to seven years ago—the night we first met—played again. Jor-el asked me to dance with him, and then right there in the middle of the dance floor, he knelt down on one knee and held up a ring for me.”

Two months after the proposal, with the wedding preparations ahead of them, the stress and excitement translated to unwanted pounds. “I was slim all throughout high school and since that time in my life was important in our relationship, I would want to work on getting back that fit, cheerleader body that I used to have,” Meg added.

Meanwhile, Mirabel Calaranan and Till Rosar shared love for high waves and white water literally brought them together, having met while surfing in Bali. “I live in Manila. He lives in Zurich. We were both non-believers of long distance,” recalled Mira. But by simply pursuing their passion for both travel and surfing, they were soon consistently visiting or meeting each other every two months in various surfing destinations around Europe and Asia from Bali to Spain.

“Till, being German, likes his beer, but particularly San Miguel Beer. Imagine his surprise then to meet someone who works for San Miguel Corporation. I bet that deepened the connection,” Mira added with a laugh.

A year after the couple first met, Till proposed to Mira in Australia, a surf country they both love. If there is a fitness motivation, clearly it would be so that they can continue to just go where they’ve never been before—surf spots in particular—and no doubt, they’ll be in the best shape of their lives yet when they exchange vows early next year in Boracay.

Fitness and adventure go hand-in-hand for Gianna Kessler Von Sprengeisen and Carsten Stormer, who haven’t stopped going through first-time experiences together since becoming a couple a little over a year and a half ago. Gianna shared, “We swam with Donsol’s whale sharks, surfed Baler’s waves, visited beautiful Vigan, seen Mount Canlaon’s crater, attended my best friend’s wedding in Bangkok, hiked Mount Pinatubo and the Wohushan Great Wall in Beijing, took a 30 hour trans-Mongolian train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, drove 1,300km through the Gobi Desert and had a 7-day horse trek in the Khentii mountain range where Ghengis Khan was born…”

Seeing new places and doing new things are simply part of the package for this two who are also planning a beach wedding in early 2012.

Especially for Madz Malaki, Ferdie King secretly set up a surprise romantic dinner on a sandbar at El Nido. “All the perfect elements were there: the beach, champagne, good food. He made sure there were fireworks when he asked the question,” recalled Madz.

Saying yes to a new role with all its expectations and resulting transformation also made her reassess her personal goals, including those concerning her health and fitness. Madz elaborated, “Ever since I started working, I haven’t been as mindful of my health as I should be. I stress-eat and don’t exercise as much. My clothes fit could fit better. I do want to get in shape in time for my wedding. More importantly, I want to be physically and mentally ready for the new chapter in my life.”

A sentiment that all brides will surely say yes to! Congratulations, best wishes and happy work-outs to our soon-to-be brides and grooms.

Fitness First is the largest privately owned health club group in the world with over 540 Fitness First clubs worldwide reaching over 1.4 million members in 21 countries. In the Philippines alone, there are 18 Fitness First clubs with over 50,000 members.

Plana FORMA, the newest and most effective workout that hit Manila recently hosted a well attended cocktail party for its VIPs, loyal clients, and the press. Just before dusk hit the Taguig City last July 21, Plana FORMA also introduced its newest ambassador, KC Concepcion.

I know what you’re thinking. KC Concepcion’s face is everywhere. When I saw the rest of her photos from the Plana FORMA site I thought — her equally stunning body deserves to be everywhere too!

For someone who seems to have a massive amount of work on her plate, I have to say that her body says otherwise. Some get too thin, others balloon up. Checkout how well-proportioned her body is!

read more

Sure, you have THE rock but is your body ready to rock your the aisle as well? *raises eyebrows* Understanding how stressful weddings can be, I’d like to share with FIVE (yes, 5…cinco…lima) lucky individuals the best wedding gift courtesy of the largest privately owned health club group in the world, Fitness First: a free Lose It! program. :)

Most girls dream about their wedding day from the moment they first heard the stories that end with “happily ever after.” They wish for a fairy tale wedding with their very own Prince Charming. But planning a wedding takes a lot of precious time, energy and money of course. Engaged couples have to choose the right church and reception venue, come up with an ideal theme, finalize the guest list, and on top of all that, find the perfect wedding dress and suit that will make them look their best on the big day! But soon-to-be brides and grooms may yet find a wedding helper in Fitness First, whose team will make sure they look and feel good on the weeks approaching their wedding date.