Keeping up with Edu

Edu Manzano, to borrow a pun from his latest endorsement, seems to have it all. The Optical Media Board (OMB) chair, punishing schedule notwithstanding, has yet to skip a single beat.

He wakes up at 3:30 a.m., reports to the set of ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda, hies off to his OMB office and tapes 1 vs. 100 and Pilipinas: Game KNB later in the day.

His Papaya dance album has started a trend which producers of Marian Rivera’s dance CD followed.

The last time Edu was hospitalized was three years ago, for sleep apnea, which has never bothered him since. Other people his age — 52 — would have gone down with the flu or some other illness, but not this guy. Edu manages to keep up with his hectic schedule, and even — dig this — dance the Papaya (also part of his album) on his game show.

In one recent episode of 1 vs 100, Edu gamely danced with guest Chin Chin Gutierrez — a spectacle that elicited smiles from the amused audience.

On the day of Unilab and ABS-CBN’s presscon for HavitAll multivitamins and minerals food supplement, Edu, as usual started bright and early. That morning, he had an interview with students at his OMB office, where he went straight after Umagang Kay Ganda.

Yes, he admits. Staying healthy is a lifestyle he continues to adopt because he has a scenario which keeps on playing on his mind. In that scenario four years from now, he’s holding daughter Adi’s hand in her debut party and dancing with her for all the world to see.

He’ll be the proudest father in the world when that big day comes.

“I want my daughter to be proud of me,” says Edu. “I want her to say, ‘My dad still looks good.’ I don’t want her to be pushing me on a wheelchair when that day comes.”

Edu doesn’t want to hear son Luis urging him, “Dad, it’s time to slow down. Instead, he wants to join Luis in each activity he invites dear dad to do with him.

And so, Edu finds time to do sit-ups at home. He has remained active in judo and All-Terrain-Vehicle racing.

“I’ve always felt it’s nice to test yourself. Push yourself to the limit. Don’t allow age to limit us. As they say, age is but a state of mind.”

And because Edu knows cell regeneration, the body cells’ normal way to replacing and restoring themselves slows down with age, he takes HavitAll (the way its female endorser Sharon Cuneta, does).

This way, he wakes up on the right side of the bed in the morning After a healthy breakfast and a shower, Edu leaves the house raring to jumpstart a new day.

Edu’s passion for a healthy lifestyle didn’t happen overnight. He actually grew up with it. His late father was a two-time basketball candidate for the Olympics. He was basketball captain of La Salle, played the game for San Miguel and represented the Philippines in a soccer competition in Asia.

No wonder, Edu got involved in martial arts even when he was that tall. He started judo at age nine. He became captain of his alma mater De La Salle University’s judo team and earned a fourth dan black belt. He went on to act as executive vice president of the Philippine Amateur Judo Association.

At 16, Edu turned to motorcycles for that thrilling adrenaline rush. The feeling of freedom and open spaces that it gave him warmed his teenaged heart no end. It continues to excite him, even now.

“What’s important,” he says, “is I must be fit no matter how old I am.”

And oh yes, it may sound cliché. But attitude is also oh-so-crucial.

“It’s not how old you are, but how young you feel inside. Never lose your passion and enthusiasm. Smile. Have fun. And always be ready for what’s next.”

Spoken with the spirit of someone who has it all.