Maui’s winning regimen

When Mauro “Maui” Lumba won the 2014 Century Tuna Superbods title last April 26, no one was more surprised than Mauro himself. During the pageant’s finals night — which was held at the Pearl of the Pacific Hotel in Boracay — Maui bagged only one out of the six special awards given out to the finalists: The People’s Choice award, which he shared with Diane Tan. Maui half-expected that the title would go to one of the finalists who won more special awards, so when his name was called, he could hardly believe his ears.

As the male winner of this year’s pageant, Maui took home P500,000 and a one-year supply of Century Tuna products, among other prizes. “It’s a surreal feeling for me. I still can’t believe that I won it,” he says when asked to describe how he feels about his big win.

He also says that he tried to stay optimistic during the pageant proper, even if things didn’t seem to be going his way.

“I still believed I had a chance to win, even if I didn’t win most of the special awards,” he says. “So, when they called my name, it was one of the best feelings in the world. All my hard work paid off.”

He already has haters — people who say he didn’t deserve to win the title over the other male finalists, particularly those who got more than one special award — but he just shrugs them off. “I don’t care what they say because I know I can’t please everyone. All I can do is be myself in everything I do.”

Maui reveals that it was his idea to try his luck in this year’s Century Tuna Superbods pageant, which happens every two years. “It was really my choice to join. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect because I was always in the gym, preparing myself and my body. And it just so happened that the competition happened at this time of year. It just motivated me more and made me want to prove something to myself.”

When Maui made up his mind about joining the competition, he put himself through a strict training regimen that included a diet and intense workouts to get in shape. He started this long before the first screening, to make sure he had a competitive edge before going in there. “I would say that I started preparing for this a year ago. Because that was when I started going to the gym more often. I also went on a diet. I never really had to do that before but I just decided to become a healthy eater — no fast food or street food. I started eating less carbs, mostly protein,” he shares.

Maui says that in order to get a healthy body, people need to strike a balance between dieting and exercising. “It really depends on how you feel. Some people are ripped and muscular but they feel weak inside because they’re not eating right. You need to do that as well to get the body you want. It’s a matter of balancing everything so you can be healthy. Hard work pretty much sums it up. You have to put in the work and also discipline yourself when it comes to the food you eat.”

The night Maui was named a Superbod, he partied it up with his fellow finalists and various celebrities — including Century Tuna endorsers Anne Curtis and John Lloyd Cruz — but woke up the next morning with a stronger sense of purpose. Winning the competition made him feel good about himself and his body, but it also made him more determined to make a name for himself in showbiz. A Backroom talent, Mauro is looking forward to exploring whatever opportunities will come his way after the pageant.

“Winning this contest is a big break for me. I hope I get a lot of projects from now on. Right now there are pending guestings and go-sees for me,” he says excitedly. “I’ll gladly take in whatever I can and keep pursuing my career.”