Sunshine Cruz and daughters make fitness a family affair

The family that works out together looks good together. Sunshine Cruz and her three daughters — Angelina, 20, Sam, 17, and Chesca, 16 — have made fitness a family affair, as you’ve probably noticed from their social media accounts.

But over the pandemic, the actress’ daughters have also drawn attention if not admiration because of how they’ve spoken out against netizens who body-shamed and objectified them online. The confidence to do so, it’s not hard to see, they got it from their momma who has both fiercely defended and celebrated her daughters on social media.

“Even before the pandemic (I’d do that)…I’ve always believed that you should always choose your battles. Hindi ka naman lagi ‘pag meron bashers or nagsasabi ng hindi maganda, papatulan mo. But there are times when we have to confront it and give a statement, especially when it comes to my girls and ‘pag sumosobra na. I’m very protective. Meron pa nga times, sinasabi nila, ‘Mom, no na.’ ‘No, of course not!’ Sabi ko, I’m known to fight for what is right and for my children,” the 44-year-old single mom recently told The Philippine STAR.

Body positivity and body confidence, and how to best deal with those who attempt to tear these down, cropped up during this paper’s exclusive virtual chat with Sunshine and her girls, following the announcement that they’re the new celebrity ambassadors of Surge Fitness + Lifestyle.

“We really love working out together at home nung time ng pandemic. So, when we were offered na maging part of Surge Fitness + Lifestyle, sobrang na-excite ako talaga na kasama ko ang mga kids ko mag-endorse. And it’s fitness (which is) something new for us,” said Sunshine.

As the country is moving towards Alert Level 1 status where all establishments are permitted to operate at full capacity, the wellness hub couldn’t have chosen a better showbiz family to encourage the public that it can be safe to resume working out at gyms and fitness studios, like its first flagship fitness center opening in March at the Wellness Wing of Glorietta in Makati. As per its media release, Surge takes pride in “being the first and only full-heart rate-monitored fitness facility in the Philippines” and offering technologies like the Interactive Fitness which lets members compete against other members on site and off site (visit https://www.surgefitnesslifestyle.com for more info).

In an industry obsessed with looks, Sunshine stressed that her commitment to being healthy and fit goes beyond vanity purposes. “It’s because I want to take care of (my daughters) ng mahabang-mahabang panahon kaya kinailangan maging fit and healthy tayo,” she said.

As for her daughters, they just enjoy doing things together. They work out two to four times a week and at least for 10 minutes.

Sam further described the sibling bond: “We’re very close. We’re always together. We’re like bestfriends.”

During our interview, the girls also talked about following in the footsteps of their parents (Sunshine and Cesar Montano). Angelina and Sam are acting and recording music — will Chesca join them soon? Read on.

On mom Sunshine as a ‘fitspiration’:

Angelina: “Sobrang consistent po yung influence niya. Ever since I was 10 years old, we used to make it a point that every week, we’d work out. Mom used to play tennis, I used to play badminton or we’d swim. We really make it a point that we make good upkeep with regards to physical fitness.”

Chesca: “Even before, we would go cycling and spinning with our mom and our Tita. And she (Sunshine) always would join us in our at-home workouts. She always encourages us to join sports and other clubs in school so we’ve managed to stay fit and healthy.”

Sam: “At home, during the height of the quarantine, wala rin kaming magawa (laughs). Actually, our workouts were through YouTube and stuff. My sister Angelina was actually the one who introduced it to us.”

Sunshine: Siya (Angelina) talaga pinaka-masipag sa amin. She’s a good influence because she’s always, ‘Mom, let’s work out.’ Ganyan sila. Nakakatuwa for me kasi at least nakikita nila na ‘pag nag-wo-workout ako or I’m trying to be fit and healthy during the pandemic, nagagaya ko sila in a good way.”

On working out as a family:

Sunshine: “It’s part of our bonding also. Nagiging fit and healthy but at the same time parang mga barkada, nakakausap ko talaga sila and nakakatuwa na nagtatawanan kami ‘pag medyo nahihirapan yung isa. Pero nandito yung ibang family members na nagpu-push talaga na, ‘Kaya mo yan, we can do it.’”

Chesca: “I really get more motivated with my mom and sisters. They inspire me. It’s like friendly competition, like oh no, she did more sets than me. It really inspires me to keep going and to keep doing more.”

Sam: “Ako parang nawawalan din ako ng gana if my sisters are not working out with me. It’s more fun when you do it with people you love.”

Angelina: “Nakakawala po talaga ng stress and yung feeling na hindi po siya draining because when I work out by myself, I sometimes feel drained… But with my family, we really push each other. We motivate each other to have good physical health.”

On beauty and body positivity:

Sunshine: “I always tell them, hindi naman kailangan payat. As long as you’re comfortable and confident with your body, kung ano man kayo, mahalin niyo ang sarili niyo, di ba? Kami, iba-iba naman ang shape ng mga katawan namin but I’m very, very proud of these girls. Kung ano man ang shape ng katawan nila, kung ano man ang itsura nila, isa yun sa nagiging proud ako as a mom kasi napalaki ko sila na very confident about themselves.”

Sam: “I feel like it’s a problem nowadays — people judge you from what you wear. Then, they judge your weight as well, which I think is very wrong right now. I feel like no matter what your body weight is, when you feel confident in yourself and you feel you’re healthy, then there’s no problem.”

Angelina: “Of course, there were times when we would feel insecure about our body. But at the end of the day, we’ve realized that when it comes down to that (insecurities), it doesn’t matter as long as we love ourselves, are confident in our body and we know we’re doing right with it, too.”

Chesca: “I know that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s not just like abs and a slim figure. Especially on social media, there’s a lot of these beautiful girls and models and sometimes, I start to get really insecure with myself. But at the end of the day, I realize that their beauty doesn’t take away my own and that I should be happy with myself because I’m born with this body and it gives me everything that I need. You know, even though it’s not perfect, it still functions and that’s all that matters and I should be grateful for it.”

On venturing into showbiz and avoiding ‘sibling rivalry’:

Sunshine: “Chesca has not joined showbiz. Not yet because bata pa. She’s excelling in school. Actually, lahat naman sila. (Note: Angelina finished her first year at DLSU as dean’s lister while Sam was first honor.) But, sabi ko sa kanya, one at a time. You’ll have your time as well. For now, gusto ko talaga mag-focus muna siya sa studies niya kasi kaka-16 lang niya. Bayaan muna si Angelina and Samantha. Eventually naman kung yun talaga ang gusto niya, 101 percent ang magiging support ko sa kanya. But, alam naman nilang tatlo yan, just as long as hindi napapabayaan ang inyong pag-aaral, OK lang sa akin.”

Chesca: “Yeah, for now, I wanna focus on my studies. I’m not sure if I want to (do showbiz). But I do have the passion for music as well.”

Sam: “You know, I actually had to work hard in school before I could even be signed to my record label. Mom said, ‘No, you’re not gonna go in unless you get a good grade in Math,’ kasi Math po talaga yung struggle ko. I really had to work hard and get a good grade before I was able to be signed to Universal Records. As time went by, during the pandemic, I was blessed with another opportunity and I got signed to ABS-CBN Star Magic, and my mom always says, even when I’m working and gaining money, I can’t let go of my studies.”

Angelina: “My mom’s advice is to always know my priorities as well, especially when it comes to school and career. I always prioritize my school over my career, especially now that I’m in second-year college. I really learned how to value my education, especially now may pandemya, (there are) people who can’t afford education so I really, really value it po.”

Sunshine: “As for sibling rivalry (in showbiz), wala naman kasi magkaibang-magkaiba ang dalawang anak ko (Angelina and Sam). Even if they belong to the same label, magkaiba yung tema ng kanilang kanta. And kino-compare ko sila kina Rayver and Rodjun Cruz, my cousins. Sabi ko, ‘Be like them.’ Dapat walang competition and you support each other. You have to be proud of each other. After all, we are family. Tayo-tayo naman talaga ang magkakampi. Tayo-tayo ang magsusuportahan. We should inspire each other and one another.”