Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa: Eat right, pray regularly & love your body

Filipinas are taking the world by storm. The latest lady to make headlines is Kylie Verzosa. Her loyal fans may have been disappointed when she didn’t take home the title of Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2016, but it may have been a blessing in disguise. The 5’9 stunner just brought home the Miss International crown from Tokyo, making her the sixth Filipina to hold the title.

She draws strength from within, attributing her success to her balanced physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being. That means working out, eating right, reading, volunteering, and praying regularly for holistic wellness. We caught up with her before she left for Tokyo at her cover shoot for Shape Philippines to talk about contest preparation, health and fitness.

The Philippine STAR: How does it feel to be crowned Bb. Pilipinas International 2016?

KYLIE VERZOSA: Indescribable! It surprised me and it’s a rollercoaster of emotions, but I’m so grateful for everything that has happened. I’m really happy.

We heard you are a teacher and an advocate for depression and suicide awareness.

I used to teach kids. I love kids. Recently, I was a volunteer for iVolunteer PH, a website where you can volunteer for different organizations. I volunteered for Bayanihan and these are out-of-school kids. I did this because last Sunday, I really missed kids since I used to teach preschool and it’s really happy when you’re with the kids.

For depression awareness, I found the foundation through a friend and I decided to volunteer for it and be part of it. Depression is something very close to me because it’s something that I don’t think people really talk about and it’s a stigma. I want to speak out about it because not many people focus on mental well-being; instead, they focus so much on the physical aspect of the person. It makes me happy that I get to speak out about it and in return, a lot of people come to me as well to share their experiences and it makes me feel better. I’ve been doing all this starting after college.

How do you keep yourself fit despite your busy schedule?

I go to the gym as often as I can. I try to move every day. I try to do cardio every day. I balance it between Pilates, cycling, yoga, going to the gym, lifting weights, and resistance training. Sometimes, I work out with a trainer, sometimes not. It’s really all about balance and finding time for it.

We saw your upside-down Pilates photos on Instagram. How did you manage to do that?

I started Pilates just recently. People were wondering how did I do that? I’ve been doing yoga for three years now. It was something I did more for me and realized it helped me improve myself, find calmness and serenity. I became more flexible through yoga then because of Pilates; I found out “Oh, I can do this” and it became one of my favorite workouts because while you’re doing Pilates, you get to target parts of your body that you don’t always get to work out in the gym. It’s quite dynamic and I enjoy it a lot plus it’s a whole different environment from something I was used to.

What aspects of your physical fitness do you think got developed from Pilates and yoga?

Flexibility, that’s one. But for me, what works is I find myself more peaceful when I go to yoga and as cliched as it may sound, it may not be for everyone, but it has helped me. And I think that’s what’s important in fitness. You have to be experimental and know what works for you and what doesn’t. That’s also the beauty of having your own body — you get to experiment what’s good for you and what’s not and that goes for fitness as well.

What are the advantages of living a fit and healthy lifestyle aside from the aesthetic benefit?

It helps manage your stress and balance your life. When you’re healthy, it also affects the way you feel about yourself, which I feel is very important, especially among young girls today. It keeps you also mentally active and it gets rid of your stress, that’s what’s good about it.

What kind of eating habits did you start out with before preparing for competitions?

I have to say it’s so difficult because I love food! We have to be at our very best. I watch what I eat now very much, but I try not to deprive myself of anything. My diet right now is low carb and high protein. Fruits and vegetables. I stay away from sugar, salt, mostly sugar. I try not to snack in between meals.

I try to have enough protein in every meal because I know it helps burn fat. I don’t have any rice, but I do try and eat my complex carbs because our body needs them to keep us going and to keep us happy. Protein also helps you feel full throughout the day, and fruits and veggies give you vitality. I go for fish. I love chicken. I like chicken, fish, and nuts.

Tell us more about your thoughts on the mind-body connection.

It’s the thing that not many people are open about. We focus too much on the physical aspect. Your happiness comes from outward things, not knowing you have the power to control everything that you can. The things you put into your body and the things you do to your body are heavily influenced by the way you think. With a healthy mind, you get to think well, you become happier, you become stress-free, you think deeper, you make better connections. You become more whole as a person. It’s well-being. Also I wanted to put in the spiritual aspect of it. It’s also very important. Prayer helps.

Why do you love your shape?

I think it’s all about knowing what’s best to do for your body and what not to do. Doing the very best you can and then accepting it and also putting so much effort into it. And I love my body and I think everyone should love their body because they are already beautiful. You should love your shape. People come in all shapes and sizes. Girls come in all shapes and sizes so they have to accept that. And also don’t compare yourself to others.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.