A21: Walk for Freedom this Saturday!

I have seen too many movies on human trafficking and heard countless stories. I have felt empathy for the women and children who have been abused and turned to sex slaves. But while I felt sad hearing these stories, they were just that to me. Stories. 

 

Then I was told of how Christine Caine, founder of the A21 organization, talk about rescuing many children who have been on the "Missing Children" list of the police for so long. Then it became more real to me. Those children were probably stolen under their parents' watch. In the malls, in theme parks, while they were on vacation. Those children could have been your children. Those children could have been mine.

 

Children who grew up in the human trafficking environment are not even called by their names anymore. Even the children forget and identify themselves by a  number. It hurts me to think of my own children forgetting they have a name and an indentity. They are not a number. These children are someone's child. Their parents probably thought long and hard before deciding on their name. They are not just a number.

 

A21 is a non-profit, non-government organization that work to stop individuals from becoming victims of human trafficking by educating families.  They rescue and provide a safe environment for the survivors by running restoration programs in their aftercare facilities.  Watch videos of their stories here .

 

This Saturday, October 15, 2016, you can help this cause by joining us in celebrating the freedom of the survivors. From 9am to 12nn, we will be walking in BGC to raise awareness of human trafficking and wake people's hearts to these cruelties happening around the world. Walk with us. Celebrate their freedom and raise awareness to stop human trafficking.

 

There are four ways you can  help:

 

(1) Walk for Freedom.  If you would like to participate, you may register online HERE. The event is free but you need to register in order to join. Wear a black shirt for the walk.

 

(2) You may purchase A21 shirts and caps by contacting walkforfreedomph@gmail.com or dropping by the merchandise booths during the event on Saturday.

 

(3) If you would like to help further through sponsorship or donations, you may also do so by sending an email to walkforfreedomph@gmail.com

 

(4) Finally, you can pray. Pray for the victims who have yet to be rescued and pray for those who are currently going through rehabilitation,.  Pray for A21 that God will continue to use them and provide for their needs. And pray for protection for all of our family members.

 

So you see, these stories are no longer just stories to us. They are real and we need to do something about it.

 

Join us as we #WalkForFreedom this Saturday.

 

 

 

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Fitbit Your Way to Good Health

Last year was pretty successful for me health-wise. I ran regularly (finally hitting 10k!)and started sleeping a lot earlier than my usual 12am.  One of the best tools that helped me achieve my goal was my Fitbit Flex.

 

Fitbit has a number of activity-monitoring devices that can fit your individual needs.

I decided to get the Fitbit Flex since it has interchangeable straps so it's a lot more versatile fashion-wise.

They even have Tory Burch designs with gold hardware that has been on my wish list ever since I saw them last December.

There is an application that you may download to your smart phones in order to track your progress. The bracelet also has light indicators that will let you know how much you've progressed towards your daily goal.

The Fitbit Flex tracks your steps for the day. I have set my goal to the standard 10,000 steps since studies have shown that walking at least 10,000 steps daily will allow you to reap tons of health benefits. An article in LiveScience says "One study found that women who increased their step count to nearly 10,000 steps a day reduced their blood pressure after 24 weeks. Another study of overweight women found that walking 10,000 steps a day improved their glucose levels." 

 

On top of monitoring your activity, the Fitbit Flex also monitors your sleep and tells you how many hours of deep sleep you've had for the night.  This motivated me to sleep earlier to achieve more 8 hours of deep sleep.

Here are some snapshots of my Fitbit tracker on my smart phone. You can see how many steps you've taken and which days you achieved your goal. The sleep tracker is also an awesome way to see what your average bedtime is and how you can do better.

To make fitness fun, you may also sync with friends and compete against each other on a daily or weekly race. You would even be able to monitor how much steps your friends have been taking on a 7-day summary.

I got my Fitbit Flex from Singapore since it was not readily available in Manila last year. The good news is that Fitbit is now available in any Digital Walker store in the Philippines. Do check it out! 

Choose the Fitbit that fits your lifestyle and aim for a healthier you this 2016!


 

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