MANILA, Philippines — Kapuso actor David Licauco, who managed to open his fifth business despite the economic turbulence caused by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has a few secrets when it comes to making efficient use of quarantine time at home.
Related: Kapuso star David Licauco, 25, opens fifth business amid COVID-19 pandemic
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, the 25-year-old said that the health crisis offered him more time to work on the things that truly matter.
“This pandemic parang swerte ako na I was given the gift of time... I have more time to hang out with my family and then I get to study. I get to work out a lot pa din.”
Time management
The key, David said, is time management.
“Kasi minsan kung burned out ka na sa work, parang you don’t get to take care of yourself na. And you don’t get to work out ganyan. ‘Yung kakainin mo out of stress na lang so usually comfort food, hindi na masarap.”
To avoid spiraling down, David’s number one self-care tip is to manage one’s time effectively and promote work-life balance.
His work schedule is sandwiched between proper downtime consisting of workouts, meditation, meals, skincare and socializing.
Bond with family and friends
“Bago matulog, I make sure na parang I talk to my friends,” David shared.
He said that the pandemic made him realize how time spent with loved ones is usually taken for granted.
“One thing na na-learn ko talaga this quarantine was to be always grateful and make the most out of everything and opportunity that you get,” he confessed.
“Kasi like before hindi ko masyadong nakaka-bonding ‘yung family ko just because I was busy with my focused career. So right now talagang bawi bawi. Pati ‘yung sa dogs ko parang kinakausap ko palagi.”
Study
Perspective is important, David said.
“Kasi feel ko ‘yung mga ibang tao just because it’s pandemic, parang magrereklamo na lang sila na parang ugh hassle naman ‘yung nangyayari ngayon. But I think kailangan lang na parang think about a solution or like a new avenue for you to be whole again.”
For him, this meant enrolling in five online courses, mostly about business.
David admitted that he wasn’t as studious in high school and college, but said that learning is nonstop.
“And right now sobrang nag-aaral ako. Like ‘yung mga online courses ko na dapat for four weeks, natatapos ko siya nang three days. Happy ako na I was given that privilege na nasa bahay lang ako, nakakapag-aral.”
Exercise
With current restrictions and recommendations against the reopening of gyms and fitness centers, David swears by at-home workouts sufficing for the time being.
“To be honest, nu'ng start, parang medyo nagko-complain ako na I don’t get to go to the gym, I don’t get to play basketball, all those stuff. Pero wala eh. I realized na ang daming free stuff on the Internet, that home workouts can actually be fun.”
If lacking exercise equipment or a place to jog, the next best thing is high-intensity interval training, he said.
“Basically, parang it’s a group of exercises na sunod-sunod with a short time of rest lang. Sabihin natin squats for 10 reps and then rest ka for 20 seconds and then go to the next exercise which is pushups, tapos situps, and then jumping jacks and high knees. Pwede mong gawin ‘yung five na ‘yun sunod-sunod with only 20 second rest in between and then you can do it for three sets.”
Once you get used to high-intensity interval workouts, David said that you can add more exercises and repetitions to the mix.