Kim Atienza Is The Best Role Model For His Kids To Get Into Fitness And Sports

When Kim Atienza and his wife Felicia Hung-Atienza's children Jose, Eliana, and Emmanuelle were growing up, the head of the family made it a point to include their brood in the sports he was doing.

That's why, the TV host and anchor known as Kuya Kim proudly says, "All my kids know how to run. I made them run five-kilometer races. My son is a triathlete as well."

Kim, who remains quite active and fit in his 50s, still enjoys the company of Jose in playing golf or driving their scooters, but only when his unico hijo is on vacation. He and his younger sister Eliana are attending college in the United States.

On his own, Kim makes it a point to run and swim at least twice a week, plus CrossFit classes in between. He trains more when he's preparing for a triathlon race or a marathon.

Life-changing events

Kim, a recent addition to the roster of celebrity ambassadors of Watsons Philippines #SwitchAndSave campaign, says he's always been into fitness and sports. He was even a young body builder in the 1980s.

Then he entered politics, notably as a councilor in the 5th district of Manila for three terms (1995 to 2004), and spent a total 20 years in that field. That's when he developed the bad habits of drinking, not sleeping enough, and working too much.

In 2004, Kim shifted to television and, in his own words, fell in love with his work as either an anchor or a host of four shows in ABS-CBN.  Six years later, in 2010, he had a stroke.

"Because there’s a hole in my heart and also my lifestyle was terrible," he says during his launch as an ambassador for the health and beauty retailer brand. "I thought that being fit in the ’80s would carry through. It’s a fallacy."

He goes on sharing what he did while undergoing treatment for stroke: "I made a deal with the Lord. I said, ‘If you make me well, I will be the best, the healthy.’ He made me well."

Kim says he did his part of the deal, too. "I became a runner, I became a cyclist, I went back to swimming." He ran marathons, particularly the one held in the French port city of Bordeaux. He also joined the Ironman triathlon races.

Three years later, "at the peak of my fitness," Kim again fell ill. At first, he thought he was having another stroke because he couldn't feel his feet and became paralyzed. After undergoing tests, he was diagnosed with a rare disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

He got treatment, and "by God's grace," he says, he was healed once again. He has since stepped up his fitness routine and diet restrictions. He explains, "I come from a family of diabetics. If I don’t control my sugar, I’ll become a diabetic someday."

Kim also takes his nutritional supplements because, he says, at his age, his metabolism has slowed down compared to his dietary needs.

He explains, "After my GBS, I was required by my doctor to take vitamin B complex supplement. For a full year, I was in high dosage of vitamin B. GBS is an autoimmune disease that affects the nerves.

"Instead of a virus, the immune system attacks the nerves, that’s why you get paralyzed. But you don’t have to get sick to take care of your nerve health. The best thing is preventive."

Read also: Your Child and the Benefits of Early Physical Fitness