In this special Siargao issue, the actress, mother, and entrepreneur served as our tour guide around the island and showed us the way to pure, unbounded happiness
Related: Andi Eigenmann Has One Reminder For Those Considering The Island Life
This is an excerpt from MEGA’s April 2023 cover story.
Eigenmann had heard this multiple times growing up in showbiz: you need to be a certain shape or size to be a big star. And it affected her mental health. On some days, she felt that she was not good enough.
“You always have to be a certain size because, if not, then they’re not going to love you,” she recalls her thoughts. “And that was always so hard for me, but not in a way that I’d be strong enough to be like, ‘No.’ I wanted it din naman. It’s not that I’m ungrateful. I’m happy to follow and listen to what I’m told. And then, as I grew older, I realized that it was hard for me because I felt like I was only doing it because I was asked to do it. When I was on my own, I re-met my active lifestyle. I’ve always been an athlete and I got back into that mentality. My husband, he encouraged me. He said, ‘You say that you used to do this and you used to do that. You can still do that now.’ And it became a whole lifestyle.”
Healthwise, the pandemic took a toll on everyone, mentally and physically. For Eigenmann and her family, it meant veering away from the island life. Eigenmann was pregnant with their youngest child when the pandemic hit, so they had to stay in Metro Manila. They let go of their pescatarian diet and indulged in what she calls “city-living.” She gained 80 pounds. After giving birth, she weighed around 178 pounds.
Changing back to her old lifestyle didn’t happen overnight. There was no deadline. There was no schedule pertaining to when she should lose weight or get back in shape. What she had, though, were goals that were realistic and didn’t feel like punishments.
“I got so into the new lifestyle so much that it became who I was,” she says. “It became what I was all about. So, I realized that it wasn’t about me not being good enough when I was bigger, but it was about where or in what shape do I feel happiest. So, that’s when I set my own fitness goals. And it worked well for me because I feel like I was not in a hurry to reach my goal.”
She began her journey by being careful about what she would put in her body. She didn’t count the calories. And while she’s against starving herself, she also doesn’t eat so much to the point of feeling full or bloated.
“I don’t tell myself that I have to do this forever,” she says. “I tell myself, ‘Okay, so, this is my two-week goal. I’ll do this diet for two weeks, then, I’ll be eating what I want.’ But because I didn’t really force myself into anything, I didn’t fail. I didn’t backslide because I’m happy. Now, even if I eat what I want, I still choose the healthier option because it’s what’s yummy for me. It’s what tastes good for me, like my smoothie bowls. I like my vegetables and my salads.”
She also hires a boxing coach because the sport is something she loves engaging in. “It can be whatever you enjoy,” she says, moving her face closer to the recorder, as if to emphasize that she wants the readers to know how much this statement means to her. “And I kept trying skipping. Admittedly, a lot of people really like skipping. It’s not for me. So, I just moved on. Move on to something else. Kahit ano lang ’yan, basta you’re moving. And all it requires is 30 minutes a day, and you don’t have to be hardcore. That’s me. That’s my personal preference because it’s what I enjoy.”
In these past few months, too, she has been thoroughly enjoying learning about food and nutrition, and concocting recipes for her and her family. Soon, she plans to take an online certificate course in nutrition and become a certified nutritionist.
Of course, nothing beats combining fresh produce with breaking out a sweat while enjoying the sun and beautiful waves that Siargao is known all over the world for. “Now, I’m doing a lot of surfing,” she reveals. “It’s nice because I’m challenged to really get better at it every day, and I love it. I love being in the ocean. But at the same time, it’s my workout.”
Every day, she tries to surf for two hours—“max na yon,” she reveals. “I don’t feel like I’m working out because I’m just having fun.”
It took almost two years to reach her health and fitness goals, she says. And she recommends the slow and steady pace to anyone who asks about her success. “Every time I reach a goal or I make progress, I’m already happy,” she concludes. “I feel like I’m okay if this is me na. If this is the most I can go, I’ll be fine. It’s holistic. It’s the way that you think, as well. It involves the mind, body, and soul.”
During our stay on the island, and during this interview, the word “soul” was uttered a lot. Maybe that’s what happens when the mind—and the senses— are given rest from all the chaos of the city: we focus on what matters, the core of our being. Maybe, for some people, that’s what happens when they leave: they arrive at the right place. Eigenmann agrees.
Read more about how Andi Eigenmann found pure contentment in MEGA’s April 2023 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography CAMILLE ROBIOU DU PONT
Creative Direction JONES PALTENG
Art Direction NICOLE ALMERO
Fashion Direction RYUJI SHIOMITSU
Beauty Direction MIA CASTRO
Styling SAMANTHA TIDALGO
Makeup JAKE GALVEZ
Hair BRIX BATALLA
Photography Assistant EDWIN POBLACION
Shot on location SIARGAO ISLAND and BAYUD BOUTIQUE RESORT
Special thanks to ARCHITECT VEE DAVID, NIÑO BARBERS and KATARINA RODRIGUEZ of BAYUD BOUTIQUE RESORT, SAAR GEVA and ELIRAN ELHA of HAPPINESS PHILIPPINES, LEN CORO of ABUKAY BEACH HOUSE, SOFIA FAHEEM and NICHOLAI TALENS of CUMIN and KANAWAY SNACK BAR
Video Production REGINA ACERON
Videography EXCEL PANLAQUE
