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Nathalie Abejero

Kids project: Micro-loans to women entrepreneurs

26 December 2021 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

As part of many city-wide initiatives meant to encourage preventive behaviors, when the kids got their Covid vaccine they each received a cash incentive. So we started talking about donating part of that money, and Kiva came up as an option for investing for social impact (the ‘investment’ being in social capital, not profit).

There’s been much debate over the years over how impactful investing through Kiva really is. Middleman MFIs (microfinance institutions) who are on the ground provide micro-loans to populations otherwise considered too ‘high risk’ by traditional banking institutions. And Kiva offsets those risks for the MFIs. The pros and cons are discussed at great length on blog posts, business reviews, white papers and in the literature. But all things considered, there’s a case for leveraging models such as Kiva’s and MFIs for empowering people around the world who are unable to access financing tools.

The kids spent some time looking through borrower profiles to learn about the different businesses in various countries. They ended up deciding to support two women with small farms. One is a mother of three in Mali, who will use her loan to purchase seeds and insecticides in order to have a good season. Someday she’s hoping to have a motorized water pump to make production easier. The other, in Ecuador, also has a family, and will use her loan to buy farming supplies and hire workers, to improve her crop of beans.

At this time of the year there’s a 1:1 match for investors, from Kiva’s corporate partners – bonus for stretching the small investments made on the platform.

As a postscript:

I’m a big believer in women being the foundation for lifting families and future generations out of poverty, and how important it is to secure their rights, ensure their education, and support their businesses. My Khmer tutor in Phnom Penh helped girls from her village in Kampong Thom by supporting their secondary education and even university for some.

Some of us former students who went back to our home countries helped raise funds for sending the girls to school. Each girl received a package which included tuition fees, a bicycle, clothes, school supplies, and other associated needs. Included in that package is the opportunity costs to her family for losing a set of hands to help earn money.

This effort has its challenges. Sometimes a girl will be forced to leave school because she’s the only one who can care for an elderly or newborn. One of the girls I learned a lot about was married off by her father – as soon as she graduated from university! – to an uneducated man who didn’t want her taking a job, and kept her home to raise kids. I was shocked. What a loss! But I also eventually learned that her kids are growing up to value their education and role in helping the family.

See the girls on their Facebook page.

“Proteep” (ប្រទីប) means light. In Cambodia, many girls are denied an education because families are too poor and choose to send their son to school instead. Yet when a girl goes to school, the cycle of poverty can be broken and the benefits can last for generations. As Mme. Soun Neang says, “I see the difference between my own life and my older sister who never went to school.”

Drawing inspiration from her own story, in 2004, Mme. Suon Neang decided she wanted to make a difference and began to provide scholarships to girls from poor families who would not otherwise have gone to school or been able to complete their education. She selected four girls who were good students and had completed third grade. These girls have since completed their university education.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: entrepreneurship, Kiva, social impact, women, women-owned businesses

I ran the 50th NYC Marathon!

7 November 2021 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

What a journey! Fourteen weeks of training was quite the project – logging the miles, energy management, the mental aspect. I regrettably injured my knee 10 days before the marathon so my race strategy went out the window – pacing, fueling and hydration, and mental game. It was down to a mile-by-mile approach, where I was so focused on and favoring my right knee that I thought for sure all the compensations my body was making would cramp my legs up. I might’ve dropped out if not for incredible energy from the 26.2 mile cheer zone, drowning out any pain and moving me forward. It was ugly, but I crossed that finish tape at 5:32:42. And now I’m game for improving that finish time to redeem myself, if I can continue running on this knee!

Resources specific to the NYC Marathon

If you have the NYC Marathon in your future, below are three excellent resources from Richard White. He’s been running for over four decades and is a 17x finisher of this race. Richard’s been a tremendous coach / mentor to many of us over the years – first, as we started running, then as we trained for longer distances, and recently to help us get through this race for our first time. His tactical advice at every stage of training is funny and useful and very on-point, helping each of us aim for goal finish times in every race. His love for the sport and enjoyment of this particular course shows through in these pieces:

NYC Marathon Episode on the Strength Running podcast with Coach Jason Fitzgerald. Richard talks about the corral logistics, chunking up the distance, tackling the hills, and how to deal with the baddest, most amazing 26.2 mile cheer zone you might ever run through!

A Brief and Highly Selective Tour of Historical Landmarks and General History Along the NYC Marathon Course. This unique route winds through diverse neighborhoods with rich histories. Richard touches on the colonial events shaping these neighborhoods, explains notable landmarks like the temples and bridges, and how the city’s landscape was shaped by glaciers retreating at the end of the Ice Age. It’s informative and special, particularly for people who live and run in NYC.

And here he has valuable Tips and Advice for First Time NYC Marathoners. The NYC course is more technical than many other marathons because of its bridges and elevations. Breaking the course down by its natural landmarks helps you strategize through it.

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Filed Under: Life Tagged With: 50th Anniversary, nyc, NYC Marathon, Richard White, running

Bok l’hong with Margaritas or, memories from the Mekong

29 October 2021 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

Dodged an off-leash dog today while running, and naturally I’d sustain a knee injury this close to the NYC marathon. Sharp pain to the right of my patella if I step wrong or run on elevation, uggh. It’s just over a week away so I’m hoping it sorts itself out!

What a summer. I miss the regular physical activity, hard workouts and training schedule. I’ve always been involved in competitive recreational sports, so intensive training on top of full time work or studies isn’t unfamiliar. But even though I trained at the lower mileage threshold for this marathon (~30 mile weeks is all the time I can devote), it’s still been quite rough. I blame the kids. LOL.

So here we are. We visited friends and it is so nice to have some Khmer food. Devy again made her famous bok l’hong – Som Tam in Thai, or Papaya Salad in English. And because we miss those days sitting in our favorite bar by the Mekong River in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, bok l’hong just wouldn’t be the same without a margarita. Cheers!

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: bok l'hong, margarita, papaya salad

Getting the kids to like ampalaya (bitter gourd)

13 September 2021 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

I can say I like this horrible thing now, as an adult, but as a kid there was nothing I hated more. I guess after repeated exposure – it’s a staple food item in Asia – our palates can’t help but adjust to it.

Ampalaya (Filipino word for it) is a tropical vine, related to the squash. To blunt that sharp bitter taste, some people like to cut it up (remove the spongy middle and seeds), rub with salt, and leave it in salty water for half an hour before cooking with it. It’s a great source of vitamin C, folate and antioxidants. There’s growing evidence in western literature supporting what indigenous populations around the world use it for. It has cancer-fighting properties, helps lower cholesterol and controls blood sugar.

This vegetable is so ubiquitous in simple Filipino foods, that I try to have it around for the kids so they get used to it too. I’ll saute thin slices of it with onion and scramble eggs into the pot (add a teaspoon of fish sauce for every two eggs). I also add chili flakes or hot sauce here but that’s not a Filipino thing.

The purple vegetable are banana buds (flower buds).
To get rid of the sharp bitter taste, rub with salt and soak in saltwater for half an hour.

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Filed Under: Life Tagged With: ampalaya, bitter gourd, Filipino food, scrambled eggs

Gender differences in athletic training

25 August 2021 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

Did you know that performance advice for athletes are mostly based on studies done on young white males, but are generalized to all other populations? How should those of us, from demographics who are not typically studied, approach the mainstream training advice? .

So I’m training for a marathon this year. It’s been a while since I was on a training regimen, and I had coaches back then to push and help me do my best. These days I’m on my own to figure out my workouts, fueling, hydration, etc. There’s a lot of new info!

Below are notes from the various emerging research on gender differences and performance. At the end of this post I reference resource persons and podcasts where I learned these.

Note this is specific to female athletes and how we can leverage the phases of our menstrual cycle to maximize performance potential. There’s also new research for those across the gender spectrum, and other demographics.

Leveraging the Menstrual Cycle for Training Effects

This visual below depicts the typical cycle of 28 days (this length varies by individual). Day 1 indicates the first day of bleeding, and this onset occurs due to the drop in oestrogen and progesterone.

Image source: ZRT Laboratories

In the week before bleeding starts:

  • It’s harder to access carbs to fuel high intensity workouts.
  • Instead of focusing on intensity, focus on skills-based, de-loading, technique and functional movement, to lower our cardio stress, e.g., work on form when doing reps, when running, etc.
  • Keeping our training stress down helps reduce cortisol, the hormone involved in storing body fat.

During the period (Day 1 of the menstrual cycle is the first day of bleeding):

  • Mineral needs go up, e.g., Mg (that’s why there’s chocolate cravings) and Zinc 
  • More carbs are needed to do higher intensity work, because our energy needs grow by ~150cal; the body is building uterine lining. 
  • Kispeptin (co-transport mechanism) is sensitive to low carb situations, so its activity falls if our diet is low on carbs, which puts the body in starvation mode and leads to increased storage of body fat. 
  • Endocrine function is also thrown off if the body doesn’t get enough carbs. It is different for men because they have a different endocrine environment. 

In this first half of the cycle, or low hormone phase (Day 1-14): 

  • This is when women can work to improve strength, the overall top end power, our aerobic or anaerobic capacity.
  • The body uses carbs well – it can access and store carbs, so we can decrease carb intake in this phase.
  • As estrogen and progesterone start to rise – first estrogen during Ovulation – our carb intake needs to increase. Our protein intake needs to increase also, to counter the catabolic effect of progesterone (muscle tissue breakdown).
  • Aim for high intensity workouts during this low hormone phase, e.g., fast repeats, hills, plyometrics, heavy lifting with low reps.

Around Ovulation the ligaments loosen (part of preparation for possible pregnancy) which brings increased risk for ligament years, like ACL tears.

In the high hormone phase the body can’t access and store carbs as well, so carb intake should increase, e.g., foods that are low on the food chain, like greens.

  • Hydration should increase during this high hormone phase; it’s not a good idea to rely on thirst so in long duration activity like long runs, drink on a schedule.
  • Training should be lower intensity with more focus on functional fitness, technique, running skills, in high hormone phase (e.g., the week before period).

This strategy is better for lean mass and muscle development than doing strength training 3-4x/wk strength:

  • Low intensity work (form and function) towards the later half of the cycle, or the high hormone phase
  • High intensity workouts in the first half of the cycle, or the low hormone phase

These quick summaries are for my personal reference; there is so much to learn. Anyone who has a daughter or who coaches or mentors young girls and women can help them stick to their sports, or optimize their athletic potential(!), by just knowing and working with this menstrual cycle. It’s a game changer that helps girls stay active (rather than letting them quit because of a lack of understanding about all the changes happening at puberty and by cycle). I’m grateful for the scientists who are spearheading research studies around this important topic. Only a few of them are listed below, but I’ll add to it as I learn of them.

Researchers Studying Gender Differences and Exercise Science

Researchers who are active online on their blog, on twitter or instagram:

  • Kirsty Sale – Professor of Female Exercise Physiology
  • Laura Forrest – Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology; Research interests in applied physiology, female athlete and health
  • Dr Brianna Larsen Lecturer (Sport & Exercise Science) @USQSportSci @usqedu Heat physiology | Female athletes | Exercise performance
  • Kate Mahony Head of Performance Health @NSWIS | Sports Physio | Churchill Fellow 2018
  • Alex Macznik #researcher | #sportsinjuryriskreduction | #femaleathlete |
  • Stacy T. Sims – Female athlete performance expert
  • Nina Stockenfeld, Yale – Research on progesterone, estrogen and fluid balance in women and men

Podcasts I found really helpful are below. For some of them, I had to listen a few times!

  • FTP #35: Kelly McNulty & Kirsty Elliott-Sale – The Female cyclist series: Menstrual cycle and endurance exercise performance
  • Does female physiology makes them better at ultra-endurance sports?
  • Part I: Female Physiology and Sports (vs Men) by Beatriz Fernandes [This is a guest post by Beatriz Fernandes. Beatriz received her BS in Exercise Science, MS in Management and is currently participating in the Athletic Lab Internship Program. Beatriz has experience coaching at a variety of levels in the US and over in Europe and holds certifications with US Soccer.]
  • Triathlon training and nutrition considerations for female athletes Feb 2018 – Stacy Sims, PhD
  • Leanna Ward Nutrition Dec 2019 – Optimizing nutrition and training Part 1 and 2
  • Wild AI podcast Jan 2021– Stacy Sims and Julie Foucher 

Filed Under: Interests, Life Tagged With: exercise science, gender, menstrual cycle, performance, period, running, sports, women

Commuting and office work in the time of Covid

5 February 2021 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

After nearly a year of working from home, 10 days ago I started that commute back to an office environment at the hospital. Rapid-fire emergent findings, compounded by active misinformation and sabotage by the trump administration, and now these variants(!) make it very difficult for the average office worker to make sense of how best to protect ourselves.

So here I talk about what I use and what’s recommended: masks (always outside the home), goggles (for public transport, grocery store runs, or other crowded spaces), fans (to maintain air flow in the office) and, if needed, a portable air cleaner with HEPA filter for the workspace.

My commute is in the NYC subways where that ‘rush hour’ is still fairly crowded. In this age of mutant viruses, I am all about the protection cuz we are SO CLOSE to getting a vaccine(!) so here’s what I do on the commute and at the office:

Walking down the street with the wind blowing (usually), I just wear a mask. The double mask guidance is a stopgap, but effective: the surgical mask does not give a good fit so the cloth mask over it gives a better seal. If you can afford it, get yourself a good mask that satisfies three criteria:

  1. Fit – your breath should not fog your glasses or goggles – your breath should go through the mask and not escape out the top or sides of the mask
  2. Filtration – 3 layer tightly woven fabric is the current consensus for best filtration, until official criteria are released
  3. Breathability

Some great resources for masks guidance are below:

  • Everyone should be wearing N95 masks now (Washington Post, 26 Jan 2021),
  • Double Face Masks? N95? Protect Yourself Against New Covid-19 Variants With These Mask Upgrades (Washington Post, 4 Feb 2021)
  • Cheat sheet on masks:
    1. N95 (if you can find legit ones)
    2. KF94 (South Korean equivalent of the N95, with a filtration efficiency of 94%) – I bought these from Amazon to have spares in my backpack, just in case.
    3. KN95 (only if manufacturer holds a ‘NIOSH Certificate’)
    4. Double-mask (cloth mask on top of surgical)
    5. Surgical mask
    6. Cloth mask that fits well
  • Unbiased Science Podcast Facebook post on better mask protection against the variants, with citations

Here’s what Joseph Allen has to say about masks (he’s an epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health:

For that subway ride, I use GOGGLES. These are my favorites for the fit (small face, low nose bridge):

  • LeonDesigns goggles that I’m wearing on the subway platform pic above – I love these and other designs that are aesthetically less repulsive than the typical safety glasses.
  • 3M Safety Glasses, Solus 1000 Series, ANSI Z87, Scotchgard Anti-Fog Clear Lens
  • Bollé Safety 41080, Rush+ Safety Glasses Platinum

Below are my go-to MASKS for when I use public transport, for the office and any grocery store runs. I have several of each on hand and bring a spare with me when I go out. For work, I use one mask for the commute and switch to a fresh one for the day.

  • Livinguard 3-layer Safety mask with hygiene technology that uses negatively charge ions to trap and destroy germs. They aren’t cheap at $29.95 but their designation and the studies supporting the claims seem legitimate.
  • Rafi Nova 3-layer Performance mask, which comes with toggles to pull tight either the top of the mask or chin. They are 2 for $22.

In a hospital building, regulations require frequent air change so the ventilation systems are good. In an office environment, especially older buildings, we’re on our own. There aren’t many people in our office (all nurses and healthcare staff), and minimal visitors since the pandemic began (also all clinicians). I feel ok just having a variety of FANS moving air around, including this on my desk:

  • Vornado HELIX2 Personal Tower Fan with 3 Speed Settings – it blows a gentle breeze and doesn’t scatter papers everywhere!

If you can afford a portable air cleaner with HEPA filter for your desk / cubicle / office, it can help cut down on your exposure. Below is what Dr. Allen has to say. And if you

And the tool referenced below, for determining the size of air cleaner needed, is in this link:

The Defense Production Act combined with the work done by the CDC should soon provide standard criteria and guidance, as well as a stable supply of reliable, certified masks at scale.

Stay safe..!

Filed Under: Life, Work Tagged With: coronavirus, covid-19, personal safety, precautions, safety

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Those little feet pitter-pattering about rule our lives lately. But on the occasional free moment I get to tap out scatterbrained bursts of consciousness about raising toddlers in Cambodia, traveling with them and working abroad. These posts are my personal updates to friends and family. But since you’re here, have a look around. Thanks for stopping by…

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Latest posts

  • Kids project: Micro-loans to women entrepreneurs
  • I ran the 50th NYC Marathon!
  • Bok l’hong with Margaritas or, memories from the Mekong
  • Getting the kids to like ampalaya (bitter gourd)
  • Gender differences in athletic training
  • Commuting and office work in the time of Covid
  • Until Covid-19 messaging improves, who do you turn to?
  • Filipino snack

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