Teresa Herrera-Anthony lives life the healthy way. The word “healthy” has taken on a different meaning these days, largely defined by social-media postings of people swigging a kale shake or looking cool in the latest sports outfit.
But Teresa is not into health trends. As a model, actress, yogi, art consultant, wife to basketball player Sean Anthony and, most recently, mother to adorable nine-month-old Alexander “Ace” Anthony, she believes in living an authentic, natural life.
“I don’t exercise just to look a certain way. I believe in a balance of everything,” she says. “I don’t even have a gym membership. I usually just take my dog, Sumo, out for a walk twice a day. He’s a Labrador so he has a lot of energy! I choose what I eat but, sure, I’ll have my chocolate when I want to.”
Her relaxed attitude is evident as she interacts with her son. Cooing softly while gently cradling him, this 40-year-old mother, who doesn’t look a day over 25, embraces motherhood with her entire being.
She recalls her son’s birth: “It was my biggest challenge to date! I had to go ‘through’ the experience. There was just no way around it. It’s not like I could ask someone else to do it for me. I learned to really let go and go with the flow.
“I was looking forward to a water birth but it didn’t happen,” she continues. “The set-up at St. Luke’s Medical Center Global was so nice! Water births aren’t so big in the Philippines so I had the whole place to myself. But the baby wasn’t coming out so in the end, I had an emergency C-section.”
She notes: “I believe everything happens for a reason, both good and bad. We just have to keep an eye out and watch for signs and listen to the whispers of our deep self. If you’re honest with yourself and truly listen, you’ll know what to do in every moment. The challenge is to find time for stillness. Everything you experience prepares you for the next moment and so on. It will only make sense in hindsight.”
Indeed, everything that transpired in her full and busy life led her to where she is today. During her late teens, while living in Southern California, she wanted to study art and was accepted at the prestigious Parsons School of Art and Design.
Different plan
But life had a different plan for her. Drawn to fashion, she deferred her schooling, moved to Hong Kong and traveled throughout Asia as a highly sought-after professional model.
Interestingly, Teresa never had a concrete plan for herself. “I just pursued what I was interested in with enthusiasm and passion and saw where it led me,” she says.
Open to life’s endless possibilities, she became an actress and starred in several Asian movies and stage plays, a designer who collaborated with Rajo Laurel in a sold-out resort wear collection, a host of the hit reality TV shows “Project Runway Philippines” and “Runway TV Asia,” and an art consultant in her own company, Collective 88 Art Consultancy.
Today, Herrera-Anthony is also known as a longtime yogi. “I’ve been practicing yoga for more than 20 years and I honestly have to say it’s what kept me grounded, focused and centered as an individual. Asana (postures) is just one aspect of the physical practice. There is still breath and mind. I treat it as a holistic ritual where I meet my ‘self’ on the mat daily and get to a place of stillness. And from there, make clear decisions on what I’m supposed to do next.”
Nurturer
But above all the things she has done and continues to do, being a mom is the most important role of all.
“Nurturing a life and raising a human being is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year,” she says. “Once you’re a mom, that’s for life. I am also at a point in my life where I feel blessed that I was able to accomplish so much in different fields such as fashion, arts and entertainment, and that now I’d love to approach family with the same passion.”
True to her easygoing approach, she doesn’t follow trendy diets for babies.
“I choose to feed Ace a certain way because it is good for him and supported by science. I like to feed Ace nutrient-dense food to help his brain grow and develop; it also helps to regulate his blood sugar levels. I like to feed him fresh organic fruits and veggies and I prefer to cook all his food—unless we are traveling, then I rely on healthy baby food pouches. Some of his staple food items are avocado, coconut meat, pumpkin, carrots, chicken, and bone marrow.”
Motherhood agrees with her, says Teresa. “I am at a place in my life now where I feel everything is in its right place. I love being a mom. Although it is tough sometimes, seeing the smile on Ace’s face every day is enough for me to know that’s my purpose…”
Excerpted from the June-July issue of Baby Magazine, now available at selected magazine outlets.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIX PEREZ
STYLED BY SIDNEY YAP
HAIR AND MAKEUP BY LOURD RAMOS
SHOT ON LOCATION
AT THE RAFFLES MANILA
SPECIAL THANKS TO MARGAUX
HONTIVEROS OF RAFFLES MAKATI
