To burn calories, the delicate Sarah Lahbati climbs into the ring and throws punches. “It’s ironic, but boxing gives me peace of mind,” she says.
On a sweltering afternoon, the GMA 7 talent is freshly made up for the photo shoot at Ultimate Fitness, the gym owned by her boyfriend Richard Gutierrez and his business partners.
She throws her basic repertoire of punches and delivers her jabs.
Famous for her doll face, Lahbati was born in Switzerland to a Moroccan father, Abdelilah, who works for the Kuwait Mission at the United Nations in Geneva, and a Filipino mother, Estrella.
Since childhood, she has always loved performing in front of people. “My mom would see me mimicking the neighbors and I loved to sing,” she recalls.
Whenever the family went to the Philippines for holidays, Lahbati would go to auditions and appear in commercials.
When she was 8, Lahbati joined the cast of the sitcom “Hocus-Pocus” that starred Sen. Bong Revilla.
Turning point
A turning point was her entry into the reality talent show “Starstruck” in 2008. She has since appeared in GMA 7-produced television shows and movies, as well as other films made by Regal.
Lahbati is also an endorser for Belo and Bench.
Aside from acting, Lahbati enjoys sports. Since childhood, her father would take her on biking and scuba diving expeditions.
She was inspired to take up boxing after she and her father watched “Million Dollar Baby,” the sports drama about a female boxer.
“That was my favorite movie. I wanted to be like the lead, Hilary Swank,” says Lahbati.
Although the lessons in Geneva taught her basics such as the straight jabs, the hook and uppercut, she finds the training in the Philippines more intense and exacting.
“The way it is taught here is scary. The trainers don’t treat you like a girl. It’s as if you are one of them. They teach you to go super fast and push you to your limits. If you’re tired by the fifth round, they will still push you. You’re so exhausted that you can’t breathe. Your heart is beating fast and you’re fighting with your mind to continue. You say to yourself, ‘You can do it!’”
Trainer Carlos Roberto Gayoso Jr. praises his ward: “Sarah is good but she still has to work on her form. Compared to other girls, she’s tall at 5’8” and she has a long reach. She could use her length every time she punches.
“At work, we focus on her straight punches and the short punches, which use more power. Sarah has a good learning curve and she doesn’t complain,” he added.
Gayoso also notes that Lahbati is a workhorse in the gym. Before boxing, she hits the treadmill for one hour and does the Fight Form Workout and conditioning exercises such as the battling rope and tire flips.
The repetitive bouncing, ducking, pivoting and punching involve the entire body and burns between 600 to 800 calories an hour.
These repeated movements also add muscle definition to the arms, legs, abs and back.
Lahbati notes other benefits beyond burning calories and confidence: “Boxing helps me to focus when I’m stressed. It makes me stronger mentally and physically. I need to be strong and fit because I’m always busy. I can’t be weak and sickly.”
Not ladylike
She adds that keeping healthy is important since she does TV guesting and appears regularly on GMA 7’s “Sunday All Stars.”
However, she has to set limits in her chosen sport to avoid bruises.
“I have to wear short skirts on TV and I can’t get black and blue. Bruises are not ladylike. I don’t spar because I need to take care of my face. This is what I need to worry about in my job. It’s sad but true,” she notes.
Asked how she keeps a size 8 figure, Lahbati says she eats small meals. Breakfast is oatmeal or Greek yogurt, lunch is kale or arugula salad or grilled chicken with quinoa and vegetables, and dinner is a tuna sandwich.
She takes snacks of fruits and nuts and enjoys chocolates.
For cross training, she does weight resistance with former Mr. Philippines Rene Dio as her trainer.
Lahbati also enjoys outdoor sports such as hiking, an activity she has enjoyed with friends since her school days in Geneva. One of her most unforgettable hikes was in Montblanc (which she pronounces in perfect French) in France with Gutierrez.
“He needed to be fit, and I needed to strengthen my legs,” she says. They took a cable car to the mountaintop and made the steep descent to the bottom in three hours. After the arduous hike, they were famished. Still, it was made memorable by the changing hues of autumn and the beautiful scenery.
Lahbati says she also enjoyed hiking with her father in Morocco.
“I enjoyed seeing the little towns and the sheep,” she says. “Hiking in Mount Pulag is on my bucket list.”
Lahbati reveals her passion for winter sports such as snow boarding and skiing. At 5 years old, she learned to ski on the mountains of Saint-Cere, France. “But my dad would get mad at me for being reckless,” she admits.
Lahbati recalls that in Geneva, she and her best friend went to the most dangerous slope which was obstructed by trees, rocks and unexpected turns. Skiing at breakneck speed, she plunged into the trees and rocks and toppled.
“My skis went to my face. I could not move for 10 minutes. My best friend thought I was dead,” she recounts. Professional skiers rushed to pull her out and put her on a stretcher.
She was brought to the hospital for examination. Although there were no injuries, she was left with a scar which became a reminder of her recklessness.
“When I was younger, I was careless, but now I’m careful,” says Lahbati.