Jogging or brisk walking, to me, is one of the most boring exercises. Swimming is another. I prefer to keep my mind focused on something else while sweating, as in sports like tennis, badminton and basketball.

However, using an iPod banishes my dislike for tedious regimens. Finding something to keep my mind off the workout is necessary to help the time go by quickly.

On a treadmill, I must be in front of the TV. Time flies when I watch either a sports show like the NBA, or just recently, Wimbledon. The downside to this is I get so involved that many times I almost fall off the machine trying to react to a charge call, or jumping for a drop shot—talk about getting involved!

Many have advised me to read an interesting book instead. A popular title was once suggested to me. Giving the title will give away my age, so I won’t—basta, it’s popular. I was told, “You won’t be able to let go of it once you start.”

It took me two months to finish the paperback. Since then, I’ve kept my book preferences to myself to avoid being made fun of.

In the last few years, there have been many magazines with various themes that have come out. I, of course, gravitate toward food magazines. There are few I find interesting.

One stands out. I know many of the editors so, like my books, I won’t mention names. For a quick one-hour workout on the treadmill, reading a food magazine is perfect.

Appetite Magazine has been available for a while now. I never really read it until recently, when my sister, Nina Daza-Puyat, was asked to be its editor in chief.

I know my sister. The youngest of five, she was and still is the sweetest. Thoughtful, too. From travels, she returns with pasalubongs for everyone, from my parents to the houseboy. I would sometimes tease her that she must have a crush on the driver at the rate she gave gifts.

Delighted

Anyway, when she started in Appetite, I was delighted because Nina will surely come up with the most appealing ideas and topics. Even meals in her home are exciting; you don’t know what kind of surprise dish she will serve at the table.

A few months after she took on the job, she brought that same culinary enthusiasm into the magazine—the different buffet spreads all over the city, a lot of doable recipes, Japanese Pinoy sushi created by high-school students, favorite Pinoy dishes of foreign chefs living in Manila, new kitchen gadgets on the market, what to do with leftover food, feeding street children with nutritious meals for community service, favorite breakfasts of personalities, and many others. Galing! Sarap!

I recently browsed a copy of another food magazine, one Nina says she would like Appetite to be on par with in terms of circulation. It is also an interesting magazine for foodies, full of delicious recipes and colorful pictures, but I find Appetite to have a wider assortment of food-related topics as well as interesting and yummy-looking recipes.

Appetite magazine is a glossy magazine full of mouthwatering pictures and recipes of dishes that will make one salivate in anticipation. It’s a monthly publication by Mega publishing house.

Am I biased? You be the judge.

Now that I think about it, is reading this appetizing magazine on the treadmill a great idea? Maybe not!

Happy eating!

Appetite magazine is available at most magazine stands.