How Albert cheers up Liezl
Being older than the rest is not a curse. Ask Albert Martinez, who again faces one of the biggest battles of his life, now that wife Liezl’s breast cancer has recurred.
At 50 (but feeling 30, he swears), Albert knows how to look at the Big C straight in the eye and refrain from blinking.
“It’s a good thing it happened at this point,” he tells Yahoo! Philippines OMG! at the recent Belo bloggers’ night with fellow Belo image model Zsa Zsa Padilla.
“I have a clear knowledge of what’s going on. I can analyze and discern it. When I was younger, I wouldn’t know how to handle what’s going on.”
You gotta have faith
Albert doesn’t let Liezl’s return bout with cancer bring him and his family down. He holds on to the one thing Albert knows he can really rely on: his faith.
“There’s no other answer,” he points out. “I pray a lot.”
The devoted husband also cheers up his wife as often as he can. Since he knows Liezl loves going to the movies, Albert makes sure he takes her and their children to the cinemas every week.
And he makes it a point to wear the new wedding ring Liezl gave him whenever possible.
“I can’t wear it while taping (for a soap) or shooting (a film) because I play different roles,” Albert explains. “But I wear it at home and whenever we go out as a family.”
Albert also takes care of himself so he can look after his family as well.
Healthy habits
He swears by his twice-a-day habit of taking soup made of broccoli, ampalaya, saluyot, spinach, sweet potato and malunggay tossed in a blender and consumed for lunch and dinner.
“It supplies my energy needs for the day since it’s a meal in itself,” says Albert. He also stays away from red meat and sticks to fish and tofu instead. And he can’t do without his regular intake of four glasses of water a day.
“My doctor gave me a clean bill of health,” he says proudly.
The clean bill of health also comes with exercise. Albert admits he feels back pain when he gets up from bed. So he tries to keep fit with cardio exercises, which he now favors over lifting weights several years ago.
“I also bike three times a week and run. That’s how I maintain my stamina and energy.”
Lots of vitamins also help Albert fight the ravages of age.
“I take Vitamin C and another one for memory, which is important when I study scripts. I also have vitamins for my skin, liver and kidney.”
He doesn’t take the vitamins all in one go but divides them in two – one group in the morning and another late in the afternoon.
But there are things exercise and diet can’t do. That’s when Albert seeks Dr. Vicki Belo out. He goes through Mesohair for that healthy crown of hair and other treatments to keep in shape.
Act of love
“You have to age gracefully,” Albert declares. “I look up to stars who learn how to take care of themselves like Sean Connery and George Clooney.”
Albert knows it’s his responsibility as an actor to look after himself and maintain his looks. It’s also an act of love. By continuing to look good, Albert can get more TV and movie projects. Most of all, this family man can continue providing for the people he loves so much.
