Rita Avila shares inspiring words over hurtful comment on swimsuit photo

Image: Screen grab via Instagram/@msritaavila

Rita Avila wowed the Internet when she shared stunning photos of herself rocking a bikini—at no less than 52 years old.

#👙#darkclouds #bruhadexplorers #beach #breakfast #bikini #52 #icanstilldoit #fitat52 #fitness #bodycare #glamourandformph Nagdidilim at naniningkit ang mga mata ng langit pag nakaswimsuit na kami. 😆👙🌫 kaya nag breakfast na lang kami.

A post shared by msritaavila (@msritaavila) on May 30, 2017 at 8:38pm PDT

However, a hurtful comment in one of her posts upset the actress-writer, to which she replied:

Image: Screen grab via Instagram/@msritaavila

Image: Screen grab via Instagram/@msritaavila

Rita experienced a tragic loss when her son Ellia Jesu died of a heart ailment less than a month after being born. She turned to writing following the tragedy; one of her books, “8 Ways to Comfort with Grace” explored how one can cope in the face of loss.

She then shared inspiring advice about how she achieved fitness and good health at her age, and for others who may have unkind words:

#push #ritaavila #bodycare #secret #fitness #fitat52 Thank you Joan Leary. Thanks to all the kind people who left good comments. To those who said I had a facelift, a belo body surgery, na I was “baog” kaya “sexy”, sorry u r all wrong. I work hard to be strong and healthy. I wanted u to know that it is possible. You can be strong. You can be healthy… in your 50’s. There are gymnasts in their 70’s. Sprinters in their 90’s. Get going. Do not let ur joints “get rusty” by not doing exercises. Never starve urself. Eat properly. Laugh. Play. Be a child. Be kind.

A post shared by msritaavila (@msritaavila) on Jun 2, 2017 at 10:05am PDT

She says that her fitness was the result of a “healthy diet” and exercise, which includes “pilates, jumping, [and] aqua zumba,” and not any cosmetic surgery or because she hasn’t been able to have children.

She encourages others to be healthy at any age: “You can be strong. You can be healthy… in your 50’s. There are gymnasts in their 70’s. Sprinters in their 90’s. Get going.”

“Do not let ur joints ‘get rusty’ by not doing exercises. Never starve urself. Eat properly,” the actress wrote. “Laugh. Play. Be a child. Be kind.”

She also had a post for bashers, preaching that they should “make their souls cleaner”:

#heal #love #bekind Your hurting words because of envy, ignorance & evilness will always cut you deeper wounds. I pray that you get healed and be loved. No one is perfect in this world. Lahat ay may kapintasan. But it should not stop us from making ourselves better and kinder.

A post shared by msritaavila (@msritaavila) on Jun 3, 2017 at 7:29am PDT

“It is so sad that there are people who would always find what is wrong,” she lamented. A devout Catholic, she called “spewing words” that were hurtful a “great sin.”

“I am an old woman who takes care of my body not to be sexually desired but to be strong for my age,” Rita declared. In her caption, she said that people have to be “better and kinder” amidst human flaws.

She still had the last laugh: she mused in another post that she should just wear a diaper instead of bikinis to avoid hateful comments. JB

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