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Having an active lifestyle is Thea Tolentino's weapon to improve her overall quality of life.

The Madrasta star spends countless hours at the gym to lessen stress from her hectic showbiz schedule and to prevent from getting chronic diseases like heart disease.

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But little did we know, her fitness journey is not as easy as it seems because she is suffering from patellofemoral pain syndrome or better known as runner's knee that makes working out a tough one.

She shared in an interview with GMANetwork.com recently, "Usually sa mga tumatakbo siya, so nagagamit lagi 'yung tuhod. Feeling ko matagal na kong meron tapos no'ng nag-start ako ng showbiz, nagwo-workout-workout na ko, siguro do'n s'ya napudpud talaga.

Thea further explained, "Dati kasi nagba-volleyball ako, wala naman akong nararamdaman pero tumutunog na talaga 'yung tuhod ko."

According to runnersworld.com, runner's knee is one of the most common injuries in runners and other athletes that causes pain right behind and around the knee cap.

Recalling how she found out about her knee condition, Thea shared, "Naramdaman ko lang s'ya no'ng 2013. Tuwing tumatakbo 'ko, nararamdan ko siya.

“'Tapos 2017, nag-lock siya for one week kasi nag-stairs ako."

Kim Kaiser, M.D., an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine at the University Kentucky and team physician for UK athletics, said in the report that "any time you hit your stride, you add impact to a bent knee as you take that leap forward, and this is what can cause the pain, especially if your mechanics are off.

“Running stairs and doing squats can cause the same reaction."

This case has been experienced by Thea when she was in Samar for a special summer feature of 24 Oras.

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The 23-year-old actress recounted, "No'ng nasa Samar ako for 24 Oras, nag-trekking kami tapos naka-knee support 'yung left ko kasi ito 'yung may problem pero 'yung right knee, parang pabigay na rin s'ya. So dapat pala parehas kong nilagyan."

@TheaTolentino13 (Twitter)

Despite having runner's knee, Thea stays motivated to maintain her active lifestyle, so she tries other workout exercises, like Kali training, that cannot harm her injury.

She said, "Tinuloy ko 'yung Kali training kasi natutuwa ako kasi nags-sparing talaga kami. Saka ito 'yung pwede kong gawin na traning, hindi masyadong napepuwersa 'yung tuhod ko.

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Enjoyed my first session of Kali training. 🙌 Sobrang nangangapa pa pero hopefully soon kaya ko na makasabay sa sparring. 😂 Thank you coach Thirdy, coach Norman & @fist_gym 💪🗡️ #presetsbynathania

A post shared by 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨 (@theatolentino) on Jun 1, 2019 at 3:34am PDT

In case you're wondering why Thea still continues to work out, runner's knee can be treated through some tests and medications.

She said, "Nagpa-MRI ako then, may pinapainom na collagen capsule for three months for joint pain siya, tapos in-advice nila is therapy."

On top of this, Thea reminds that coping up with runner's knee must always be accompanied by healthy diet.

She said, "Pinipili ko 'yung mga pagkain na high in protein and in fiber. Nagki-quinoa 'ko which is high in fiber, then eggs. One egg is my 8 grams ng protein. After workout, importante ang carbs."

Thea just proves that there's no excuse if your goal is to be healthy.