Toronto's Sweat and Sweldo workshop pairs money lessons with healthier Filipino cooking

Filipino Canadians at the Sweat and Sweldo workshop in Toronto on 18 October worked out, learned debt and savings strategies from financial coach Brandon Benzon, and explored healthier ways to eat Filipino food with fitness and nutrition coach Miles Suing.

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Filipino Canadians gathered at Bang Fitness on Walnut Avenue in Toronto on 18 October for Sweat and Sweldo, an afternoon of exercise, financial literacy and nutrition education, Mabuhay Canada reported on 22 October.

The workshop was led by financial coach Brandon Benzon and fitness and nutrition coach Miles Suing. It began with a 45-minute strength-based workout led by Suing before Benzon's Sweldo Survival Guide session on managing debt and saving money. Sweldo is the Tagalog word for salary or earnings.

Benzon asked participants why money can be hard to talk about in Filipino households. "We can be able to be financially literate, but the theme of today is becoming financially resilient," he said. His session covered common credit card mistakes, the snowball and avalanche methods of debt repayment, emergency savings, and Canadian accounts including TFSAs, RRSPs and first-home savings accounts. He compared setting aside savings to bringing home leftovers from Filipino gatherings.

Suing closed the afternoon with a nutrition workshop that challenged the assumption that Filipino food is inherently unhealthy. Using dishes such as adobo and traditional Filipino breakfasts, he showed how to adjust portions and ingredients, build meals around the ulam and add more vegetables. "You have a lot of control over what's on your plate," he said.

In a preview published on 15 October, Mabuhay Canada reported that Benzon first organised financial workshops under the Sweldo name for the Filipino Canadian Student Association in 2021, and that he and Suing began connecting Filipino professionals, creatives and business owners through community initiatives in 2024.