MANILA,
Philippines - Nine in 10 Filipino consumers surveyed
by global nutrition company Herbalife are “highly concerned” about the
potential diseases that an unhealthy lifestyle can cause them, with the same
number believing that simple lifestyle changes can help improve their overall
well-being.
A
good number of the respondents expressed willingness to adopt a healthy
lifestyle; 79 percent said that they would cut down on unhealthy foods, 78
percent expressed their willingness to exercise more regularly, and 72 percent
said they would make better nutrition choices.
“We
welcome the results of the survey. It gives an understanding of Filipinos
becoming even more health conscious and self-aware that they need to make some
lifestyle changes to improve their overall well-being. It also gives Herbalife an
idea where we are needed, because as the survey revealed only four out of 10
would spend 10 to 30 minutes a day to make simple lifestyle changes,” said
Rosalio Valenzuela, Herbalife Philippines General Manager.
The
respondents, however, cited the following as the top obstacles to achieving a
healthy lifestyle: lack of time for exercise (75 percent), lack of time to make
proper nutrition choices (64 percent), and high cost of healthy food (62
percent).
The
same health poll likewise showed that the top three aging-related concerns in
the country were heart, brain, and eye health.
Better knowledge and understanding
“The findings from the Herbalife survey clearly show that the
majority of people in Asia Pacific that we questioned believe in the value of
good nutrition and exercise as contributing to their overall well-being. We aim
to play a greater role in providing practical tips and information to people to
help them understand that the journey to a healthier, more active lifestyle is
not difficult to achieve. With as little as 10 minutes a day, consumers can
take positive steps to improve their nutrition and be more active, which will
improve their overall well-being,” said William M. Rahn, Senior Vice President
and Managing Director, Herbalife Asia Pacific.
Herbalife
conducted the survey in September 2015 in the lead-up to its Asia-Pacific
Wellness Tour. It surveyed 1,200 respondents across six countries, including
the Philippines, on perceptions towards their health and current lifestyle.
Respondents from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand were
likewise included in the survey.
Herbalife
Asia-Pacific Wellness Tour
Now
on its fourth year, the Herbalife Asia-Pacific Wellness Tour aims to deepen
people’s practical understanding of the various aspects of living a healthy
active lifestyle. Its previous tours in the past three years saw close to
60,000 participants across the region.
This
year’s Wellness Tour will feature five members of the Herbalife Nutrition
Advisory Board (NAB) visiting 14 markets and 21 cities across the Asia-Pacific
in the month of October. They will share their expert views on how people can
make use of the little time they have to make simple lifestyle changes that will
enhance their well-being.
Herbalife’s
NAB experts will likewise share their views on a wide range of health-related
topics, including weight management, brain health and aging; heart health;
immunology; and skin care at the medical symposium being held in Australia,
Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The
Herbalife NAB experts participating in this year’s Wellness Tour include Dr.
David Heber, who incidentally will be coming to Manila, is a leading expert
in the field of nutrition and named as one of “The World’s Most Influential
Scientific Minds” by Thomson Reuters in 2014 and considered one of “The Best
Doctors in America”; Dr. Lou Ignarro, a Nobel laureate in Physiology or
Medicine in 1998 for his discovery of nitric oxide’s health benefits; Dr.
Gary Small, a specialist in brain health and aging who has authored over
500 scientific works and has received numerous awards and honors, including the
“Senior Investigator Award” from the American Association for Geriatric
Psychiatry; Dr. Marion Fltechner-Mors, a health nutrition specialist who
is currently heading the nutrition and obesity research group at Ulm
University, Germany; and Dr. Wang Jae Lee, a physician and academic
specializing in immunology and a professor at Seoul National University College
of Medicine.
Dr. Heber, who is the founding
Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition at the University of
California, Los Angeles, will be conducting a symposium for free to Filipino
medical practitioners on October 23, 9am, at the Manila Hotel. The symposium
will gather a group of 100 doctors, nurses, physical therapists and medical
practitioners. The title of the symposium is “Obesity: More Than Just Being
Overweight and Nutrition Forecast for 2020.” Seminars of Dr. Heber are
recognized by US hospitals as part of Continuing Education Studies, which are
often required of applicants. The following day, Oct. 24, Dr. Heber will be
holding seminars for thousands of Herbalife Independent Members in the same
hotel.
This is the first time Dr. Heber, who is also
the Chairman of the NAB and the Herbalife Nutrition Institute, to conduct a
seminar in Manila since the company was founded in the Philippines 22 years
ago.
Herbalife
Herbalife is a 35-year-old global nutrition company that sells
weight-management, nutrition and personal care products intended to support a
healthy lifestyle. Herbalife products are sold in more than 90 countries to and
through a network of independent members. The company supports the Herbalife
Family Foundation and its Casa Herbalife program to help bring good nutrition
to children. To learn more visit Herbalife.com.