Sustaining the Demands of a Hectic Lifestyle

FEATURISTIC:

I start my work at 9 am and usually end it at around 10 pm.  And then when I get home, I use what's left of my peaceful time to blog.  When events and special projects at work come in, most likely a minimum of two to three every month, unfortunately I almost don't sleep at all.  :(   If there are rare opportunities to leave the office at 6 or 7, I make sure I do something fruitful for my blogcast -- watch movies / theater / concerts for reviews, cover events, do interviews and meet up friends.  And as of this writing, the good news is, I am still alive...

But as I live a busy and indulgent lifestyle, unfortunately, my health takes a backseat. I tend to skip meals especially if I'm in between meetings; eat the wrong food like taking too much instant and processed dishes and eating them at my work station to catch up with deadlines; sleep less when there's a big event or meeting the following morning; move less when I'm stuck with my computer writing and editing stuff; and endure too much stress when working with tight schedule, a lot of stakeholders and suppliers, and sometimes, yes folks, difficult people! :D  In fact, a few weeks back, because of these stress and sleepless nights, I already endured the wrath of a condition called vertigo for the first time, for 9 to 10 days!  It was a real wake-up call for me folks. 

Prior to that vertigo phase, as mentioned earlier, I know I've been living a really toxic lifestyle.  That's why when I started working on a recent health oriented project, I volunteered to take the lead.  Okay, you may ask, why volunteer when I say I'm overloaded and  too much stressed already?  It's not just plain masochism folks haha.  Well it's really because I think I can actually relate to it and I just know I that I can help more and contribute more given the fact that I myself am trapped in such a hectic lifestyle .  And of course I believe also that the new information and learning that I'll get from it will benefit my quest for good health.

The project is actually about the new adult nutritional beverage of Wyeth called Enercal Plus.  And in its launch event which adapted "The Wake-Up Call" as its title as well, Wyeth formally presented Enercal Plus which aims to help safeguard our health while we strive for excellence in our lives.

Celebrity achievers Paolo Bediones, Angel Aquino, Jett Pangan, and top wellness doctor Oyie Balburias, graced the event at The Loft @ Manansala in Rockwell and shared their personal experiences  and insights about our rapidly changing environment, current busy and fast paced lifestyle, the things we disregard and the steps we need to take to meet the demands of our way of life (which really are quite similar to most of us!). 

Dr. Oyie Balburias, Head of Medical City’s Wellness Center and Emergency Department, says that the changes in our environment brought about by technology and mobility pose a lot of threats to our health as our bodies are not designed to live a sedentary way of life. “Everything has changed, our lifestyle, our diet, but our body remains the same. And if we are unable to adapt to these changes, it may cause deficiency and imbalance to our health,” Dr. Balburias explained.

Dr. Oyie Balburias, Medical City’s Medical Director and Unit Head of Center for Wellness and Aesthetics discusses the health effects of stressful careers and ways to overcome these.

Ace broadcast journalist Paolo Bediones, who recently moved to TV5, now anchors the late night newscast Aksyon JournalisMo which airs daily at almost 12 midnight and co-hosts the station’s morning show Sapul sa 5 which requires him to be on set by 4 am every day. And in between his news reporting schedule, he tapes regularly for his documentary show USI (Under Special Investigation) and Extreme Home Makeover, does volunteer work for Rescue 5 team, runs his businesses, performs with his band and supervises his soccer team. This pace allows him only a few hours of sleep on a daily basis. And as he’s always on the go, he often resorts to fastfood, as long as it keeps him going.

Paolo Bediones

Top model turned critically acclaimed actress Angel Aquino, as she embraces her successful TV hosting and acting careers, also juggles a heavy schedule every week. She tapes for her ABS-CBN drama series “Maria la del Barrio,” which sometimes lasts almost 24 hours, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Tagaytay and reports to Studio 23’s Us Girls every Tuesday and Thursday in different locations. As much as she wants to add some more sleep on the set, she tries to be awake all the time to prepare for the demands of her heavy role and get ready for every scene where she’s needed.

Angel Aquino

After more than twenty five years in the industry, rock icon Jett Pangan on the other hand is still at the prime of his career. His nights are very much occupied with the gigs of his rock band “The Dawn” not just in Manila but all throughout the country. During performances, he often skips meals and compensates by taking in liquids such as coffee and soda. And though he does not drink and smoke a lot anymore, he still succumbs to other health risks such as second hand smoke inside clubs and bars and unhealthy food choices. Aside from his band, Jett also hosts Myx Live and ventures into musical theater, which requires him to spend a lot of time and effort for rehearsals and performances.

Jett Pangan

With our extremely busy schedule each day, we tend to grab foods that are not just poor in nutritional content but bad to our health such as too much caffeine, salt and transfat which we usually get from instant food and fastfood restaurants. To beat tough deadlines, we often skip meals and get less sleep in able to accomplish our tasks. And with all the pressure of our work and personal lives we cannot help but give in to stress and eventually do things that will further aggravate the situation such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking in another load of unhealthy food choices.

“These habits are minuses in our life. This kind of lifestyle will turn us from being healthy, being at risk for illness, and then sickly,” said Dr. Balburias. These lifestyle habits will lead to lowered immunity, accelerated ageing and nutritional deficiencies that may cause adverse health outcomes such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and chronic and obstructive pulmonary diseases.

In able to keep up with our extremely busy and fast paced lifestyle and avoid health risks, Dr. Balburias said that we need to make sure that we get good nutrition and eventually practice good lifestyle habits. “If we skip meals, we need to compensate what we missed. Our body needs a balanced caloric distribution of macronutrients such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates as well as vitamins and minerals that provide the complete source of nutrition,” Dr. Balburias added.

Dr. Oyie Balburias, Medical City’s Medical Director and Unit Head of Center for Wellness and Aesthetics explains the lifestyle check survey results based from the answers of the event guests.  The event is hosted by Boom Gonzales.

Thinking to help balance the equation of these nutritional challenges, Wyeth introduced their new adult nutritional supplement Enercal Plus! Wyeth’s Group Product Manager for Children & Adult Nutrition, Abbie Neria-Bella Jaro shared that Enercal Plus provides a good source of essential nutrients found in a balanced meal plus an array of additional benefits for a healthy heart, bone and muscle strength, and immunity. Enercal Plus contains whey protein, a good source of all essential amino acids needed by the body that is easily absorbed to support muscle synthesis. It also has antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E as well as zinc and beta-carotene that helps support a healthy immune system.

Enercal Plus also has the right macronutrients to support the body’s energy needs. It is the appropriate nutritional support as its nutrient content is equivalent to a complete meal! It has 29 essential nutrients to support the individual’s ability to handle his daily mental and physical demands/activities.

Dr. Balburias explained that the key to good health is a balance between nutrition and lifestyle habits. “Wellness is a state of being. We don’t have to be muscular to be healthy. For example, if our time does not permit us to be in gym every day, climbing stairs instead of using elevators can be a good form of exercise. We can start with baby steps as we embark on our journey to good health. As long as we get the essential nutrients needed by our body, we can cope with these inevitable lifestyle changes.”

Celebrity achievers Paolo, Angel and Jett believe that Enercal Plus is a big help in their lives. Jett Pangan corrected the wrong notion that rock stars like him are not well versed when it comes to healthy practices. He said, “We don’t laugh at health risks and we are conscious of the need to consume healthy stuff. We need something like Enercal Plus. We’re not getting any younger, we face a lot of stress, we lack sleep, we need help. The 21st century life needs it.” Angel Aquino on the other hand believes that Enercal Plus assures her that what she’s taking in are right and are complete in nutrition, “Enercal Plus is great news for someone as active as I am! If ever I skip meals, I now have Enercal Plus that can give me the full nutrition I need to help me keep up with the demands of my work.” Paolo Bediones meanwhile said that for someone on the go and always on call like him, Enercal Plus is a solution to his nutritional needs. Paolo adds, “I like the convenience that Enercal Plus offers. Beside the fact that I like milk, it has all the nutrients I need, and this can be life changing for me.”  “It’s time we put importance to our health. Start drinking Enercal Plus and add a plus to your health!” said Abbie Neria-Bella Jaro of Wyeth. 

I am no Superman... that's for sure.  And using the famous line of our infamous four-day colleague more than three years ago, let me say as well that "I can only do so much!"  :)  But since I can't fully let go yet of my current way of life as it defines who I am, right now, like the Celebrity Achievers, I have taken baby steps to better health like do more walking, get a little more sleep and take in nutritional support like Enercal Plus.  And I think it has been helping me sustain the demands of my work and everything else I do.  Actually, Dr. Oyie told me as well that for his patients who are undergoing wait management and controlling their calorie in take, he recommends drinking of milk with full nutrients as an alternative to one of the meals each day.  Hmmm... that's a brilliant idea don't you think?  :)  Good thing that I like Enercal Plus' taste, especially when it's chilled.  It's a much better version of soya milk for me.  No kidding folks, try it, and you'll know what I mean.  :)  In Filipino, let me say, "Hindi ako mapapahiya sa inyo."  :)

With that said, I guess we just really need to listen to our health’s reminder and wake-up call, and start doing what's due for our body.  :)

Andrew Santos, Wyeth President and General Manager culminated the event by leading the toast of the Filipino achievers who continue to maximize their potential but still manage to live healthily.

Andrew Santos, Wyeth President and General Manager; Paolo Bediones; Maricar Yabyabin, Wyeth Business Unit Head; Angel Aquino; Jett Pangan; Abbiegail Bella Jaro, Wyeth Group Product Manager and Dr. Oyie Balburias, Medical City’s Medical Director and Unit Head of Center for Wellness and Aesthetics toasted for success and good health.

---
Main photo (Man Liking Milk) is courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.