MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos in general are not afraid of aging,” says Jasmin Magsajo, marketing director of Fonterra Brands Philippines. As a matter of fact, 84 percent of the people who were interviewed in a survey that was done recently said “I have no issue divulging my real age.”
“What people are more concerned about is how aging affects their body and the way they live their lives,” Magsajo remarks. “The inconvenient truth is that a lot of Filipinos are actually aging prematurely.”
In a study conducted among 5,000 respondents working in BPOs located in Manila, Cebu and Davao, it was found that 60 percent of them were aging prematurely.
“This means that their body age is older than their real age,” says Fely Velandria, registered nutritionist dietician and former senior science research specialist of FNRI-DOST. “Aging is a natural progression in life, but our environment and life choices can contribute to premature aging, which is oftentimes the underlying cause of exhaustion, affecting energy levels, productivity and the ability to do things you enjoy.”
Factors that lead to premature aging include poor eating and sleeping habits.
“Diet or nutrition is the cornerstone of health,” Velandria says. “The big culprit why many people are suffering from cardio vascular diseases is because of high intake of salt, sugar and fat. It’s better to eat lots of vegetables and fruits, which are our source of vitamins and minerals, as well as the antioxidants that boost our immune system.”
“Keep in mind that movement or physical activity is very important,” Velandria adds. “Even if you are not able to go to the gym, household chores such as sweeping the floor, going up and down the stairs, or even dancing is good enough if done at least 30 minutes every day.”
She gives this tip: For every two hours of sitting down, stand up for at least three to five minutes and shake your body.
“Sitting is the new smoking, because sitting and not doing anything is really not good for the health,” Jo Ann Salamat, Fonterra Brands Philippines nutrition manager, says.“The secret to staying young is in good bones, because if you have good bones, you can move, you can walk and avoid getting tired easily.”
“Milk is a very important source of micro nutrients like good quality protein and calcium, which is very important for bone health,” Salamat adds. “You cannot do your physical activity very well if you have poor bone health and muscle mass will not be built if your bone structure is weak. We tend to lose muscle mass as we age, so it is important to have milk in your diet even at adult age, even if you are beyond 50 and up. But the sad truth is that Filipinos generally are not milk drinkers. They think milk is only for babies and kids.”
“Half of Filipinos aged 19-60 are not getting enough protein, while more than 90 percent don’t get enough calcium, which can lead to bone, muscle and joint deterioration and weakness,” Velandria says. “Low- bone density and poor muscle mass brought about by lack of calcium and protein may affect one’s ability to stay active and to keep up with day-to-day challenges. Unfortunately, with everyone’s busy lifestyle, balancing work, family and traffic, we tend to compromise on our food choices, sleep and exercise.
That’s why even younger adults are experiencing premature ageing.”
Calcium in milk is the best absorbed among all food items. “Ninety-percent of calcium in milk is absorbed by your body compared to supplements or calcium in tablet form,” Salamat says.
“Anlene is the adult milk that is high in calcium,” says senior brand manager, Roberta Mundo. “Each glass of Anlene provides twice the calcium of regular milk and
100 percent of an adult’s daily calcium needs, as well as high protein for muscle development.”
“More than that, we are the only milk that has collagen, which is good not only for your face and skin but also is very important to support your joints. So it’s really about supporting the full foundation of your entire body,” Magsajo adds.
There is hope. Actress and model, Bianca King, shared that while her real age is 33, her metabolic age is 20. By making healthy choices, your body age can actually be younger than your real age.
“For almost 30 years, Anlene has championed healthy aging among adults of all ages,” Magsajo says. As part of its advocacy to help Filipinos become more aware oftheir body’s age, Anlene will be supporting the iCare BPO Lifestyle Caravan, a Department of Health-led campaign aimed to promoting a healthy lifestyle among BPO workers. They will be visiting offices and partnering with local government units utilizing Tanita’s Body Composition Analyzer, which will help determine not just the body’s metabolic age, but also bone density, muscle mass, fat mass, and body water percentage. There will also be free consultations with health experts who can give advice and tips on how to avoid premature aging.
