Manulife Philippines organized the “Flex Your Future: Personalize your journey to health and wellness” webinar, with celebrities Alden Richards, Iza Calzado-Wintle, Jessy Mendiola, and mental health advocate Dr. Gia Sison as guest speakers, and Luis Manzano as host. They shared their health goals, habits, tips, personal experiences and even discussed challenges they’ve faced, especially during the pandemic, to give Filipinos insights into starting their wellness journeys based on their needs.
The up-close-and-personal virtual meet was held in line with Manulife’s launch of HealthFlex, the first and only flexible life and health insurance solution in the market, which empowers Filipinos to personalize their critical illness coverage and choose the plan that best meets their needs.
Kicking off the webinar, health advocate Dr. Gia Sison spoke about how Filipinos can stay physically and mentally healthy during COVID-19. She also shared her own cancer journey, and how her fight against the Big C emboldened her to remain strong in overcoming any challenges in life, and to share her lessons with people who have fought or are fighting the same battle.
Meanwhile, Calzado-Wintle shared her story as a survivor of COVID-19, and what she went through after being diagnosed positive for the coronavirus. While it derailed many of her plans, the support of her husband, and the care and service of medical workers helped her make it through the ordeal. The experience also made her a stronger person and an even more passionate advocate of taking care of one’s health, including body and self-love.
For Mendiola, grappling with societal pressures to conform to narrow beauty standards had been a huge challenge, and really affected her health. Learning from her experience, she now advocates for body positivity and personalizing your health journey to what serves you best.
As an entrepreneur determined to keep his businesses afloat and support his employees despite the pandemic, Richards spoke about how he dealt with the stress and anxiety he faced. He believes that keeping healthy is vital, even in the context of meeting one’s business and career goals. He also shared his fitness transformation journey that made him better, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
“Self-discipline is very important as the road to fitness can be challenging. Find a routine that you will enjoy so you can be consistent with your workouts. While it is important to also eat in moderation, you need to also find a way to reward yourself from time to time. Lastly, respect your efforts. A small progress is still progress. If you work out and eat right regularly, you will achieve powerful results,” Richards said.
