Up until today I still laugh at a statement from a random friend one year ago when I started living healthier by eating clean and adopted running into my everyday lifestyle. In the mind of this friend, I take care of myself because of a guy. NO. I take care of myself for myself, not for anyone. You see, when you start to realize how much bad food you have been stuffing down your body and your health deteriorating, you will wake up one day and put up a determination to turn things around before it is too late. You look good for yourself, not for anyone else. Always remember that . Just as the saying…girls put on makeup for themselves not for a guy. So please, do not lose weight for someone else but do it FOR YOU. Still don’t agree with me? Come, I smack you and give you a long empowering talk on how to love yourself more

For the past few weeks, Nestlé Omega Plus has been doing numerous initiative to get Malaysians to get moving and live healthier. Funny thing is, I have always been told that I am ‘quite healthy’ but I did not realized I am really living quite a “clean” lifestyle until this campaign started a few weeks ago. You know you are healthy when you go out for lunch with friends and they asked “are you on strict clean eating menu now?” just to decide on where to eat and what to eat to accommodate to your clean eating preference

Malaysians tend to settle for fast and cheap food due to their busy lifestyle. Add that with the varieties of oh-so-yummy Malaysian food, you are bound to get into unhealthy eating. Numerous research was done and proven that Malaysians in their thirties are now more likely to have arteries of a person aged seventy years old due to the unhealthy lifestyles that we chose to live. This lifestyle indirectly are pushing young Malaysians to suffer heart disease at a younger age that what we perceived.

Did you know that:

• 1 out of 2 Malaysian adults are suffering from high cholesterol.
• 42% of Malaysians who have high cholesterol are below the ages of 40 years old.
• Individuals as young as in their 20s are diagnosed with heart disease.
• Cardiovascular disease is responsible for one-quarter of all hospital deaths.
• Nearly half of heart attack patients (45%) have three or more risk factors:
  • 77% being obese
  • 65% having high blood pressure
  • 46% having diabetes
  • 38% being smokers
  • 37% having abnormal cholesterol levels

My Personal Take on Taking Care of My Heart Health

(1) Running / Yoga / Plank

Running has always been my number #1 choice when it comes to physical activity. No matter how hard or how many injuries I suffered along the way, I still like to run. I have not adopted to other activities like biking and swimming simply because I love running! It is only for the past six months or so I started yoga and very recently, plank. I used to take ballet classes when I was young so I find myself enjoying all the stretching and soreness from it. When it comes to physical activity, it can be at any form. You do which suits you and your body. Whichever you feel comfortable with. As long as you move around. All you need is a minimum of 30 minutes a day and for five times a week. If you tell me you do not have 30 minutes to spare, come I smack you hard again

(2) Balanced Diet

Clean eating is not for everyone. It is hard for most people due to all the temptations of delicious Malaysian food such as nasi lemak, roti canai, banana leaf rice and many more. As for me, clean eating comes fairly easy as I am not a big eater to begin with. To cut down my food portion is easy but to take on vegetables and more vegetables is hard for me. I am not a fan of the green. After clean eating on and off for a year, I munch on vegetables more than chicken now.

Balanced diet does not mean you have to clean eating like me. Balanced diet as we learnt from school days means having proper food quantities and proportions, for example filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits. It would be even better to add milk to your diet as milk contain added plant sterols to block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. You may find minimal amounts of plant sterol in grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds. However the amount is very little so you need to consume a large amount in order to meet the daily 1.2g requirement for it to work. Nestlé Omega Plus milk is one of the most convenient and easiest way to input 1.2g of plant sterol into your system. Two servings is all you need.

(3) Regular Medical Check-Up

I believe not many people really do go for their annual medical check-up. Ever since I had Hyperthyroidism, I go for one every three months. Now that I am off the medications, doctor told me to return for a thorough check-up every year, in which I did. You do not need a reason or to suffer from any diseases to go for medical check-up. Always remember that prevention is better than cure. You should know the numbers to the simplest thing such as blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, blood glucose and weight. Heart disease do not happen overnight. So if you failed to identify the symptoms, a medical check-up will be able to tell you what you are not aware of.

I Got Rewarded!

Some may ask, why suffer myself through running, soreness, bruises (I get bruises from yoga) and restraining myself from all the good Malaysian food. That is because it is so much rewarding! I am less sick than I was before, I am fitter (and muscular eh eh eh!), I fit into the tinniest clothes size now, and I can eat whatever I want (cheat day) at the right proportion because I know I am so much more healthier now. The best part is that I do not need to justify everything I eat and say no to food I really want. No kidding. That is rewarding to me.

And then, there is this.

Nestlé Omega Plus surprised me one day with a care package. I called it a care package because they include two very important item in my package, and that is Nestlé Omega Plus Milk packs. They also very kindly and generously include a Mi Band Pulse together with my milk packs. Together, it is one heck of a good care package especially for someone who stays active. You can also get rewarded with a similar care package from Nestlé Omega Plus by taking steps towards a healthier heart.

Here’s how.

The post I Take On The Nestlé Omega Plus Heart Health Challenge And This Is What Happened appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

Waking up at 4.30am in the morning for running event has been a norm for me nowadays but yesterday I woke up early for a meaningful purpose. I was going to be a part of over 3,800 Malaysians to walk a mile for the 15th Nestlé Omega Plus Walk-A-Mile event.

Heart disease is the number one killer in Malaysia especially with all the high fat content in our food. No doubt food in Malaysia are among the best, however did you know that there is one death caused by heart disease in every 15 minutes? Many Malaysian still ignore the fact and continue to indulge in unhealthy food and carry on with their unhealthy lifestyle because sadly many still assume that heart disease only affects the elderly. Here is a wake up call for you. Research shown that Malaysians in their thirties suffers from ageing arteries similar to those in their seventies due to their lifestyles. Now it is time for you to take a step back and think about what you can do to prevent any health and heart diseases.

This year is the 15th year that Nestlé Omega Plus in collaboration with Yayasan Jantung Malaysia held its annual Walk-A-Mile event. This year also marks the 15 years of partnership between Nestlé Omega Plus® and Yayasan Jantung Malaysia. Despite having this annually for the past 14 years, this year would be my first participation. The walk was held at Taman Perdana Botanical Garden (Lake Gardens), which was also the first time I stepped into the famous park. Knowing the lack of parking spaces at the park, the organizer was thoughtful to map out the parking area nearby and even prepared shuttle van to coach us to Lake Garden. I parked about 10 minutes away from the park so I was more than happy to hop into one of the shuttle van. I thought it would be chaos and I need to elbow with other people to get a space in the van but to my surprise, I get a van quite easily . Even going back to my car after the event was fairly easy. No elbowing required lol.

Yayasan Jantung Malaysia or YJM in short also had a booth to spread awareness to the public on heart health.

Nestlé had a few booth right opposite YJM. It is also where most participants and myself had our quick breakfast fix.

There are 3 key factors to holistic heart health management – physical activity, medical check-up and a balanced diet. All three key factors are covered by Nestlé Omega Plus at the event. We start with balanced diet. Besides offering Nestlé Omega Plus Oats and Cheerios cereal to participants, there are also free flow of Nestlé Omega Plus milk. It is also what I had the most for breakfast at the event mainly because it is not sweet and not too heavy for an early day. And when I say free flow, I really do mean free flow. Nestlé was so kind to offer this up until the end of the event. Guess how many mini cups I had?

Nestlé Omega Plus Walk-A-Mile official mascots are probably the busiest that morning as many rushed over to take a photo with this huge smiley heart. Adults included.

Besides the food, drinks, and games activities at the event area, there are also complimentary Heart Screening offered to everyone. All 3,800 participants at the event not only “saved” their lives by joining the Walk-A-Mile to spread awareness, they also saved double and triple that amount by sharing their experience on social media. That sharing alone reminds other people why it is important to start managing heart health from now on. Remember, heart disease does not happen overnight. It is accumulative. But it is never too late to start taking care of your heart now and prevent the accumulation and wait for the symptoms to develop.

Games and Engaging Activities

To keep everyone moving and not just sitting down while waiting for the flag off, there are loads of games and activities all around Lake Garden. The CPR learning booth is the most interesting one. I notice that there are a few different dummies including an infant dummy for participants to use and learn on how to conduct proper CPR and other life saving method for emergency times. We should have this at all other running events don’t you think so?

All the games queue line are so long except for this one. Hula hoop challenge. None the less it is the one game I wanted to try because I cannot remember when was the last time I hula hoop haha . All the aunties before my turn make it look so simple. It is not as simple as I thought!

Yeap! I had fun hula hooping . No I did not break my back

Nestlé Omega Plus Walk-A-Mile 2016 was officiated by a few key VIPS including Datuk Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Seri Mhd Amin Nordin bin Abd Aziz; President of Yayasan Jantung Malaysia (YJM), Tun Ahmad Sarji bin Abdul Hamid; and Executive Director, Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad, Chew Soi Ping. Notable representatives from Yayasan Jantung Malaysia (YJM) also participated in the event, including Tan Sri Dato’ Kamaruzzaman Shariff, Datuk Dr. J.S. Sambhi; Dato’ Gurbakhash Singh. Other guests included Dr. Ng Wai Kiat from National Heart Association Malaysia (NHAM),TV hosts Gary Wong from Ho Chak! And Naz from Jalan Jalan Cari Makan.

Before the official flag off, Chew Soi Ping, Executive Director, Sales, Nestlé Malaysia presented a cheque from Nestlé Omega Plus amounting RM30,000 to Yayasan Jantung Malaysia (YJM) towards their continuous support on the efforts and dedication from YJM to educate the public on heart health matters.

Nestlé Omega Plus Walk-A-Mile flag off and lead by all the key VIPS.

Throughout the entire one mile walk, we are reminded and educated with numerous healthy living tips.

I was REALLY SURPRISED to see water station even for one mile walk! I don’t even get 2 water station for a 10km run on one of my last registered run. Okay, let me rephrase. It’s a milk station! Even better . One mile or 10 mile, we still need to hydrate and keep fluid in our body especially during this hot weather.

One quick way to reduce the risk of heart disease is to manage your cholesterol levels. How easy? As easy as adding plant sterol into your diet. You may find minimal amounts of plant sterol in grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds. However the amount is very little so you need to consume a large amount in order to meet the daily 1.2g requirement for it to work. Nestlé Omega Plus milk is one of the most convenient and easiest way to input 1.2g of plant sterol into your system. Two servings is all you need.

Along the way there are various challenges for participants to have some fun with.

In no time we have reached the end of the walk. Easy peasy

I cannot stress enough how easy it is to change your daily lifestyle and diet to live healthier. You can pick up brisk walking or even running if you like. Otherwise simple activity such as walking for 15 minutes a day can help to reduce the risk of developing heart disease symptoms such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. You many not know but by being active, it could potentially save your life and heart from accumulating all the symptoms. Nothing ever happens overnight.

Nestlé Omega Plus, as Malaysia’s heart health advocate never stop urging Malaysians to stay physically active through this year’s the 15th annual Walk-a-Mile in collaboration with YJM and on coming years. If you have missed this year’s Walk-A-Mile event, fret not. There will be next year and the year thereafter. Now that I know there is such an event to raise awareness for heart health, I will make sure I keep my eyes open for next year’s Walk-A-Mile event announcement and register myself again. See you next year at Nestlé Omega Plus Walk-A-Mile!

The post Post-Event Report: The 15th Nestlé Omega Plus Walk-A-Mile 2016 Attracts Over 3,800 Participants To Walk A Mile To Raise Awareness For Heart Health appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

Preventative heart care is not on the top-of-mind for most Malaysian adults. I am shame to admit that I am one of the many Malaysian that has taken heart disease lightly. Heart disease often perceived as an illness that most likely happens to the elderly. Little did I know it can happen to even younger generation too. Now, numerous research was done and proven that Malaysians in their thirties are now more likely to have arteries of a person aged seventy years old due to the unhealthy lifestyles that we chose to live. This lifestyle indirectly are pushing young Malaysians to suffer heart disease at a younger age that what we perceived. I know it better than anyone because I was told that I too have heart disease almost 7 years ago.

Nearly 20 millions Malaysians above the age of 18 years are at risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which may in turn lead to the development of heart disease, based on the 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey. Did you know that one out of two Malaysians are suffering from high cholesterol? Heart disease can be in several different forms, from heart attack, narrowing of arteries, abnormal heart rhythms, breaking down of the heart valve or heart muscle and degeneration of blood vessels, amongst others. Generally, these are known as cardiovascular heart disease, or CHD.

My Story

I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism almost 7 years ago and my level was so off the chart that even my doctor were shocked. I remember leaving the clinic after each blood check with four handful of medications. So much that I stole the limelight at the clinic. I guess it was intriguing to see a young girl leaving the clinic with so much medication with her. So much medication that even I was embarrassed. With Hyperthyroidism or even Hypothyroidism, one tend to suffer from slight heart disease.

Back then, my heart was beating so fast as if I was jogging. I was told not to do any exercise as I could collapse and die from heart attack. It was only last year I started dipping my toes into running. Although it has been a few years since I stopped my medication, the heart illness is still there. My heart is weaker than other normal people so I could not run non-stop for too long. Even till now I still consult with my doctor from time to time to see if I am fit enough to run any races, just in case my heart could not take it.

That is my story . Many other Malaysian suffer from heart disease too. Linda Chan, 57, single parent shared that she had friends who passed away at the young age of 37 from heart health issues. “Just gone in their sleep”, as she recalls. She added that heart disease or fatalities does not just happen to people at her age as cholesterol and heart problems does not develop overnight. Linda, who worked long hours in her younger years coupled with regular seafood feasts now with her family when eating out are up to a challenge for her to manage her heart health. She will try to be more vigilant with her diet the next day to balance her eating habit up, such as opting for steamed dishes at home and drinking milk with added plant sterols to block cholesterol.

Managing Heart Health

Besides eating a healthy balance diet, there are also 3 key factors that you need to know to manage your heart health holistically.

(1) Physical Activity
Try to get at least some form of physical activity every day. It can be walking to the office or taking the stairs. As long as your body moves and some calories are burn. A combination of moderate and vigorous activity thirty minutes a day, five times a week are highly suggested by the American Heart Association.

(2) Medical Check-Up
Yearly health check-ups are important even if you are as healthy as a horse. You should know the state of your health such as your blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, blood glucose and weight. These numbers will help to provide a benchmark for upcoming check-ups.

(3) Eat a balanced diet
This of all is the hardest for most of us. Many tend to overstuff their stomach, stretching them to the max. You should always aim to only fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits and fill the rest by consuming milk with added plant sterols to block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. According to Heart UK, the Cholesterol Charity, plant sterols are especially effective in lowering cholesterol levels by up to 10% when taken at optimal doses and as part of a diet low in saturated fat in just over 3 weeks. They are considered to be the most effective single food that can lower cholesterol as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. You may find plant sterols in small amounts in many grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. To make your life easier, just drink two glasses of Nestlé Omega Plus a day to manage your cholesterol levels!

Brands such as Nestlé Omega Plus have made it a mission to encourage Malaysians to take action NOW for their heart health. They have made it a mission to be Malaysia’s heart health advocate. With that, I am happy that Nestlé is having a Walk-A-Mile on the coming 3rd September 2016 (Saturday) for all Malaysians, regardless young or old, at the Lake Gardens (Perdana Botanical Gardens). Walk-A-Mile is Malaysia’s longest running walk for heart health advocacy, jointly organised by Nestlé Omega Plus and Yayasan Jantung Malaysia (YJM). I for sure will be there!

According to Ng Su Yen, Business Executive Manager, Milks of Nestlé Malaysia, Nestlé Omega Plus has reached out to Malaysians to take charge and care for their heart through Walk-A-Mile in collaboration with YJM for the past 14 years and they are looking forward with great excitement to sharing heart healthy activities with everyone at Walk-A-Mile.

For more information, please visit www.nestle.com.my or Nestlé Malaysia Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NestleMalaysia. Be a part of heart health advocacy at Walk-A-Mile 2016 by registering at https://mro.myraceonline.com/wohd16/registrations.

The post Prevention Is Better Than Cure. Why Heart Disease Should Be Taken Seriously appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

LOL at the title. It sounded as if I’m about to go on a rampage on DHL Express which was not as express as my previous hauls. Could it be because of the $8 flat rate promotion or change of policy? I have no idea. All I care now is how relieved I am that my parcel arrived on Saturday morning, after 7 days of travelling. Lucky box.

Here is my small iHerb haul. I was thinking to go amok with iHerb this time, taking advantage of the flat $8 DHL Express shipping which ends on 31st October. I did. I put everything in the shopping cart and cut the list down to this extend . I never haul a lot with iHerb to avoid tax. That explains why all my iHerb haul is in a small quantity. Unless everything is free then I will make sure my haul totals up to RM499!

I was thinking to drive down to Publika to get a Real Techniques Stippling Brush as it’s cheaper at Ben’s Independent Grocer (RM38). At the same time I was keeping an eye on iHerb for the weekly 20% special. Just when I was about to place my order for something else, voilà! The weekly special refreshed and my wish came true. All Real Techniques brushes was on 20% discount. I bought a Real Techniques Stippling Brush (RM34.16 after 20% OFF) and grabbed the new Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel (RM30.74 after 20% OFF) for review.

I love the Clearance section at iHerb. I saw a bunch of E.L.F. makeup I want. Most of it are already sold out so I ended up with three items. There should be more but I cut them all out. It’s the matter of need vs want. I chose need.

E.L.F. Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow #Soiree (RM10) was on Clearance, E.L.F. Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow #Toast (RM12.82) is not. The price difference is not a lot so why not. Another eyeshadow on sale that I really wanted is the E.L.F. Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow #What’s Your Name? (RM10). I was thinking to grab all Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow that are on sale but it’s more of a want than need.

I grabbed a box of Nestle Hot Cocoa Mix Rich Milk Chocolate Flavor (RM8.55) for a dear friend. This friend has been sending me a lot of stuff so I bought this as a part of a parcel that I’m going to send to her. If you are reading this and receive this in a few days time, yes it’s for you

The next item is rather random. It’s the kind of thing that you don’t need but it’s so darn cheap that you will regret if you don’t buy it. One thing you must know about iHerb is that their Trial items or ad hoc special items changes all the time. Just when I was about to check out (a few days after that), this Sierra Bees Organic Lip Balms Variety Pack (RM4.27) appeared on the page I was on. A pack of these lip balms is just RM4.27! I am currently using the cocoa butter version and it is really good. So I bought this pack. The price is seriously too good to pass . Why not, right? Why not.

This time I did not drive to DHL delivery facility in Shah Alam to collect my parcel. It wasn’t an urgent one so I just let DHL send it to me using PosLaju. Thank goodness last Saturday was not the first Saturday of the month otherwise I would have to wait until Monday. I was not worried that I will get tax by the custom as the haul amount is within RM100++. However this time round I do get a stack of documents including an official receipt from Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia on the tax. The amount stated on the receipt is RM0 as the haul amount was lower than RM500 and there wasn’t anything hazardous. Initially I was thinking to get a pack of chia seed for my smoothie. I saw the disclaimer on the product page stating delivery might be delayed due to custom clearance on chia seed so I decided not to get it.

USE DISCOUNT CODE – RKZ742

$5 off on your first order with no minimum purchase amount

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