[EVENT] NESTLE OMEGA PLUS Walk a Mile 2016

After completing my walk-a-mile

If you havent heard, September is the world's heart awareness month, thus I decided to get myself involved in the Nestle Omega Plus Walk a Mile 2016 over the weekend. Every 15 minutes, there is one death caused by heart disease in Malaysia and despite being 24 this year, and that does worry me a little. We both know that the general perception of heart diseases only affects the elderly, but think again! Research has proven that Malaysians under 30 have ageing arteries similar to people in their seventies due to their lifestyle. *My jaw litterally dropped* So gais, truth be told, we NEED to start taking care of our health now.

Event Agenda and Directory

T-shirt redemption area

Free flow of cereals anyone? 

This year happens to be the 15th year that Nestlé Omega Plus has organized the annual Walk-A-Mile event in collaboration with Yayasan Jantung Selangor Malaysia making this event the longest-running event for heart health advocacy in this country.  With 3,800 people present over the weekend, not only that they 'saved' their own lives by joining, but its also all about spreading the awareness by sharing on social media saving more than triple the amount of the participants. 

Related Post: [LIFESTYLE] Prevent Health Problems | Managing Cholesterol

Zumba presentation

Event space and participants

In 2015, the Ministry of Health highlighted that 47.7% of Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above have high cholesterol, which has increased from 32.6% in 2011. Thus why, by having the Walk a Mile campaign, this would encourage more and more Malaysians to practice regular exercise, healthier eating habits, and trigger a change of heart and mind set among Malaysians on heart health. 

VIP's from Nestlé and Yayasan Jantung Malaysia

Happy participants excited for their walk

At the event, we were told that one way to reduce the risk of heart disease is to manage our cholesterol levels by adding plant sterols in our diet. Plant sterols can be found in minimal amount in grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds but you may need to consume very large amounts in order to meet the daily requirements of 1.2g plant sterols in order for it to take action to your cholesterol levels. Sounds  a little tough, but that's why we have the Nestlé Omega Plus. 

Free flow of Nestlé Omega Plus

Nestlé Omega Plus has made it convenient to meet the daily requirements. With two servings of Nestlé Omega Plus milk a day, it is equivalent to plant sterols found in 255 tomatoes or 126 carrots, and did you know that Nestlé Omega Plus is the only milk that has Acticol, plant sterols that help lower cholesterol by blocking the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream? I say YAY to that.

Fun Station 

The Lock Down Cholesterol Station

The Foosball station

Block Cholesterol station

This year's Walk-A-Mile concept featured various surprise challenges along the route, health screening, lucky draws and many more fun activities throughout the morning. Chew Soi Ping who was the Executive Director of Nestlé Malaysia presented a cheque from Nestlé Omega Plus of RM30,000 to Yayasan Jantung Malaysia (YJM) towards continuous support on the efforts and dedication of YJM to educate the public on heart health matters.

Health Screening station

Mandatory photobooth shot

It was definitely a memorable morning with Nestlé Omega Plus at the Walk-A-Mile and I learned a lot on how to control my cholesterol levels despite thinking that im already practicing a healthy lifestyle. So friends, family, and strangers, if youre reading this, it doesnt really matter how old you are, but its always great to know a thing or two about cholesterol, and if you dont have high cholesterol, its always better to learn how to prevent it. One of my ways to prevent high cholesterol levels is to consume Nestlé Omega Plus in my daily diet, what about you? 

For more information on Nestle Omega Plus, and Yayasan Selangor, visit www.facebook.com/nestleomegaplus and www.yjm.org.my.

Sara xx