Worried about the expanding bellies and waistlines of its executives, the Department of Health (DOH) has launched a weight loss program dubbed “Belly Gud for Health” to help the executives fight off stress and binge-eating that often come with management work.
The six-month “light and enjoyable” challenge will see undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, directors, division chiefs and program managers of the DOH undergoing aerobic and isometric exercises, nutrition counseling and stress management for a healthy waistline, said Health Secretary Enrique Ona.
“Stress that comes with management work can lead to binge-eating and lack of physical activity that may result in overnutrition,” Ona said in a statement Monday.
Lifestyle-related
“We don’t want our health executives to suffer the consequences of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) or lifestyle-related diseases. So we are offering [them] a light and enjoyable challenge to be fit by attaining and maintaining a desirable waist circumference,” Ona added.
Lifestyle-related diseases are the top causes of death in the Philippines. These diseases are linked to the four most common but preventable risk factors: An unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, smoking and alcohol use.
Ona said the DOH was planning to extend the challenge to other government offices this year. The activity will be called “Belly Gud for Health: Executive Edition.”
According to the DOH, the waistline is a simple way of measuring central obesity, which is the amount of visceral fat—the fat that surrounds the inner organs—among adults and a significant indicator of risk for NCDs or lifestyle diseases, particularly cardiovascular ailments and stroke.
Desirable waist
The desirable waist circumference is less than 90 centimeters (35 inches) for men and 80 centimeters (31 inches) for women.
The DOH has been encouraging Filipinos to adopt a healthy lifestyle to combat NCDs, which also include cancer and respiratory illnesses.
Now, the campaign covers its officials and employees, apparently to make them good role models of healthy living.
Personal fitness mentor
Under the program, the health officials will be provided with DOH-produced exercise videos to guide them properly with their workouts.
Each of them will also be assigned a personal fitness mentor who will regularly remind them about their diet and the physical activities they need to follow.
Their waistlines will be monitored and recorded monthly, Ona said. Recognition and awards will also be accorded to those who have managed to reduce their waist size every month.
Prizes
At the end of the challenge, a male and female executive who have been able to greatly reduce their belly fats will be declared winners and will be given prizes that include health products and services, fruit baskets and gift certificates to a wellness spa.
The challenge was first conducted last year among DOH rank-and-file personnel. Out of the 779 employees, 362 or 46.5 percent persevered to reduce their waistlines to an acceptable level. But at the end of the challenge, only 10 were recognized as top performers.
The female winner reduced her waistline by 9.55 cm (3.75 inches) while the male winner narrowed his waistline by 5.45 cm (2.14 inches). Jocelyn R. Uy