Three-time olympian Marestella Sunang is still a milk drinker at 40

She’s a three-time Olympian, a gold medalist in the Asian Championship, a four-time gold medalist in the SEA Games, the Philippines’ record-holder in Long Jump at 6.72 meters, and set the Southeast Asian record of 6.71 meters at the 2011 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

At 40, Marestela Sunang is one of the oldest members of the Philippine National Team — and she’s still in prime form.

Age hasn’t stopped her from moving and winning.

Just take the leap

Life leaps come in varying distances. Some feel lofty and risky, some are difficult yet manageable, and some just require a small hop to get started.

Long jumper Marestella Sunang got her groove in Negros Oriental in 1994. Discovered by her teachers, she began training for the sport on a meager budget. Since sand pits were too expensive, Marestella would land on rice husks and eventually bruised herself.

But that didn’t dampen her spirit. She trained harder and was able to send herself to school through the sport she loves best.

“Jumping was, indeed, a life-changing experience for me,” Marestella said in one of her interviews. “When I started competing, I brought home incentives that helped my family.”

Go for the gold!

Marestella, who has been part of the Philippine National Team for 23 years now, brings years of experience whenever she competes in the global arena.

The secret to her staying power?

“Discipline, exercise, proper diet and Anlene,” shares Marestella during the virtual launch of Anlene Gold 5x. “I drink a glass of Anlene at the start and end of my day. Long jumpers like myself need to stay lean and lightweight to boost our distance.”

According to Marestella, she started drinking the milk brand when she moved to Manila in 1998.

“Anlene has been part of my athletic career. In fact, when I first competed for the SEA Games, I made sure Anlene was in my luggage,” she shared. “As I grow older and continue to compete, I find that I need it even more now. I’m so thankful that I was introduced to it early on in my career as it has played such an important role in my journey.”

Marestella’s high-calcium diet fuels her longevity and winning streak.

And each glass of milk (she drinks) comes with the hope that it will see her through to another gold.

Keep on moving

Anlene, the trusted bone expert for 30 years and one of the pioneers of adult milk in the Philippines, has been advocating the importance of caring for bones, joints, and muscles by providing superior adult nutrition to enable adults to move at any age and live their best lives.

The brand recently launched its most advanced formulation — Anlene Gold 5X — through an informative and interactive Movement and Nutrition Session.

The launch could not have come at a better time. Just last August 2020, Anlene conducted a Movement survey with the aim of understanding how Filipinos’ physical activity has changed since the start of the pandemic.

The study revealed that physical activity has decreased dramatically, leaving a large percentage of respondents with back, muscle and joint pains, and feeling more tired and lethargic.

The study confirmed that the current situation has led to a more sedentary lifestyle, causing many to feel physically and mentally drained.

“The lack of physical activity is one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases’ mortality,” explained Anlene marketing manager Berta Sadiua-Mundo. “The survey was truly an eye opener, and encouraged us to campaign for movement and proper nutrition for overall health and wellbeing and to preserve the quality of life of Filipinos at any age,” she said.

Jo Ann Verdadero-Salamat, a registered nutritionist, explained the importance of proper nutrition along with regular movement: “Our bodies were created to move, and this is why nutrition is important, because proper nutrition allows us to move freely, without pain or limitations. In order to enable our bodies to function well, we need all the essential nutrients, including macro and micronutrients,” Joanne explained.

Milk plays an important part in our diet.

“We tend to think that milk is just for kids, but that is wrong. Even in adulthood, our bones still grow in density, and this is why milk is still necessary. It is important to choose milk that is high in calcium because it is the major nutrient that strengthens our bones,” she added.

While calcium is present in other types of food and also in supplements in the form of tablets, Jo Anne shared that drinking milk is the best option.

“Milk is considered as a complete food. So when you drink milk, it nourishes you and provides the nutrients your body needs. While you can also consume calcium in the form of tablets, the way our body metabolizes them will not be as efficient as compared to food,” she said.

Milk also has the highest “bioavailability, as compared with other types of food when it comes to calcium.” For example, the estimated calcium absorbed from a glass of milk is 96 percent compared to only 21 percent in a serving of broccoli, which is a good source of calcium.

According to Jo Anne, Anlene has always been known as the ideal milk drink for adults because of its high protein and calcium content.  It does not only support the bones, but also the muscles and joints.

“The new Anlene Gold 5X offers expert adult nutrition for strong bones, joints, and muscles to help recover lost ‘lakas at liksi’ and keep you moving as you age,” added Jo Anne.

It is formulated with B vitamins, calcium and the bone’s nutrients like vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin A, more protein as compared to Anlene 3X, collagen with vitamin C and MFGM Activ.

“MFGM Activ is a revolutionary ingredient present only in Anlene Gold 5X and has been proven to help improve the physical performance of our muscles when coupled with exercise,” explained Jo Anne.

This innovative formulation has been tested and shown to increase muscle mass by 40 percent, improve bone mineral content, and improve flexibility by 2x.

Marilen Concepción, at 61, a certified Stott Pilates/Redcord Suspension instructor and Ride Revolution cycling instructor, shares how Anlene helps her stay agile.

“I have always been active, ever since I was a child. This is something that I’ve taken with me as I grew up,” she shared. “As I got older, however, I started to accept that my body was changing, and that I can’t move the way I used to. That’s when I really started listening to my body and made the conscious effort to support it by drinking Anlene daily and with the right nutrition.”

Indeed, exercise and proper nutrition allow us to move freely, without pain or limitations.

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For information on Anlene, visit its Kilos Tayo Playlist on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6UwfGZYlgYP7swz5PWbgkg and official website https://www.anlene.com/ph/en.html.