Leading the Super-Charged Life with Tweetie de Leon: Organique Açaí

Because of its origins from the Amazons and how people there have maintained strength and vitality for years in the harsh forests, Acaí Berry is known for its overall benefits, mainly as an antioxidant and provision of essential fatty acids to prevent cholesterol formation. This results in slow release energy that makes açaí an ideal superfood for endurance sports where stamina and energy are important.(source:www.amafruits.com/acai)

This makes açaí  an objective and sound option for runners like me who lead highly charged lifestyles, trying to achieve the work-life balance while doing sports. Not only can disease be prevented and optimum health attained, performance may also be enhanced, with improvement in oxygen capacity. You will recall how important VO2 is, especially for competitive runners who want to take their speed all the way to a podium finish. Superfood açaí’s proven antioxidant properties may just as well be part of an athlete’s overall training plan.

VO2 max is a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use. It is measured in millilitres per kilogramme of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). (source: http://www.runningforfitness.org/faq/vo2-max).

As a product born in the 90s, there are many açaís in the market and there is Organique Açaí, the one that cuts above the rest.

 

Organique officially began five years ago with husband-and-wife team Elton and Cathy Salimbangon, who were working in the United States at the time. The hectic schedule left them feeling chronically sluggish and stressed, until Elton found a job with an organic juice manufacturing company in California and discovered the need to incorporate a healthy lifestyle into their busy schedules. Cathy was working as a registered nurse, and noticed that they too seemed frustrated with not having the time to take better care of their health. The couple saw an opportunity to create a beverage that would supplement people’s daily health needs without having to sacrifice time or budget. After putting in the research work, they decided to go for it.

In 2010, Elton and Cathy dropped their lives in California and set up Organique in the Philippines. They first sold the bottles door to door, until it was made available in drug stores and supermarkets.

As the company grew and evolved, the Salimbangons felt the need for their packaging to do the same. “In order to thrive in a global market, we enlisted the help of a top designer we met during the Organic and Natural Health Show in London last year,” says Cathy. “This new label incorporates nature in a simple yet elegant manner. With this, we aim to reach consumers worldwide and showcase our premium-quality organic products.”

On July 28, 2016 at the Makati Shangri-la, Organique Acai unveiled a freshly-minted makeover of its packaging, as well as its newest celebrity endorser: supermodel and role model Tweetie De Leon Gonzalez.

Tweetie, as the newest face of Organique,  “…..exemplifies our brand’s values. She has maintained a healthy lifestyle, and at the age of 52, is now reaping the benefits,” says Cathy. “She is a working mother of four who not only built herself a career as a supermodel, but as a businesswoman as well. She is the epitome of the saying, ‘Health is wealth.’” Learn more about how super-charged this woman of the world has become in the next section.

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Q&A with Tweetie De Leon-Gonzalez

 You are regarded as one of the Most Beautiful Faces in fashion and entertainment. What are your top 5 beauty secrets for that young-looking and healthy glow?

Thank you so much for the distinction, though I truly don’t put much thought into it. I live a relatively fuss free life, quite simple, I must say.

1. Taking daily greens. Like any regular child, feeding me vegetables was an enormous challenge for my parents. It never really appealed to me to give earth-grown nutrition the slightest chance. It was only when I was pregnant with my first child, who has recently just turned 20, that I considered eating vegetables to ensure the good health of my baby. Since then, my day is not complete without a hefty serving of greens.

2. Sun protection. Sunblock is my version of American Express Card – I don’t leave home without it (for the millennials, this was the famous tagline of the credit card back in my younger days). I don’t shy away from Vitamin D and the sun, but I do due diligence in protecting my skin from its harmful rays.

3. Staying active. Exercise has been a part of my life since my mid-teens and has therefore been deeply ingrained into my lifestyle that it is now difficult to shake off. I most certainly slack off a bit at times, but I pretty much look for a sweaty challenge quite regularly. I’m addicted to the “happy hormones” called endorphins, released after a bout with heavy physical activity, that I cannot go by for long periods without a workout.

4. Stress-free living. We are never without stress in this world, but I am teaching myself to let go of situations I have no control over. Anxiety arrests health and happiness, and nothing is worth risking your sanity and well-being. Just pray and lift your worries to heaven. Everything will sort itself out.

5. Balance in everything. My key to happiness. Balance in nutrition, in exercise, in work and rest, self and others.

Have you always been into fitness and sports?

I first held a volleyball at age 10 and played from late grade school through all of high school. Outside of academics, Sports was my first glimpse into hard work, discipline, perseverance, fair play and time-management–values that give me focus to this day. Being reed-thin at 15, I enrolled myself in a gym which gave me a better understanding of how our bodies work and how each body part responds to certain challenges.

I’ve engaged in many different activities throughout my life. I was likewise into biking, kickboxing, cardio classes, and ashtanga yoga. I used to train for running, but I now run on my own, mostly before my schedule for strength training in the gym. There’s squash. I was an avid scuba diver as well, a sport I gave up when I started my family but slowly getting back into now.

 Do you play sports as a family?

Each one in the family has his or her own choice of sport or activity. My husband is into basketball, two of my sons are into football, my other son is now learning tennis, and my daughter gyms regularly. We do find ourselves working out together sometimes, but the schedule of my college kids can prove pretty hectic.

How huge a part does food and nutrition play in your healthy lifestyle? 

My family are not big eaters, nor are they picky. Their appetites need not be controlled nor do they need to be placed on a certain diet or nutritional plan. We all believe in moderation. We eat our favorites but we take just enough, never overindulging. We are all quite easy to feed.

As a role model for beauty and fitness, you’re now the endorser of Organique Acai. What can you say about the experience, and the products, so far? 

I developed hyperacidity in the past two years. Initially, I had no understanding of acid reflux and thus, continued to engage in practices that exacerbated my condition. I learned more about it from friends and fellow sufferers, yet it was still a trial-and-error kind of discovery for what my main acidity triggers were. It was, as some of you may know, a terrible, painful, uncomfortable experience during each attack. I was completely dependent on over-the-counter medicines for first aid and maintenance.

I learned about Organique Acai from Ms. Cathy Salimbangon herself, who I met fleetingly and serendipitously two years ago. With no contact since that initial brief meeting, we reconnected–a number of months back from today–with a nice reintroduction to each other, and to the product. I was able to try this drink supplement after that second meeting and have continued with this health practice to this day. Since my first drink, I have been able to manage my hyperacidity without the help of strong meds, save for a few severe cases of an attack. It has so many other astounding health and beauty benefits that I enjoy that I even bring a bottle with me during trips. I take a straight shot of Organique Acai right out of bed every morning and another one in the early evening. The practice helps manage my high acidity levels by providing an alkaline environment for my system.

For you, what’s the biggest importance of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle?

An active lifestyle is just as important as nutrition in achieving good health and well-being. It is something that everyone must make time for in the same way that we all make time for our meals. Treat it as a sacred hour of self-love and cherish every minute for there will be infinite rewards.

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An inspirational message from the other super-charged WOMAN behind Organique!

Organique’s Cathy Salimbangon on Acai Berry

• Berries for Longevity

Working with energetic and fit elderly patients in Beverly Hills made Cathy conclude that berries as part of their nutrition was instrumental for long life. Thus began her research into acai berries and her search for the high quality ones that can really be considered as superfoods.

Acai berry became the premier product since it is the most nutrient-dense fruit in the world. Another important feature was it being an antioxidant. It was a meticulous task to have products at Organique made from natural, wild harvested acai berries from the Belém region in the State of Pará, where Brazil produces its “cream of the crop” acai.

• Acai made from excellent technology and manufacturing

Organique’s manufacturing facility is located in California, which is known for its stringent regulation on food safety. It has been a leader in the development of Nutraceutical and Functional products using Proprietary Aseptic Technologies and Flavor Systems, which is supported by experienced and trained R&D Chemists and Microbiologists that are continuously developing products using the freshest ingredients, and latest processing innovations.

• Organique Premium Blend is a concentrated acai drink supplement, hence customers enjoy and feel the benefits since they are receiving a megadose of acai.
• Organique Acai Freeze-Dried Capsules 650mg is composed of pure acai freeze-dried powder. It contains no fillers and other chemicals. All products are USDA (certified organic in the USA), non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free.

 

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Giving Organique Acai its supercharged and elegant new look with an inspiring brand spokesperson in Tweetie, Elton and Cathy’s vision for Organique has come full circle when they say: it’s not just a drink; it’s a lifestyle.

Organique Acai is available at Mercury Drug, Watsons, Robinsons Supermarket, Pure Pharmacy, and South Star Drug. Visit www.organique.com.ph for more information.