Good health is real wealth: The health secrets of top businessmen

The greatest wealth is health. —Virgil

He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skill of his doctors.  — Chinese proverb

Mens sana in corpore sano (Your prayer must be for a sound mind in a sound body).   —Juvenal

BEIJING — At a recent international conference of top Asian taipans here in the capital of the world’s second largest economy, I met such names as Philippine Airlines chairman Lucio C. Tan, Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group chairman Dhanin Chearavanont, Indonesia’s Barito Pacific Group chairman Prajogo Pangestu and many others.

The topics of discussion were mainly about philanthropy, culture and business. However, I was also able to casually chat with numerous successful businessmen about their secrets to good health. 

Self-made business leader Lucio Tan shared that he values health as very important, and reveals his own formula. He looks relaxed a couple of days after approving San Miguel Corp.’s investment of US$500 million in Philippine Airlines. He said: “To be healthy, I advise you to eat less in quantity but to eat many times throughout the day. Eat healthy, too. Exercise regularly, have good rest and sleep, and work hard.”

Unknown to most people, the workaholic Tan likes to swim and walks a lot. I forgot to ask him what he exactly meant by “eat healthy” and whether he’s a vegetarian due to his Buddhist faith. One of the world’s wealthiest vegans is American Jewish casino tycoon Steve Wynn; others include Ford Motors Co. executive chairman Bill Ford, Twitter co-founder and creative director Biz Stone, and realty and media tycoon Mort Zuckerman.

Cebu retail tycoon and philanthropist Joseph Sy Gaisano told me in Beijing: “I believe one unappreciated secret to good heath is regular work. It’s not even hard work, just regular work, love your work and do it continuously. Some of the world’s top financial industry leaders are in their 80s and 90s, but still doing their work that I believe sustains their good health. People look forward to retiring if they do not like their work, but if one loves work, then every day is enjoyable and challenging.”

Malaysian Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. honorary president and Muda Holdings Berhad founder Tan Sri Dato Lim Guan Teik told me that his secrets to both good health and success as a self-made business leader are the same: “Be hardworking, be sincere and always keep your promises.” 

Singapore Cantonese Entrepreneurs Association president Ho Kwok Choi said: “My secret to good health is eating several types of Chinese herbal medicines like winter worm summer grass herb (scientific name ophiocordyceps sinensis or dong chong xia chao in Mandarin), ginseng and others every morning and evening. I wasn’t a believer in ancient Chinese medicine before, but I asked Western medicine experts and they told me Western medicine is mainly for cures while Chinese medicines are very good for prevention or boosting our good health.”

Ho continued: “People may think I spend a lot for these Chinese medicinal herbs, but what is the use of amassing wealth if one doesn’t have good health? In fact, once at a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, I saw Singapore’s wealthiest taipan Wee Cho Yaw of United Overseas Bank or UOB, and I told him I’m not greeting you ‘Gong xi fa chai’ (a Mandarin greeting meaning ‘Wishing you a more prosperous new year’), but ‘I wish you a new year of priceless good health!’”

India Calcutta Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Liu Kuo Chao, who is 85 years old, said to me: “I believe the secret to good health is “sin-thay” in Mandarin Chinese. This phrase means more than just a positive attitude. It also refers to being of good cheer, being optimistic, being calm in temperament. You know what my secret to longevity and youthfulness is? People who grow in age shouldn’t think of ourselves as ‘old.’ Look at me, at my age I still ride the motorcycle as a hobby,” he laughs. “Why should only younger people do that?”

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Oscar Lopez, the 82-year-old patriarch of the Lopez conglomerate in mass media, energy, real estate and other industries, walks up the stairs to his office while his younger executives and employees ride the elevators.

Lopez not only climbs the stairs and exercises regularly, he also climbs mountains. His son Piki Lopez recently told me the elder Lopez is planning to climb to the base camp of the world’s highest mountain, Everest, which is located in China and Nepal.

Brothers John Gokongwei Jr. and James Go of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. told me they walk on the treadmill regularly. Gokongwei also likes to swim.

Metrobank and Toyota Philippines taipan George S.K. Ty swims regularly.

The late Leonardo Ty, boss of the defunct Associated Bank and former president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. told me that his health secret was eating the extraordinary bird’s nest Chinese soup (called “yan wo” in Mandarin) every morning for breakfast.

Alaska Milk Corporation president Fred Uytengsu and Ayala Group’s Fernando Zobel de Ayala are young billionaires who are exceptionally healthy because they are triathletes. This elite sporting competition involves the continuous and sequential endurance events involving swimming for 1.5 kilometers, cycling for 40 kilometers and then running for 10 kilometers (these distances are the Olympic or international standard). Lance Gokongwei runs, too, and has joined marathons.

Businesswoman Camille Villar, daughter of Vista Land founder and billionaire Senator Manny Villar, shared why her father is healthy: “He exercises a lot. Now he runs, but he used to do tennis and swimming. It’s funny, even when he was still playing tennis, my Tito Jojo said he wasn’t an excellent tennis player, but he really makes habol (runs after) every ball. In short, Dad is very competitive. He likes to always stay active.”

Camille added, “They were originally five siblings in my dad’s family, but three passed away young because they were poor in Tondo. The youngest died when he was only four years old because he was sick and the family was so poor, they couldn’t afford medical treatment. That’s why Dad is such a hypochondriac.”

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