Gary Valenciano: Take care of your health
MANILA, Philippines — For 35 years, Gary Valenciano has been a source of inspiration to millions of fans all over the world.
His battle against Type 1 Diabetes is universally considered as a miracle. Prior to having an open-heart surgery recently, he was clear of all known complications since he was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 14.
Since Gary’s breakthrough in showbiz 35 years ago in 1983, he has written, arranged, produced and recorded the most iconic songs that have all been part of the soundtrack of countless generations of Filipinos. He also recorded the theme songs of ABS-CBN’s most well-loved, primetime teleseryes as well as movie theme songs that touched the hearts of countless Pinoys.
In film, he has starred as leading man to some of the industry’s finest actresses under such giant film outfits as Regal Films, Seiko Films, and Star Cinema. On TV, he has headlined some of ABS-CBN’s top-rating TV shows such as the Philippine franchise of “X-Factor Philippines, “Twist & Shout,” and “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” as well as current top-raters as “ASAP” and “It’s Showtime.”
This year, Gary marks his 35th anniversary in showbiz. How does he manage to look the same through the years?
“I guess, many people know that I have to deal with diabetes for 39 years now and somehow, it’s moved me, it’s given me no choice but to take care of myself. So I mountain bike. I bike to work and I bike from work. If I have the chance, I would bike from here,” he shared during his recent launch as Panasonic ambassador.
“But also, I’ve been around people who kinda make me feel young – my wife, my children, they’re the one who tell me what I should and shouldn’t do and I think it’s such an advantage to have those components into my life… I’m also growing old just like anybody else… That’s probably how I keep on looking this way, because I try my best to take care of my health.”
Besides exercise, he stressed the importance of good eating and breathing habits.
“Everybody today is so conscious and so aware of health, what is good for the body, what goes into the body,” he said.
“We are in Manila, so a lot of our time is spent on traffic. That is given. But when you go home, you want to make sure that you’re not coming home just to relax. You want to make sure that when you go home… You come home and you know you’re coming to a place that will not make you exposed to everything bad out there… It’s so important these days, to not only take in good food, but also to breathe in good air.”
This year, Gary is set to release a special advocacy album titled “Awit At Laro,” which features some of today’s most talented artists – both veteran and young.
As a celebrated and a much-awarded concert performer, he has consistently performed in every major venue both here and abroad in his sold-out concerts up to this era of millennials and social media.
With 3.8 million followers on Twitter, 301 thousand followers on Instagram, and 669,877 followers on his official Facebook Page, Gary has also conquered the online world with the recent release of his RAKET videos which he has uploaded on his official YouTube page. RAKET is an acronym for Random Act Of Kindness Every Time. Gary and his team conceptualized the RAKET webisodes to spread good cheer and positivity online especially in these times where fake news and negative vibes are prevalent on social media.
“It feels so good to pay it forward and give back as I have so much to be thankful for,” said Gary.
