Cristalle Belo Henares loves fitness books

Cristalle Henares, the only daughter of Dr. Vicki Belo, did not become a doctor but followed her mom’s footsteps by becoming an entrepreneur. She could’ve easily taken over Belo Medical Group’s management but decided to extend the brand and create Belo Essentials, a mainstream consumer skin care line now found in supermarkets nationwide. Although Belo Essentials is affordable to the regular Filipino, it is able to keep its aspirational image, especially since it is linked to the mother company, Belo Medical Group.

Cristalle is a renaissance woman and enjoys a wide range of activities — from watercolor painting, to horseback riding, to dance (including aerial silk and pole), to scuba diving to fitness. A BS management graduate from Ateneo de Manila with an MBA from University of Western Australia, Cristalle makes it a point to exert effort in continuous learning.

She also finds time to give back and help those in need. Right after college, she was a Jesuit Volunteer as a pre-school teacher in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. Now Cristalle, together with some friends, has set up a foundation that focuses on putting less-fortunate kids in preschool before they move to public school. The program is called MovEd with its first pre-school in Habitat for Humanity in Navotas.

Here are five of Cristalle’s favorite books.

Your Dream Body Come True by Edward Mendez

“Mendez helps us make our dream body come true! In this book, he explains the latest and most effective fitness and health principle, ‘Eat more, Exercise less.’ Doesn’t this philosophy sound amazing for people who love food? Yes, that’s me! I love how he gives away little secrets like why it’s actually okay to eat sweets first thing when you wake up. He walks us through how our body digests carbs, protein and fat and how we can use this knowledge strategically to work towards getting our dream body!”

The Sexy Chef Cookbook by Rachel and Barney Alejandro

“Sisters Rachel and Barni Alejandro are able to prove to me that it doesn’t really take rocket science to eat healthy. They have healthy meals that can be prepared in just five to 10 minutes! It was a fun read and actually an experiment for me because I don’t cook at all. So if I was able to follow the easy steps, I’m sure you can too. The best part is that all the ingredients are sourced in the Philippines… and they give substitutes to your favorite foods too!”

StyLIZed: Liz Uy’s Ten Style Essentials by Liz Uy

“We’ve all known Liz to be stylist to the stars and wondered what her magic trick is in making clothes just fit the celebrities so well. Inspired by Nina Garcia’s books like The Little Black Book of Style, Liz finally shares her styling secrets with us. She even walks us through building our wardrobe — by having the functional and wearable basics as the foundation and building on that. The book is full of photos that helped me not only zone in on the look I wanted but on the look that is best for my body type.”

The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence by Robert Spector and Patrick McCarthy

“This book is an inspirational one for me because it details how Johan Nordstrom humbly began his business and how the business and its core values have been passed on from generation to generation. The book is so practical that it teaches how supervisors and employees can create Nordstrom-style service. What I love about it is how the book is very customer-centric and presents real life case studies that have worked for the Nordstrom company.”

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries and Jack Trout

“When these two presented this idea in 1981, it was mind-blowing. Up to this day, when marketing students ask me what book to start out with, I would always recommend this book together with 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing (by the same authors). The battle is always perceived to be in the marketplace. On the contrary, brands are actually battling for space in the mind of the consumer — to be top of mind, to be perceived to be something, to be associated with certain brands, words and emotions. This is always a good mindset for marketers to have when developing a brand and conceptualizing a campaign.”

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“The Reading Club” recommends Tuesdays with Morrie as author Mitch Albom is currently visiting the Philippines on a book-signing tour. After visiting Glorietta Activity Center yesterday, he is scheduled to sign books at Ayala Cebu Activity Center today at 2 p.m., hosted by National Book Store.

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Your comments and suggestions are welcome at gr.rodis@gmail.com.

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