If you think you’re over the hill, health wise, then remember that Oscar M. Lopez (OML) climbed his first mountain at age 73.
That was Mt. Pinatubo in 2003, and the Lopez Group chairman emeritus was accompanied by most of his family, including wife Connie. He has summited at least one mountain each in the three major island groups: Mt. Arayat, Mt. Pulag, Mt. Apo and Mt. Kanlaon.
But he topped that on his 80th birthday in 2010, when he reached the peak of Mt. Kinabalu—the tallest mountain in the Malay Archipelago at 14,000 feet—with Lopez Group executives and some of his children.
At the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines Wellness Fair last year, OML told the reporters: “There are some lessons I want to share with you. One is that it is never too late to start being physical. Two, you must have the determination to keep your body strong and your health in tiptop condition. It is never fun to be sick or unhealthy whether you are young as most of you are or old as I am.
“When you start to wonder if you can change bad habits, just think of me. I used to smoke, eat food that eventually blocked my arteries, stressed myself with business pressures until I came face to face with my own mortality and changed everything. Now I am 84, have run out of new mountains to climb… and I feel that getting to 90 is not an insurmountable problem anymore.”
Join OML as he once again walks his talk with his kapamilya!
In celebration of his 85th birthday on April 19, First Holdings Corporation has put together a special wellness event.
OML@85: Going the Distance! will be held at the First Philippine Industrial Park, Santo Tomas, Batangas on May 9, from 5:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
OML@85: Going the Distance! is open to Lopez Group employees. The event will be counted as an official Walk the Talk (WTT) attendance.
To register, contact the WTT coordinator in your company.
