KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — With over 1,100 Nutrition Clubs nationwide, Herbalife plays a crucial role in enabling Malaysians to achieve their health goals, including weight loss, through community support.
Herbalife Nutrition Clubs – which are community-based health and wellness hubs operated by independent distributors – offer personalised coaching, nutritional education, and a supportive environment for members to pursue healthier lifestyles.
Activities include body composition evaluations, meal planning guidance, and group fitness sessions.
“Our Herbalife Nutrition Club operators are role models for healthy, active lifestyles, having gone through positive health outcomes themselves.
“They have gone on to help many others to achieve their health goals,” Steven Chin, senior director and general manager of Herbalife Malaysia and Singapore, told CodeBlue.
“Coupled with the motivation of being part of a likeminded community pursuing the same goals, our customer testimonials span across people from all walks of life.
“This includes professionals, homemakers, students, the elderly, many who frequently exercise or work out at gyms, and countless others.”
The need for better awareness and education about eating healthily and exercising regularly becomes more important given a recent report by the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2024: Nutrition report which reveals just how bad Malaysian diets are: eating late at night; too much sugar, salt, and fat; barely any milk; and insufficient fruits and vegetables and most food groups except grains.
Many Malaysians also do not engage in physical exercise. Three in five adolescents and one in three adults in the country are not physically active, according to the NHMS 2024: Nutrition study.
Going Beyond Short-Term Health Goals: Forming Healthy Habits
Herbalife Nutrition Clubs go beyond enabling members to achieve their health goals through nutrition education, physical exercise, and personalised coaching. Community support in these groups help Malaysians to form healthy habits – the key to sustaining healthier lifestyles amid the country’s battle against a non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis.
According to the NHMS 2024: Nutrition study, 53.6 per cent of Malaysian adults (aged 18 years and above) are either overweight (30.5 per cent) or obese (23.1 per cent). Abdominal obesity affected 52.1 per cent of adults.
“We know that forming healthy habits is tough, and having a community that provides consistent support, guidance, and encouragement can make all the difference,” said Chin.
“What makes Herbalife Nutrition Clubs even more impactful is their ability to cater to different forms of support. Whether it’s in-person coaching, group activities such as fit clubs and shake parties, or even engagement through social media, these communities offer members the encouragement and accountability they need to stay motivated.”
“Appealing to also the younger members of Gen Z, the result isn’t just about short-term weight loss; it’s about helping people shift their lifestyles in meaningful, lasting ways—fostering healthier, happier lives anchored in supportive community environments.”
Making Friends, Opening Own Herbalife Nutrition Clubs
Each Herbalife Nutrition Club typically has a community of customers or members and is led by trained independent coaches.
The clubs usually cater to breakfast hours and are in or near neighbourhoods for customers who typically stop by for a healthy nutritious morning start before heading to work.
Depending on the demand of their locality, Herbalife distributors can also independently determine to operate at different hours or provide additional activities, such as exercising together.
Herbalife currently has 1,118 registered Nutrition Clubs across Malaysia: Central (399 clubs), north (295 clubs), south (241 clubs), east coast (97 clubs), and east Malaysia (86 clubs).
“Malaysians appreciate the widespread accessibility of Herbalife’s Nutrition Clubs, making community wellness support available across the country – from big cities to smaller towns,” said Chin.
“Our members and their customers generally find success in achieving their weight management goals, which could either be shedding weight and a smaller minority looking to gain weight which is more challenging.
“Importantly, the weight improvement journey should be conducted in a healthy sustainable way as it is not just about losing weight but staying in optimal health condition.”
Besides personalised coaching and nutrition education, the Herbalife Nutrition Club also offers a unique, individual, single-serving product option created and prepared by the club operator that provides a balanced nutrition. This includes protein shakes, herbal beverages, aloe drink and supplements.
According to Herbalife Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training senior director Susan Bowerman, combining healthy foods and supplements to meet your daily needs and finding the right calorie balance can help you lose, gain, or maintain your body weight.
She recommended aiming for a diet comprising 40 per cent carbohydrates, 30 per cent protein, and 30 per cent healthy fats. Bowerman explained that whole and nutrient-dense foods include proteins (lean meats, dairy, legumes, tofu); carbohydrates (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables); fats (nuts, seeds, avocados, and olive oil); phytonutrients (colourful fruits and vegetables); and fibre (fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans) .
Chin related how many Malaysians who began as customers became steadfast friends, with some even pursuing to open their own Herbalife Nutrition Club that comes with a structured start-up and training programme.
“Independent studies also show that higher levels of social support are strongly linked to greater success in achieving and maintaining weight loss,” he noted.
“But the power of peer support goes beyond the scale – it helps individuals become more self-accepting, develop interpersonal skills, and discover healthier ways to cope with stress. These improvements contribute to wellness and weight management as positive secondary effects.”
Survey: 92% Of Malaysians Recognise Importance Of Community Support For Health
According to the 2023 APAC Power of Community Report, 92 per cent of Malaysian respondents feel that community support is important in their health and wellness journey.
About 82 per cent of Malaysian consumers agree that community support mobilises a network of like-minded individuals, while 81 per cent of Malaysians who joined a nutrition/ fitness/ wellness group experienced a positive impact on their life.
“From the survey findings, we know that Malaysians understands the importance of community support to make healthy lifestyle changes. Our Herbalife Nutrition Clubs are well positioned to help, providing the encouragement, motivation, and at times, the needed discipline to stay on track,” Chin said.
Herbalife’s National Wellness ‘Check In’ Campaign
Herbalife Malaysia launched a National Wellness “Check In” Campaign in May to build stronger communities through wellness education and engagement.
Running till end July, the campaign includes nationwide roadshows, offering free body analyses, meal planning guidance, and wellness evaluations.
Expo carnivals scheduled this month (July) will feature health talks, blood donation drives, and interactive wellness activities.
Herbalife Malaysia is also introducing a “Flex 45” challenge, encouraging people to commit to 45 days of healthier living.
“The campaign underscores Herbalife’s commitment to community-based wellness and its role in fostering healthier lifestyles nationwide. We look to complement our government’s ongoing drive to improve the health and well-being of Malaysians, with one of the key initiatives being getting a check-up,” said Chin.
“Our campaign mobilises our Herbalife Independent Distributors to reach out to their communities to check in on their body composition numbers, which usually brings awareness on their health condition that we hope sparks Malaysians to adopt better lifestyle options and toward a healthier outcome.”
With a proven community-driven approach and science-backed support, Herbalife has earned global recognition as the #1 active and lifestyle nutrition brand and the #1 brand in weight management and well-being (Euromonitor International, 2024), empowering Malaysians to build lasting healthy habits, one community at a time.
