Supplying Saipan’s vitamin AND nutrition needs

Now is the best time to stock up on your vitamin and fitness product needs, as the oldest and the premier pharmacy on island, PHI Pharmacy, is offering a 35-percent discount on nutritional supplements and vitamins at both its Navy Hill and Dandan outlets.

In addition, PHI Pharmacy is also offering 25 percent off on ALL over-the-counter items during the promotion period.

“We periodically do this promotion approximately six times a year. We’ll have a sale 25 percent off OTC items and 35 percent off on fitness products and vitamins. That’s because we want to encourage people to have access to these products,” said PHI Pharmacy owner Bruce Cohen.

A known fitness buff, Cohen said PHI Pharmacy has seen its stock of vitamin and fitness product items grow exponentially as more and more island residents shift to a more active lifestyle.

The types of items stocked are for the novice as well as the serious athlete. It is very important that the fuel you put into your body to attain your best performance and appearance is the best quality. PHI Pharmacy only brings in the highest quality nutritional products and vitamins.

Aside from vitamins and nutritional products they already carry, Cohen said PHI Pharmacy is also willing to go the extra mile for their customers and order products they don’t carry from off-island.

“We take requests from people who read fitness magazines and browse through fitness websites. It amazes me that there are a lot of products online not available for shipping to Saipan but now they can just go to PHI Pharmacy and they can pick up the products. If we don’t have the product that they want, we can order it for them.”

The most important things about modifying your lifestyle to attain weight loss or fitness are nutrition and exercise. Exercise can mean just walking after work or performing more intense training for a sport or fitness goal. Nutrition takes more effort, eating clean, and selecting the most appropriate supplements. It takes a lot of discipline to exercise and eat correctly.

“Exercise is a portion of it but diet and nutrition is an even larger portion of changing your lifestyle. We’ve had many, many people taking fitness vitamins and supplements who’ve changed their lives.”

PHI Pharmacy staff also counsel people on the different vitamins and nutritional supplements that they carry.

“We talk with them about what they’re doing, whether it’s swimming, cycling, weights, Trench Tech, and all the different athletic events on island about what products they should be taking. We spend time with people and put them on a regimen. No one should be afraid to take baby steps—walk along Beach Road or participate in different walks that a lot of organizations like the cancer society and the diabetic society hold.”

Cohen equates proper nutrition to the type of fuel you use in a car.

“When you’re putting good food into your body, you are giving your muscles the nourishment they need to perform and grow. This is not true only for bodybuilders but also for people who ride bikes, people who run, and people who perform other serious training. It’s also for people who do any sort of athletic activity. It’s like if you have a car and you’re going to put 87 octane fuel into it and you’re going to run it around a track, it’s not going to make it. You need 91 percent octane or higher and it’s going to run much better. It’s the exact same thing with nutrition. You put clean food into your body that has the proper blend of protein, carbohydrates, and fat along with supplements it’s going to allow you to perform better.”

Also in the works for PHI Pharmacy is a discount card for regular customers in order for them to avail 25 percent off in the pharmacy’s two outlets all year-round.

“We’re giving 35 percent discount for all nutritional and vitamin products. Generally people who come to the store who are regulars we give $25 percent off. We’re thinking of starting a formal card for them. We do have a group of hard-core people who buy products on a regular basis and this is a sort of reward for them.”