Happy Friday, Happy Story

Happy Friday everybody! We wanted to share another feel-good Wellness story with you to kick-off your weekend.

This one is from K.R. from Montana State in Bozeman. It’s another example of pairing specific behavior goals with outcome goals in order to achieve results.

My fitness goal, becoming healthier, started at the beginning of the year [2015] and the steps I have taken to achieve this have continued to evolve.

• I started by riding my bike to work.
• Then my goal was to go to the gym 3 times a week.
• Now my goal is to continue to get to the gym-5 times/week for lunchtime exercise classes.
• I do try and walk at least 10,000 steps/day. 
• During the summer, I did a lot of hiking. I practiced by climbing the M whenever I had the chance. My goal was to do a couple of big hikes.  I achieved this by climbing to Baldy and Hyalite Peak which I had never done. Such stunning views!
• Also on my bucket list of exercise goals is to participate in a fun run. I am now signed up for Huffing for Stuffing this Thanksgiving.
• I have also changed my eating habits; more fruit and veggies and much less carbs. No diet…just making smarter decisions.

Yes, I firmly believe I am much healthier than I was a year ago. I have lost close to 20 pounds and have more energy. I plan to get my bloodwork done this November at my Wellcheck and hope to see some good results.

Way to go K.R! This was shared with us at the end of 2015. We followed up with K.R. to see how the November Wellcheck and Huffing for Stuffing race turned out. Here is her report:

Here is the difference from 11/5/14 to 11/6/15

• Total Cholesterol- down 33 points (now borderline, but down from high)
• LDL- down 19 points (still borderline but lower range)
• HDL- up 7 points (still low but almost in optimal range)
• Triglycerides- down 106 points (now optimal, down from high)
• Ratio- down 1.51 points ( borderline high down from high)
• Weight down 18-20 pounds
• BP-optimal

All attributed to exercise and eating a better. (No drugs)!

Yes I did the Huffing for Stuffing Race and it was a blast! The atmosphere and camaraderie were great! I plan to do it every year and my daughters want to do it now too.

I’m very excited for 2016; I hope my Wellcheck numbers will keep improving and I’m looking forward to many great hikes this summer and doing more 5k races. (I have also been hiking this winter too).

So it’s to the gym every day at lunch or after work so I can get out and do the things I love to do.

WooHoo! Stories like this inspire us to strive for optimal health in order to live high-quality lives. This is why we have Wellness! We’ll continue to share throughout the year from the scores of stories we hear just like this one.

Have an amazing, fun filled weekend!

P.S. For all of you who read through until the end, you may notice on the right-hand of the page, there are some new Wellness workshops that just posted (Thirteen to be exact). Hope to see you at one of them!