The Get Fit "Share Your Story" Submissions:
Tylene Williford
Team Lead/Metro LA Team, California Service Center
My brother and I grew up in a small town that didn’t have movies, bowling alleys or malls. But we had something even better. Hiking!
Hiking opened up a whole new world of sights, smells and experiences. Discovering a fossil or a snake basking in the sun made our day. We knew the exact trail to a rushing stream bordered by amazing plants that we didn’t have in our backyard.
This is what enriched our lives and sparked our love of the outdoors. We never thought of going for a hike as “exercise,” it was a glorious ADVENTURE! It still is.I hike every weekend and often after work. I vacation where the hiking is good. You don’t have to go on a long hike or cover a lot of ground -- even a short hike does you a world of good. It helps you let go of the day and feel better about, well, just about everything.
My brother and I still hike together with the same enthusiasm and sense of wonder we had as kids. Even the same ol’ trails seem different every time because the wind, weather, critters and plants are always changing.
Hiking is simple, can be done anywhere and doesn’t cost any more than a pair of boots. So remember, hiking isn’t exercise, it’s one of life’s great adventures!
Eloisa Ignacio
"It was two years ago when I got into Triathlon and Marathon. The most amazing experience of my healthy living life. I was 40 lbs over weight, with a family history of diabetes and hypertension. I started smoking and drinking when I was 24. Finally a life changing experience happened. One of my younger sisters came home after having a physical check-up with a doctor. She was crying and feeling helpless beacuse of the findings. She was in her 20's and the doctor told her that she was borderline diabetic. With the family history we have, we are high risk with the possibility to develop it in early age. I knew then that I needed to make changes in my health, especially since I am a Nurse and work for a company that believes in and promotes healthy living.
It's about time for me to take charge of my life. I started training for the 2007 KP triathlon and LB Marathon. I did it and it makes me feel great. Now...I am trying to make a difference again. I just signed up for the Avon 2-days walk that will be here in LA on September 12-13. I know this is going to be a great adventure. I need to raise $1900.00 to participate on this race and be able to walk for 2 days. That is part of my healthy living goal for this year. For every walk I make, I know I make a difference for my health and give a gift back to all the women who suffer, fight, and survive breast cancer."
March 2009
Lynn Hackstaff, Regional Health Education — Los Robles
"Growing up as a girl in the pre-Title 9 era, there was not much emphasis on nor opportunity for sports and staying fit. I also got very involved in music-related school activities after school, so exercise was not a priority. Still, I rode my bike a lot and stayed pretty fit into my 30's. At age 30, I stopped smoking, then became pregnant and had a child. I gained weight with both events, and had a hard time taking it off.
It was not until I became a regional trainer in motivating health behavior change coaching that I got seriously focused on my health and fitness. I found that it created too much confusion and cognitive dissonance for me to stand up and teach others how to motivate health behavior change in patients when I was not in good shape myself. This was back in 2002. I took up jogging and began counting calories, independent of any formal program. Much to my surprise, I really began to enjoy exercising, and even started to miss it when my schedule or traveling interfered. I got my weight down gradually over some period of months. I then got a "dreadmill" for my home, and now jog at least 2.5 miles daily. Besides being fit, the running has helped my lung capacity and has helped me keep my asthma under control. In addition, having an understanding that flexibility and stress reduction are important aspects of a bustling life, I took up yoga, and in fact became an instructor. My personal wellness is no longer work or a chore, but rather a natural part of my everyday routine. I am probably the most surprised of anyone that it became seamless in this way. Even more exciting, however, is the impact my personal lifestyle changes have had on my husband. He has diabetes and now works out with me several times a week. He is also much more careful with his diet, and both his blood sugar and blood pressure have become in better control.
Lastly, I supervise a team of 7 women in my KP role as Manager of the Healthy Living Helpline. I have been able to engage them in signing up for 5K fun runs as a team: We are the "KP Helpline Hotties". Our significant others participate as well. We are doing our second fun run in January at the OC event. It's great team-building and great fun, and now not only do I "run the talk" in all aspects of my life, but I get to spread health a little bit. What could possibly be better than that?! Thank you for this opportunity to share. Lynn
February 2009