Take the time. It could change your life. And you could be the next Healthtrac success story! The next Health Assessment will be available January 1 through March 31, 2010. Don't miss your opportunity to make good health pay! Click here to get started now!
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Tony lost 100 pounds and ran a marathon. “You get paid to do things that can really help your life. You can’t beat that. You’ll make some extra money and feel better about yourself.” — Tony Cattoi, UK Employee |
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Jan became healthier by keeping track of the little things. "It is surprising how little things add up. Filling out the information takes no time at all, and gives a person a general overview of what they have accomplished for a month." — Jan Eggum, UK Employee |
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Ronnie got to a healthy weight and maintains it. “There is always time. It simply takes a start and dedication to see yourself being healthier, not only for yourself, but for your family.” — Ronnie Chaffins, Spouse of UK Employee |
| Photos by Lee P. Thomas |
Tony lost 100 pounds and ran a marathon.
When and why did you decide to participate in UK Healthtrac Rewards? When I started working for UK one of my coworkers told me about the program and I decided to sign up for it … I thought it was a great program in conjunction with what my goals for weight loss and health in general were.
Why did you decide you needed a change?
I had wanted to improve my weight for what seems like forever. I had been overweight since I was a kid. I had tried a number of times to lose weight and was successful for a month here or there. I was never able to sustain that success. I would get lazy, stop exercising consistently, and eat unhealthily. Then after getting my bachelor’s degree it got really bad when trying to find work. I became depressed in the whole un-hirable phase of looking for a job … The depression caused a lot of eating and not exercising, which in turn meant I gained a lot of weight. I knew at that point I really needed to change.
How did UK Healthtrac Rewards help you?
The biggest way the program has helped me is that it has been a constant reminder of some of the little things that you can do to be healthy. You have your list of little items like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or any of the UK programs and the like. It took a lot of the things that I wanted to do anyway and made me keep them in the back of my mind. The updated site provides a lot more useful information through the online programs. For example, I’ve received a number of helpful tips through the stress program already.
It also lets you see your progress from where you started, which gives a nice emotional boost. Once you start accomplishing things it is really a nice reminder. It’s always amazing to see what you are accomplishing. I especially like the daily exercise units tracker (Health Activity Tracker) to keep track of the days I exercise.
Let’s not forget the monetary incentive. For so many things, such as gym memberships, you have to PAY money to try to reach your goals. The Healthtrac program gives to you instead – which helped motivate me on the days where I didn’t necessarily want to do those things. It let me think “If I do this, I’ll get a little something extra.”
What was your biggest challenge?
The mental aspect was definitely the biggest challenge. It really took a whole change in philosophy to be able to achieve things. I could exercise for a little bit, but I couldn’t keep it up consistently. Just keeping at it, even on days that I didn’t want to, was hard at first. After a few months of exercising daily, it became a lot easier. You don’t really see a lot of results those first few months so it’s hard to keep at it. That leads me feeling bad if I don’t exercise. A lot of people tell me that they have one bad day and they use that as an excuse to just fall back into their old habits. I used to be the same way but have taken a different approach. Now I realize it is okay to have a bad day occasionally just so long as you have that many more good days. That took a lot of work. Having programs like Healthtrac and people around me who were encouraging means the world.
What are your results to date? Have you reached your goal?
I’m actually not sure how much I weighed at my heaviest since I didn’t have a scale at the time but I would guess it was upwards of 300 pounds. I’m currently at about 185. I’ve reached my initial goal for losing weight and a few others, like running a marathon, but I’m always finding new ones. The biggest goal is just to keep with it, that one doesn’t go away.
How does it feel to be YOU now?
Life is good. I have so much better self esteem than I ever had before. The health aspects are great, but the mental boost is something else. It really became a total life transformation and not just about losing weight. I’m a little bit removed from that initial shock of it, but it still feels great when I see someone I haven’t seen in years and they tell me how good I look. When you accomplish something like losing weight and keeping it off, you realize that anything is possible with the right attitude and work ethic. That opens up endless possibilities.
What would you say to someone who says they don’t have the time to participate?
You get paid to do things that can really help your life. You can’t beat that. If you think you don’t have the time to exercise, there are ways to fit it into a busy schedule. It’s pretty easy to fit in a walk at lunch time, which can help you de-stress as well as lose weight. That’s how I had to start because I was working full time as well as pursuing a master’s degree in the evening. Just start with one thing at a time and take the 10 minutes or so a month it takes to fill it in on the Web site. You’ll make some extra spending money and feel better about yourself.
— Tony Cattoi, UK Employee
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Jan became healthier by keeping track of the little things.
When and why did you decide to participate in UK Healthtrac Rewards?
In the fall of 2005, a friend wanted me to start exercising with her and I started using Healthtrac Rewards and exercising at the same time. I thought that it would be good motivation to do both.
Why did you decide you needed a change?
I felt tired all the time, and I wasn’t happy with myself image. I knew that I needed to change my lifestyle to get healthier and this seemed like a great resource to help with my lifestyle change.
How did UK Healthtrac Rewards help you?
What helped me the most was the monthly log in (Health Activity Tracker). This helped me track my progress and provided me with what I needed to work on, such as eating more fiber, etc. Without this tool, I’m not sure if I would have started on the right path, or would have realized how much exercising I was or wasn’t doing. It also motivated me to make walking a priority as well as using the steps, so I could get those points.
What was your biggest challenge?
Rethinking the way I thought about food. I would tend to eat high calorie foods in times of stress. I began to learn that food was just fuel for my body, not something to use for comfort. Also, once I realized I could use exercise as an outlet for stress, food was just used to fuel my body.
What are your results to date? Have you reached your goal?
The most weight I have lost was about 15 pounds and I kept off most of it. (Jan is currently expecting a baby.)
How does it feel to be YOU now?
It feels great. I am happier with my self-image, and it makes me feel good to know that I can control what I put into my body. I am happy with who I am.
What would you say to someone who says they don’t have the time to participate?
It is surprising how little things add up. When I first started, I made a goal to use the stairs at least twice a day. I worked on the fifth floor. The first couple of weeks I would have to rest in the stair case, but after a while I could do all the steps without resting at all.
Filling out the information takes no times at all, and gives a person a general overview of what they have accomplished for a month. For me, enrolling in an after-work exercise program through the Body Shop really helped me stay on task, but that might not work for everyone. There is something useful for everyone and Healthtrac can be tailored to find out what works the best for you.
— Jan Eggum, UK Employee
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Ronnie got to a healthy weight and maintains it
When and why did you decide to participate in UK Healthtrac Rewards?
My wife works for UK and she mentioned that she was signing up for Healthtrac, and that if we participated we could receive some extra income as a family for living a healthier lifestyle and keeping track of our efforts. So, I suppose the money was an incentive to check it out. We initially signed up in 2005, but I didn't really get serious about a lifestyle change until 2007. It could only help.
Why did you decide you needed a change?
After two years of using Healthtrac, it dawned on me that I could be doing more than just getting enough points to receive the extra money each quarter. At that time, I began to have high cholesterol and minor blood pressure problems. I had never had these problems before, and besides, I was now in my mid-fifties. My weight had reached its highest ever – 201 pounds. My waist had gotten to 35 inches and every time I looked at a picture of myself, I simply looked heavy. I did not like that picture.
How did UK Healthtrac Rewards help you?
It made me aware that I definitely needed to do something. Just the awareness of checking in and filling out weight, height, statistics, etc. made me realize I could do better. Instead of just filling out data, I took it more seriously to make a change and not only list results but see them also. I was always athletic in high school and college and loved to weight train and exercise but had simply gotten out of the habit in the last 15 years. My wife supported me tremendously, and we both began to work out more and change our eating habits. She got me started. It was a dual effort. Once I started changing my eating habits and losing weight, it gave me confidence to keep on trucking until I felt I was where I needed to be.
What was your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge was simply to start. Excuses, excuses! I loved sweets, especially donuts and coffee in the morning. I knew that had to change. Not only that but to eat more vegetables, fish, whole grains and to discipline myself to stay on the path. It was hard the first week but I endured. Now it is easy, easy, easy!
What are your results to date? Have you reached your goal?
My results came quickly. By simply changing my morning, afternoon, and evening eating habits, I lost seven pounds in three days. Not with some silly diet, but by simply cutting out the sweets, watching carbs, and also exercising at least three times a week. Within six months, I was down to 161 pounds, and my waist size had dropped to 31 inches. I had developed muscle gain and dropped in shirt sizes from large or extra-large to a medium!!!! Now, two years later, I still exercise and weight train, still eat wisely, and feel great. My blood pressure now ranges 108/70, bad cholesterol has dropped 15 points, good has gained around 14 points (as of last check). I have been able to maintain this for over one and a half years. My weight may vary by one or two pounds, but that's about it. I feel I have reached my goal, but it still takes exercise and eating wisely each day. I occasionally take a bite of donut or pizza but not indulging like in the past. When I have the urge for a sweet, I simply eat a dark chocolate, around 40 calories and the craving is gone.
How does it feel to be YOU now?
I've always been positive about myself, but now the new me is simply where I should have always been in the first place. People that I work with will say: "Are you still losing weight?" Maybe it looks like it, but I actually have maintained for over a year now.
What would you say to someone who says they don’t have the time to participate?
Time management! There is always time. It simply takes a start and dedication to see yourself being healthier, not only for yourself, but for your family. I take all the quizzes that the site offers. I've learned more about a healthier lifestyle than I thought I would ever care to know. It has been and will continue to be worth it to me and my family. I am now 57 years old and play racquetball with the 20 year olds. I do not win all the time, but they surely get a run for their money! The real age test says I'm in my 40's and that gives me confidence my new lifestyle is paying off. I love keeping up daily with the Healthtrac. It just takes a few minutes and it is well worth it.
— Ronnie Chaffins, Spouse of UK Employee
You could be the next Healthtrac success story! Click here to get started now!
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