Catherine Blumberg—"The Process" Helps Her Stay on Track

"Oh no! I'll have to buy a dress." In 2009, that's what Catherine Blumberg thought when her daughter said she was ready to plan a wedding.
Shopping for clothes had become quite a chore for Catherine. Over the years, she had slowly but steadily padded her petite frame with unneeded and unwanted pounds. For Catherine, that meant her clothing options were extremely limited. She described shopping for clothes as "drudgery."

Catherine knew the time for making changes had arrived; a joyful occasion should not involve such drudgery. Her mind was made up, and her goal was simple— lose enough weight to find a dress that would fit.

She embarked on a new plan of action. She joined a weight loss program, participated in the associated health education and support group, and increased her physical activity. A year later, Catherine was 24 pounds lighter and looked forward to purchasing her mother-of-the bride attire. Goal met! In addition, an unexpected bonus was that she had increased energy, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and no more acid reflux. She thought that shopping might even be fun.

Meeting her goal was empowering and exhilarating (wow!), but it wasn’t the end of the story. What Catherine learned was that the process of meeting her goal was immeasurably rewarding, far surpassing the weight loss and health improvements.

To lose weight, Catherine began increasing her physical activity; she and her husband, Bruce, took dance lessons, and now they dance at least two nights per week. She says, "Through the experience of learning to dance, I have many new friends, a wonderful social life and an appreciation for the art of dancing that I never had before. Plus, having an enjoyable activity to share with my husband is good for our marriage."

Catherine acknowledges that setting goals and developing plans of action are necessary for successful change. But, more importantly she says, "It is the 'process' that will help you stay on task. I enjoy going to my weight loss program, and I like to dance. I like the process—those activities. If I didn’t like those things, I would most likely have quit after the wedding and I would be right back to where I was in 2009."

She says, "Because of my job, I always remember that I need to be active at least 30 minutes a day for five days a week and that I need to do weight bearing exercises. So, I continually look for additional physical activity that is fun and different. For the office, where I can sit at my desk and do some chair exercises, I bought some lavender-color hand weights. I think they’re attractive, and they’re good for conversation. Who else has lavender weights on their desk? They are a part of my process."

To meet your activity and health goals, Catherine urges you to find a process you will enjoy!

Annette Rogers Howard- No More Pills!

Annette's family is the love of her life—and she makes her love go around to lots of them: husband, four children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandsons. Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010 were occasions for her to gather with family and loved ones to celebrate the holidays—with plenty of good food to indulge in.

At a doctor appointment in January 2011, Annette learned she had gained weight—not unexpected, considering it was right after the holidays. However, it was a surprise to find out her blood pressure was higher, most likely due to her weight gain. Her doctor wanted her to return in February for a follow-up appointment and increase her dosage of blood pressure medicine at that time.

"That night as I lay in my bed, I prayed to the Lord that I didn't have to take another pill. I didn’t want to," says Annette. After thinking about her situation for a few days, her answer to prayer came one morning. She told herself, “Annette, get up, put your warm-ups on, and go into the den and exercise for at least thirty minutes a day.” She did just that and has since made exercise a part of her morning ritual to keep herself healthy.

When she returned to the doctor in February and had her weight and blood pressure checked, her doctor gave her some good news: she had lost 20 pounds, and she did not have to increase her blood pressure medicine!

Annette said she wants to be around to continue to enjoy her family for as long as she can, and she’ll do it by exercising and eating right.

Make physical activity an important part of your daily routine to help you live a longer and healthier life—for yourself and your loved ones.

Penny Cook—Helping others have a healthy lifestyle

Penny was just like every other teenager when it came to making choices about food and exercise.  She would consume junk food, eat unbalanced meals and exercise when it was convenient. She had always had the influence of a family member to eat right and use portion control, but her food choices might not have always been the best. 

That all changed when Penny's best friend wanted to lose weight in high school. Penny would watch her make healthier choices for lunch at school, and her friend would exercise instead of watching TV.  Following her example, Penny began incorporating healthy eating and exercise into her lifestyle.  She joined a local fitness center and began working out 3-4 times a week.  She  started to feel empowered by her actions and felt so good that it carried over into all facets of her life. 

During her junior year of college, Penny signed up to be a peer health educator because it looked like a lot of fun and would build upon her personal health foundation.  As a peer health educator, she educated college students on how to make healthier choices at meal time, how to handle the stress of classes and college life, and many other topics related to living a healthy lifestyle.  

Penny says, "The decision to become a peer health educator changed my life forever."  She decided to pursue a career that would not only lead her to a healthier life, but would also allow her to empower others.  She focused her post-graduate education on Health Promotion and Education and received a Master of Public Health degree in 2001.

Since graduating, Penny has played a key role in educating active duty military members and their dependents on how to lead a healthy lifestyle into retirement and beyond.  "Words cannot express how I feel every day," she says. "I have the honor of assisting and educating people on ways to live a healthier lifestyle and how to sustain and improve their quality of life. Most importantly. . .I love what I do!  Deciding to adopt a healthy lifestyle was one of the best choices I have ever made for myself."

Adopting a healthy lifestyle for yourself may be one of the best choices you'll ever make, so why not do it now?

Nancy Lee Zimpleman—Prepared for special times

Nancy Lee delighted in preparing for her wedding day. She had many reasons to look forward to that special day, but one source of joy was her wedding dress. She was able to find and fit into a gorgeous dress for her special day because she is physically fit.

In 2006, buying a bridal gown would have been somewhat of a chore for Nancy Lee, since she weighed 35 pounds more than she does now. At that time, she was a little older than 25 and the weight had begun to creep on. She seldom exercised and felt a little sluggish.

Realizing she needed to work on improving her level of physical fitness, Nancy Lee decided to begin exercising in 2006. She joined a gym and exercised sporadically. But, that was the only lifestyle change she made, and she soon realized that for real health improvements, her lifestyle still needed more modification.
Nancy Lee knew that to get healthy, she needed to take a different approach. Therefore, in 2007 she and a friend joined a weight-loss support group that focused on healthy eating and physical activity. By the end of that year, Nancy Lee had reduced her weight by 35 pounds. She was ecstatic!

After meeting her weight loss and physical fitness goals, Nancy Lee's new challenge was to keep the weight off and continue to feel good. She had learned that she needed a healthy diet combined with exercise to stay at an optimal level of physical fitness.

It's been a number of years since Nancy Lee began her new lifestyle journey, and she is proud of maintaining her health and being active. Nancy Lee says, "I've learned to exercise every day. I go to the gym, but I have learned that I don't have to do that every day. All I have to do is exercise. I walk the dog, work in my yard and do housework. These activities are the reason I am able to keep the weight off."

Nancy Lee's wedding day was a time of great joy and happiness. She fit perfectly into her bridal gown and had the energy for a day full of fun and festivities. If you are not exercising and making wise food choices, she advises you to start today. You never know when you may need the extra energy for one of life's most precious moments!

Robert Harden—Exercise has many benefits

Walking, jogging or running are a few of the many ways to get the aerobic physical activity you need. Aerobic activity is exercise that strengthens the cardiovascular system. It is exercise that causes the heart and lungs to work harder than when at rest. This occurs when large muscle groups are continuously used and their use is rhythmic in nature.

Health benefits of aerobic activity can accrue from walking briskly for 30 minutes a day on 5 days a week. Jogging or running 25 minutes a day, for a total of 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, also yields health benefits. These benefits can occur even when the exercise is done in time frames of 10 minutes. You get to decide how long, when and where you get your aerobic activity.

When Robert first participated in a 5K run, he was not a runner. He did more walking than running. He joined the runners to support a fundraiser and get some exercise. He never expected the exercise to feel so good, and he never expected to lose weight. Robert stated, "I didn't start running to lose weight, just for the exercise and to support the fundraiser."

Although Robert's purpose in running was not for weight management and muscle toning, he lost weight, strengthened his muscles and felt more energized. Running became a pleasure, and shedding extra pounds was coincidental. It was such a good feeling that he wanted to continue to run.

Now, Robert "surfs the web" looking for 5K events throughout the state. With relative ease, he has found that he can participate in a run almost any weekend he chooses. Through running, he has crisscrossed South Carolina.  He says, "I enjoy running—it's great exercise and I like taking part in charity runs for good causes." Robert never expected that his first walk in a 5K run would change his life.

Life-changing events can happen when you least expect them. Follow Robert's path, and step into some form of exercise. You might like it—surely, it will be good for you. Your first step could be the step that changes your life!