Snippets of Success – Making the Time

“Snippets of Success” are brief glimpses into the successes of Orriant participants.

When Nancy* began working with her Orriant Health Coach, she found it somewhat hard to stay consistent, focused, and to find the time for exercise. However, as she has worked to allot her “free” time to exercise, she has found that she can stay in more of a routine. Nancy states, “As I have done better with my goals I have lost 5 lbs.”

As she stays consistent with her goals, she feels excited about the results she is experiencing! Nancy also had to find an internal motivation to meet her goals. She is driven by overall health and the peace of knowing that she is taking care of her body so she can better care for her family.

*Names have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.

Snippets of Success – The Power of Accountability

“Snippets of Success” are brief glimpses into the successes of Orriant participants.

Being a busy mom and working full-time have not stopped Leila from moving towards her health goals. She has already lost 18 pounds since her Orriant Health Assessment just four months ago!

She is well on her way to her long-term goal of losing 50 pounds and getting back in shape after having her baby.

Leila has committed herself to exercise, rain or shine. She loves to walk outdoors but has decided that if the weather doesn’t cooperate, she will exercise on the elliptical indoors instead. In addition, she has increased her intake of fruits and vegetables and also drinks more water.

“Accountability,” Leila responded when asked what she feels is the biggest reason for her success so far. She has been tracking her goals in her Orriant Wellness Portal and makes sure to talk monthly with her Orriant Health Coach. She is excited about the progress she is making towards her long-term goal and plans to keep pushing forward.

Habits of Healthy Kids

One of the best things parents can do to teach kids healthy habits is to be an example of healthy habits themselves. Check out these 8 habits of healthy kids:

Source: New York City Health Department: “Helping Children Reach a Healthy Weight: Proven Tips for Parents“

Snippets of Success – Time to Change

“Snippets of Success” are brief glimpses into the successes of Orriant participants.

Ryan* made the decision this year to build a better life for himself. He had the misfortune of watching family members struggle with their health and he began to realize that if he didn’t change his own habits, he was headed down the same path and could potentially experience the same problems.

Ryan set the goal to lose weight and has been doing very well so far. His short-term goals are to exercise for at least half an hour daily and to no longer include fast food in his diet. He is also working to cut back his soda intake and to eat more vegetables.

Ryan’s efforts have been paying off! He has now lost over 30 pounds and loves the feeling of having more energy!

*Names have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.

Snippets of Success – Realistic Goals

“Snippets of Success” are brief glimpses into the successes of Orriant participants.

As Doug started working with his Orriant Health Coach, he immediately set up a goal to become more aware of what he was eating in hopes that this would help him eat less. He wanted to lose weight, and while he felt that he was eating high-quality foods, it seemed he was still eating too much.

Doug started tracking his food intake on his phone and quickly identified foods that were really high in calories. He also realized that he didn’t need two servings of higher-calorie foods at his dinner meal and could instead get by with just one.

He started filling up half of his dinner plate with vegetables and found that adding the vegetables helped him fill up without the added calories. At night, he began chewing on gum if he got a craving for something sweet, and that quickly stopped him from eating anything after 7:00pm.

As a result of these lifestyle changes, Doug has lost 20 pounds so far and is now only 10 pounds away from his goal weight. He has more energy to wrestle with his boys and he feels great! He is also more likely to be physically active—a feeling which he relishes! Doug doesn’t feel like he made any huge sacrifices along the way, but the small adjustments he made were very realistic for him and indeed helped him see the success he was hoping for.

Walk Your Way to Better Health

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather by walking! You will gain some great benefits along the way.

Snippets of Success – A Great Start

“Snippets of Success” are brief glimpses into the successes of Orriant participants.

During the first six weeks following his initial Health Plan with his Orriant Health Coach, Manuel* lost 12 pounds!

He created several goals with his coach’s help, including cardio and weights 3 days each week, eating breakfast, and bringing a healthy lunch to work each day.

Manuel also diligently weighed himself each morning and logged his weight in a notebook. He also marked if he ate breakfast and exercised that day. His efforts paid off and now he is a 12-pound-lighter version of himself! He thinks this is a great start and is eager to continue meeting his goals.

*Names have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.

Snippets of Success – Twenty Pounds Lost

“Snippets of Success” are brief glimpses into the successes of Orriant participants.

Making small, simple changes has helped Bryant* lose 20 pounds in the last few months! He has been focusing on his eating habits by cutting back his portion sizes and listening more to his body to figure out when he is full.

In addition to reducing portion sizes, he has also been skipping unhealthy snacks between meals while he’s at work. Bryant knows he hasn’t been doing these things long enough for them to be permanent lifestyle changes, but plans to keep working hard to maintain his goals.

He plans to get to the point where it becomes a habit for him to make healthy decisions.

*Names have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.

A Splash of Water

Benefits of Drinking Water

One of the best things you can do for your body is to drink plenty of water. It sounds so simple, but drinking water does wonderful things for your health. Among many other functions, water helps you maintain a normal body temperature, protects your spinal cord and cushions joints. Water can also help prevent kidney stones.

Drinking water also helps keep your mind awake and alert. Did you know that one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue is mild dehydration?

Sources of Water

Although most of the water we consume comes from drinking water and other beverages, many foods contain water, including soups, vegetables and fruit. Water makes up 85-95 percent of celery, oranges, tomatoes and melons, so eating your veggies will also help you to get in enough water.

Water Intake Recommendations

No research has identified the specific amount of water that humans need, but many experts recommend drinking between six and eight glasses every day. The amount of water that your body needs will depend on your activity level, location and health status. People who are physically active need more water because they must replenish the water lost through sweat. If you live in a hot, dry climate or live at a high altitude, your body will also need more water.

Tips for Drinking More Water

With the weather getting warmer, your body will need more water each day, especially if you like to spend time doing activities outside. Here are some simple tips for drinking more water this summer:

• Keep a water bottle with you all the time.
• Whenever you pass a drinking fountain, take a sip.
• Instead of drinking sugary drinks, choose water.
• Add a lime or lemon to your water to give it more flavor.

Sources:

CDC: Meeitng Your Daily Fluid Needs

MedLine Plus: Water in Diet

WebMD: Drinking Enough Water

Snippets of Success – Just Staying Consistent

“Snippets of Success” are brief glimpses into the successes of Orriant participants.

For two years, Ken* had been battling his cholesterol. At his initial Orriant Health Assessment, he discovered his cholesterol levels were not where they should be.

He decided to set up an exercise plan with his Orriant Health Coach and set goals to change his eating habits. He steadily and consistently worked on these goals for an entire year and was eager to be tested at his annual health assessment.

He was pleased to see that his scores had improved, but they were still not as good as he had hoped. He didn’t let this discourage him and he started the new year determined to stick with his plan.

Each month when he spoke with his Orriant Health Coach he would always ask, “What else can I do?” With a lot of hard work and consistency, Ken finally saw better cholesterol scores at a recent doctor’s appointment. In fact, the doctor’s note said his scores were “Excellent!” Ken attributes his success to just staying consistent.

It took longer than he expected, but he did not give up and stuck with the healthy changes he had made. These changes have now become habits. Knowing that he had to report to his coach kept him motivated and accountable and he knows this also contributed to his success.

*Names have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.