Snippets of Success – Consistently Active

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

Tyler* has lost 20 pounds over the last few months! He has been exercising four days each week, drinking water at lunchtime instead of soda and eating breakfast more consistently. As a result of the weight loss and the changes he has made, Tyler feels better and has more energy.

He’s in better shape and he can tell when he does physical activities that his endurance has improved as he doesn’t get tired as quickly. Tyler is now enjoying getting out with his family and being consistently active!

*Names have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.

Ten-Minute Difference

It’s amazing what even a modest amount of regular physical activity can do for your heart health:

It all starts with a step. Take one — or a few thousand — today!

Source: Wall Street Journal: The Guide to Beating a Heart Attack

Rise to Success – Dayna Riding

Dayna Riding, an employee of Clyde Companies, encourages everyone to “Start today! Don’t wait! Set goals and enjoy your health!” Since participating with Orriant, Dayna has lost 30 pounds, lowered her cholesterol and reports improved asthma and better sleep. With her new healthy lifestyle, she is feeling better than ever and loves the changes she has made.

She attributes her success to a hidden strong will and states, “I had to get mad at myself for not taking care of myself.” Improving her health was something always in the back of her mind and she reports, “I needed a little nudge to get there.” Instead of just continuing with her same habits that potentially would lead to a serious health condition, she made changes and now feels she is on the right path.

“It is so nice to have a cheerleader in your corner. Someone who helps you on everything and understands how to help,” Dayna says about her Orriant Health Coach. She continues, “I love my coach. She gave me so many ideas and motivated me every time we talked. She has a good listening ear to who I am and helped me all the way!”

Dayna plans to go on a Mother’s Day bike ride this year and also looks forward to joining a bike club and doing longer bike rides. Staying healthy by continuing to go to the gym and maintaining her improved eating habits are also a top priority –as is keeping up with her grandkids!

When asked how the changes she has made have affected her life, Dayna responded, “Self-esteem and confidence feel wonderful!” She adds, “I’m lucky to have gone through all the changes in my life from this program. My health is better and now I have a better outlook for my future!”

Snippets of Success – Lifestyle Changes

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

Sam* had lost weight fast in the past on a “quick-fix” type diet. He felt better, but as he returned to “pre-diet” habits, the weight also returned.

When the opportunity for participating with an Orriant Health Coach came, he decided it was time to do it right. His ultimate goal is to get off medications that he is taking. He feels that this time he needs to focus on lifestyle habits, not just the weight.

“I look a lot better than I did three months ago and I am more motivated to get down,” he says. “This time I am doing it right by losing weight slower and focusing on lifestyle habits. I was a little discouraged and anxious in the beginning, but I am now content as I focus on how I feel. Just getting up to move each day, things as simple as putting on my shoes and socks, are not a strain anymore. After work I look forward to my workout rather than dreading it.”

It hasn’t been easy, but Sam has lost 25 pounds, and seeing the results builds his confidence. “All my life it has been discouraging to see people that eat a lot, or whatever they want and don’t seem to gain. I realize that I am not that way — I have to stay on pattern.”

Coming to that realization has helped Sam accept his body and who he is and he is now creating his own successes. Sam has enjoyed seeing these changes and “thrills” he wasn’t feeling before. He is working on day-to-day habits, such as exercising regularly, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, having a healthy lunch at work, and having an overall positive outlook.

When asked what keeps him going and motivated, he said, “I have resolved that once it comes off, I am not going to go back to old habits. I have cycled before and don’t like what it feels like. I have to eat right and exercise for the rest of my life. A month ago that was daunting, but now it’s something that I look forward to keeping. It’s a commitment and it brings results.”

*Names have been changed or omitted to protect privacy.

Benefits of Sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. A recent study by the Harvard Women’s Health Watch shows that chronic sleep loss can lead to weight gain, weakened immune system, and high blood pressure. On the other hand, there are so many benefits for getting enough sleep. Sleeping can help with memory, disease resistance, and even creativity.

Here are some great reasons to get enough sleep:

Learning: A recent Harvard study showed that dreaming helps the brain to learn and recall information. Sleep also helps your brain function efficiently.

Immune Function: Sleep deprivation makes you more susceptible to disease by altering the immune system. Getting enough sleep can keep your immune system healthy.

Mood: Too little sleep can lead to feelings of impatience, frustration, and irritability. It may also be hard to concentrate when you have not gotten enough sleep.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight: Studies have shown a link between sleep deprivation and obesity. Although the reason for this is unclear, some research shows that sleep deprivation can affect the processing and storage of carbohydrates in the body. Other studies suggest that sleep deprivation causes imbalances in hormones, which can lead to weight gain.

Sources:

Harvard Health Publications: Importance of Sleep: Six Reasons Not To Scrimp on Sleep

WebMD: The Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep

Harvard Health Publications: Sleeping Helps Learning, Memory

Snippets of Success – Compliment from a Golf Pro

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

As a competitive golfer, Steve Holm (see Steve’s Success Poster) was admittedly nervous about how shedding over 30 percent of his body weight would affect his game, but now, it seems his worries were unwarranted. In fact, he couldn’t be hitting better! During a recent practice, he left 15 balls behind in the bucket because his swing was so good he didn’t have anything more to work on!

But don’t take his word for it…Not only was Steve invited to compete in the Utah Open last year, he also merited a compliment from golf pro Billy Casper who has won 6 majors, including the 1970 Masters.

After winning a tournament hosted by Mr. Casper, he specifically praised Steve’s swing and putting stroke. In Steve’s words, “It was an incredible day.”

Portion Control

A main culprit for the growing overweight and obesity trend is overeating. You may not even notice it because of society’s acceptance of such large portions. Gaining control of your portions can make a huge difference in your weight management.

Here are some ideas to help with portion control:

Keep a Food Journal

If you track your typical food intake for 4-7 days, it is much easier to objectively see what — and how much — you are actually eating.

Once you see how much you are eating, find out how much you should be eating.

The “Super Tracker” tool from the USDA (or any other daily calorie needs estimator) can help you determine how much you should eat. You may notice a difference between how much you actually eat and how much you actually need!

Helps for Eating Less

There are lots of tips and tricks that can be helpful in eating less:

Eat intuitively by listening to your body. Are you really hungry?

Use a smaller plate. Bigger plates make us think that we should fill them up with food when we really don’t need to.

Get an idea of what true portions should look like.

Put the food you will eat on your plate, then put the rest away. This may help prevent unneeded snacking and taking seconds.

Eat slower by putting your eating utensils down between bites. This allows your body time to register your intake and tell you when you are full.

Enjoy your healthy food and make sure to watch those portions!

Snippets of Success – Motivation to Quit Smoking

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

Lana* knew she was heading for serious health problems if she didn’t improve her lifestyle this year and has recently made a significant step forward: she quit smoking! It was finally time to give up the habit when she realized that she hadn’t been enjoying it for quite some time now.

She noticed a difference almost immediately after quitting and has been smoke-free for several months. Lana isn’t coughing nearly as much, she feels better, tastes foods better, and is ecstatic to be saving the money!

Although she has had great success in overcoming her mental and physical addictions to smoking, she is determined to keep improving her health. Since she knows that weight loss will greatly enhance her life, she has been focusing on including healthier food choices and increasing her fiber intake, as well as serving herself smaller portions of food.

This year she will be joining a gym to increase her physical activity level. Not only is better health saving her money, but she knows that she will look and feel better too! Lana’s ultimate motivations are to be a better example to her children and to stay healthy and active with her husband for the rest of their lives.

*Name changed or omitted to protect privacy.

Stress Awareness Month

April is Stress Awareness Month! Keep up with your healthy habits to help control the stress you may face. Click the image below to learn more about the damage stress can cause and some simple ideas to help combat stress:

Start beating the stress today!

Source: MindLev

Snippets of Success – More Fruit

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

When Rosemarie* first started working with her Orriant Health Coach she decided to set a goal to include more fresh fruit in her diet. Her initial goal was to have one serving of fresh fruit each day.

To reach her goal, she would have to constantly remind herself to pack a piece of fruit for her lunch and to make sure to buy fruit when she went to the grocery store.

Now, one year later, Rosemarie reports that her fruit goal used to be a huge effort, but after months of tracking her goal it has finally become a habit. These days she eats 2-3 servings of fruit every day without even thinking about it!

*Name changed or omitted to protect privacy.