In the pursuit of Health...a continuation (Sheena's story)

Part 5 of 5

To date, we’ve profiled three successful individuals that have made a commitment to their pursuit of health and one indidvidual on her way to her goal. We checked with Sheena on her progress and here's what she had to say:

The path to good health is paved with many a calorie-inducing temptation. I am personally learning about them on as I pursue my goal of being in a healthier place by the end of the year. The experts all say the simplest way for weight loss is looking into the ratio of calories-in vs. calories burned. During the past month, I’ve tried a couple of different methods for expending those calories. First there was a Zumba® Fitness class that my fabulous and well-coordinated friend took me to at the YMCA. After my experience, I can safely say Zumba classes were easy to follow and with an enthusiastic instructor, I was well on my way to feeling more relaxed, while engaging in some good old-fashioned cardio.

Speaking of cardio, here’s another thing I am trying out: the Couch to 5K program. It’s a beginner’s training guide on how to get running. The people where I work at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida all participate in running activities! They maintain their running routines while on business trips, they run 15Ks and one of them has also participated in a marathon! Buoyed by their sentiments and enthusiasm, I decided to add some structure into my running schedule—hence, the Couch to 5K (C25K) program. I love that there’s an “app for it” (though I wish it were free for the iPhone® like it is for the Android). The app has the standard features expected from the usual running partner systems—plays music, provides cues on when to stop and will summarize all the details of pace, distance, etc. after the run.

So far, the weight loss has been steady—a pound here, a pound there—all adding up to a grand total of 7 pounds. Initially, 7 pounds didn’t seem impressive to me and there have been times when I asked myself why ever I signed up for this venture. Some days what motivates me to keep going are the good wishes and the constant encouragement from coworkers and friends. The kind words make me feel that slowly but surely, my goal is achievable. Each day, I’m more certain that being in the pursuit of health, though achingly tough, will be worth it in the end.