Channeling my Inner Olivia Pope

This week is the first week in a very long time in which I don’t have anything scheduled after work except getting some kind of fitness in, cooking and hanging out with Bailey and B.  I’m pretty damn excited about it, too.  Remember the days when your weekends didn’t consist of engagement parties, bachelorette parties, weddings, baby showers?  Yah, me either.

While I love attending all of these events, the busy adult syndrome I have blogged about before has definitely creeped into my life.  This is why I enjoy the little things during the week, like being able to come home veg out on the couch and watch reruns of Gilmore Girls or pouring myself a glass of red wine, popping some popcorn, slipping into some comfy clothes and reading the latest Bon Appetit magazine.

(image source)

Olivia Pope anyone?

This way when the busy weekend rolls around, I feel energized and excited!

A low key week also means a good week for planning out meals and fitness:

Monday – Soccer; Flank Steak with Asparagus

Tuesday – Group Training at DHF; Smoked Sausage, Kale and Cider Quinoa Skillet by Iowa Girl Eats (so excited to make this!!!!)

Wednesday – Run after work; homemade Turkey and Rice Soup

Thursday – Gym in the a.m.; leftover soup and salad

Friday – Rest; Mushroom and Cheddar Quiche

Saturday – I will be at a bachelorette party all day – Brian will be at a bachelor party all day (coincidentally for the other Lindsay and Brian in our lives) 🙂

Sunday – Spin class in the a.m.; Shrimp Fajitas

Last night, I had a soccer game right after work and the craziest thing happened.  It went from 80 degrees to 50 degrees in, I kid you not, and hour.  WE WON! Which was awesome, but when we left the field the wind was going crazy the weather was a changin’ and then these two ladies and their catchy song popped into my head:

Of course, nothing bad happened except the Chiefs killed New England in Monday Night Football and SPOILER ALERT: Castle was kidnapped and doesn’t remember what happened?!  Crazy.

In other totally random news, a couple weeks ago, my coworker who is training for the New York City Marathon told me about all of these runners who have been embracing barefoot running around the city because they believe running in shoes is not good for them.  Last night I saw MY FIRST barefoot runner in Chicago.  I tried to snag a picture but he we too fast and it was too dark.  Damn.

Try it out Tuesday – DHF Lakeview

I love trying out new gyms/fitness trends as much as the next person, but as I mentioned last week it is really important for me to be consistent in my fitness routine in order to see results.  Since signing up for the Spartan Race, which is on November 1st, I’ve been looking to find a gym that would really help me develop skills I’ll need for the race.  For a long time I considered joining a local CrossFit box, but wasn’t sure which box to choose and I couldn’t get into the beginners course.

Last week, I attended a new-to-me gym called DHF Lakeview through my ClassPass subscription.  The owner, Dan Hicks, believes in a training philosophy that incorporates 5 building blocks of success in each workout:

1. Functional Movement
2. Strength
3. High Intensity
4. Total Body
5. Always Changing

All of those sounded good to me, so I decided to check it out.

DHF Lakeview is in East Lakeview which is super convenient for me to get to and from (a must for me to continuously go to any gym).  It’s a small studio, I’m talking 900 square feet, but Dan really incorporates every area of the gym into each circuit he creates.

I signed up for a ‘Group Session’ which usually contains about 6 people, but that day we only had 3 – which was awesome – more individual attention.  Dan quickly introduced himself and so did the other two men in my group before we got started.  Our workout started with warming up on the TRX bands – fitness tools I rarely use but truly love.  Most of his warm-up just involved body weight, but when we got into the high intensity circuit, he started to incorporate a lot more weights, kettlebells and a weird looking machine in the corner.

So what was is this machine I’m talking about?

from Ironcompany.com

It’s called Surge Performance Training.  There are so many different exercises you can do with this thing, that I really can’t even explain it in words.  Visit their website to see what I’m talking about – the machine is intense and you literally use your entire body in the different movements.  Loved it.

The circuit moved quickly and we performed all different kinds of movements from rowing, box jumps, squats, lunges, push-ups, the ab workout where your feet are on those moving discs… lots of fun stuff.

Overall, I loved it.  I left a complete sweaty mess, but felt great.  I plan on going to DHF at least 2-3x per week alternating between my running workouts and a yoga class here and there.  Hopefully all of these movements help increase my mobility (my squats suck) and prepare me for the big Spartan Race in November!

What studios or gyms do you incorporate into your fitness routine?

Oh, and p.s. – GO BEARS!

How to stick to your fitness routine

Hello Hello!

Last week, my company wrapped up our 60-Day fitness challenge.  The event was a success!  We had over 50 employees stay committed during the entire challenge and some of our employees saw amazing results (I’m talking over 8% body fat loss and several inches off their waist and hips).

The question that now burns deeply in all of our minds is… now what?  Well, we have a major product release and user conference coming up in less than a month, so our kFit program is taking a breather so people don’t feel overwhelmed.

The answer: get into a routine as quickly as possible.

Staying active, staying motivated and staying in great shape is all about routine and consistency.  For some, the kFit 60 Day Challenge was the first consistent program they had followed in several years.  All I gotta say is DON’T BREAK THE HABIT!  Here are some helpful tips on how to maintain an active lifestyle.

1.  Join. Join. Join. Join.

Join a gym, box, running club, studio, or league.  Join something that is going to help you stay consistent a couple days out of the week.  Currently, I belong to a gym, play on a coed soccer team Monday nights and joined the ClassPass program so I can find out what types of fitness studios I really enjoy.  I love love love HIIT conditioning and using heavy weights to build my strength.  I was so happy to find that by joining ClassPass I was able to find a HIIT studio winner … more on that later.

2.  Mark your calendar.

Nothing holds me as accountable as creating a calendar of my weekly workouts and posting it somewhere public.  If I come home early and Brian see’s that I have a 5 mile run written down, he won’t let me sit on the couch and blow it off.

3.  Find a buddy!

One of my favorite things about our 60-Day challenge was the fact that it was group training.  We all supported each other, did the same damn bear crawls together and we were engaged and excited to be there.  If you can find a friend, spouse, significant other who wants to be just as committed to an active lifestyle as you, it will make your fitness routine that much more fun!  Hell, maybe you will find someone through joining a studio or league.  Cough cough. Do it.

4.  Measure yourself.

When you take your hip, waist and body fat measurements and re-evaluate yourself every month, it really shows how much effort and commitment you are putting into your routine.  The body fat % scale does not lie, folks…

5.  Make it fun!

Don’t run every day if you freaking hate running!  Do activities that you truly enjoy and will make you go back and do it again.  I can’t tell you how awesome it is to try out new fitness classes (spin, barre, conditioning, strength, pilates, yoga, CrossFit) and find something you truly become passionate about.

Now that I’ve given my little rant, let’s hold myself accountable – shall we?

This weeks workouts:

Sunday – 60 minute spin class/body pump at GO Cycle.

Monday – Soccer.  (I got a stomach bug this night and only played half a game, but it’s better than nothing!)

Tuesday – 3.2 mile run.

Wednesday – 60 minute conditioning class at my new favorite… DHF Lakeview! (Again, more on that later).

Today – 4 mile run.

Friday – Rest.

Saturday – 45 minute spin class at Go Cycle

Now go out there and get. it. done.

Beer, Workout, Eat, Repeat.

Hi, friends!

This weekend was an interesting one to say the least… and as I type up this post the Bears are off to a piss poor start, so let’s hope that changes by the time I’m done here.

Friday after work, a group of friends and I had tickets to go to the ‘Lions, Tigers and Brews’ beer festival at the Lincoln Park Zoo.  If you live in Chicago, then you know Friday was just an awful, awful day to be outside.  It was 55 degrees, windy and rainy.  Yuck.  I had a sweater and leather jacket on, but that really was not enough to block the piercing wind while holding a cold beer.  Needless to say, the “festival” was very short lived for me and my crew.  We managed to snag about 3 or 4 beers (the lines were outrageous considering the weather), and visited the lions.

He was the best part of the fest.

The low-key Friday was okay by me because we had ANOTHER beer festival to go to on Saturday, and luckily this one was indoors 🙂

The Chicago Beer Festival was held on Saturday in the Great Hall at Union Station.  There were two sessions you could attend and my friends and I choose the 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. time slot.  Day drinking at it’s finest.

The Great Hall is huge and there were at least 50 different breweries at the event.  Including:

• Lagunitas Brewing
• 3 Sheeps Brewing Co.
• Summit Brewing Co.
• Dark Horse Brewing Co.
• Off Color Brewing
• Finch’s Beer Co.
• Atlas Brewing Company
• Penrose Brewing Company
• Founders Brewing
• Rogue
• Transient Artisan Ales
• Local Option
• Bell’s
• Upland Brewing Co.

… and so much more.

Upon entering the event, we received our ‘tasting’ mugs, which were actually a really decent size for tasting pours!

We took our time pretty much sampling every vendor.  I sampled all kinds of IPA’s, Saisons, Porter’s, Cider’s, etc.

My favorites from the day were:

• P.2 Pale Ale from Penrose Brewing Company
• Really Cool Waterslides IPA from 3 Sheeps Brewing
• Crooked Tree IPA from Dark Horse BRewing
• Rasberry Ale from Dark Horse Brewing
• en Seine Pearis Saison from Bucket List Brewing

So yummy!  We had an absolute blast at the event – it’s always fun to go with such a great group of people!

After our 4 hours were up, we were HUNGRY (and severely buzzed) so food was in order.  We headed over the Haymarket Brewery, because clearly we had no had enough beer yet, and ate some delicious pizza.

After that Brian and I headed home to let Bailey out and uhhhhh pass out.  🙂

I was up bright and early Sunday morning to immediately start working off all of the beer/pizza that was in my body.

First, a long morning walk with Bailey.

Then, a spin/pump class at Go Cycle courtesy of my ClassPass subscription.  The class I signed up for was called ‘Go Pump’ and was 40 minutes of cycling followed by 20 minutes of weights.  Go Cycle is not just a spin studio, they have lots of other combo classes such as:

• Go Core: 30 minutes of cycling followed by 20 minutes of core
• TRX Training
• TRX Express
• Go Yo: 40 minutes of cycling followed by 20 minutes of yoga
• Go Ripped: Alternating intervals of cycling and weights

My instructor was Sara B. and she was AWESOME!  High energy, tons of fun… she even danced during some songs!  I absolutely loved the class.  I left SUPER sweaty and my booty was on fiiirreee.  I will definitely be going back and can’t wait to try out all the other different types of classes.

Welp, the Bears still aren’t doing good, but it’s only the 2nd quarter.  Here’s hoping they big home the W!

 

 

ClassPass – Fitness at your fingertips

Last week, when I returned from my wild and wonderful vacation, I was offered the opportunity to attend the ClassPass launch party at Flywheel spin studio in the Gold Coast.  ClassPass is a fitness start up that helps people find fitness classes that they love. For $99 a month, you get 10 classes you can use to visit any studio that you want. Some of these studios include:

• Pure Barre
• 105F Bikram
• Atlas Performance
• Bar Method
• Chicago Kettlebell Club
• DHF Lakeview
• Exhale Chicago
• Go Cycle Studio
• South Loop Crossfit
• Core Chicago Pilates
• … and so much more!

Most studios have two or three locations around Chicago, so you can find a class that is close to where you live or where you work.  Currently, ClassPass is available in Chicago, Boston, New York, L.A. and San Francisco.

When I arrived at the launch party, I was informed that the spin class I was supposed to attend was already full!  I’m not going to lie, I was really bummed and a little annoyed until they handed me a sweet swag bag and offered me a free ClassPass monthly trial.

Ummm, okay!  (p.s. not the biggest fan of the hashtag, but the tank top and water bottle are super cute)

Last night, I attended my first class of the month – Pure Barre in Lakeview.

I’ve heard a lot about barre classes and have actually attended one a while back, but knew there was a lot of hype surrounding this specific studio.  I was excited to try something new and nervous at the same time because I knew a lot of the moves require flexibility, and that is just an area I do not excel in 🙂

When I got to the studio, I was immediately greeted by one of the instructors.  The first thing she asked me was, “Is this your first time at Pure Barre?”  A little embarrassed to admit it I replied “yes” and was immediately glad to hear I was not the only one.  The instructor took me around the studio and introduced me to the instructor who would be leading the class.  They showed me what types of equipment I would need and a little bit of what to expect throughout the class.  I was very impressed with how nice and helpful everyone was.

Since the instructors did a good job of engaging me, I decided to go ahead and buy a pair of their signature socks (yes, I’m a sucker for new fitness stuff).

I loved all the fun colors I got to choose from and have to admit that they class would have been a lot harder without them.  The grips on the bottom help you grip to the carpet so you aren’t sliding around during the workout.

Once the class started, I noticed that I guessed the correct attire to wear to class.  Lies – I Google imaged ‘Pure Barre” and saw that everyone in class was wearing some sort of tights and a tank.  I’m a nerd.

Now to the fun part – the class itself.  It was definitely challenging in a way that will probably have an awesome effect on my abs and thighs, but it’s not one of those classes that you leave completely drenched in sweat… unless I was doing everything wrong.

Everything is done in little movements and high repetitions.  After 2 minutes of making the same small, controlled motion you definitely start to feel it… and may even start to shake!  “Shaking is changing”, or so they say!

The class moved at a very fast pace so that I never really got bored or lost focus.

Overall, I had a lot of fun and will definitely go again.  I may, however, pair the class with a run outside or some other type of cardio because I felt like I needed something else to round out the workout.

I’ve already mapped out the other classes I want to try through ClassPass at other studios that are close to me.  I’m really excited to try new things and find out if there is something else out there I could add to my regular routine.

I’ll be sure to let you all know how the rest of my ClassPass experience goes… stay tuned!

 

Strength Moves I’m Loving Lately

Lately, I have really been loving the workouts the Spartan Race series sends it’s participants every morning.  They are always a combination of strength and cardio and a lot of the moves are ones that I would never have incorporated into my regular routine.  These same moves have also been introduced to me through my work’s kFit wellness program.  Our trainer, Sam, gives us personal attention to make sure we are performing at our best and to make sure our technique is correct.  The great news for people like you who might not get daily emails or daily training is that a lot of the moves they use can be found online! (slash, you should totally sign up for a spartan sprint.  It will challenge you in a new way and your body will thank you for it).

Here are some workout moves I have been LOVING lately:

Split Squat ISO Holds

This is a great move for beginners in strength training… don’t be timid if you find yourself having a hard time balancing at first.  Start on the ground and elevate yourself a couple inches until you can get to the full position.  This move workouts your glutes, hamstrings, quads and engages your core.  A full body win.

Hindu Squats

Another great squat variation that helps build lower back strength, endurance and speed.

Hindu Push-Ups

These push ups are so much more than a shoulder workout.  They increase mobility and work on your arms, back, chest and legs.

Bird Dog

This stability exercise engages your glutes and entire core.

Burpees

I love to hate them, but notice a major difference in my body when I incorporate these daily.  I feel stronger on my runs and actually feel like I could go for longer.

You can use these workouts to build your own circuit at the gym, outside or in your home!

Yesterday morning I was up bright and early to catch the bus and make it downtown to our 6AM kFit Bootcamp class.  It’s been a little stormy here lately, but we were fortunate enough to be able to attend the class outside!

I always initially come to this class tired and crabby.  It takes everything in my power to get me out of bed at 4:45 a.m. and I have never been a ‘natural’ morning person.  Within 10 minutes of our workout, I was feeling great and in the zone.  Funny how that happens, right?  Yesterday’s circuit focused a lot on Push-Ups – killer – and Squat Cleans with medicine balls.  By the end of the workout we had done close to 100 pushups and 80 squat cleans and I was feeeellinng it.  In a good way!  After the class, my coworker and I DIVVY over to our local gym a couple blocks away so we can shower and get ready for work.  I could barely lift my arms to shampoo my hair I was so tired, haha.

Work went by quickly which was great and even more great because I knew my workout for the day was over and I could do WHATEVER I wanted when I got home.  My extra time was spent taking Bailey on a nice long walk around the neighborhood and stopping to smell the flowers.

True story: she ate a flower just before I took this picture.  Silly.

Our dinners have been spot on lately.  Fully embracing the summer produce.  My favorite thus far has been the local pan seared trout:

We picked up these beauties from Whole Foods on Monday and boy were they delicious.

Nothing better.

Ta Ta for now!

 

Cooking, Cleaning & Running Fools

Hello, hello!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.

My weekend kicked off right after work on Friday with my birthday present from Brian… a cooking class!  I’ve been talking about us going for a while now and was thrilled when I saw what he got me!

The class we took was called ‘Street Food’ and was themed around various snacks and bites that you may find sold on the street in different countries.

Here was our menu:

Beer battered fish tacos

Beef kefta kabobs

Lemongrass chicken banh mi

Cheese and bean pupusas

The class was held at the Merchandise Mart Chopping Block location, so it was super simple to get there directly after work.  Brian brought a bottle of pinot noir, we tied on our aprons and got to work.  In most classes, you work with another couple or group to prepare your various dishes.  Our class was completely full, so we were able to partner up with two other people and boy did we have so much fun!

I love cooking, I cook almost every night, but all of these items are ones I never would have just come up with on my own.

Our favorites were definitely the Beer battered fish tacos which we made with Two Brother’s Cane and Abel.  The second runner up was the Lemongrass chicken banh mi’s.  So juicy and tender, plus the crusty french bread really makes the entire sandwich.  We left completely full and happy!

I was up bright and early Saturday morning to meet my workout buddy, Lindsay at our gym.  We warmed up on the treadmill for 25 minutes alternating between a steady jog, uphill walk and sprinting.  Once we were nice in warm we completed the following workout:

Loved it!  It was so nice being at the gym so early because we didn’t have to fight for space to complete this circuit.

Saturday was such a busy day.  Immediately after our workout, I showered, grabbed a few things from Whole Foods across the street, my two of my best friends for brunch at Toast, came home and cleaned for 4 hours and then hosted a group of my closest friends for cocktails and appetizers!

Phew.  The whole day was awesome.  Even though it was jam packed, I had so much fun seeing all my different groups of friends and my workout really carried my energy level throughout the entire day.  Win!

Sunday was no less chaotic.  My parents and our family friends were over at my apartment at 10:00 a.m. ready to watch the Air and Water show (thank god my apartment was already clean).

We grabbed some sandwiches and salads from Pastoral and headed over to the lake around noon.  Unfortunately, Chicago decided to be cool and cloudy yesterday so the Air and Water show didn’t really happen, but our fun little picnic did!

I was a great way to round out the weekend… and let me tell you I slept like a BABY last night.  Fun times.

Sprint Your Heart Out

These past two days have been full of non-stop fun and excitement!!!!

Kidding.

The workouts and cooking have been fun, but if you are one of those people who thinks that cleaning and doing laundry is fun… I am just not there with you.

Tuesday after work, I had a few major errands to run before heading to the gym at night.  I have recently received feedback from our personal trainer at work that I should start incorporating more sprinting in my workouts so I decided to come up with something fun to do on the treadmill.  Although I really hate the treadmill during the winter months, I have really enjoyed going back in a couple times per week.  I missed seeing my usual suspects after work 🙂

I tell you this workout is a major sweat inducer and really gets your heart rate up.  As always, you can modify the speed based on your fitness level, but always make sure you are pushing yourself and breaking outside of your comfort zone.

Side note… I totally wore gray capris that day and needless to say with all the sweat that was dripping off my body, I looked like I peed my pants.  Funny.

After my workout, I had a quick protein shake at the gym and then headed back home to cook dinner.

On the menu:  Skirt Steak and Steamed Broccoli

Brian and I didn’t stay up real late that evening because I had a strength-focused kFit workout downtown in the loop at 6:00 a.m.  We used a lot of medicine balls to perform squats, overhead presses, lunges, etc.

Although it’s a pain in the ass to wake up at 4:30 a.m., in order to make a bus at 5:00 a.m., so that I can be downtown in time for this class… it is always worth it.  The trainer can whoop my ass like no one else can and I’m much more motivated throughout the day to eat healthy/make good choices when he gives me advice first thing in the morning.

Speaking of making good choices, each week my company commissions this start-up company, Fooda, to bring local restaurants onsite for us to buy lunch.  Yesterday’s choice was Farmer’s Fridge and all of their choices were amazing!  Have you heard of them?  They have a couple kiosks around the loop which have fun salads in a jar type options as well as wraps and little snacks.

I went with the Chicken Kale Cesar Wrap which had a whole wheat tortilla, sweet potato, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, Parmesan, kale, chia seeds, and a vegan Caesar dressing all wrapped together.

It was so fresh and filling, plus it was only $7.00 which for a loop lunch spot is very affordable.  It’s really hard to find a lot of healthy and fresh lunch options in the Chicago loop.  My usual repertoire is a mixture of the local cafeteria salad bar, Pret A Manger, Protein Bar and basically packing my own lunch.  It’s nice to have a new option added… I highly recommend you check them out.

A Perfect Summer Night

Last night was an awesome night.  I headed home after work to meet my dad at the tennis court complex by the lake.  It was an absolutely beautiful night – no clouds in the sky, a perfect 75 degrees.

My dad is the whole reason I started playing tennis as a young toddler to begin with.  Growing up, I knew it was always summer break when dad would have Wimbledon on every t.v. throughout the household so if I was doing chores, I could watch the match as I moved around.  It’s one of those sports I will always be grateful I got into at a very young age.  Tennis, like snowboarding to me, is a life-long sport that I will be able to play until I am old and gray living in Hilton Head Island.

We got to the courts with about 30 minutes to spare before the next round of play began.  If you’re not familiar with how to “reserve” public tennis courts, let me give you a crash course.

Play begins every hour on the hour.

If you want to reserve a court, place your racquet on the court-specific peg board.  If your reserving it for an ‘odd hour’, ie: 7:00 p.m., place it on the left.  Even hour, ie: 8:00 p.m., the right.

If for some reason the people you are waiting for on court 4 get off at 6:40 p.m., don’t you dare remove your racquet and go to that court.  Wait until 7:00 p.m., so you secure the full hour of play.

I hope that was helpful 😉

Dad and I got to play a whole hour between 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. which was the perfect time before the sun went down.

After tennis, we headed over to the local pub Wilde to grab a couple beers and grilled salmon sandwiches on their patio.

It was a perfect summer night.

Well folks, I’m off to Lolla Land starting tomorrow aka Lollapalooza! Being the type of person I am, I have already mapped out the bands I want to swing by and already packed my backpack.

Bailey is interested to know what’s in my Lolla backpack, so I’ll share with the class:

1. Cash money – I opted out of the ‘Cashless’ wrist band option because that feels dangerous to me.  I’m on a money diet, so I want to know how much I’m spending!
2. ID, credit card, medical insurance card – My mother taught me to never go anywhere without it
3. Sunscreen & chapstick – FYI you’re not allowed to bring spray-on sunscreen into the venue
4. A poncho – This is just for Friday… 40% chance of rain, so who knows what will happen
5. Portable phone charger – CLUTCH
6. Refillable water bottle – I have like 10 of these, so if it doesn’t make it home with me I won’t cry about it
7. Ziploc bag – If it rains, I’ll put my phone/charger in it
8. Sunglasses – Obvi.
9. Granola Bar – pretty sure this isn’t allowed, but I need snacks!
10. Mini deodorant – no body likes to stand next to stinky people.

… and obviously my 3 day pass will be on my wrist.

See you next week!

Workplace Wellness

Good morning, good morning!

I am feeling extra peppy today… want to know why?  Perhaps it’s all these awesome endorphins I have running through my body! Remember the wellness committee I’m a part of at my work, kFit?  Well, we rolled out an awesome new program called the kFit 60 Day Challenge.  This challenge/event, was a year in the making and my coworkers and I are so happy/proud that it has rolled out successfully.

We partnered with a personal trainer to bring our employees a comprehensive wellness challenge that would help exercise both their bodies and their minds.

Each week, we are given a set of workouts to complete either at home, or together after work.  Some people might be a little timid to workout in front of their coworkers, but I think it’s awesome.  As our trainer would say, those who sweat together, stay together!  The trainer also includes weekly blasts with nutritional tips and how to manage stress.

Yesterday after work, I attended one of the fitness classes and we completed this High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT):

The numbers at the top are the sequence of reps we had to do, and the names of the interval workouts are below.  For example, we would complete move #1 (downdogs) 15x, move #2 (Geckos) 15x, move #3 (UPA/Bridget) 15x, etc.  Then we would do it all again but with 20 reps, then 25 reps, then 20 again and finish of with 15 reps – NON STOP.  The goal was to finish the entire workout in 30 minutes.

This workout kicked my booty, literally.

After the class, I rushed home because i was STARVING.

On the menu: Turkey Tacos

Feed me.

I know I may be a lush about corporate wellness stuff, but I cannot stress how important it is in the workplace.  Every company should advocate wellness whether it is physical or mental.  Changing your lifestyle is your own decision and ultimately no one can change your behavior but yourself.  Employers, however, have a tremendous opportunity to see the value in adopting this change and help to reinforce the healthy behavior.

When I started at kCura over 3 years ago, I was significantly over weight and unhappy.

(Hilton Head Island, 2010)

Since adopting a healthier lifestyle I find myself more energized to go to work and more productive while I am there.

(Hilton Head Island, 2014 – 45 lbs. healthier and happier)

Workplace wellness also helps set the tone of a companies culture.  When a workplace create a supportive environment that keeps employees engaged, that in turn helps to motivate employees.

I think a lot of employers are slow to adopt this view because they don’t think it is worth the investment.

What I can tell from the past two weeks is that our employees are excited… and engaged… and motivated.  And our employees are the ultimate investment.