Just for the HEALTH of it!

Hi everyone! I would like to share a story about a remarkable journey that my friend has made since last year exactly a year ago (mid June 2015).

I had to cancel my June vacation due to personal reason in the last year in the middle of June and I was exploring various ways to make that time worthy. I decided to invite Mary Kowalski for a leisure walk at the UWGB trail in the early morning. To tell you the true I did not expect her to respond when I called her at 6 AM. “OK!” it was very simple response but I was very shocked to hear and I had to clarify with her. “Are you sure?”

Her journey for the healthy life took a very small step that day. She met me at the UWGB trail at 7 AM and we started to walk very slow pace. I remember how eager Mary was when she started to walk. However, her stamina did not meet her desire. She became very short of breath and wheezy. About 3 quarter mile in to the walk, we had to turn around and come back. She was very discouraged and disappointed. But is gave her an opportunity to realize how terribly she is in need of a life style modification. Her journey to the NEW Mary has begun! It was not easy for her to show up at YMCA at 6 AM and give up on her favorite foods. But her commitment to healthier life style was never doubted by anyone.

We started to walk at the East Side Trail and the UWGB Trail starting with 2 miles, 3 miles, then, 6 miles. When the weather was either too hot or rainy we hit the treadmill adding incline and speed time to time. We also started to sneak slow runs here and there. On July 11, 2015 I decided to register her for the 10 K Run/Walk in Appleton. When I told Mary that I register her for that event, she had only one sentence to say. “I am going to kill you!” I think I heard that sentence more than 50 times while she was walking in that event along with the police escort due to being very last. At that point her weight was hitting over 200 lbs.

After that event we started to add resistant and weight lifting to her workout regimen. I continued to hear “I am going to kill you!” more than 100 times especially when she was doing lunges and flanks. She was telling me she suffered so much, I sensed she was so proud of herself for finishing an hour and half grueling workout. So I was.

In June this year, I invited her and her husband to the Glacier National Park in Montana. When I told her our main activity will be the outdoor activity, hiking, she was horrified. “ I never hiked and I know I cannot do it.” I ensured her she did the right training for a year and she was SOOOOO ready for it. Well… She did it! She hiked one of the highest mount peaks in Montana for 8 hours. Some incline’s grade was more than 8 and 9 (if you are familiar with incline grade, you know they are very stiff and tough).

Mary’s healthier lifestyle modification had an extra boost when Janelle and Kathryn started the Health Challenge. She was so determined and motivated to kick into extra gear to meet her goal. She incorporated more vegetables and fruits into her diet, reduced processed foods, experimented with different cuisines such as Korean, Hmong, and Vietnamese foods. Regular workout became her daily habit even tough she still suffered J

On July 10th this year Mary and I went back to the same race in Appleton where I was threatened to be killed more than 50 times. She handed off the police escort to the other brave runner this year. With 13:54 minute paced per mile compare to 16:01 minute paced last year. At this point her scale was at 170’s lbs. More than 40 pounds of weight loss !!!

A year of enduring and dedicated hard work finally paid off. I have been very privileged to accompany Mary on her journey! Her weight loss and life style modification had peaks and valley. Every time she was discouraged, she moved. Mary has learned being healthy is not one time fix it is a life time commitment. I know for sure she will continue to take the path she has followed for the whole year!

Congratulations to Mary and Thank you to Janelle and Kathryn for initiating the Health Challenge.

Michong Powers

Kathryn Petersen says:

"I have a passion for wanting to make everyone I encounter healthier or better in some way. Yet there is always a part of me that questions if I am really qualified to do that for others. I by no means have this healthy thing figured out! I love my sweets and have everyday struggles like everyone else. This challenge has allowed me to share my knowledge and passion for health with others who were equally as passionate but most of all it has provided that safe team culture that has allowed us all to share in both the successes and failures that came with our lifestyle and health journey.

Starting a new role (CNS in ICU), taking on graduate school, and trying to balance my personal life all posed threats to my health. I was working out less than I had in the past, I was working more, and in case you don’t know, graduate school piles on the stress! My weight increased, my sleep decreased, my family and friends were getting less of my time, and mentally I was burning out. After a particularly stressful week, an argument with my husband and having to try on a swim suit last fall I knew something needed to change!

That next Monday morning Janelle and I started talking about health and some dietary changes she was learning from Dr. Grazziotin. As I mentioned, this was right after my mini meltdown so I was all ears and ready and willing to give anything a try. That night at dinner I started talking about plant based diets with my husband. He was initially skeptical but was open to hearing what I had to say - he is also very inquisitive and did a ton of his own research on plant based diets! I also did a lot of reading and research on plant based diets. What I found was inspiring and interesting - basically plant based diets are nothing new its just not a very popular or sexy thing in advertising! Chris (my husband) and I watched the movie 'Forks Over Knives' and made the decision to clean up our diet. The research we’d done had convinced us we needed to do give it a try - it couldn’t hurt!

We started off slowly by cutting out meat from all meals except our dinners. It then progressed to all meals but 5 dinners a week and eventually to none. With that said we are not perfect and, like Janelle, do not call ourselves vegans or vegetarians but rather plant based. Vegan/Vegetarian seems to evoke some serious emotion in people! The actual transition was not as difficult as I thought it would be. It initially took more planning to come up with meal ideas but has since just become our routine. I have a new found enjoyment for cooking and baking! I love trying out new recipes, spices and ingredients. My overall health baseline has increased so much, I hadn’t realized how bad I felt on a daily basis until I started feeling good by cleaning up my diet!

My entire view on what is healthy has changed over the course of this journey!

As I became more engrossed in this plant based lifestyle I found that I slept better, my energy levels were more consistent throughout the day and I was losing weight - all while working out less! The challenge has helped me find balance in my life - health is not just about nutrition or exercise but about mental and spiritual well-being too (mind, body, soul!). I have increased my meditation time, found more time for family and friends and better ways to manage my stress. I have also found support in places I may not have looked otherwise! Our team is amazing and I feel that challenge has brought many of us closer and helped to foster a healthy working environment. Seeing the positive changes and improvement in other team members has been extremely motivating for me and has renewed my motivation and dedication to encouraging a healthy lifestyle."

Janelle Beckett says:

I have always been a “skinny girl.” Ever since I was a child-I was thin. I sailed through college and my first years of my adult career as “underweight.” I even had 2 kids and the added baby weight “fell off.”

UNTIL I turned 35!! That was when I could no longer eat what I wanted, when I wanted. The pounds packed on, I topped 192 lbs.

It is amazing how you can wear the same scrubs for years and the drawstring ties allow you to still wear the pants and you don’t even realize you have gained 25 pounds!

It could have been that I was not as active being that I took on the educator role where I spent more time using my brain power at a desk versus running around the unit.

SO what did I do? I increased my activity! I started by training for the Turkey Trot. I ran the BELLIN RUN. I even trained and completed TWO (not just ONE) HALF MARATHONS!! I did my first triathlon. I was biking. I was swimming. I was still running.

I was busting a move!! And still NO WEIGHT LOSS!! What the HECK??!?!

Then I had a run in with Dr. Grazziotin. Oddly enough, he was trying tell me that our staff in the ICU was aspartame toxic and missing important things regarding patient care….I said, “WHOA??! Back the train up?!! WHAT??!” So he shared a few facts related to aspartame and we worked on some education related to patient care. But, as he was sharing some facts about aspartame he started sharing more information with me and I became intrigued.

Right around HRA season, I decided to test some of his theories and decided I would go MEATLESS (vegetarian) for the month before.

I did NOT lose but a few pounds and my scores were “so so.”

Dr. Grazziotin stopped in to teach me some more I shared my frustration. He asked me if I had given up dairy?

I had not given up dairy…L I was a WISCONSIN girl, cheese is BAD?!!

So he taught me some more. He even agreed to teach and share some more of what he was learning and prepared a presentation for our local critical care nursing club. He shared numerous videos, articles, websites and I literally ATE it all up!

My favorite life changing movie was “Forks over Knives.” I have had it ALL wrong my whole LIFE! I am surprised I survived!!

Now, we all know that going on this type of journey was not easy and I could not do it alone…so, I asked my husband to join me. His answer was “NOT ME!” He was actually even quite angry that I even suggested it.

No one-not even his wife was going to tell him what to eat or not to eat.

What really pained me was my husband was a CANCER SURVIVOR! When he was 35 he was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. He had bloody diarrhea for a few days. Had a colonoscopy where they discovered a 3 cm polyp. They removed the polyp and proceeded to consult a surgeon to have 17 in section of his large intestines removed. This was a SHOCK!!?! We ate well. We were HEALTHLY?! We are YOUNG. We have no cancer history in our family. WHAT THE HECK….?

We were wrong and it all made sense to me now after what Dr. Grazziotin had explained and what I had learned watching movies and reading. So, one night when my husband had to work a night shift I handed him a copy of “Forks over Knives” and said, watch this if you get bored. Well, he must have had a slow night because he came home the next day and said he was IN!!! Finally!

With my partner helping me learn and cook I kept on with eating meatless and then began to dabble in the no dairy. We were eating a VEGAN diet but it’s funny how people react when you tell them you are a “Vegetarian” or a “Vegan.” It seemed like they looked at me like I was crazy, or a hippy, or some tree hugging, animal protesting wacko?!!

So we changed our response to, “We eat PLANT STRONG.”

For some reason that sounds better to people and then I don’t feel like people think of me as a “picky eater” or when people hear vegetarian or vegan they only hear “You don’t eat meat.” I also felt like if I did eat I bite of meat or cheese I wasn’t breaking some “religious rule.” And “Plant STRONG” sounds healthy, tough, and like a good choice!

With our plant strong diet, we were eating vegetables I have never even heard of! We were trying new things. We were getting creative. We were looking forward to dinner because we were “testing” and “experimenting.” Our kids were slightly resistant-but found out that they actually liked the new stuff and I was teaching them what was healthy and why other choices were not very healthy. I was so proud!

Lucky for me, my new officemate, Kathryn Petersen, was part of a lot of the Dr. Grazziotin conversations and willing to give it a try! She already had a good foundation and taught me a lot too! I had another support person to assist me in this journey!!

Before I knew it…I was MELTING!! My weight dropped to 172 lbs! It wasn’t overnight, but it certainly was with VERY LITTLE EFFORT. I had completed all my races and was heading into the winter “pig out” months with holidays and temptations all around. I stayed strong and really was NOT exercising! I dropped about 2-3 pounds a week. I also noticed my skin was clearing up. I didn’t drink as much coffee. I didn’t snack as often. I had more energy! I was HAPPIER!

Kathryn and I were so excited about all we had learned and needed a way to SPREAD some knowledge! We had heard of some challenges going around the hospital and decided we should do one as a way to get staff and families involved! We looked at what they had done. What worked well, what didn’t work We brainstormed together. We put our ideas on paper and created a program…booklet and all!

THE RESPONSE was nothing short of AMAZING!! We had over 50 people that jumped on the bandwagon and really got into it! The ENERGY was SPECTULAR!

Throughout the challenge I have walked more, worked muscles I never knew I had, tried some new exercises, taken time to relax, and have continued to eat RIGHT! I love the support and encouragement that everyone has displayed. I work with an AMAZING TEAM of people! It has brought many of us closer. We are sharing recipes, new gadgets, stories, and opening conversations around health rather than gossip! I am so PROUD!!!

I won’t win the weight loss challenge…but I have truly GAINED so much more!

Muscle
Knowledge
Friendships
Taking time for myself
Recipes
Acts of kindness!
Words of encouragement
ENERGY
I will be wearing that BIKINI in Florida!!!

Thank you to everyone who has joined in on this amazing journey! I am NOT turning back! I am moving FORWARD…what can we tackle next!???! Let’s get the entire hospital on board…let’s get the community on board…let’s get WISCONSIN on board! (Okay, baby steps….) Things are possible!

But imagine how different our ICU or CATH LAB would be if people could simply know that food could be their medicine?! That many of the conditions that cause our patients to lie in the beds could be PREVENTED with FOOD?!?! Makes me wonder….every single day!

Diane Cundy says:
"So here I am…starting week #5 of the “Just for the Health of it” challenge! And I’ve got to say it has been a real eye opener and a much needed “kick in the pants”!
6 weeks ago I would never have thought that I would be up at 5:00 A.M. to walk an hour or more on my treadmill… EVERY day!!! Or that I would be walking up EVERY set of stairs I come to. And that’s just a part of this story.
I’ve learned so many things about foods and drinks…good & bad… and I’m now choosing low calorie, nutrient rich fruits and vegetables over high calorie, preservative laced “junk foods” and while I haven’t completely embraced the “Vegan” ways, I am eating cleaner and opting for healthier protein sources!
I can honestly say I feel great! I have more energy…less aches & pains and a positive “can do” attitude!!!
But I think for me the encouragement and support from my peers is probably the best thing that has happened so far!! It feels great to have a common interest and feel “part of a group”! The group dynamic has helped bolster my determination to succeed…to push my limits…to strive for more. More steps, more stairs, more water… and heaven help me, more wall sits this week!!!
Thank-you Janelle & Kathryn for organizing this challenge…answering my “million” questions and just being great role models on this journey of self-discovery and improved health!"

Courtney Batal says:
"I can honestly say I have never felt this good since I can remember when. I’m more energized and I am sleeping better than ever. I find myself wanting to walk at least 10,000 steps a day and I feel awesome after doing it. I am trying new foods… some for the first time ever and actually enjoying them. I’ve come to realize that healthy eating actually can taste really good.. so far my favorite is the cauliflower pizza crust pizza I made… to die for! This challenge is making me a healthier person and my family too."

Just for the HEALTH of it!™

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