January-February 2010

New Year, New You

Employees Divulge How They Stuck to Last Year’s Resolutions

Change is rarely easy, but it’s almost always worth it. But don’t take our word for it…University of Rochester employees who nailed last year’s health resolutions offer some of their own strategies – and encouragement – below.

He Shed Weight: Craig Ward

Secretary, Renal Transplant Office (Nephrology Division); with the University for more than five years.

• His change: “I’d struggled with weight issues for the better part of the past 15 years, topping off at 279 pounds four years back,” he said. “When faced with the prospect of a double knee replacement (after six knee surgeries), it was time to get serious about getting in control of my health.”
• Motivation: While Ward enjoyed modest success working out and modifying his diet on his own (he lost about 10 pounds over several weeks), his revolution really started this past September, when Heather Van Orden, manager of URMC’s Fitness and Wellness Center, launched an 8-week slim down, shape up program – the “Amazing Weight Loss Race.” Fitness Center members and non-members (for a modest fee) alike could enroll. “The sessions combined motivational tips with accountability,” Ward said. “There were cash prizes to those who lost the most weight – on a percentage basis, so it was fair to all body types.”
• Secret for Success: Plugging into a fun concept that made getting in shape less of a chore. He lost 22 pounds – and three pants sizes – in eight weeks.
• Word of encouragement: “When you make a decision to drop weight, everyone focuses on what you’ll lose. But what’s more important is what you gain. My knees feel better than they’ve felt in two decades!”

 

She Kicked the Habit: Sherette Gausney

Remittance processor in the Patient Accounts Office (Corporate Woods); with URMC for 1 year this January.

• Her change: “I used to smoke a pack of cigarettes every couple of days. Last January, even though I’d resolved to quit, I wound up hiding a stash and sneaking cigarettes. I wasn’t ready mentally for change.”
• Motivation: Her youngest son, 12-year-old Shareif. As he learned about the dangers of smoking in school, he’d come home and give Gausney the low-down. He’d also ferret out her cigarettes and toss them out. “Even with all of his attempts to convince me, I still had to process the decision and own it myself,” Gausney said. “By spring, I was ready. On April 7 – Shareif’s birthday – I stopped cold turkey.”
• Secret for Success: “I loved the way how fresh and clean my hair, even my clothes, smelled once I’d quit,” she said. “Focusing on enjoying that helps me stay committed.”
• Word of encouragement: “Do it, and you’ll feel brand new. I can’t believe how much easier it is to chase my kids at the Y. I have so much more energy; I don’t have to keep stopping to catch my breath.”

 

She Learned to Wrangle Stress: JoAnn Moda, R.N.

Project research nurse, School of Nursing; with URMC since 2003.

• Her change: “As I approached middle-age, it was harder for me to stay focused and keep my mind sharp. I knew I needed a challenge. So, when a friend invited me to try out an introductory martial arts course for adults over 40, I gave it a chance.”
• Motivation: Right away, Moda noticed that she was gaining muscle tone, losing unwanted pounds, and, best of all, that her cognitive function was improving. “I was exercising both my brain and my body, and I just love the way I feel because of it. I’m fitter than I’ve ever been. Best of all, on stressful days, I’ve been able to literally work out my frustrations.”
• Words of Encouragement: Moda said you have to take a leap of faith, and set aside the stigmas that certain activities or exercises are for certain demographics. “Martial arts isn’t just for the Bruce Lees of the world,” she said. “Take me, for instance. I’m attending a class for people over 50, and I’m a step away from my black belt.”

 

(To see even more motivational success stories from your University colleagues, click here.)

Are You Looking to Make a Change in 2010?

If so, there’s good news – the University’s new Center for Community Health and the Benefits Office both will be ready to assist you with expanded services.

In 2010, the University will put an even keener focus on employee wellness and preventive interventions, as it unveils plans to offer yet another incentive-based online personal health assessment. This time, the health survey  plus a $100 participation bonus (if you’re enrolled in a University Health Care Plan) will be offered to both faculty and staff and their spouses or domestic partners.

Using self-reported risk factors identified by the survey – such as tobacco use, high cholesterol levels, and more – the survey provider, Carewise Health, will match employees with opportunities to make a healthy change. Many URMC staff will have the chance to either take advantage of Carewise’s built-in personal health/wellness programs (including nutrition counseling, stress reduction, and other programs for completion either online or by phone, plus custom-tailored condition-management services featuring a personal Nurse Advocate), or the face-to-face programs offered at the University of Rochester’s new Healthy Living Center (now open at 46 Prince Street, near the Memorial Art Gallery). These Healthy Living Center programs will provide individual and group support for employees looking to prevent or delay diabetes, manage cholesterol, tame stress, free themselves from tobacco dependency, and more.

“A poor diet, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle contribute to 35 percent of all premature deaths, and, by some estimates, account for 70 percent of all health care costs,” said Geoffrey Williams, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of Medicine who co-directs the new Healthy Living Center together with Nancy Bennett, M.D., M.S. “More concerning still, these statistics remain in spite of the fact that proven, effective treatments already exist.”

Williams adds that perhaps the most important piece of making a major health transformation is helping individuals discover their personal desire to change. “That’s why we work so hard to provide treatment that taps into and supports an employee’s internal motivation,” he said. “That way, they reap the benefits of the healthy choices they make.”

The Healthy Living Center programs feature URMC experts and evidenced-based approaches designed to help individuals make permanent change. To learn more about them, call 585-530-2050. To learn more about the Carewise Health assessment and the affiliated health and wellness programs, watch for an upcoming mailing.

More Inspirational Stories From Your Colleagues

Peeling Off Weight as a Couple

Over the course of the last 14 years, my wife and I had gained a considerable amount of weight, thanks to falling prey to lots of bad habits. We spent evenings snacking in front of the television, often enjoying crackers and cheese with a glass of wine. Our meat and potatoes diet included constant use of our deep fryer to make french fries and rarely included vegetables. Our meals were never planned ahead, so we often relied on foods that could be defrosted and cooked quickly. All too frequently, the hour grew late and we settled for going out to restaurants – our convenient default for supper. The restaurants we favored were the worst of the worst: fast foods and buffets.

All of the weight loss advice recommends exercise as part of the program. I have tried exercise on and off, but my poor dietary choices kept me from losing more than a few pounds. My wife, disabled due to a work injury, is not able to exercise.

For many years, we both tried to lose weight. Fad diet programs were ineffective in the long run. She tried Ionamin and lost a considerable amount of weight, but when our insurance company decided to cut her off cold turkey, the weight came right back.

This past summer, we reached a watershed point. I had reached 200 pounds, the heaviest I had ever been. My wife, too, had hit her highest weight ever. We decided we had to do something about our situation. We chose not to “diet,” but simply to make better dietary choices, and we have seen remarkable success. Together, we’ve lost 70 pounds and the weight is still slowly melting away. Here’s how we’ve done it:

Our first and biggest change: those default-value restaurant trips have become a thing of the past. We now plan ahead so there is always something available for dinner at home. A second big factor in our success has been adding vegetables. Every night, we have a big salad with dinner. In addition, we usually have some kind of cooked veggie. We also have a microwave or oven-baked potato almost every night. We’re also choosing lean meats and fish, and are limiting the number of “non-controlled portion” foods we eat (like casseroles, pasta dishes and stews), in favor of discrete-portion foods (like meat, fish and poultry). For us, it’s far easier to see and control our portions by putting a piece of food on the plate than by taking spoonfuls out of a pot. Our deep fryer has been put in storage and the charcoal grill has replaced it as a way to cook quickly and reduce our fat intake with a minimum of mess.

The great thing is, we’re not suffering – we’re eating well! We have found that, although our consumption of meat has fallen dramatically, we’re never leaving the table hungry; instead we’re filling up on vegetables. Interestingly, we have found that if we leave out our potato/starch, we do get hungry again very quickly.

We have not completely eliminated anything from our diet, but rather limit our portions of foods that we know are less healthy. For instance, we still eat desserts, but we don’t take as much at a time. When I need a treat, I have learned to reach for an apple. We also go out to eat, but far less frequently, and only if we have planned ahead to do so. Usually, we reserve restaurant meals for special occasions. Fast food and buffet restaurants are no longer our default venues.
About five months ago, as a couple, we took up a new craft: making flame-worked glass. Although it is a sedentary pastime, I believe it has been beneficial. Instead of sitting in front of the TV, we retire to the studio, put on some music and spend time working with our hands, each engaged in our own creative process. There’s no possibility of snacking, in fact there’s no time to think of food while we’re working. When we do sit down to watch our must-see TV shows, we no longer pull out the cheese and crackers or the can of peanuts, although I might grab a piece of fruit. (By the way – we’ve sworn off the food channel!)

Another huge factor in our success is that we’re doing this as a couple, working toward a common goal of a better and healthier lifestyle. We each weigh ourselves more or less daily. Sometimes, if we know we’ve made less fortunate choices, we skip the scale visit. We pep-talk each other and track our successes together. We also support each other during those times when we see our weights plateau. Together we have learned that weight loss is not a linear process, it is a trend. My weight goes up and down over the short term, but over the longer term, it is going down. We also fall off the wagon occasionally and have setbacks that cause the weight to go up, but we’re there to support each other. Another key point is that we’re not working against each other; neither of us is doing anything, consciously or unconsciously, to derail the other.

So, how have we done? As of this morning, I am down by 30 pounds. Lisa has lost 40 pounds. The best part? The trends continue! While we’re not quite to our goals, we’re both well on the way. We both feel better and have more energy. We have found clothing that fits again and our most recently purchased clothing is getting roomy. I actually have to wear a belt now!

Neither of us is particularly strong-willed when it comes to resisting food temptations, but together we are less likely to make bad choices and it’s far easier to stick with the good ones. Because of the progress we’ve seen, we know we’ll make our goals, and once we do, maintenance will simply involve continuing the same things we’re doing now. We’re never going back to the place where we started.

-- Phil Rogerson, Environmental Safety Specialist; employed at UR since mid-2008

A Jumpstart from a Co-worker

I just reached my goal of losing 37 pounds, thanks to a 12-week journey with Weight Watchers. I’m now a lifetime member.

I’ve found that group support is key to success, and learning what foods are best to eat has really helped. Also pivotal to my progress was the support I found at work: a co-worker actually introduced me to Weight Watchers, and gave me some super recipes to get started. My manager also champions my efforts, encouraging me to walk during my lunch breaks. Having so many allies on your side makes an incredible difference.

-- Brian Dean, RN for the MICA (Mentally Ill Chemically Addicted) unit (Psychiatry); employed with UR since mid-2007

Melting Away both Stress and Weight 

By losing weight, I’ve conquered stress. Towards the end of this past February, I started on a goal to lose weight in order to feel healthier; I also wanted to be around longer for my husband and my daughter.

Since then, I’ve lost close to 60 pounds, and haven’t felt this great in years! I have been participating in Weight Watchers in a loose sense – not going to meetings, but being diligent in logging my food intake online. Never in a million years would I have thought that Weight Watchers would work for me – for a while, I was even exploring lap-band surgery.

But Weight Watchers has worked. And surprisingly, in addition to dropping weight, I’ve melted away a lot of stress that I was experiencing because of my weight. Now, I no longer worry over every last little thing, and I’ve even become more active, and can run around easier and burn off more stress if I need to.

My husband and daughter have seen a huge difference, not only the weight loss, but in the new attitude that’s accompanied it. My new philosophy guides me: “Life is too short to worry about little pebbles.” Looking at life in this new light has changed the way I present myself to everyone I meet. And while I haven’t quite reached my goal yet, I am working toward it slowly. Patience is key – it took a while to put on this weight, so it is probably going to take a while to get it off.

This is my inspirational story. Hopefully others reading this can draw the courage they need to make important changes in 2010.

-- Regina M. Cullen, secretary for the Division of Diagnostic & Interventional Neuroradiology (Department of Imaging Sciences); employed with UR for more than five years

Fear Drove Me to Change

When my daughter needed to use a wheelchair before surgery, a realization hit me – I couldn’t help her do a proper transfer in and out of it, because of my weight. What if she needed a wheelchair permanently? I was worried, and I knew I needed to do something about my health.

After joining the Weight Watchers program here at work, I peeled off 65 pounds and am now within my target weight range. Best of all, the University’s benefits program covered half of the program’s cost, and my Aetna Health survey paid the remainder – ultimately making this options affordable (or technically, free!).

The meetings were conveniently held at lunch time, so I didn’t need to drive off-site, and the Weight Watchers instructor was awesome. Co-workers in the program were also incredibly supportive, and we often pulled together to swap tips.

In even the smallest ways, my life has changed. For instance, now, after so many years of taking the elevators, I now climb all eight hospital floors – every day! Also, on a happy note: my daughter’s surgery was successful, and she doesn’t need a wheelchair or help with transfers after all.

--Anita Burton, senior recreational therapist; employed by URMC for more than 22 years

Celebrating a Decade of Not Smoking

I first started smoking off and on as a teenager, and by the time I turned 21, I was smoking “full time.” About 10 years later, I began experiencing respiratory problems – chronic bronchitis, asthma, and several bouts of pneumonia. 

Naturally, I was told to stop many times by every doctor I saw. But I never could do it. In 1996, I quit for about 8 months, but that was short-lived success. Then, in the fall of 1999, I made plans again: I told my husband that I was definitely quitting when the new year started. I don't think that he believed me, because by that time I was smoking more than two packs most days. 

But, I smoked my last cigarette as I rang in 2000. And then I did it. Using a nicotine patch for the first few weeks, I eased into the change. Slowly, I weaned myself off those, too. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever accomplished, and in the beginning, being around others smoking was very hard. But like most things, with time it eventually got easier.

My husband, currently a smoker, decided to take a small step in 2000 as well: when I quit, he vowed that he would not smoke in our home anymore. Ever since that point, we’ve maintained a smoke-free residence. 
  
I am both happy and proud that I’ve been able to maintain a smoke-free lifestyle for nearly 10 years. In the beginning, I couldn’t fathom not smoking for this long. But I started small, and took one day at a time: those days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and here I am, now commemorating a whole decade of being “clean” from nicotine.

-- Nancy Rogers, RN, CASAC for the MICA unit (Psychiatry); employed with UR Since mid-2007

Convenience was Key to Losing Weight

When I first heard about the Weight Watchers at Work program here at the University, it piqued my interest. Not only would 50 percent of the program fee be refunded at the end of successfully completing a 16-week session (thanks to my benefits package), but I could attend the weekly meetings right at the Medical Center during my lunch hour.

Since joining last year, I have lost 22.5 pounds (every bit counts). And while I’ve probably gained a few back over the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I’m confident that I’ll lose those pounds again by getting back “on the program.”   

Thanks to the Weight Watchers group here at work, I’ve made new friends, tried new recipes, and am generally more aware of what I am eating. And while I’ve always been an avid exerciser, I’m now practicing the other half of the equation for a healthy lifestyle: healthy eating!

Within my Weight Watchers group, we have many success stories – these are encouraging and exciting. A few of my colleagues have lost between 60 and 80 pounds! I’m grateful to the University for bringing this program to us, and making it so easy and affordable to attend.

-- Alison Diehl, research assistant for Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities); employed by UR since mid-2006  

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