Have you ever really thought about how you got to where you are today? What made you choose your career path? How do you choose what you prioritize? Is it your family, your job, your health? What was that one thing that truly inspired you to be who and what you are today?
Self-care is something that many of us don’t pay enough attention to. I’ve been fortunate to follow a path that has led me to prioritize wellness and also to be able to share it with others, in an environment where most generally find themselves the most sedentary: The Corporate Office.
How I Got Here
I was always heavily into sports growing up; never realizing that my love for sports and the loss of my dad to a heart attack when he was only 42 would come to shape my life and my career. After getting back on track after losing both of my parents to unexpected health issues, I graduated with a degree in Lifetime Fitness from one of the top three physical education programs in the nation, Slippery Rock University. It was after these experiences that I realized that educating others about being healthy and fit — while also taking care of my own health — was the path I wanted to take to establish and drive successful personal growth.
After graduating, I worked in a number of corporate fitness positions in Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. My home-base was the National Capital YMCA, where I worked as a fitness trainer, having to prove myself because I was a woman. It didn’t take long for the members to realize that I “knew my stuff” based on my education, experience and passion in my field. I also became very involved in their fitness testing lab and corporate fitness programs, and worked at many of their partner locations, such as the IRS, Defense Mapping Agency, World Bank and the U.S. Treasury.
Determine What You Value
One of the first things I noticed after joining my Company 11 years ago, was how they worked to create a culture of wellness among employees — which is something I’ve realized through my career is not always a common priority in the corporate arena. As a global nutrition company, we strive to practice what we preach and ensure each and every employee has access to our products and space to workout, whatever their schedule and fitness goals may be. Wellness is really in the fabric of everything we do, and in my role, I’m constantly challenging myself to find opportunities to encourage my colleagues to be physically active and live healthier lives.
I’m proud of being able to provide an open, judgement-free environment, encouraging fitness and nutrition. My job allows me to contribute to a sense of community that brings value to employees through human connection while ultimately optimizing job performance. Having encouragement to value what you have, live within your means, be polite and kind to others, and to hold yourself accountable to work hard is the first step to self-care.
Companies Make Wellness Fun
The Herbalife Nutrition Fitness Center (now known fondly as my second home), truly brought out my creativity. In addition to having gym facilities within our offices, I’ve been able to create, design and market employee challenges and programs, implement yoga classes, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes, core-focused trainings, courses to learn how to stretch properly, among many others. It is important to make fitness fun — to think outside the box, to make a difference so the people around me hopefully make fitness and nutrition a lifestyle. Exercising should not be a chore or a struggle, but something you enjoy; and it is different for everyone.
One of the programs I’m most proud of is our GROW (Get Recognized at Work) Program. I wanted employees to not only be recognized for what they do in the fitness center or their number of visits per month, but what they also do outside of work, which allows us to get to know our fellow co-workers better through an even more supportive and motivating platform.
Our Company is about providing an encouraging environment to allow peers to learn how to take care of themselves and live healthy, active lives — and it starts with each individual. Whether or not you work for a company that provides a corporate fitness program, it’s important to have a positive mindset and be aware of educational tools you literally have at your fingertips (hello internet!) to make you the best version of yourself. Why do we provide such opportunity at our Company? To increase our employees’ value of self-worth and help them understand that their health is priceless. This allows them to also feel valued and do their best for the Company.
My goal is not only to help motivate or offer different programming. The heart of what drives me is to help educate and increase one’s knowledge of exercise, their body and, most importantly, to help them improve their nutritional education. By following the Company’s philosophy of trying to be a positive change in the lives of others, I continue to make a difference in mine. I find joy in customer service, education and doing both with a little humor mixed in.
Lean into Your New Lifestyle
When you truly value something, you strive to do right by it. I feel I am still working to make my parents proud of me every day — not only by proving myself in my career, but more importantly, by being the person I am and growing into who I still want to become.
At the end of the day, practicing self-care is a lifestyle.
1. Take pride in who you are – understand the importance of caring for that person, inside and out. Help yourself grow into a better version of you. Respect yourself enough to know that you deserve the best — in your job, in your health and in your relationships.
2. Dream big – your dreams are your possibilities. Set your goals — realistic, achievable goals — and act with the best of your ability. It’s OK to take baby steps when you want to get to the next level.
3. Live now – Learn from your past, live in the present and work on making your future a success. Positive thinking will help convert your thoughts to action.
If you prioritize being the best version of you, you’ll be able to also successfully tackle all other aspects in your life. We’ve seen the proof that our investment in employee wellness leads to amazing results and employee retention, and is reflective of our company culture.
