Staying Healthy, the CCA Way
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CCA's own Michelle Barker and Mike Machak are well on the path to a healthier lifestyle.
Losing weight in an office environment is notoriously difficult. Regularly sitting at a computer, taking the elevator and celebrating birthdays with cake and ice cream can make losing weight and staying healthy seemingly impossible. For some Facility Support Center employees, though, they have found ways to start and maintain healthy lifestyles in and out of the office.
Changing Lifestyles
Darla McAllister, executive assistant, has made dramatic changes in her lifestyle in just the past few months. After seeing illness in her own family, she was motivated to improve her health and eat better. In just 10 months, she has lost 47 pounds through a combination of Weight Watchers and simple healthy eating.
"It's hard at first, but over time you learn that unhealthy foods don't really taste good anymore," McAllister explains. "I don't deprive myself of anything. I just plan better so I can be sure I'll always have something healthy to eat."
McAllister regularly watched her weight and body mass index (BMI) to have a clear measure of how she was improving each week.
"I got all this information from the CCA health fair and my doctor on how to be healthier," she says. "I learned you still have to eat to lose weight, just eat better."
Michelle Barker, director, Proposal Development, had a similar approach to starting her own healthy lifestyle. Though she also used Weight Watchers for a time, she doesn't keep close track of how much weight she has lost so far, choosing instead to focus on her overall health and mind-set to measure how she has developed.
"I didn't want to focus on the scale because I didn't want a goal that I could reach and then lose momentum," says Barker. "I wanted the weight loss to be a natural byproduct of my healthier living."
Barker advises anyone looking to improve their lifestyle and fitness to find the program or diet that works best for them and then work to make it a regular habit.
"Embrace the lifestyle part of it," she says. "If you're trying to get fit, do it in a way where you truly can alter your lifestyle so that this is the new norm for you."
A Major Transformation
Mike Machak, manager, Public Affairs, took a slightly more drastic approach than most people looking to lose weight and be healthier. He recently completed a 12-week body building transformation, which included a strict diet of about eight small meals per day and an exercise plan with various weight lifting techniques plus an hour of cardio almost every day.
"The key was the diet," Machak says. "You don't get abs in the gym. You get abs in the kitchen."
That diet included plenty of protein, such as chicken or tuna, and cut out most red meat, dairy, soft drinks, alcohol and sugary fruits. Though he hasn't fully kept the strict diet since the he completed the program, he still focuses on eating protein and healthy snacks.
While Machak has been devoted to health, fitness and protein shakes since his mid-twenties, he decided to challenge himself as he approached a major milestone.
"In anticipation of turning 50, I wanted to do something profound that fit me and my dedication to staying healthy," he said. "My goal is to live to be 100, but look like I'm 50. I want to be able to live and experience life with as much physical and mental ability as I can."
While such a dramatic transformation may not be for everyone, Machak's most important take away from it is one that everyone can adopt: watch what you eat.
"Avoid processed food, and stick around the perimeter of the grocery store so you're not buying too many boxed or canned items," says Machak. "Eating healthy snacks like almonds instead of chips is great, and decreasing portion size while increasing the number of meals makes a huge difference."
CCA Support & Encouragement
Whether through formal Weight Watchers meetings or casual comments in the halls, support and encouragement from fellow FSC co-workers has been one of the most appreciated and important pay-offs of healthier living.
"Everyone has been very positive and supportive, and I may have even rubbed off on a few people," says McAllister. "I have some friends in the building who wouldn't have joined Weight Watchers, but have since because they've seen the process work for me."
Simple acknowledgements can also help them stay accountable to others, especially in moments when the new lifestyle was proving difficult.
"I was holding myself accountable by posting pictures on Facebook each week, and the comments I got were really encouraging," says Machak, who urges those trying to be healthier to share their goals with friends, family and co-workers. "When you set out to try to accomplish something but don't tell anyone, you don't feel like you're disappointing anyone if you want to stop."
"People have been really supportive about it," adds Barker. "Once someone makes a nice comment, it's such a positive reinforcement for you that when you're having a weaker moment, you can remember that there are so many people who are aware of your progress, complimenting you and encouraging you.
"You already know it's good for you," she adds, "But when someone else notices, it makes you feel even better and more likely to stay the course."
Sound Out
LT Gary M. Smith at Dawson State Jail:
Maybe we should make this a contest. The Texas prison system has an annual fitness challenge among its facilities for weight lost and fitness attained. It's a tradition and participation grows each year. Might work for us. Competition has a way of encouraging people to participate when other avenues fail
Kimly Coleman Smith at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility:
Being healthier both physicallyand spiritually are the way to go for 2012.
I'm ready for a challenge.