Sheri Mitchell, a media traffic manager here at DS, was awarded the Lifestyle Change Award at this year’s Rochester Heart Walk & Run. Each year, the award recognizes one male and one female who have made positive changes impacting their quality of life and improving their health. Below, she shares her story.
Winning the American Heart Association Lifestyle Changes Award was not something I set out to do when I decided that I wanted to start feeling good about myself. My weight was the only thing that always made me feel like a failure. Being overweight wasn’t anything new for me. It was something I’ve been dealing with my whole life.
One event in July 2014 made me mentally ready to finally do something about it. I lost a friend and former co-worker to ALS. Old pictures of us were being posted on social media and that’s when I realized how much more weight I had put on over the years. So, on August 6, 2014, I signed up with a popular national program and followed the steps they set up for me to get started on this journey.
The gym membership that I was paying for and not using, I started using. I asked for a Fitbit for Christmas so that I could track all of my activities. I kept a record of my meals and allowed myself an indulgence or two. I didn’t do anything magical. I practiced portion control, I added healthier foods to my diet, and I became more active. I had no idea that the changes I was making to my health would inspire others to make changes to their health. I just wanted to conquer the one obstacle in my life that always made me feel bad about myself.
We all have our demons to deal with, and I’m taking this one on full force. My weight goal is very close to being reached. Now that I have a much more positive outlook on myself, I know I will not only reach that goal, but I will make sure I never let my weight make me feel like a failure again.