December 2016

Get out there and show yourself what you can do!

Tiffany Landor has always enjoyed being active, so when her son wanted her to shoot hoops with him she eagerly agreed. To her surprise, she quickly became tired and out of breath. She decided right then she needed to get back into shape. She joined a challenge that required participants to run 28 miles in 14 days. She completed it two days early and committed to one hour of daily exercise. She went back to the gym and on days she can’t make it, hits the treadmill in her garage. She also changed her eating habits. She replaced her every-Friday-night chicken wings routine with healthier choices. Tiffany lost 12 pounds and went down two sizes. Playing with her kids with renewed energy gives her the most joy, however.

Was weight loss your goal?

Being in better shape was my goal – but I’m happy about the weight loss! I’ve always like to work out, so I was surprised to find myself out of breath just from playing basketball with my son. I said, “Oh no, this has to change.”

How do you find the time to work out with a full-time job and kids?

My husband’s in the military and is away in Japan. So I’m essentially a single parent raising two kids, working full time and going to school. I find any time I can in my day to work out. I dedicate an hour. If I can’t go to the gym, I get on the treadmill in the garage. Or I run from driveway to driveway. I do something. I have stairs in my home. I run up and down the stairs. I have my son working out, too. He’ll do sit-ups and push-ups with me.

My husband is coming home in January. He’s been in the Navy for eight years. Sometimes we use an app where we can track each other’s running and we do challenges with each other even though he’s in Japan. Working out is a stress reliever.

How have you changed your eating?

I love Buffalo wings. I used to eat wings every Friday. I’ve cut that down. But I give myself a cheat day.

Sometimes I drink a meal replacement shake or  I juice. I order my juice from squeezedonline.com. I also eat a lot of green, leafy vegetables. On the days I work out with weights, I eat more lean protein. I also eat brown rice and whole grain pasta. I drink a gallon of water a day.

How do you feel as a result of the changes you’ve made?

I’m happy about the way I look now. I do it now just to be a better fit me. I want to be able to play basketball with my son without any issues, especially since his dad isn’t here. I have to pick up the slack.

What are some of the things you tell others to get them motivated?

I try to encourage my team to eat healthy. When we have meetings we bring in a fruit tray and salad instead of cake and doughnuts.  I’m going to start a free boot camp at Tom Bass Park in 2016.

What advice would you give employees who want to be healthier?

You have to start somewhere. Something is better than nothing. Stop saying “can’t.” Try. It starts within you. You have to make that change. You have to push yourself.

Participating in challenges helps because we can encourage and motivate each other.

Don’t fall back on excuses. Go hard or go home. You have to get out there and show yourself what you can do. And you won’t know until you try.