Chris Schumacher named June Fittest Employee of the Month

I am honored to be named this month?s fittest employee. When I was much younger, I was always involved in sports and became very familiar with the process of training to get in shape for upcoming athletic seasons. I noticed how hard and torturous it was at the beginning, but after a certain point, if I stuck with it and kept pushing myself, it became easier and easier. I also noticed that being in good physical shape made me feel better mentally. I came to equate the process to that of climbing a steep hill. It?s not much fun when you start. You huff and puff. Your legs hurt. You want to just quit, take the easy way out and go back downhill. But if you can just get over that hump, it starts to level out and gets easier. At the top, you feel good for accomplishing something and you enjoy the great view that you wouldn?t have seen had you given up.

Like most other folks, as I got older, responsibilities ate up my free time, and with any that I did have, I wanted to just rest and relax. Being in IT (Information Technology), I spent most work days sitting in front of a computer. Before I knew it, I went from being very physically active to being pretty much sedentary. My diet wasn?t all that great, especially when my kids were younger. With all of their activities, fast food became too common. The combination of low physical activity and poor diet started adding pounds to my weight, month after month. In 2010, about a year before I joined the NTCC staff, I found myself 30 pounds overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and not feeling well at all mentally.

I decided to do something about it and bought a good quality treadmill, since running on hard street surfaces tended to hurt my knees and ankles. I started slow, at the bottom of ?the hill?, by just walking at a brisk pace for 20 minutes, then 30, then 40. Then, I worked my way up to jogging part of the time, and then finally jogging the whole time. It wasn?t any fun at first, but after I got ?over the hump?, I could see and feel the benefits. During this time, I started cutting back on white flour, chips, salt,† and fried foods. I started eating more chicken, fish, turkey, whole grains and trying to drink more water

In the spring of 2012, I decided to invest in a good road bicycle. This was a way I could take some of the boredom out of my exercise.† I started by riding on the weekends and mapped out a set of different routes that would keep the scenery changing and had a good mixture of flat terrain and hills. I?ve just recently started riding my bike to/from work 2 or 3 times a week, weather permitting. I really enjoy the early morning rides when the traffic is light and the air is cool. I?m not sure yet how I?ll do with this during the hot months of July and August, so if any of you find an empty bike on the side of the road next to a pool of sweat, you?ll know I melted.

My next goal is to slow (or perhaps even reverse) the muscle loss that comes with aging, so I?m trying to increase the amount of protein in my diet and incorporate resistance training into my week. The FIT has been a nice, convenient (and free!) place to get this done and it provides me a place to shower and dress on the days I ride in to work.

I still have a way to go with my diet. My biggest shortfall is with sugar. My friends in the Admin building know how big my sweet tooth is. (Did someone say cheesecake??)† My dad was diabetic and I want to take preventative measures soon before I find myself in that same situation. However, I?m not quite sure how to best conquer this demon. Resistance doesn?t seem to be working! So those of you who have successfully been down this path, I?d like to hear from you. We already try not to have sweet things in the house since I have no willpower!

I?d like to encourage anyone who wants to feel better, mentally and physically, to just start moving. Many people think the road to wellness is just TOO LONG. Well, don?t focus on the whole road. Just focus on the next step. After starting slow, the key is†consistency†(quit making excuses!) and to continue to inch the intensity level up over time until you can start seeing and feeling the benefits. That?s when you?ll feel the energy and motivation to do even more. I know I feel much better now than I did 3 years ago.

Chris Schumacher