Spotlight on Wellness: Ryan Peters

Position with company: Loss Control Specialist (C1)

Age: 30

Height: 6'1"

Weight lost: 60 lbs.

Favorite exercise: Running; also rollerblading and core exercises

Favorite food: Any kind of pasta – runners need carbs!

Ryan's challenge
In college, I could eat and drink anything I wanted without gaining weight. I continued those bad habits after school but eventually the weight snuck up on me. Being overweight made me feel run down, and my self-esteem definitely suffered. I also realized I had started dealing with stress by eating huge portions of food and smoking too much.

The turning point
After watching several friends tackle serious health issues, I decided to start taking better care of my own health. I quit smoking, started going to the gym, improved my cardio fitness and started to lose weight. When the weather got nice, I started rollerblading outside and saw a lot of runners who seemed very enthusiastic about their sport. About that time, I read an article celebrating the 25th anniversary of Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope. He was a cancer patient and amputee who ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research. That inspired me to train for my first 5K, and then a half-marathon. While training, I met friends who planned to compete in a 30K the following spring and I decided to join them. I also got back into biking and swimming — which I had enjoyed in high school — and started doing triathlons.

Making success happen
Changing my health habits wasn't easy, but I got help from Enterprise's free EAP LifeManagement benefit. The EAP helped me better manage stress, offered career counseling and put me in contact with a nutritionist who gave me recipes and recommendations for healthy eating. She formulated a six-week eating plan to move me toward my weight-loss goals, and then checked in with me once a week to talk about my progress. Now I eat smaller portions of food more frequently. I snack constantly on healthier items, and have something every two hours to keep from overeating. I also avoid fast foods and bad fats.

Motivational secrets

• Choose an exercise activity you really enjoy. I love to run, so I get excited to do it. It's an event. I get my gear ready before bed, I go to bed early, and I eat well, so I'm ready to run in the morning. Setting a goal, like completing a race or triathlon, has helped keep me motivated to train and stay healthy.
• Listen to your body. It's a machine. It will respond to what you put into it and how you train it to perform.
• Exercise with a group. You're more likely to stay motivated if other people count on you to show up. Plus, it makes exercising more of a social event.
• Find a role model. My sister is a wheelchair Olympian and inspires me to reach my training goals.