ACI’s Walks the Talk: Navid’s Wellness Challenge (Part 2)

October 9, 2014      |      Posted on Posted in Inside ACI
ACI’s Walks the Talk: Navid’s Wellness Challenge (Part 2)

(In case you missed it, check out Part 1 here.)

Knowing that my wedding was coming up in 2 months, and constantly seeing flyers for “healthy living” and reading the weekly “AppleByte,” I knew that there was a resource here that could greatly benefit me. I wasn’t even sure what it was that I needed to do or have happen for things to change – I just knew that they needed to. I knew I wanted to get in shape for the wedding, and I knew that the workout videos weren’t cutting it. And this is where the CORE Wellness team really worked their magic. They assessed what I wanted, took my measurements, and gave me a week plan to figure out some “baseline data.” Essentially this meant tracking my current diet and activity with the ACI app. When I came back with the information, they were able to develop a caloric intake cap, as well as a schedule and routine for exercising based off of that data. And this is the best part: it involved things that I already love to do! I am an avid drummer in a band, and so that became a crucial part of my workout regimen. As it turns out, playing drums for 4 hours straight ends up burning a TON of calories, IF you’re not eating junk food and drinking beer. I also picked up surfing, which (surprise, surprise) also burns a high amount of calories. I signed up for the gym and found a gym buddy who would go with me 3 times a week, and I started going on runs as often as possible with my fiancé. And I realize that while this may seem like a really intense workout regimen, it’s far from it! I am doing things that I absolutely love to do and that are fun to do. I’m not dreading jumping around in a bedroom for over an hour listening to Tony Horton crack dad-jokes.

Ultimately it boils down to putting in fewer calories than I have calories going out. American society has done a good job of convincing us that we need to constantly purchase items to lose weight, whether it be diet pills or strange gizmos and gadgets to improve our “6-pack.” With the help of the ACI wellness team, I have shaken my head of those ideas, and have gone back to the basics. And it feels amazing.

Have a personal wellness story you’d love to share? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or email askthepros@acieap.com!