Sixty-five! That is an awesome number.

In the last 9 months, I have lost more than 65 pounds.This amazing transformation not only affected my outer appearancebut it has shaped the outlook of my future businessgoals.

It all started December 2011, when my family tooka Christmas photo. The day after, my father sent me the photoand I was horrified at how I had allowed myself to gain so muchweight in the last 10 years. At that moment, I decided Ineeded to make a change not only for myself but also, for thehealth of my business.

I have to admit, I had become increasing frustrated with thegrowth of my business, and desperately trying to find theculprit. In the meantime, I figured I would work on makingmyself healthier. I began my slow transformation, first with a tripWhole Foods. There, I began to understand what I should eat andwhat I should stay away from. I started cooking more at home andslowly spending less time at my favorite Austin,Texas, restaurants.

It was a hard process, especially when I had to entertainclients. I started paying more attention to what I wasordering, passing on the pre-bread options and became diligent toavoid those “social traps.” Once I understood how to eat, Ibegan to slowly incorporate different workouts. I found thatvarying my workouts helped me to determine what I liked and whatbored me. As it turns out, I love to run, perform yoga, bikeand engage in purebarre.

After 6 months all of my hard work was finally payingoff. The weight slowing began to shed and I found that I wasmore confident, energetic and assertive, which has proved to beprofitable for my business. Ialso redefined my business plan andtargeted industries, which has accounted for triple-digit growth inthe past year! Our targeted industry not only understands but also,appreciates the importance of health and wellness. In the pastyear, many of our new clients seek out vendors who believe that ahealthy workforce equals a healthy business and profits.

I am not the only one who has caught the “healthy bug,” in ouroffices. Shortly after my weight loss, many of my employeeswanted to lose weight but lacked my determination. I was soexcited my transformation that I offered to pay a larger portion oftheir health insurance premiums if they would bike to work at leastthree times a week. It was a no-brainer; all of the employeestook the challenge, and we have collectively lost a total of 170pounds so far. It was also a nice bonus to see our healthinsurance carrier reduce our monthly premium because of our healthywork incentive.

When I speak to many business owners, we all face the sameproblem, innovative ways to retain top employees. I always advocatewellness incentive programs, unfortunately, my counterparts lack myenthusiasm.