It was a hard process, especially when I had to entertain clients. I started paying more attention to what I was ordering, passing on the pre-bread options and became diligent to avoid those “social traps.” Once I understood how to eat, I began to slowly incorporate different workouts. I found that varying my workouts helped me to determine what I liked and what bored me. As it turns out, I love to run, perform yoga, bike and engage in pure barre.

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

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

When I speak to many business owners, we all face the same problem, innovative ways to retain top employees. I always advocate wellness incentive programs, unfortunately, my counterparts lack my enthusiasm.