Page 31 - HCPVitalityChronicles

Vitality Pushes Carl Cook to Achieve Goals and Earn Points

While Improving His Health

Sometimes these days, Carl Cook’s family Cook is motivated to exercise on his
tells him he is too skinny. From the begin- own, and he also competed this year
ning of February through the middle of in the Tour de Cure bike ride for the
May, Cook, Programmer Analyst 3, Pacific American Diabetes Association, for
Gateway, participated in an IS weight loss which HealthCare Partners was one
competition, and at the final weigh-in, he of the top corporate sponsors, raising
had lost 40 pounds. Cook’s weight loss more than $6,000. “I figured if I was
helped him to reach an important goal he going to do any kind of fundraiser, it
had set on Vitality: reducing weight to Carl Cook was prepared to sponsor him- should be this,” Cook explained,
achieve a healthy BMI. Now his BMI is in the self in this year’s Tour de Cure bike ride adding that he did not even own a
for diabetes, but his coworkers gladly
normal range, and he plans to keep it that supported the cause. bike for the past 15 years and only
way. purchased one for the April event. He
rode for 12 miles that day, and plans to take part in the
For 28 years, since he was 15 years old, Cook has had Type event next year as well.
1 diabetes. Because of this, his diet has always been fairly
healthy, but prior to joining the Vitality program, “exercise Changing his lifestyle from sedentary to active had been
was just about non-existent,” he noted. A Vitality member on his mind for several years. “Since shortly after high
since 2010, Cook really started this year to push for more school, I have thought I should exercise more,” Cook said.
points in the program, and in the process, he has become “Vitality really gave me that little push to start doing it.”
much more physically active. And accomplishing goals helps to keep him on his path. He
recently achieved his goals of lowering his blood pressure
“Before I used to sit at my desk for lunch,” Cook said. “Now and keeping his HbA1c level below 7%, which earned him
I usually walk at lunch, and I have even started some jog- points while keeping him healthy.
ging.” He uses MapMyFitness or MapMyRun to automati-
cally accrue Vitality points. And while the amount of points “I feel better; I was overweight before, and didn’t have a
per workout may seem small, they add up. When Cook re- healthy body type,” Cook said. “Now I fit in my clothes bet-
cently realized what he could purchase with Vitality bucks, ter, and even fit into some I had not been able to wear in a
he decided to go for Platinum, and he reached it. One of his long time. Vitality was the little push I needed to go do it.”
recent purchases on the Vitality mall was a printer that
costs $250; he used his Vitality bucks to get it for free.

All information in the Vitality program is HIPAA protected. Members have chosen to share their personal health accomplishments.

For more information about Vitality, visit www.powerofvitality.com. Contact Janet Galli for further program information.