Adan’s Story

As an IT Network Engineer and someone that just completed their Bachelor’s degree while working full-time, my days can be incredibly hectic. My wife and I are also expecting our first child later this year. While I am used to juggling many responsibilities, a few months ago I found myself wanting a way to boost my physical activity, lower my blood pressure, improve my sugar levels and help combat stress.  In my career, I have found that “caring for the mind” is just as important as being able to maintain good physical health and be on my feet for most of the workday.  For me, working out and being active have always helped me manage stress and maintain a positive mental health outlook.  Through my employer’s health plan, I have access to ConnectCare3.  Being somewhat familiar with CC3’s offerings, I decided to contact a Patient Advocate and see if I might be eligible to work with a Health Coach.  Although I am familiar with weight training and cardio, I figured that I could use some expert guidance to create a more sustainable exercise plan.  The Patient Advocates connected me with a CC3 Health Coach who is certified in exercise physiology.  After working with my coach, I am so glad that I decided to call ConnectCare3.  I needed a welcoming and supportive environment to help achieve my physical and mental wellness goals. CC3 provided that and more. After a few short conversations, I could tell the ConnectCare3 philosophies about focusing on my physical health to create better mental health fell in line with what I have noticed in my past. CC3 started by developing a resistance-training program to increase my muscle strength to give a large boost to my metabolism. It was emphasized, “Resistance training will give way to greater long-term improvements in fat loss, lower blood sugar levels, and improvements in blood pressure than cardio alone would”. This was music to my ears because who wants to do cardio?!   CC3 offered simple and effective nutrition suggestions without having to go into a “whole meal plan”. Even very small basic changes led to noticeable differences. This helped keep it very easy to start making small changes and prevented me from feeling overwhelmed. My health coach also emphasized the importance of consistency and discipline with sticking to an exercise plan. I needed to be pushed and held accountable. When I was not doing the things I was supposed to do, my coach would ask, “Do you want me to tell you the truth or tell you what you want to hear?”  Hearing the truth and understanding the “why” behind everything really helped me to buy in and do what I needed to do.  My health coach has been an amazing mentor. The confidential and supportive atmosphere my coach provides helped me excel with my health goals. The coach I got checks in bi-weekly if not weekly and is always available for questions and help. Today, I am feeling great!  I have lost weight, lowered my blood sugar and blood pressure and now use exercise as a sustainable way to manage work-related stress and burnout.  It is funny how much of a difference I notice (physically and mentally) if I do not do the small nutrition-related things and miss a few workouts in a short period. Everything he said would happen, happened. I cannot advocate enough; if you are even half-curious about whether CC3 could help you improve your health and wellness – give them a call and get started!  There will never be a “perfect time” to start. ConnectCare3 told me I had to make it a priority and now that I have, I never want to stop. Why wait to start once your health has become so poor that it’s no longer an option when it’s so much easier to prevent it than it is to reverse it!