Pulse

Fall 2015

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H E A RT B E AT S torrancememorial.org PULSE | 31 "IT WAS STARTLING TO SEE HOW LITTLE I MOVED. NOW I MAKE SURE TO WALK 10,000 STEPS JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY." L ast year, Steven J. ompson was swamped, overseeing Torrance Memorial Medical Center pharmacy's move to the Lundquist Tower. He'd return from work late, have dinner, and either plop in front of the television or head straight to bed. e pharmacy director, 61, went to college on a basketball scholar- ship and had kept active coaching his daughters' sports teams. But over the years, his weight had crept up, and he'd become sedentary. Two things were about to turn Steve's habits around: His wife started taking fit- ness classes at a local g ym and Torrance Memorial introduced the Vitality program. e Vitality program motivates participants to become healthier by rewarding activities with points that can be used toward purchase of items such as electronics and gi cards. Participants complete an online Health Risk Assessment and the Vitality program generates specific health goals, along with activities and a timeline for reaching those goals. Although Steve was too busy to participate when the program launched, his wife, Eloise (also known as "Weeg") registered and began exploring the online edu- cational resources. She took a nutrition course to earn points and was pleasantly surprised by how much she learned. "It really made me think about what I put in my mouth," she says. Weeg began trying the recipes and substituting whole-grain bread for white bread and brown rice for white. "We were eating healthier and in moderation, but we were more satis- fied and snacked less," she says. She started racking up points from her sessions at the gym and 5K runs, includ- ing those sponsored by Torrance Memorial. One of her favorite runs benefits Evelyn's Breast Friends Forever. Founded by Torrance Memorial nurse Evelyn Calip, the orga- nization raises money to fund breast reconstruction surgery for uninsured or underin- sured women. Another run, Wings for Life, starts at 4:30 a.m. and is held simultane- ously in 35 cities around the globe to raise funds for spinal cord injury research. Steve saw his wife having fun and getting impressive results: She lost about 50 pounds and could fit into an evening dress she had worn more than two decades ago. With the pharmacy's move behind him, Steve was ready to get started. e omp- sons used Weeg's points to purchase Fitbit monitoring devices and began tracking their steps. "It was startling to see how little I moved, especially when I was in meetings all day," says Steve. "Now, I make sure to walk 10,000 steps just about every day." e couple's Fitbit devices sync with the Vitality website so not only are they motivated to reach their daily goal for steps, but they also get rewarded with points for doing so. Steve's challenge was to lose 5% of his body weight. "When I hit my goal, I felt better and had more energ y. I could bend over and tie my shoes again," he says. He also joined Weeg in running 5Ks—he's completed six so far. During a recent run, Weeg placed second in her age bracket and Steve came in third for his. Steve has lost 40 pounds and in June 2015, he and Weeg both attained platinum level, the Vitality program's highest. Steve, who has worked at Torrance Memorial for 39 years, believes the Vitality program illustrates how caring an organization it is. "ey care about us as employees," he says. "ey take care of their employees so their employees can take care of the patients."

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