When I started my job with Walmart in 2021, I relocated to Bentonville, Arkansas. These were big changes for my family. I had been with my previous employer and lived in the same small town for 23 years. I’m 47, and I wanted to be a valuable asset to Walmart, and to my new team. But my big struggle was finding balance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I weighed 230 pounds and needed to lose weight.
I wanted to spend more quality time with my family.
I have three grown kids: Tori, Brieana, and Jimmy Jr. I started my family early with my first wife. Then in 2017, I married my current wife, Kylie, and we were blessed with our daughter, Lynnon, who is three and the light of my life! We had Lynnon with our first attempt at in vitro fertilization. She has truly changed my outlook on life and I don’t want to miss out on her growing up, or take the little things for granted with her, which happened when I was raising my other three children. I also needed to focus on my finances, which took a hit with the costly fertility procedures. I heard about Thrive and I figured it would be the perfect tool for helping me achieve my goals. And I was right.
I started spending more time with Lynnon.
I get off work in time to pick Lynnon up from daycare every day. We play outside, go to the park, and sometimes we just stay at home to work on puzzles, and watch her favorite shows. She thinks she isWonder Woman, so she loves to beat me up LOL! I love my time with her.
Meal prepping is the Microstep that helps me stay on track with food.
I plan my meals for the week which makes everything less stressful. I switched to a low-carb diet. My favorite breakfast is low fat Greek yogurt with mixed berries. My daily lunches consist of veggies and protein — mostly chicken — and I’ll have a protein shake for a snack. Dinner is the same — protein and veggies. But I mix it up so I don’t get bored. My favorite Food Microstep: pausing before grabbing food. I’ve lost 40 lbs. and feel better than I have in years.
Kylie and I love to cycle and hike together.
We live close to many parks and trails. We love Hobbs State Park, and the Razorback Greenway which runs from Fayetteville to Bentonville and has over 30 miles of great biking trails.
We’ve been building our endurance.
When we first started cycling, we’d have to take frequent breaks — sometimes we’d have to push our bikes uphill! Now those hills aren’t a problem. I passed a guy pushing his bike and said to Kylie, “That was me just a few months ago!” And we can easily hike over 10 miles now.
My biggest source of stress at work was being new to the distribution center.
I didn’t have the experience I’d had at my last job. But I always want to be a top performer so creating a path to achieve my goals was important to me. And it’s all working. I’m performing well in my new role by staying organized and managing my time effectively, which helps me manage stress. I also do Microsteps like stretching, deep breathing, and taking walks in my breaks.
I use my computer calendar to plan my week.
I use my time to connect with my associates on a personal level, and I’m building strong relationships with my team.
My wife and I are saving money.
I really like this Microstep: Schedule a financial check-in with your partner. We have regular conversations about our financial future, and not just about our current bills and obligations. We also check our credit score once a week and we’re stronger financially.
With my newfound energy, I’ve been able to take on a few side jobs.
I do yard work to close the gap. All these steps have helped me a lot, and I was able to pay off my truck six months early. I’ve also increased my savings in my emergency fund.
Thrive makes it easy to stay focused on your goals.
I’m learning a lot from the videos. I feel connected with my wife and kids; our family unit is stronger. I’m making good choices, and I’m happy.
— Jimmy Hartsfield, Distribution Center #6094, Bentonville, AR; $5K Winner