For a while, I had no balance with food and exercise. I was eating too much sugar and wasn’t drinking enough water or exercising. I would feel physical pain in my hips, knees, and feet. I was getting headaches, feeling low-energy, and my pain was getting in my way of cleaning the house and cooking for my family.
My coworker, Nadia, told me to try the Thrive Challenge.
I had seen posters at work that mentioned the Thrive Challenge, but she got me to start using the Thrive app. My husband has some health issues, and I knew that if we could all do this together, we can stay on track and change our lifestyle. That was my main push to get started.
My first step was drinking more water.
I started keeping my water bottle with me during the day. It’s the large water bottle that I got from Walmart’s 25th anniversary. I also started going for walks every day. I started with half an hour, and now I can go up to two hours. In the summertime I was going hiking in the trails near Niagara Falls. My son took me there since he knew I was trying to start working out.
I now make time to cook more nutritious, raw meals.
We’ve been trying to eat more whole foods and organic vegetables, and we’ve cut out meat. I love having oats in the morning with raisins, almonds, hemp seeds and flaxseed powder with oat milk. I like to make a veggie salad before every meal with sesame seeds and flax seeds. I also sprout from moong dal and add that into my salad, or make lentil soup with it. During Diwali this year, our religious holiday, I made my own sweets at home instead of buying Indian sweets from the store.
We’ve started doing daily walks and hikes together as a family.
We are doing more activities like walking, hiking, and cooking. In the summer, we grew our own garden together. My kids help me cut the vegetables due to some hand pain I have. I’ve also been doing yoga stretches and meditation before bed to clear my mind. The Christmas hours and this busy time at work can be stressful, so this routine helps me become more calm.
We are saving money because we do not order food out anymore.
The fresh food we eat is making us feel more lively. We have been choosing to cook more at home, and now we have more money to live comfortably and are able to pay off our bills without using our credit cards as much. I am the one who is working due to my husband’s health issue, so saving money has made a huge difference.
I feel younger and more energetic.
I have fewer headaches, more energy, and I’m even fighting less with my husband. My face is even glowing! I’m thankful for the Thrive Challenge and to work somewhere that is positive and has good energy. I hope to have the same type of aura around me and help my colleagues when they need help. I am feeling positive and excited because now that I feel better, I can take better care of my family.
— Kirandeep Bhatia, Walmart Supercentre #3111, Scarborough, ON; $2K Winner