I had many difficult situations in my life, and a talk I had with the personnel manager helped me make the decision to start the Challenge. My biggest challenge has always been my diet, to the point that my life was already at risk due to my being overweight. I was not doing any physical activity.
My sleep has always been difficult due to my health.
I slept with a machine due to being overweight, but through these steps and advice from Thrive, I began to exercise my body and eat healthier. Thanks to that I have lost some weight and I can sleep much better.
When I started the first Challenge I weighed around 325 lbs.
I started eating healthy and I started walking, trying to reach 1,000 steps a day, but it has been a blessing and I already walk 2 miles in 30 minutes in great spirits. I also took advantage of my limited time to join a gym to help me exercise my body correctly.
A Microstep that has helped me a lot is taking a minute to think about what I really want before starting my work day.
This has helped me focus more on what I want to achieve in my career at Walmart, just like when I go out. From work I come home and my time is dedicated 100 percent to my family. As for technology, I have tried to minimize the use of it while I take my work breaks. From time to time I go for a walk for a while without any type of technology to clear my mind.
I have taken some time to write or call those people who I have not had communication with for a long time.
Thanks to that, we have organized a small group to work for our community since there are many older people in it. We began to visit them and together we try to help those people with their basic needs. I am organizing to once again coach a children’s baseball team. I was a coach several years ago, and I want to give children the opportunity to play a sport that inspires them to be better citizens.
In my home the change has been in communication more than anything.
Thanks to the limitation of electronic equipment, our communication is super good. I have spoken with my partner and we had a meeting with a financial advisor who is helping us manage our finances in an intelligent way and thanks to that stress about money is not a problem for us.
Helped by Microsteps, we have started to exercise as a family and eat healthier.
Thanks to that, my health has greatly improved and I am super happy about that. We are always trying to do things that give us family happiness. In my work, I always take my time to share my short- and long-term goals, always organizing to do one thing at a time so I can do them in the right way, always focused on my objective. These Microsteps have changed my life in an impressive way. Thanks to them, my life has changed for the better.
My life started again in the best way.
Looking in the mirror, the difference is extremely visible. The relationship with my loved ones is now super good. I feel proud of what I have achieved thanks to the Challenge.
— Willie Mercado, Walmart Store #2085, Isabela, PR; $5K Winner