Turning the Corner on Cholesterol

County employee discovers exercise, healthy food and takes control of her health

 

Debbie “Pixie” Saiz had never been an exerciser.

A probation aide in the County’s Probation Department, Saiz remembers going dancing when she was in her 20s and early 30s. But she never carved out time to work out. Until this year.

The 52 year old mother of three realized she was going to have to make some big changes about a year ago. She’d put on a lot of weight and felt sluggish, with neck pain and a lack of motivation.

“I was drinking lots of soda,” Saiz said.”I was not being mindful of what I was eating. I was getting junk food, chips. I just started doing a lot of quick meals.”

A doctor diagnosed her with high cholesterol after hers came back as 245 mg/dL, putting her at more than double the risk of coronary heart disease as those with levels of 200 mg/dL or less, according to the American Heart Association’s website.

Through a combination of regular exercise and changes to her diet, Saiz has dramatically dropped her cholesterol level. Her most recent reading, taken last month, measured at 225 mg/dL, a full 20 points lower than a year ago. She plans to keep dropping it.  

The doctor hadn’t prescribed Saiz with medication, instead suggesting she try making lifestyle changes. At first, she wasn’t sure where to start. She tried to cut out carbohydrates, but that barely made a difference.

“I got discouraged, but didn’t give up,” she said.

Then, some of Saiz’s co-workers started inviting her on walks at lunch. They were enrolled in the County’s 10,000 Steps program, a 12-week walking program that encouraged employees to walk 10,000 steps, or the equivalent of five miles, each day. Saiz didn’t enroll or keep track of how far she walked, but it gave her a taste of what it felt like to exercise regularly. The walking made her feel better, providing her with an energy boost and, surprisingly, less neck pain. The exercise felt like a “breath of fresh air,” Saiz said. She realized she enjoyed it.

“Initially, I’d do 15 minutes,” she said. “Then 20 minutes. Then I’d do 30 minutes.” 

Then, she added Jazzercise to the mix too. She started taking classes at lunch with her co-worker Deputy Probation Officer Casey Ryan, who teaches them.

When the County’s Thrive Across America program launched this past summer, Saiz signed up as part of a team of co-workers. Under that program, participants traveled from Maine to Hawaii on a virtual route based on the amount of exercise they logged in online.

Saiz then added more exercise to the mix: circuit training. Her co-worker, Deputy Probation Officer Heather Lacroix, started leading workouts, also at lunch.

Saiz got hooked. Today, she exercises every week day at lunch, five days a week. Sometimes she does Zumba on the weekends too.

Along with the new exercise regimen, Saiz changed her diet and eating habits. She eats more vegetables, fruits and grains. She starts her day with oatmeal and takes Flax seed oil supplements. She’s gotten lots of healthy recipe ideas and tips from daily Thrive Across America program emails. So far, she has shed eight pounds (one pant size) and hopes to lose another 60 lbs.

The healthy influence has rubbed off on her children too. Her youngest son, a ninth grader, now buys healthier snacks, and her middle son, a tenth grader, just started boxing at a gym.

Even though the County’s Thrive Across America competition officially ended in September, Saiz and her co-workers haven’t stopped logging their daily exercise into the online program. The daily emails continue to keep Saiz on track too, she said.

“I attribute a lot of (my progress) to the emails and what the county has offered,” she said. “What they did has helped put the fire under me.”