Briefly introduce yourself and share a bit about your background.
My name is Jodie, and I work in Student Account Services. I am also a WellBAMA Ambassador. I am married to the best man, Johnathan Mize, and have three children and two grandchildren. I also decided to return to school and get my bachelor’s degree in communications.
Can you describe the starting point of your journey and the factors that led to this decision?
This is tricky to answer as we all start – stop – and start again. My final starting point was last July when I determined that I had had enough of the health problems and main problems with my knees after I had my sixth knee surgery in June between both of my knees. I was always in pain, and it was starting to affect my mood and not wanting to be active at all.
What were some challenges or obstacles you encountered during your wellness journey?
- I grew up on southern sweet tea, cathead biscuits, and all the red meat. My biggest challenge was letting go of that southern sweet tea. It has been nearly a year, and it is still hard not to drink it. I had help letting go of the red meat when I was diagnosed with alpha-gal.
- I am an emotional eater – this one has been tough to deal with because you must try to substitute something instead of food. I still struggle with this, and I imagine I always will.
- Water intake! The Strive for Five helped me conquer drinking more water. I got one of those water bottles with the times on it to help as well.
What advice would you give someone just starting their wellness journey?
- Stick with it. It is hard; there will be many trying times. You will have good days and bad days. Don’t get discouraged when you have bad moments; it is just a moment, and you can bounce back from them ( I know this is easier said than done).
- Have someone that you can rely on to hold you accountable. I only weigh once a week, around the same time of day at home, and I also weigh in at Tide Wellness once weekly because that keeps me accountable.
- Start with nutrition. I will be the first to say that I am not the best at logging my food, but that helps me, especially when I get in a rut. This way, I can go back and see what I need to do differently to progress. Don’t take everything out of your diet at once. Start with one thing, and then go to the next. I find that when I am craving something, good or not, it is best to go ahead and eat a small amount, no more than one serving size, to quench that craving, or I will end up eating the same amount or more of other food and still have that craving.
- I know I will probably get criticized for this– cut out the negative people in your life. This was hard for me, but my attitude turned positive, which has helped a lot.
- Once you get the nutrition aspect figured out, move on to more of the physical side, like going to the gym.
- Be sure to include your primary care physician in your plan and what you are doing. Doctors and nurse practitioners are great at helping you out!
Read more inspiring wellness stories, tips for maintaining a healthy routine, and meet all the UA Spotlight on Wellness employees from this year.
