“Commitment: One woman's journey to health - Akron Beacon Journal” |
| Commitment: One woman's journey to health - Akron Beacon Journal Posted: 04 Oct 2010 06:21 AM PDT Commitment: One woman's journey to health UPublish story by G. Berila POSTED: 09:27 a.m. EDT, Oct 04, 2010 At 42, Jennifer Doll, of Barberton, says she has no desire to be younger because she feels better now than she did when she was in her 20s, a result of her commitment to leading a healthier lifestyle and of losing 180 pounds. She is celebrating her success by participating in the Start! Akron Heart Walk on the morning of Saturday, October 9 at The University of Akron Stile Athletics Field House, and the American Heart Association is celebrating her by recognizing Doll as one the 2010 Lifestyle Change Award winners. Activities and registration for the Start! Heart Walk begin at 8:30 a.m. at The University of Akron Stile Field Athletics House. In addition to raising funds, the Start! Heart Walk encourages the community to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle by incorporating physical activity into their lives. As part of that effort, the American Heart Association honors community members with Lifestyle Change Awards for those individuals who have made significant strides in improving their eating habits and cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure and increasing the amount of physical activity in their lives. "I've always been overweight. I had pretty much given up on ever seriously losing weight," said Doll about how she felt at almost 400 pounds before she started up the path to a healthier lifestyle. Like many who struggle with losing weight, Doll's weight was affecting her outlook on life, her overall health and her interactions with others. Her blood pressure was reaching the point where it would need to be controlled with medication, and she couldn't walk without pain. It was at her mother's encouragement that Doll joined weight watcher on January 8, 2009. To date, she has lost 180 pounds. "What Weight Watchers taught me was how to eat correctly. I can control my cravings now, and I am much more aware of what my portion sizes need to be," Doll noted about her weight loss experience. Doll also became more physically active, starting with water aerobics and strength training with a personal trainer and moving into more high impact activities like cardio exercises and Zumba. She is now exercising six days a week for at least 45 minutes each day. "I feel so much better and have so much more energy than I used to. I really love my life," said Doll about the results she has achieved. "I see people who are where I was a year and a half ago, and I want to encourage them. I want to let them know that it is possible to reach that goal. I reached one goal of getting healthier, and now I am on my way to achieving others." Doll's positive attitude has made all the difference since she began her journey toward a heart healthy. She said of the experience of becoming healthier, "It doesn't matter what age you are or at what point you are starting. It just matters that you start." Sponsorship from health-conscious local businesses and organizations make the event possible. This year's local sponsors included: Summa Health System, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Akron General, Cedarwood Development, Inc., Akron Children's Hospital and The University of Akron. This year's media sponsors are WONE/WAKR/WQMX, Akron Metro RTA, the Akron Beacon Journal and Time Warner Cable. Subway and Walmart are the national sponsors of the Heart Walk. For more information on the Akron Start! Heart Walk or to nominate an individual for the Lifestyle Change Award please call 330-664-1905 or visit www.heartwalk.kintera.org/akronoh  Before Doll made the commitment to become healthier, she sais she had "pretty much given up on ever seriously losing weight." At 42, Jennifer Doll, of Barberton, says she has no desire to be younger because she feels better now than she did when she was in her 20s, a result of her commitment to leading a healthier lifestyle and of losing 180 pounds. She is celebrating her success by participating in the Start! Akron Heart Walk on the morning of Saturday, October 9 at The University of Akron Stile Athletics Field House, and the American Heart Association is celebrating her by recognizing Doll as one the 2010 Lifestyle Change Award winners. Activities and registration for the Start! Heart Walk begin at 8:30 a.m. at The University of Akron Stile Field Athletics House. In addition to raising funds, the Start! Heart Walk encourages the community to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle by incorporating physical activity into their lives. As part of that effort, the American Heart Association honors community members with Lifestyle Change Awards for those individuals who have made significant strides in improving their eating habits and cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure and increasing the amount of physical activity in their lives. "I've always been overweight. I had pretty much given up on ever seriously losing weight," said Doll about how she felt at almost 400 pounds before she started up the path to a healthier lifestyle. Like many who struggle with losing weight, Doll's weight was affecting her outlook on life, her overall health and her interactions with others. Her blood pressure was reaching the point where it would need to be controlled with medication, and she couldn't walk without pain. It was at her mother's encouragement that Doll joined weight watcher on January 8, 2009. To date, she has lost 180 pounds. "What Weight Watchers taught me was how to eat correctly. I can control my cravings now, and I am much more aware of what my portion sizes need to be," Doll noted about her weight loss experience. Doll also became more physically active, starting with water aerobics and strength training with a personal trainer and moving into more high impact activities like cardio exercises and Zumba. She is now exercising six days a week for at least 45 minutes each day. "I feel so much better and have so much more energy than I used to. I really love my life," said Doll about the results she has achieved. "I see people who are where I was a year and a half ago, and I want to encourage them. I want to let them know that it is possible to reach that goal. I reached one goal of getting healthier, and now I am on my way to achieving others." Doll's positive attitude has made all the difference since she began her journey toward a heart healthy. She said of the experience of becoming healthier, "It doesn't matter what age you are or at what point you are starting. It just matters that you start." Sponsorship from health-conscious local businesses and organizations make the event possible. This year's local sponsors included: Summa Health System, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Akron General, Cedarwood Development, Inc., Akron Children's Hospital and The University of Akron. This year's media sponsors are WONE/WAKR/WQMX, Akron Metro RTA, the Akron Beacon Journal and Time Warner Cable. Subway and Walmart are the national sponsors of the Heart Walk. For more information on the Akron Start! Heart Walk or to nominate an individual for the Lifestyle Change Award please call 330-664-1905 or visit www.heartwalk.kintera.org/akronoh TO READERS: This story was provided by an individual or organization for use on the Ohio.com community site, http://www.ohio.com/upublish. We do not endorse and cannot guarantee the accuracy of this posting, though we do reject announcements with inappropriate content. You can read our full user agreement here. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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