Every year, we invite Vitality members to share their victories, and every year we're amazed at how the Vitality program has impacted their lives. We hear stories of how individuals have been able to stop taking pain medicine, reverse diabetes, lose weight, get better sleep, encourage loved ones, improve their mental health and more.
At the end of 2020 we received thousands of stories from members from all walks of life. Here are just a few.
First-time fitness challenge
I participated for the very first time in a fitness challenge and I am so proud that I completed it every single day for 31 days! It was extremely hard to do during the month of December with the holidays and all that comes with it. I don’t think I would have been able to do it if it wasn’t for the Vitality App. It motivated me to see my progress everyday and to know that others could see my progress as well. I’m so proud of myself and for everyone else who participated as well. -- Marianna N.
365 days of motivation
I'm almost 60 and starting to struggle with weight and motivation. I rarely am able to stick with any fitness program for long, but I stuck with Vitality for the entire year! Linking to my Fitbit was KEY, gaining me reward points made me try to get more steps everyday and I logged 220 Workout Milestone. The health programs are also good resources and quizzing me at the end of them was a good review. Proud to get to Platinum Status! -- Marlene
The best version of myself
I’ve been on a diabetic journey for almost 2 years. This year I have lost 25lbs. and have gotten my A1C down to 5.8. It is something I have to work on daily and sometimes every waking hour there are a few thoughts focused on my diabetes. One of my daily goals is exercise – even if it’s chair yoga or chair cardio on a lunch break at my desk. I watch what I eat and selectively purchase foods... I couldn’t do this without Vitality. I feel like I’m the best person I can be and need to be for my family. Thanks, Vitality. - Carrie H.
I quit smoking
I QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES AFTER 35 YEARS! - Pamela D.
Healthy pregnancy
This year I was shocked to find out that I was carrying twins! I found out just before things began closing due to the pandemic. My gym closed down and I needed to continue to exercise to help my mood. I began tracking my steps more carefully on Vitality to measure my exercise. Initially I could hit the 10,000 step goal, but as my pregnancy progressed I had to adjust my goals. I used both step counting and the goals to help me remember to take care of myself and the babies I was growing. It felt like a victory to me to still be able to meet goals, even if I couldn’t make it to the gym. - Mary J.
I finally figured it out
My Vitality Victory is that I was persistent enough to figure out more precisely what my body requires for weight loss. I struggled for the past 15 years to lose weight and the changes I made in 2020 made the difference! I figured out how many minutes/miles of exercise I need each day for weight loss and strength, and I figured out how to balance the right kinds of carbs (complex!), fats (omega 3s!), and protein (fish!) to get results. I lost 12 pounds since July! The Vitality nutrition courses helped me understand the importance of this balance. Thank you! - Lucy H.
Less weight. More self-confidence.
When I began my weight loss journey, I was roughly 100 pounds overweight. I had no energy, no self-esteem, and felt exhausted all the time. I committed to losing weight in 2019, but hit a plateau after losing 30 pounds. Joining Vitality in 2020 was the boost I needed! Vitality helped me identify areas I needed to improve in and helped encourage me to be more active and to make more healthy choices! Thanks to Vitality, I've lost another 30 pounds this year, even with the pandemic! I feel so much better, have way more self confidence, and managed to go down a few sizes in my clothes! I even got my husband to join with me, and together, we saved up our vitality points to buy a Virtual Reality set which we use to exercise! Super excited and pumped to see where 2021 takes me with the help of Vitality! - Abigail B.
Inspiration during tough times
I am 2 sizes up since I moved to the USA. I had a wake up call just before COVID came along and started changing my diet and going back to gym. I was seeing great results relatively quickly because of my discipline but of course with all closers my achievements were quickly gone. The isolation led to more food because I am bored and no movements because our apartment is really small. Thanks to Vitality I found inspiration to to be more active and make healthier choices. I have not reached my desired goal yet but I am hopeful this year I will be able to. My husband is also using the vitality app and sometimes we have competitions who will do more steps during the week :) it is not about the points, it is about ourselves and our health, and we love it! - Lyubina D-M.
Best shape of my life
I am 61 years old and this is my first year participating in Vitality. I’ve always tried to make New Year resolutions to be more active and eat healthy, but this program was the first incentive that actually made me stick to it.
It started out just being about collecting points, but in doing so and taking the classes I learned so much about nutrition and exercise. Soon I achieved Silver status but my boost came when a couple of young bucks at work were bragging about being Silver and they were talking smack to each other about who would be Gold first. I decided that this 60+ year old man would get there before both of them. And I did! They vowed to make Platinum before I did but I beat them there too. But that is not what I am most proud of. I am most proud of the fact that I was able to meet my personal goal of 20,000 points. Double Platinum status! And I am in the best shape of my entire life. - Tim C.
I "got myself back"
Last year at this time I decided enough was enough. I re-engaged myself with vitality, readied a corner of my garage for workouts, and decided to “get myself back”. I started, not with a goal to lose weight, but with goals to improve my resting heart rate and lung capacity. My plan was to start out by doing what I could do.
Vitality helped me all year, every step of the way. From great nutrition classes and food suggestions, to the webinars, to the reminders to be more mindful, to sleeping tips. I found the classes on salt, sugar, fats, fiber particularly helpful and used the info to plan how I ate. I set goals with your goal planner. I worked out almost every day (a different DVD each day) and used my vitality nutrition guidance to completely change my eating habits.
The results? I lost 30lbs, my resting heart rate dropped about 10 beats, my stamina improved, and my mental clarity and attitude showed a marked change for the better. Such a “bonus”. The program also helped me WANT to keep up on health tests as watching points accumulate was a great motivation for me.
I have not had one sip of soda since I started my “year of me” in early January. I have not had one bite of a cookie or cake. I focus on eating well. In part, because I realize how much better I feel, but also as I need good food to fuel my workouts. This year I completed P90x, p90x2, p90x3 and then another another round of P90x. I just wanted to thank vitality for helping me so much this year. - Monica
A win-win-win
With the onset of the pandemic and the need for us to work from home, I was forced to to take a good look at my home to see how I could create an efficient work space. I was so happy to find that Vitality offered a Health FYI Webcast on this very subject! After listening to the webcast I used their tips to improve on my initial set-up. That motivated me to take a look at my entire living space and what improvements could be made to organize it and create more efficiencies. Each week I focused on a different area in my home. After a few weeks I had not only cleaned and organized but I had averaged at least 5000 daily steps (sometimes 10,000!), I realized that once I started moving, I had the energy to keep moving, and my mental health was through the roof because I felt like I accomplished something that I had been working hard towards and I now had a relaxing space to enjoy. In all, I added to my daily steps, improved my mental wellness and would now enjoy an ergonomic and efficient work space and a relaxing home environment. It’s a win-win-win for me! - Tanaka R.
Setting Goals
I lost 30lbs with vitality and lowered my cholesterol! I first started out by cutting out sugar then walked a mile everyday and then started thinking a mile everyday. I set and reached goals with vitality. - Kathleen W.
I was able to support others
Due to the Covid 19 pandemic I felt that there is a need to reach out to others and be supportive of coworkers and the community at large mental health issues during these trying times. I chose to complete the Mental Health First Aid certification program. I appreciate the support and resources that Vitality provides and inspired me to move forward with this personal goal and #bethedifference. - Liz H.
Staying healthy during recovery
I had my hip replaced 3 months ago and the Vitality program has given me the incentive to keep on my exercise program so I can keep up my physical and mental levels as I recover. - Michael P.
Lowered my resting heart rate
Vitality got me motivated to get myself in shape again. In the last year I have seen my blood pressure go from on the verge of starting medications to normal again. I’ve seen my resting heart rate drop from an average of 100 BMP to 79 BMP. My mental health has vastly improved along with my sleeping habits and eating habits. Overall, I feel incredible! Thank you Vitality! - Christine C.
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