Here is Brad's story in his own words:
Jill and I's participation in The Wellness Challenge had a major impact on both our health and our marriage. For years, we struggled with being overweight due to poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle choices. In addition, my daily commute from Ashburn to D.C. made the significant changes that I knew were necessary seem impossible. As a result, my 2012 checkup revealed that I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar. Jill was also diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which impacts fertility.
In February, Jill convinced me to sign up for The Wellness Challenge in an effort to get healthy, both for ourselves and for our two year-old daughter. With each weekly challenge, we began tracking different aspects of our lifestyle that impact wellness (sleep, water intake, exercise, healthy eating, and even "me time" activities) and gained a better understanding of the changes we needed to make. Along the way, we discovered that these incremental lifestyle changes were not as difficult as we once thought. Jill began cooking more and taking control over the family's grocery and dietary decisions. I began walking two miles every day at lunchtime and later added three trips to the gym each week. Most importantly, we both began journaling our daily meals, activity, and sleep to hold ourselves accountable for our decisions.
Six weeks into the Challenge, I returned to the doctor for my 2013 checkup and found that the changes I made had dropped my blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels back into normal range. I lost 60 lb. over the course of the twelve week program and intend to continue that success by living healthier. In addition, Jill lost 16 lb. during the Challenge. More importantly, the weight she lost reversed her PCOS, and Jill and I are expecting our second child in November!
Brad & Jill Wiggins
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