Sheriff Kirk Smith with Washington County

Kirk Smith, known by most as “Sheriff Smith”, from Washington County wants YOU to be in The Apple Program^®!

When Kirk found out he would need to work with an Apple Health Coach^® he was not too thrilled about the idea. He said he thought it would be overwhelming and time-consuming with his busy lifestyle, and thought that a health coach would try to push him to do things that he didn’t have time for. But Kirk would be the first to admit that he has had a very different experience. His Apple Health Coach helped him to set simple and realistic goals that he could meet. “She saw a project in me,” he said. “I never felt like working with a coach was a burden. “ Kirk says that his personal health coach assisted him by advising him on his diet and helping him make aerobic exercise goals. During the year, he tore the rotator cuffs in both of his shoulders and had to adjust his workouts to activities like walking and lower-back exercises. “I greatly appreciated my coach and her personal touch. She always showed personal concern for me and talked to me like a friend. Without her, I don’t think I would have seen the success I have so far,” Kirk says. “I appreciated the reminders that my Coach gives me about my goals, as well as her willingness to be flexible with me as I try to meet the demands of my busy life.”

Like many, Kirk has had a high metabolism for most of his life. He maintained a healthy weight and a good physique without doing much exercise or watching what he ate. He says he experienced no consequences for poor habits. In the last few years, his age has begun to catch up with him. As his metabolism slowed down, he started to notice a few extra pounds. Since Kirk was accustomed to not being very active, the first change he made was joining a gym with his wife. He would much rather be playing sports than working out at a gym, but his age will not permit him to participate in the sports that he used to enjoy. While he still doesn’t enjoy the gym very much, he knows that the health benefits outweigh the hassle of going. Kirk and his wife have dedicated themselves to going to the gym each morning at 5 AM before they start their day.

Because of his commitment to living healthier, Kirk has lost eight pounds, has lowered his blood pressure, and has seen improvements in all of his other biometric scores as well. He no longer is required to work with a coach, but he says that he still enjoys talking to his Apple Health Coach occasionally because it helps him be accountable about his health. His success is not the result of any major changes, but rather he has just committed himself to doing small things that he was not doing before.

Kirk would highly recommend The Apple Program to anyone. He says that follow-up is his key to success, and The Apple Program provided this accountability through a coach, helping him to be more self-disciplined.

Sheriff Lynn Nelson with Cache County

Sheriff Lynn Nelson with Cache County made small changes that have produced big results since joining The Apple Program^®. Over the course of a year he lost over 30 pounds and was able to successfully maintain the weight loss.

To Sheriff Nelson, the plan is simple. Eat right and exercise and the results will come. Sheriff Nelson felt motivated to achieve these goals because of the accountability he has to his Apple Health Coach^®. One major difference that he implemented in his lifestyle this past year was consistent physical activity. Sheriff Nelson said, "I started to exercise – nothing dramatic. I went on walks, worked on the yard, and did simple things to get in my physical activity." Another small change that paid huge dividends was eating out smart. "For lunch, instead of choosing a hamburger joint, I would go to a sandwich place and eat something lighter . Sometimes I would go for a soup or salad." This helped cut calories which in turn helped cut pounds. Another simple change was starting to eat a light breakfast each morning to get his metabolism going.

Sheriff Nelson said that having a coach gave him the accountability he needed to really make a difference. He said that telling his coach what he did for nutrition and exercise motivated him to do well. He also remarked that by not setting his goals too high he was able to achieve one simple goal at a time which ultimately led to a huge success of 30 pounds weight loss and improvements in all of his biometrics.

"Starting small and simple really helped me get in the mode of following through. My first nutritional goal was that I would allow myself to salt at least three times a week which was a big challenge for me because I used to salt everything. My advice is do something. Even if it is only one thing, do that. The small things really add up."

Susan Howe with Utah County

Susan Howe with Utah County has made great strides in her health since working with The Apple Program^®. For Susan, the best part is that she has lost weight the healthy way by making small and simple changes.

Susan said that for the last few years she has not been able to hit her target weight. With the support Susan receives from her Apple Health Coach^® she has been able to break her plateau and successfully reach one of her weight benchmarks. She said that it has taken a long time do this, but it is well worth it.

Susan admits that the first step towards change is breaking away from complacency. It is difficult to change everything at once so Susan's coach encouraged her to make healthy replacements wherever possible. When Susan thought she didn't have time to work-out every day due to her busy schedule, her coach encouraged her to walk during her breaks at work. Susan took the challenge and found a hill nearby that she now does her best to do every day during her lunch hour. On days where her work schedule does not permit, Susan can be found power walking on her treadmill listening to the IPOD she won from winning a Healthy Lifestyle's competition. Susan said that listening to music while she works out helps give her energy. In addition to exercise, her coach encouraged her to make small changes where possible with her nutrition. Susan tries her best to get healthy breakfasts during the week, but when she can't she makes sure to do it on the weekends. She said her coach encourages her just to do her best and to not be so hard on herself. Susan feels that her coach goes above and beyond her duties as a health coach and instead is more of a friend and mentor. Because of the positive encouragement, Susan now chooses water instead of soda and healthy snacks like carrots and celery instead of unhealthy snacks like chips and cookies.

"The key to my success has been my desire to have a healthy body so that I can do the things I enjoy."

Vanessa Borders with Tooele County

Vanessa Borders with Tooele County has seen great results since joining The Apple Program^® that have changed her attitude about her health.

Vanessa says that one of her favorite parts about The Apple Program is the health assessment and the awareness that it gave her. After completing her first assessment, Vanessa was called to action as she realized that she had no clue that she had let her health get to where it was. She says that by making small changes she was able to see results. Vanessa started to walk two times per day and to do Tai Bo. As far as nutrition, Vanessa tried to do the little things that eventually added up like eating whole grains instead of white bread and drinking water instead of soda.

After a year of hard work and encouragement from her Apple Health Coach^®, Vanessa was pleased with her biometric results. Saw improvements in her cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and especially her body composition. Vanessa lost almost 30 pounds!
“The politeness of the program made me feel comfortable where I was at, but engaged me enough to set realistic goals to help me change. I realize now that attitude is everything.”

Han Butler with Stores Online

Han Butler with Stores Online has seen great results since joining The Apple Program^®. In the past three months,Han has lost over 36 pounds!

Han believes that he is "one bad apple" because he now eats a lot of whole and organic foods – especially fruits and vegetables. Over 70% of his food intake now comes from raw foods. "I started out with a goal to eat two servings of fruits and vegetables and now I don't even need to count. I can eat as much as I want because they are so low in calories." Han also believes he can attribute his success to the fact that he has removed caffeine and carbonation from his diet. "I feel healthier and can feel a difference especially when I am playing basketball. I feel much more energy than before and I can perform better in athletics more than I have been able to in a long time."

"My Apple Health Coach^® has been awesome with me as she is really encouraging. She was able to help me find goals that were in my comfort zone. She has helped me get back into cardio and resistance training. Whereas before I was mainly doing more cardio, I am now doing training three times per week which is helping me lose weight. My coach keeps me accountable and because she is outside of my everyday circle, she really helps me stay on top of it. My coach rocks! Tracking and seeing the charts online have really motivated me to work harder too. Thanks Apple!"

Jose Weffer with Ken Garff

Jose Weffer with Ken Garff has made big health changes since he started The Apple Program^®. Jose's focus was to feel healthier and lose some weight. His Apple Health Coach^® helped him choose goals that led him towards a lasting healthier lifestyle. Jose says the most significant goal he made was drinking water. After years of drinking mostly soft drinks and other beverages, the habit of drinking water took awhile for Jose's body to get used to. He also started eating breakfast, which is something he normally didn't make time for. Eating breakfast helped him feel better during the day and make healthier decisions during lunchtime. He used to eat fast food almost every day, but since starting The Apple Program, he thinks more about the calories that he is taking in and fast food is rarely a part of his diet. He has also reduced his red meat intake and eats a lot more vegetables than he ever has before.

Although Jose has always been an active person, he started to do more concentrated exercise than he was used to. Jose's Apple Health Coach helped him by following up on his progress. She motivated him to be consistent with his goals and encouraged him with the goals that were hard for him to stick to.

Due to the healthy lifestyle Jose has created this year, he has lost over 25 pounds! Most importantly, Jose feels more confident about himself and his ability to maintain his weight and his health. As he is enjoying the holidays, he knows that he can have the foods he loves without gaining too much weight as long as he is conscious of his body and his health.

The Apple Program played a big part in Jose's success by motivating him to accomplish his health goals. The program gave him a lot of the answers he was looking for in order to change his life and the tools he needed to empower himself by making him accountable for his health.

Jose is very goal-oriented and once he got the push from The Apple Program and his coach, success came easily. "I have the mindset that if it can be done by someone else, I can do it too!"

Bridgett Heim with Inthinc

Bridgett Heim with Inthinc believes that The Apple Program^® and the support of her Apple Health Coach^® truly helped her take control of her health.

Since joining The Apple Program, Bridgett has made many positive lifestyle changes that have helped her to lose over 38 pounds this past year. She said that one day everything she knew she needed to do just clicked and she said, "Holy cow! This is awesome!" Before starting the program Bridgett admits she never ate breakfast but is something that has now become a daily ritual. Bridgett said that her fruit and vegetable consumption is much better now as well. She currently eats at least four servings of fruits and vegetables every day! Bridgett appreciates that her coach will give her new fresh ideas to get her fruit in for the day. "Simple things like suggesting to peal my orange before leaving for work really made a difference and encouraged me to eat it." Bridgett has found that the little things such as refraining from putting butter and salt on her food really do make big differences.

In addition to her nutritional changes, Bridgett has also increased her exercise and has found ways to incorporate it into her busy schedule. Bridgett moved her treadmill to her second job so that she could get her cardio in at breaks. She also started to walk more with her kids and is dusting off and using the equipment she has at home. "My coach has been such a positive reinforcement. She is totally up – there is never a down moment with her. I picked my coach initially because of her sparkling smile and she is really just as sparkling and positive as her picture portrays. I know I still have a long way to go, but with hard work and determination I will hit my 50 pound weight loss goal before Christmas."

Marlene Hadley with Harmons

Marlene Hadley with Harmon’s has truly crossed the finish line since working with The Apple Program^®. She said at first she didn’t take The Apple Program seriously, but after seeing her biometrics, she knew she needed to do something about her health. She decided to start running and with the help and support of her Apple Health Coach^® who was a collegiate runner, she hit the track. Marlene said she started out only able to run 1/4 of the track, but with her determination to run every night after work she now competes in 5Ks and has been in the top of her age group for every race.

With her new found passion for running, Marlene has seen big payoffs in her health. Since January, her body fat percentage has dropped seven percent, she has lost three inches of her waist circumference and her cholesterol has dropped significantly.

“They say that you are just a jogger until you sign up for your first race and then you are a runner. I am a runner now! At 56 years old I decided that if I didn't control my health it would control me. I started running and have run many 5Ks coming in either first or second! My goal is to run a race every month and prepare for a half marathon next year. I wouldn’t have been motivated to do this on my own – Thanks Apple!”

Anita Stiens with Equitable

Anita Stiens with Equitable has had a positive experience working with The Apple Program^®. She admits that she originally started the program to try it out and see if her policy owners would like it. Then when she realized that "this is a really great thing" she wanted to stick with it.

Anita's main focus this year has been to be more physically fit. Every week she wanted to ride her stationary bike and or go walking outside. She said that her goal was also to incorporate some weight lifting exercises to help strengthen her bones and to develop more muscular strength and endurance. She's been motivated to successfully accomplish these goals because she knows that she needs to report to her Apple Health Coach^®. every month. According to Anita, "accountability makes a huge difference." She said that her coach is always a source of positive reinforcement for her. When she is not doing her best, her coach will help her come up with creative solutions that get her out of her rut without being pushy or overbearing. Her coach even helped her with fresh creative ideas on how to meet her goals despite her busy schedule.

"It is the combination of the coaching and the problem solving that really help. My coach is always on the same wave length with me and knows exactly what I need and what will work best for me. She gives great advice, pushes me in the right direction and gives me the motivation that I need to make positive change and move forward."

Anita is proud of what she has accomplished this year and knows that she has much more energy, is much more alert, and sleeps better this year now that she is working with The Apple Program. "This program is just very refreshing for me. My advice to others contemplating doing the program would be, 'Don't hesitate to use a coach. The encouragement is very positive and for me it has gotten great results.'"

Brian Maxfield with Cedar City

Brian Maxfield with Cedar City has had great success and has seen amazing results since he started The Apple Program^®. In four months Brian lost over 50 pounds! Additionally, his cholesterol dropped by over 40 points, his diastolic blood pressure dropped by over 20 points, his triglycerides dropped by over 137, his glucose dropped over 50 points, and he lost four inches around his waist. Way to go Brian!

Even more important than Brian's success on the scale and with his biometrics is his improved quality of life. Brian will be the first to tell you that "it feels good" to now be able to comfortably hike to Angel's Landing with his family, improve his golfing skills through increased flexibility, and to watch the news while he does spinning on his stationary bike.

Brian remarks that from the very beginning he was excited about the program. Over the years the weight gain had been gradual, but after getting his assessment results in late June he knew he needed to take action and make changes in his life. Brian said that The Apple Program helped show him the path to make those changes. Brian set specific and measurable goals with his Apple Health Coach^® which were gradually increased as he successfully mastered each goal. Brian attributes much of his success to eating a healthy breakfast each day, getting 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, doing aerobic exercise for 30 minutes daily, and doing strength training three times each week as well.

Brian knows the other reason for his success is accountability. He feels the tracking system set up through The Apple Program as well as his own personal food journal helped him to succeed. Knowing that his coach would call him to discuss his progress was motivational as well.Brian expressed his feelings about The Apple Program and his success best when he said "You can kid yourself for a long time knowing you need to make changes, but this program provides the vehicle to make those changes and see measurable results."

Ed Warner with Associated Food Stores

Ed Warner, with Associated Food Stores, has seen how small lifestyle changes can produce big results since joining The Apple Program^®.

Ed saw great changes all across the biometric board! Over the course of a year working with an Apple Health Coach^® Ed has lost almost 50 pounds, he is off of three different medications, his triglycerides decreased by over 150 and his cholesterol decreased by over 40 points! Although Ed is very proud of all of these improvements this year, his greatest goal was focused on being able to come completely off insulin. In order to do this Ed knew he would get to decrease his A1Cs. So far he has dropped them from 10.1 to 4.7. Ed admits that he started the program taking 100 units of insulin and now he is almost insulin free.

“I’ve still got a ways to go, but I am on the right track. My ultimate goal is to break away from insulin all together”.

Ed attributes his success to the nutritional suggestions and motivation that his Apple Health Coach gave him throughout the year. Although he appreciates the help received from his doctor, Ed was grateful for nutritional recommendations of his Coach instead of quick-fix pill recommendations. Ed says “The Apple Program is great because it focuses on preventable things.” The program provided him the support team that he needed to accomplish his goals. Ed says it is nice to talk to someone who could give him the “rah rah rah” and the “way to go boy” motivation that only his Apple Health Coach could offer.

“I went down from a tight 44 to a loose 38. The Apple Program has been great for me! My coach made all the difference.”