Alan Lake with IC Group

Before Alan Lake of IC Group became a participant of The Apple Program^®, he was unaware of his borderline high cholesterol. He was generally healthy, but high cholesterol ran in his family. He always knew in the back of his mind what was good for him, but he said that until you set some goals and have a third party point of view’s encouragement, it’s hard to start. Finding out about his high cholesterol gave him the motivation that he needed to get going on his goals and start working with his Apple Health Coach^®.

With the help of his coach, Alan has become overall more aware of his health. He has become more aware of his diet and exercise, setting goals to increase his intake of fruits and vegetables, as well as stretching and walking.

Implementing and being accountable for his goals everyday has helped him be successful. Every day he asks himself where he can improve: Am I eating in moderation? Am I eating whole grains? Am I eating fruits and vegetables? These questions, along with his goals to plan and do his exercise, created a pattern of awareness in his life.

Alan has lost 5 pounds since implementing these goals in his life. He has also become more selective in what he eats when he goes out to eat. For instance, he has begun ordering vegetables instead of French fries in restaurants.

Alan’s advice to those on the program is to be aware and to avoid making excuses for bad habits. “Don’t rationalize your way through life. If you have to eat out at fast food, choose healthier foods, like grilled chicken. Don’t make excuses. You may not suddenly see dramatic changes, but overtime there will be improvement.” Alan is living proof that this works.

“This is your body. This is what you got. How you take care of it and what you put into it will have a direct effect on how you feel. You may not suddenly see dramatic changes, but overtime there will be improvement.”

Cade Peterson with Wheeler Cat

Cade Petersen, with Wheeler Cat, has seen more results this year since working with The Apple Program^® than any other year. Before The Apple Program Cade was losing his motivation to be healthy. However, since joining the program, his desire has been enhanced. He has lost 17 pounds since joining The Apple Program and is now running about fifteen miles every week.

Cade admits a year ago he could barely run for ten minutes, but with the help of a coach he designed goals and got himself on the road to success. He’s bought a treadmill and enjoys running on that or outdoors when it’s warmer. He keeps his workouts varied by incorporating strength exercises, such as crunches or pushups. He never thought he’d look forward to exercising, but now he does!

Cade started out small and set light goals to prevent himself from becoming mentally exhausted. His recommendation is that others do the same. “Start with 10 pushups a day and gradually build up. Before you know it you’ll be doing 40.”

Not only has Cade improved his exercise, but with the help of his Apple Health Coach^®, he is learning about nutrition. He now has a better understanding of a healthy diet and realizes it’s not that difficult to incorporate. (He’s been aiming four servings of fruits and vegetables a day). Checking in with his coach regarding his exercise and nutrition goals, has also helped Cade stay on track. He wanted to have good news to report to his coach.

Cade feels like the lifestyle changes he’s made are permanent. “It’s become part of my life, like brushing my teeth! I feel healthier and more in shape than I ever have in my life!”

Chris Achilli with Wavelink

Chris Achilli, with Wavelink, has made great strides since joining The Apple Program^®. The program has helped Chris get on track and link his short and long-term goals. He’s quit smoking and is now exercising multiple times a week!

The reinforcement of his Apple Health Coach^® and the visual aspects of the program (goal tracking) have helped Chris maintain focus. He’s been able to set his own goals and track his success. His coach has also been persistent in nudging, not pushing, him to succeed.

Chris had tried to quit smoking in the past, but was unsuccessful until now. He was able to quit smoking by using patches and having goals set up with The Apple Program, which were designed to keep him occupied with healthier alternatives, such as exercise. It’s been nearly six months since he’s been off cigarettes and he says, “Now there’s no looking back. The changes I’ve made have meant the world to me.” Chris smoked for nearly 20 years but now is determined to remain smoke free.

Chris is excited about his new lifestyle because he realizes these changes benefit not only him but also his family, as they will no longer be at risk for the side effects of secondhand smoke. He also now has the potential to live longer and be around one day for his future grandchildren.

Chris would like to remind others to not lose their focus. “Day to day life can take its toll and things can get frustrating, but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Raphael Millet with Utah County

According to Raphael, “you don’t have to be an exercise geek“ to enroll in The Apple Program^® or to have good health. His goal this year is to be able to run a mile without stopping. He thanks The Apple Program for allowing him to “think” about his goals, and for the great tools they provide.

Raphael simply stated that his personal Apple Health Coach^® is just wonderful. Wonderful because she’s supportive of the goals that Raphael has established for himself and she continues to motivate him to improve. “She keeps asking me what I can do to improve,” he says.

Raphael is already a very self-motivated person who knows the importance of maintaining good health through eating healthy and maintaining physical activity. When he started the program he knew it was time to take action into a better lifestyle and the assessment taken at the beginning of someone’s entrance into the program confirmed it. He had high cholesterol, sugar, and blood pressure levels.

With that self motivation and the help of the Apple Program, Raphael has accomplished much this year. He has lowered his cholesterol, lost 35 pounds, and his blood pressure dropped from 150/90 to 130/80. A great accomplishment since the 150/90 blood pressure reading put him in range for a dangerous diagnosis of hypertension.

Raphael’s excitement is contagious. One of the things he has done to accomplish this change has been to slowly cut his intake of junk food. He will, however, treat himself to Weight Watchers bars and once in awhile he will buy strawberry Dreyer's fruit bars which have one gram of fiber. One of his favorites is Skinny Cow’s ice cream which has good fiber as well. He also eats 7 to 10 veggies in a day! His favorite recipe is a traditional salad recipe which includes plain romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, a little ranch dressing and a pepper on the side.

Raphael has made true lifestyle changes. He meets part of his physical activity goal by walking on his breaks or during his lunch hour at work. Thanks to the incentives he was able to receive from his employer for enrolling in the Apple Program, he has gone the extra mile in his quest of progressing even more towards his personal health goals by signing up for Weight Watchers which is an additional support that has worked for him.

Raphael’s changes have also become a family affair. He says, “My family and I try to be active by getting out and taking walks a couple of mornings each week and on weekends. We disconnect our cable TV each summer, so we [can] participate in other activities”

He tells everyone that is thinking about joining the Apple Program that “it will help you along your quest” whatever lifelong healthy changes that may include.

Patty Wheeler with Tooele County

We define success as the will that our participants have to decide to make healthier choices and adapt healthy behavior changes in their lives. Patty Wheeler is a perfect example of this. She has had more physical challenges than the ordinary yet STILL has not given up the quest for health.
Patty has to deal with a few challenging medical conditions that have presented an obstacle to her desire to live a healthy life. She has been diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis and deals with Diabetes from day to day. However, Patty has not let these conditions impede her from knowing she can live a healthier life and with time, reap the benefits that come with it.

While others would easily have the desire quit, she does not let discouraging thoughts to permanently diminish her motivation. Patty realized that she feels better when she exercises and that it even helps to alleviate the pain associated with Spinal Stenosis. She enjoys doing the treadmill, bike and the elliptical machines at the gym. In fact, she had a recent positive experience at the gym. Once she had made up her mind to get her exercise goal in for the week even though she was in pain, she realized her back and legs stopped hurting while and after she exercised!

Patty appreciates the motivation she receives from The Apple Program^® and how it meets her specific needs. She especially appreciates the reminders her personal Apple health coach will give her, her encouraging e-mails with hints and healthy recipes. Also, with Patty’s busy schedule, communicating to her coach via email has been a plus.

Another help along the way has been keeping a journal of what she eats everyday and the requirement the program has to track the progress of her goals weekly. It helps Patty to see the “big picture” of her goals and at the same time breaks it down to smaller goals that are realistic and achievable for her.

It’s the small changes that Patty has decided to make that will reap even greater results down the road. Overall, she has greater awareness about what she puts into her body and what she does with it. She reads more food labels, tries to take the stairs instead of the elevators, and is working on sticking to a diet designed for diabetics.

Some of patty’s long term goals are to lose weight, prevent back surgery and continue to just feel better!

“I love that it helps me to make goals where I can see the ‘big picture’ while at the same time allows me to break them down to smaller goals that are achievable and realistic.”

Corry Smith with Tesco

4 years ago Corry Smith weighed over 300 pounds but recently he ran his first half marathon and has the medal to prove it!

About 3 years ago Corry just got fed up with his weight and decided something had to change. He started making changes but then hit a wall. That’s when he started working with the Apple program. With the help of his apple coach he was able to set some tangible goals and make the changes necessary to start seeing results again. Since then he has been hitting the gym 5 days a week and is nearing his goal weight of 240 pounds.

Corry attributes 2 major things to his success. Accountability: Setting goals and knowing that he had to report to his Apple Health Coach^® really helped keep him on track. And Information, Corry says he was doing some things right but his coach really helped by providing him with the right information to continue moving him closer to his goals.

A few months ago Corry decided to step it up and start training for a half marathon. On June 13th he completed that goal. His wife completed the race as well. She came in with a faster time, but that’s just a little healthy competition! By the end of the half marathon, he decided he was ready for the full 26.2 miles. He is now jogging around 40 miles a week and will run his first marathon in Huntington, UT on September 12th.

He and his wife now have something to train for together and will be completing another half marathon together in October. Corry says he is hooked and sees many more races in their future.

Although Corry says he is not quite his ideal weight yet, he says, “I have never felt better.” His blood pressure is now in the normal range and he feels like he is in the best shape of his life.

“I was doing some of the right things, but the Apple program helped take me to the next level.”

Libby Murphy with Taylor Electric

Libby Murphy is quite the super mom. She is 7 months pregnant with her 4th child and she happens to be at a healthier weight now than before she was pregnant! Libby is a healthier pregnant woman as a result of new habits she has established such as eating two healthy snacks a day including at least 4 servings of fruits and vegetables. With all these healthy changes, Libby feels she has more energy and is more productive around her home.

She still finds the time to take her kids camping and continues to take care of their health and her own. Being pregnant has helped her to understand that she needs to eat healthier for the sake of her own health, and also for the example she sets for her family.

Libby attributes her success to the many aspects of The Apple Program^®. Her personal Apple Health Coach^® has given her many ideas of small but significant changes she can make in her life. Libby decided one of her goals was to try and limit her intake of soda drinks due to their high sugar content. Additionally, her coach has provided a way for her to be accountable in keeping the goals she is setting for herself. Libby says that her coach encourages her to keep going. With that support Libby has been walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes a day and doing arm and leg strengthening exercises for 15 minutes, 4-5 days of the week.

Through the program Libby has also realized the importance of taking time for herself. Being able to track her progress online and regular reporting to her coach have both been good motivators to reach this goal along with others.

She beautifully stated that “In order to help my family, I needed to do better for them…” Well with efforts and support in the program she has and now the effects are trickling down. She has started giving her family healthier food choices.

An added bonus for Libby has been that her husband and she have created a special bond since they have both enrolled in The Apple Program. She told us that they are a better team now and since she makes his lunches, she knows exactly what he should and should not be eating! ”We keep tabs on each other!”

In a nutshell, Libby understands that in order to enjoy the benefits of good health, it’s a lifestyle change she has to make. She shared with us that “My goal is to try and do as much as I can and stay in a routine throughout my pregnancy so that it will not be as hard to do it after the baby gets here.”

Dale Nowlon with Stores Online

Dale Nowlon, with Stores Online, has had great success while working with The Apple Program^®. Dale has improved his diet, lost 10 pounds, and is training for triathlons, including an upcoming Iron Man next May.

The Apple Program has helped Dale improve his lifestyle through education and awareness. Dale had low levels of HDL, so to improve his cholesterol, Dale’s Apple Health Coach^® taught him which foods he ought to consume to raise his good cholesterol. He began by making small changes, but since has noticed big results. He’s now consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables each day and is exercising six days a week for 60 minutes.

His influence and change has inspired his whole household to be healthier. He and his wife recently got rid of all unhealthy foods in the house and went shopping to stock up on healthier options.

Dale attributes his success to consistency. “It’s easy to start something, but you have to keep going.” He’s remained consistent by tracking his goals online. The influence of his wife has also helped him stay on track and be successful. They have two young boys they want to be around for, so that’s another motivation of his.

Dale encourages others to stay on track by monitoring and watching for small results. “Take a step back and look at your success; anyone can improve with effort.”

A year ago, Dale couldn’t run five miles without stopping, but with his optimism he now can. He is realizing his personal potential and would like to remind others to do the same; “We all have different potential, but don’t sell yourself short; realize what you’re capable of.”

Dale is looking forward to continuing on with his goals and completing a full Iron Man next year.

Adam Anderson with Sandy City

Adam Anderson, with Sandy City, has greatly improved his health through weight loss since joining The Apple Program^®. He attributes his success in the program to having specific goals tailored to his own needs that he designed with the assistance of his Apple Health Coach^®.

He began his lifestyle changes by tracking his daily food intake and setting exercise goals. His coach realized Adam needed more fiber in his diet, so he began focusing on eating more fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains, like oatmeal. With the combination of these dietary changes and exercising three times a week for at least 20 minutes, Adam was able to achieve to a healthy weight.

Through his participation in The Apple Program Adam has realized the power in setting achievable goals. As each goal is reached Adam has learned how to push himself to the next step. He’s grateful he’s made these lifestyle changes because now that he’s achieved a healthy weight he realizes that he is preventing many health problems down the road,

Adam encourages others to do the same. “Find goals that will work for you and do what you need to in order to achieve them.” Adam looks forward to continuing his success and improving his cholesterol levels with the new goals he’s set.

Terry Leinberger with Rhodes

Terry Leinberger, with Rhodes, has greatly enhanced his lifestyle since joining The Apple Program^®. Not only does he feel better physically and mentally, he’s lost eight pounds and his cholesterol has tremendously improved due to his diet and exercise changes. He’s joined a gym and is exercising six times a week and has cut out as much fat and oil as possible from his diet.

Without his health evaluation at The Apple Program he may not have ever known he had high cholesterol until it was too late. Although he has annual checkups and screenings with his doctor, he’d never had his cholesterol checked. It was a good wake up call for him learning where his cholesterol levels were.

To improve his cholesterol ratios he’s been alternating cardio with resistance training and eating proper amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Terry says, “People don’t realize how important diet is; a lot of illnesses are brought on from poor diets. Since incorporating these diet and exercise changes, I can tell I have firmed up all over, I feel better physically and mentally, and I can better cope with stress. I feel better about life in general.”

Terry is grateful for his wife’s support in his lifestyle changes. He is excited to be around with his family and enjoy many great and healthy years to come.

Paul and Susan Stoddard with Hogan Construction

For Paul and Susan Stoddard, it was the small changes that made the biggest difference. These Apple Program^® participants from Hogan Construction have implemented small changes into their lives, and have seen many beneficial improvements in their health consequently.

In the past, neither Paul nor Susan had been too successful with their health goals. Susan had quit drinking soda on her own, but neither had had the desire to make big lifestyle changes. Once they started with the Apple Program, they were excited to see how the program could help them. Susan said, “Just like everyone else, the years go by; you are working taking care of the house, yard and whatever else comes along, and I, for one, forgot about taking care of me.”

With the encouraging help from their Apple Health Coach^®, this couple noticed where they could make improvements in their food and exercise habits. Susan decided that she would try and avoid buying snacks while she was at work, so she began taking a yogurt, an apple, and a banana to work every day. Paul increased his fruits and vegetables slowly, by snacking on them throughout the day. He is now eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day, and has formed a habit.

Susan found that even when trying to make small changes, it was important to pick and choose goals that would be doable at the time. After working full days on her feet, Susan found that she was very tired and had a hard time exercising. She, with the help of her Apple Health Coach, brainstormed and decided that she would buy a stationary bike. It was something simple to help her continue to exercise, even after a long day at work.

Paul and Susan have had great success. Paul lowered his cholesterol and lost 25 pounds, and Susan lost 10 pounds and maintained the loss. Paul broke both of his feet a while ago, but the changes that he made while participating in The Apple Program helped him to lose the weight that he needed. Susan said that their successes happened very quickly after making the small changes, due to the changes being sustainable, manageable, and simple. She said that the changes also didn’t make them feel deprived. The Stoddards found that recognizing their success each day, even in their small goals, gave them the spark they needed to continue pushing forward with their goals.

“Sometimes you can be too logical—small changes make a difference.”

Wade Crandall with DHI

Wade Crandall of DHI has achieved great success since working with The Apple Program^®. He’s lost 10 pounds and is enjoying the benefits that have come with it. His cardio workouts and the incorporation of water have helped Wade get in the direction he’d like to go with his health.

Wade attributes his success to the tracking of his goals online at The Apple Program’s website. Without that, he admits he probably wouldn’t have been as diligent in striving to meet his goals. Knowing that he’s to check in with his Apple Health Coach^®on a monthly basis, has also motivated Wade to stay caught up with his goals.

Wade enjoys fulfilling his exercise goals by running on a treadmill four days a week for 45 minutes. He plans to soon begin incorporating strength training as a part of his fitness regimen. His other goal is to consume 64 ounces of water each day to remain hydrated.

He’s enjoyed the results he’s seen with his weight loss and looks forward to continuing with his goals to get to his target weight. He would like to remind others, “When you lose weight you really do feel better and are able to accomplish tasks more easily.”

Mike and Tami Malan with Consultnet

Mike and Tami of Consultnet have thoroughly been enjoying the perks of their new lifestyles. Mike and Tami both began making their changes by joining gyms and becoming members of LA Weight Loss. The results they experienced since then have motivated them to continue on their paths of incorporating health into their daily lives.

Mike has not only lost 40 pounds but the pain in his knees has ceased, he’s lowered his triglycerides and cholesterol, sleeps better, is able to go backpacking and fishing without being a straggler, and has more energy to fulfill his daily tasks. Tami has enjoyed the positive changes she’s noticed in her appearance and the extra stamina she gets when it comes to fulfilling her job.

They both made changes to their diet by adding more fruits and vegetables such as: apples, mangos, bananas, carrots, celery, and peas. Tami also enjoys having five small meals a day to prevent overconsumption of servings.

When it comes to exercising, Tami meets up with a friend in the mornings five days a week to walk and circuit train. Mike aims for 180 minutes of physical activity each week to maintain his weight loss.

The online goal tracker with The Apple Program^® has helped Mike and Tami maintain their focus and achieve their goals of maintaining optimum health. Mike has also enjoyed having the availability of an Apple Health Coach^® to turn to when he has questions regarding his fitness or nutrition regimens.

Mike is in charge of managing the benefits portion at Consultnet; this includes selecting cost efficient health plans. As Mike researched the high costs associated with chronic illness, he learned how important it was to have employees who were healthy and free of chronic diseases. In order to tackle these potential high costs, Consultnet decided to implement The Apple Program^® to keep their costs low. Mike has been very pleased with this decision, as the employees and their spouses are seeing beneficial results and giving positive feedback in regards to The Apple Program®. Mike is pleased that the program is not only benefiting him but his company as well.

Mike looks forward to moving on with his life in good health. He realizes that he will now have a higher quality of lifestyle, than he would have, if he hadn’t made these health changes. He would like to tell others, “You would not believe the positive impact 40 pounds of weight loss has on you, both physically and emotionally.”

Tami would also like to advise others, “Start small and gradually build upon those small changes, and then you will eventually develop good habits. Remember, you don’t need sweets, and you don’t need fast food to survive!”

Mike and Tami, as a couple, have come together and motivated and encouraged each other in their pursuit of health. They look forward to continuing on with that and enjoying many wonderful years of good health together.

Julie Hollist with Cache County

Julie looks at health as an investment that you have to make in yourself every day. There are no shortcuts and it is hard work, but she is living proof that it can be done one step at a time.

Julie says that in some ways our advanced medical care is a disadvantage. We think we can neglect our health now and just fix it later, sort of like having a credit card; spend now but pay later. That’s a risky game to play though. Much better to make healthy choices now and enjoy good health later.

Julie knew when she began her journey towards better health that she didn’t want it to take the “all or nothing” approach. So many people start out making these drastic changes only to end up discouraged a month or so down the road when a piece of chocolate cake slips through their lips or they miss a workout.

To start, Julie decided to make 3 healthy choices every day. That might mean walking further to her car or choosing a small ice cream cone instead of a large one. The point is small, meaningful changes make a difference every day.

She says that time is going to pass regardless of what we do in that time. Making 3 healthy choices a day adds up to 1095 healthy choices over the course of a year. She figures that is a lot better than doing nothing and making no changes. Different things work for different people and Julie says the key is to just find something simple that works for you.

Having her Apple Health Coach^® right there to support her in her efforts has helped her to really stretch herself when making goals. The positive encouragement she receives makes a difference. Looking back on your goals and being able to say this is what I did do is motivating. It’s so important to focus on the positive.

She has gone from no exercise at all to doing something active nearly every day which is one of her greatest accomplishments. She is even working with a personal trainer once a week who really works her out, and she actually likes it! She has made major lifestyle changes and while she hasn’t met all of her goals yet, but clearly she is in it for the long haul.

“You can buy a lot of things in life, but you can’t buy good health.”

Rich Jensen with Blomquist Hale

Rich Jensen with Blomquist Hale has been working hard with The Apple Program^®. With the help of his Apple Health Coach^® he has started eating better and watching his portion sizes. His coach taught him about satiation, how to recognize his fullness before he gets too full. Rich said that he has never been a dieter but The Apple Program has helped him change his lifestyle. He can focus on portion control instead of strictly on weight loss, which keeps him more motivated.

Along with watching his portion sizes, Rich enjoys being physically active. Twice a week he goes to the gym and lifts weights. He also plays basketball regularly. He is mindful about his exercises and tries not to be too intense. He knows he can make good choices regarding his health, and still enjoy life.

Rich’s advice to those that are struggling with becoming healthier is to take things slow. Everyone’s body is different. He has been able to maintain his weight while working with his health coach, which he feels is his success. He knows that it is most important to achieve your goals.

“Anyone can set a goal, but too often we find ways to justify not reaching our goals.”