Velma works for Celebrity Cruises, a partner in our Employee and Wellness Program. She's learning all sorts of new stuff.

"After having my son, I struggled with postpartum depression and gained over 75 pounds in 3 years. The weight gain came due to the stresses of being a single, full-time working mom and using food as a coping mechanism. My son is at the age where he has tons of energy and wants to do activities that involve a lot of moving; I want to have the energy to be able to do things with my son, and I just want my son to be proud of me. In January of 2018, I began to exercise more to not only to lose weight but to feel beautiful mentally, emotionally and physically. I started going to Body Waves, the on-site fitness center at my work site [Celebrity Cruises] and began walking on the treadmill for at least 15-20 minutes, three times a day and doing home workouts I found on Pinterest. For my dieting, I tried substitutions for foods I liked, cut down my portion sizes, and started a food journal that keeps me on track. I am meeting with Melinda, the YMCA Healthy Lifestyle Coach at Celebrity Cruises, once per month to help me stay on track and continue to reach my goals.

Since starting this new lifestyle, I have lost 20 pounds and my energy has increased. I now have energy for more time with my son, family and friends. I have even begun to fulfill a life-long dream of training to become a wrestler. My family, friends and coworkers are simply the best support systems I have. They see how hard I’m working to be in better shape and improve my overall health."