Submitted by: Janie Ginn, Benefits Analyst
When I learned that I had been accepted to fill a corporate position at the TMX Finance© Family of Companies located in Downtown Savannah, Georgia, I was thrilled! I had a career start, I would be eligible for insurance benefits, I could contribute towards a 401(K), but I was ecstatic at the thought of so many restaurants within walking distance of my office. Full disclosure: I’m a foodie. So, I packed my bags and this working girl became an official TMX Finance® Family team member on March 3, 2014. Flash forward to March 3, 2015, this working girl had also packed on close to 50 pounds.
I kept on asking myself, “How could I let this happen?” It all boils down to several factors that changed my life during my first year in Savannah. I went from a full-time retail management position, where I was on my feet 8 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week, to sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week. I went from packing my lunch every day to regularly eating pho combos and dumplings at noodle bars, as well as lots of the best shrimp and grits to be found anywhere. I met the love of my life and decided to put down smoking, which had become a 10-year habit by that time, along with sweeping a regular workout schedule underneath the rug. This combination of events led to an accelerated weight gain, and I knew that I had to take action in order to see results.
I started packing my lunches again and limited myself to only “social eating” scenarios, like a business lunch or coworker’s birthday celebration at their favorite restaurant, and not just because it was Friday and I wanted a scoop of Leopold’s famous ice cream to celebrate the upcoming weekend! I started walking during my lunch breaks at least 3 to 4 times a week. I mapped out different 45-minute walking routes that took me through different Savannah Squares and moss-covered streets and got my legs moving for over 2 to 3 miles. Slowly, I started introducing exercise back into my life, as the weight gain resulted in achy hips, joints, and feet! Almost 3 years later, I have lost over 25 of the 50 pounds I had gained. It has been a slow process, but I am here and I am proud!
Our TMX Wellness Team wants to be here for you, too. A successful Wellness Program at an organization can help you find the commitment, motivation, and support that you have been looking for. It can help you incorporate and maintain healthy behaviors, not only in the workplace but in your personal life as well. It can help you become a happier, healthier version of yourself. Our TMX Wellness Team’s main mission is to provide our team members with the incentives, tools, and the social support to implement and uphold a vigorous and happy life.
This year, our TMX Wellness Team has been promoting a series of celebrations designed to benefit the overall health of our team members. We celebrated America Saves Week in February and gave you tips to aid you in becoming a Savings Superhero and concentrate on your financial wellbeing. We celebrated National Walking Day on April 4th and encouraged you to lace up with your coworkers and step it up during your workday. This month, our TMX Wellness Team partnered with a local yoga studio to host Savannah Corporate team members for a Yoga in the Park Series every Friday in April. All proceeds from the yoga series support our internal philanthropy, the TMX Cares fund, and all beads of sweat are being donated toward our sore muscles!
TMX Wellness has some other exciting things in store for our team members. Closer to our annual Open Enrollment Period, we will be pushing out an exclusive TMX Wellness Club. Members of the TMX Finance® Family will be able to connect with other team members nationwide through a personal activity tracker and compete in different challenges, like Walking Workweek Hustles and Tour de TMX biking.
Don’t have a friend to help motivate you to get your best time? Meet Cat Hudson, our Director of Benefits & Safety. She’s a marathon runner and averages a 7:50 mile pace. Don’t have someone to go on a bike ride with you? Meet me, Janie Ginn, Benefits Analyst! I have a Pure City Beach Cruiser and one of my favorite things to do is to ride this thing around my coastal neighborhood roads. We’re here to help! All that our TMX Wellness Team will ask of you, our team members, is to bring it!
