Committed to Change
Meet three people committed to changing their lives for the better. What works for them might work for you, too. Follow their progress throughout the year at Arthritis Today's Achieving Change blog.
Bree Hall
Age: 31
Home: Phoenix
Changes afoot: Resolved to better manage her health and create more balance in her life by adding a daily workout routine, working more productively during fewer hours, eating nourishing meals and making sleep a priority.
Challenges to change: As a Bank of America recruiter, Hall often heads to work early and leaves late. That leaves little time for exercise, healthy meals or adequate sleep – all necessary for managing her rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Success strategies: Hall will restructure her job so that she can work from home part of the time. She plans to use the time she saves by taking part in Pilates and yoga classes to help her manage her stress, pain and stiffness, and also improve her sleep. Hall expects the new routine to leave her energized and able to accomplish all that she needs to, without putting in 12-hour workdays.
To keep up with the new habits, Hall says she will “coach herself” each day by focusing on the benefits and celebrating her success along the way. “A lot of changes have come with the arthritis, but what doesn’t break you makes you stronger,” she says.
Matt Arnold
Age: 26
Home: Indianapolis
Changes afoot: Resolved to become more active. Plans to go on daily walks, bike twice a week and schedule several camping trips to explore Indiana state parks.
Challenges to change: Arnold has shifted careers, changed doctors and become a volunteer with the Arthritis Foundation since being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 2006. Now, time and fatigue are the biggest obstacles he faces when it comes to getting active. But he is learning to manage the disease and make fitness fun, as well as a priority.
Success strategies: Arnold says awareness is the key for him to succeed. When he remains conscious of his goal, he’s more likely to find time to take a ride on the new bike he bought, or to schedule a weekend trip.
“When I vow to change, it might happen for me during the first couple of months, but then it just fizzles away,” he says. By seeking support from family, friends and others he’s met at the Arthritis Foundation, he says he hopes to stay on track.
Daniel Atkinson
Age: 42
Home: Colorado Springs
Changes afoot: Resolved to buy a home this year.
Challenges to change: Atkinson has faced numerous obstacles throughout his lifetime, including two hip-replacement surgeries, since having been diagnosed with RA 12 years ago. But with persistence and planning, he has accomplished his goals of becoming a martial arts instructor and earning his black belt. Realizing his dream of buying a home for his wife and four children not only would eliminate stress, Atkinson says, but also would leave him feeling confident he could achieve additional goals in the future.
Success strategies: To accomplish this by saving more money, Atkinson has created three careers around the things he loves: operating a martial arts studio, working weekends and nights as a disc jockey, and teaching computer classes at a local college. With his wife, he also has mapped out a strict budget.
Keeping the big picture in mind helps him to stay focused. It also reminds him that one day he will reach his goal. “Not everything goes according to plan,” Atkinson says. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. It’s important to have something to strive for in life.”
