Member of the Month

At my work, they have a workout facility called "The Body Shop" (everything here is car themed), and for January they picked yours truly. I'll be signing autographs later.

Anyway, here is the right up:

Total Benefits - Member of the Month

Congratulations to Michael Carter!
He is The Body Shop’s Member of the Month for January!

Mike has been working at Reynolds and Reynolds for 16 ½ years. He currently works as a senior Developer in the EAI group. He and his wife Diane have five children. His step daughter Becky is 23, his son Jon is 19, his daughter Katlyn is 17, his son Erik is 15, and his youngest son Matthew is 13. In his free time Mike enjoys watching movies and reading. He also enjoys playing strategy and miniature games (D&D, “old fashioned” type board games, and toy soldiers) with his children. He is also very heavily involved with his son’s band as the treasurer for the West Carrollton Band Boosters.

Before joining The Body Shop Mike did not exercise regularly, he owned some home exercise equipment but it eventually broke or was never used. He joined The Body Shop when it opened because he thought it was a great deal. It was convenient and a great value, even when before it was free (and even better now!). At one point several members of his team were Body Shop members and they all worked out together, but now the others have either left the company or stopped coming to the gym. Mike appreciates The Body Shop because it makes it easy for him to get in a work out during lunch time.

Mike’s current exercise routine mainly involves using the elliptical most days of the week for about an hour each day. To keep himself motivated to exercise he downloads TV shows that he has missed onto his iPod and he will only watch them while he is exercising. This way, when he gets really caught up in a show (like Prison Break or 24) he has strong motivation to go exercise and see what is going to happen next. He also appreciates the fact that exercise burns a lot of calories which in turn allows him to eat more food while on his Weight Watchers diet, which makes him feel like he is not on a diet at all. He says, “I often joke that I only exercise because I’m a pig.”

Since joining The Body Shop and beginning his regular exercise routine Mike says that he has a lot more energy and that at 43 he is in the best shape of his life. With the help of Weight Watchers his weight loss total recently reached 83 pounds, causing him to reach his goal weight and achieve lifetime status just before Thanksgiving. He says this is his greatest exercise accomplishment because along with losing the weight he has dropped 10 inches off of his waist, coming down from a size 44 (with a “comfort fit” elastic waist band) to a 34. He also believes that exercising has helped him to avoid some of the common health issues that are associated with middle age.

Mike still struggles with self image at times because after taking years to realize that he was overweight he still sees himself that way. He feels uncomfortable buying shirts in a size medium even though that is what fits him now. To those who are not members of The Body Shop Mike says that having such a great facility on site is a huge benefit that everyone should take advantage of! To the beginning exerciser he says that the old Nike slogan, “Just do it!” is a good way to approach exercise. It isn’t always fun and at times it can be very easy to make excuses not to do it but you have to make it a priority and just do it.

Thank you Michael! Keep up the good work!

Member of the Month is based on consistency (at least 2-3 days a week), positive attitude, results that have occurred by exercising, offering feedback, and encouraging co-workers to participate in The Body Shop.


And here is a (poor) picture of what the bulleting board looks like (the camera on my phone really sucks - but it is a frickin' phone!)