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HealthMiles Member Profile: Patrick Murta
“I‘d always been in pretty good shape...”
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For most of his life, Patrick Murta had been “in pretty good shape.” He exercised, ate nutritious foods and, as a result, maintained a healthy weight.
“I was not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I had run a couple of mini marathons, that sort of thing,” said Patrick.
But two and half years ago, Patrick‘s business travel increased and so did his weight. “I was traveling a lot and wasn‘t getting enough physical activity,” said Patrick.
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“I had gained some weight and knew that I had to do something to correct my lifestyle.”
WALKING THE TALK...
In April 2006, Patrick‘s employer began offering the HealthMiles program. As part of the program, Patrick received a GoZone pedometer.
“That‘s how I really got into it,” said Patrick. “I was working a lot of hours and was having trouble getting exercise so I started walking up and down the stairs in my building. It turned out to be a great way to burn calories.”
 At least once a day Patrick walked from his office on the 21st floor down to the 2nd floor, up to the 27th floor and then back down to his desk on the 21st floor.
A few months later, Patrick was relocated to a new office building. He saw this as an opportunity to further increase his activity level. In addition to taking the stairs, he requested that he keep his old parking space, which is just about a half mile from his new building!
"So I walk from my old parking space to my new building,” said Patrick. “It allows me to get in a little activity during the morning and afternoon.” Each day, Patrick uploads the steps from his GoZone to his personal LifeZone website, where he can set goals and track his progress. Once a month, he measures his weight, body fat and blood pressure using the HealthZone.
“The greatest benefit for me is the reinforcement - uploading the pedometer, seeing the steps, tracking my progress, and viewing the Miles that go into my account,” said Patrick. “I‘m not a big shopper, but the idea of getting paid to do things that I should be doing anyway is another incentive for me. It‘s another reason to get out there and do it.”
A FAMILY AFFAIR...
Recently, Patrick got his family involved and they‘ve all adopted more active lifestyles engaging in physical activity during their daily routines, on the weekends, even on vacation!
“They saw what I was doing and got interested,” said Patrick. “We are doing things that require more exercise and have made that part of our family pattern, instead of sitting around watching TV and eating popcorn.”
In addition to walking, Patrick, his wife and their six-year-old son have taken up bike riding and hiking. They ride their bikes at least 30 minutes each day, and go on a five to six mile hike once a month.
“It is a great way for us to stay in shape and do something as a family,” said Patrick. “It doesn‘t take long and it‘s another way for us to reinforce our healthy lifestyles. Even on vacation we look at fitness from a family perspective. Instead of lying of the beach, we do things like hiking the Grand Canyon.”
A HEALTHY WEIGHT, A HEALTHY FAMILY...
 Patrick lost 30 pounds and has been able to maintain his new healthy weight through the HealthMiles program. In addition, he has much more energy at work and a greater ability to concentrate.
“I don‘t find myself feeling tired in the middle of the day,” said Patrick. “And it seems like I can focus better when I exercise regularly.”
Patrick also has more energy for his family.
“If I get home at 7:30 p.m. and go out for a bike ride with my wife and son, opposed to sitting on the sofa, I have much more energy for the rest of the evening. HealthMiles has been a great motivator for all of us and has enhanced our family time.”
And what about the rewards?
“When I get enough Miles, I‘m hoping to use them to upgrade my wife‘s or son‘s bicycle,” said Patrick. “It will be yet another way to keep us moving in the right direction.”
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