Meet Janice Cook

Meet Janice Cook
WIN for Alaska, Inc. Wellness Consultant

My background in health and wellness:
At the end of 2005, I made a New Year’s Resolution to finally get rid of the excess weight I had been carrying around since giving birth to my 5th child.

After the age of 40, I wasn't able to easily lose weight like I once was. I did some weight lifting before having kids, and knew that doing that again would give my metabolism a boost. So I hired a personal trainer, and within 2 months, I lost 15 lbs and started to get leaner.

By the summer of 2006, I decided to get serious about training. I continued working with a personal trainer, and entered some body building competitions. I competed in my first show in April of 2007. I did very well, taking the overall female award. Next, I went to Washington, competed regionally, and took third. This is when I realized that I wanted to help other people get back into their youthful shapes.

I became a personal trainer, and in addition to strength training, I learned more about cardiovascular exercise, nutrition, and supplementation. While working at the SRC at UAF, I was approached by the director who asked me if I might be interested in becoming a health consultant. I thought this would be a great opportunity to reach more people, teach them about the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle, and how it could greatly increase their longevity.

I continue to educate myself about health and fitness. Currently, I am taking two courses: one on fitness therapy that deals with post physical therapy patients; and one on sports nutrition.

How I view health:
My favorite part of my fitness routine is working my legs. I love doing supersets of two to three different exercises, fatiguing my legs, while elevating my heart rate. It’s an awesome routine. My favorite cardio workout is doing intervals of fast walking and sprinting.

Healthful living is a chosen lifestyle. In our world today, it is simple to stay sedentary and eat takeout or microwave meals, than it is to exercise and eat healthier foods. So, if you are serious about maintaining a healthful lifestyle, it must be a priority. Even if you're busy, take time out to exercise every day, even just for 20 minutes.

Although making this change is not easy at first, once you make it a habit, you’ll never go back!