Christine Opland, Anchorage

I was always active as a child and young adult. But by my early forties I found myself a divorced mother of a young child, back in college, and working part time. Physical fitness had gone by the wayside. I had always struggled with that annoying 10-15 pounds that I wished would go away, and without exercise the weight really started piling on. By the time I turned 45, I was over 100 pounds overweight.

In 2004 a coworker asked me to join Weight Watchers with her. I had tried that program and had a fair amount of success with it before, so I agreed to try it again. My friend was unable to join with me, but I had already made a commitment to myself and was not prepared to back down. I stuck with the program, lost 45 pounds, and by the summer of 2005 I was using my bicycle more than my car for transportation.

Then in the fall of 2005 my annual mammogram came back with an abnormality that required further tests. A few months later I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. Over the following two years I ended up having a lumpectomy, two courses of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other infusion treatments. I had also re-gained those 45 pounds. I had no energy, and instead of being densely packed, my weight was now loose and sloppy. I felt like an old woman. Even though I had not given up on Weight Watchers, my weight loss hit a plateau.

In February 2008, I heard about the Individualized Health Planning Sessions available through the university’s wellness program and signed up to meet with a Wellness Consultant. I started following the fitness plan that my Wellness Consultant and I developed, taking health challenges, logging points in the Get the Point Wellness Incentive Program, and taking advantage of the university’s walking programs. This summer I once again found myself riding my bike more than driving. I’ve only lost a few pounds so far, but the important thing is that I have started losing again. I turned 52 in August, and I feel at least twenty years younger than I did when I turned 51.