ALTON - Tina Broyles does all the right things that most of us say we’re going to do. Except Tina actually keeps at it – and it works.
Broyles works in the Transitional Care Unit at Alton Memorial Hospital and is the AMH representative in the 2017 BJC Health Hall of Fame class. One of the criteria to be nominated is employees who have “achieved and maintained changes in lifestyle that improved overall health and well being.”
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Nominated by co-worker Jackie Moore, Broyles took her first step to better health seven years ago when she stopped smoking. She also began Weight Watchers earlier this year through a BJC program. Combine that with a diet heavy in fruits and vegetables, and Tina has lost 30 pounds and kept it off.
“Also, my lunch hour at work is from 2-3 p.m., so I spend 30 minutes taking a walk,” she said. “And if it’s too hot or too cold to walk outside, I’ll find some stairs in the hospital and walk those.”
Walking is a big part of Broyles’ life anyway as she lives on 12 acres and grows a lot of her own food in a garden.
“Eating right is great, but portion control is the big thing,” she said. “I really want to watch my cholesterol as there is a family history. Plus, I bring a lot of the vegetables I grow at home to my co-workers. They enjoy that.”
Broyles said that stopping smoking was relatively easy for her.
“I only smoked maybe a half-pack a day, which is a lot less than many smokers do,” she said. “But I used a nicotine patch and that really seemed to help. It got to the point where I forgot about the need. So I really encourage our patients here that they can stop smoking, too.”
