Beyond the scale
Angela Gridley has worn many hats in her 43 years, including daughter, wife, mother, homemaker, caretaker, homeschool teacher and, since January, nursing student. Now she proudly boasts one more: fitness and wellness enthusiast extraordinaire. Since joining the Wellness Center at Coffee Regional Medical Center in the fall of 2014, Angela has lost 125 pounds! Today, not a day goes by that she doesn’t do something good for her health. Whether it’s a spin class on Thursdays, a FitX class on Mondays or a home workout or walk on Sundays, she is a regular at the Center and has taken her health and wellness to heart.
“I knew what it was like to be thin,” reflects Angela. “ When I see my ‘before’ pictures, I don’t identify with that person.” For Angela, her weight loss wasn’t because of surgery or a fad diet. It was because of a healthy diet and hard work, significant sweat and conscious commitment. She was inspired when she saw Vashti, a cardiac nurse who had lost weight and encouraged her to join the Wellness Center. Once Angela started exercising, she quickly learned that nutrition is a huge component of any weight loss journey; in fact, nutrition is probably 80 to 90 percent of the equation. “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” she shared.
Angela and her husband, Tim, are caretakers at a local church campground since moving here in 2013. She cherishes her time at the Wellness Center and the family of professionals she has encountered there. “Everyone is so professional and so very friendly,” she remarks. “The environment there is not intimidating … they’ve created a place you don’t dread.”
With four kids and four grandkids, Angela finds many reasons to stay healthy. She enjoys their church involvement and activities, anything to do with fitness and staying active, riding bikes, reading and more. She looks forward to wearing her many hats for many more years to come, thanks to her journey to better health! She has more energy, and her self-image is refreshed. And her daily commitment to continue the journey is strong.
Having experienced the untimely loss of a child in 2005 — a daughter who would be 12 this year, Angela reflects on her weight loss journey as perhaps the second hardest thing she’s ever done.
“It’s hard work, but it’s worth it!” concludes Angela. “Lord willing, I want this to be an everyday thing for me, forever.”