KYTX -- As the mission says, PATH employees are doing it one step, one bite, one health conscious decision at a time. They're taking more steps, eating more fruits and veggies and focusing on what they eat.
"Well we started out by parking a little further away," Executive Director of PATH Christina Fulsom said.
Taking the back spot in the parking lot is one of the practical messages this quarter in the Fit City Challenge and an easy way to burn a few extra calories.
Several PATH employees are also taking on the challenge to eat seven servings of fruits and veggies a day. They're juicing to get that done.
"I also happened to watch a documentary about a gentleman whose life was turned around," Fulsom said. "He was dying of immune disease. He started juicing to get all of the micronutrients out of fruits and veggies. So we decided to look into it and start it."
Both Fulsom and Kelli Perry, who are three weeks in now, have already lost a few pounds and are feeling better. That's not easy to come by for Perry who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.
"I'ts horrible joint pain, wake up in the morning very stiff," Perry said. "I get to the point I can't use my hands. They lock up."
In hopes of countering Perry's Auto-Immune disease they add fruits and veggies rich in antioxidants from spinach to blueberries.
"I feel more energetic," Perry said. "I'm not having as much trouble getting up in the morning. It
used to take an hour or two with medication to get up and going. I'm hopeful."
They're also stepping away from their computers and eating or drinking their lunch together.
"What's been fun about this," Fulsom said. "Is that not only are we eating more fruits and veggies, we are spending more time together because we are all here in the break room having our meal together instead of sitting in front of our computers having something to eat and not realizing how much we've eaten."
While it can be pricey to buy all the fruits and veggies to juice the people at PATH say it's paying huge dividends for their health. Now for their clients, they provide free fruits and veggies each Wednesday.
