Written by Steven Sedlmayr
I retired on June 30, after serving 33 years as a school superintendent, four years as a principal and three years as a classroom teacher. Since that time, I have found this to be quite challenging! I realized quickly just how different things were going to be when I turned in my school keys and walked out the front door of the school.
I knew things would be different, but wasn’t really prepared for the change in lifestyle I would now have. Yes, there were things to do, but it really wasn’t the same. I found I wasn’t prepared to face the fact that there were no more deadlines, no more challenges that others were depending on me to work out. The biggest change was missing the day-to-day contacts with my staff and colleagues that I have had throughout my career. I am gradually working through that at this time.
With this great change in my lifestyle, I was concerned that I would regain the weight I had lost over the past 20 months. When I stepped on the scale on July 2, I was 59 pounds under my high point of 338 pounds in March of 2017. I consciously avoided the snacking and eating to excess. I have found this to be much easier than I imagined. Today, I am down 68 pounds from my high point, and still lose a pound or two every couple of weeks.
In early August, a blood test ordered by my endocrinologist reinforced the results of my efforts. My A1C is down by 3 full points from its highest level. My cholesterol level is under 120, and for the first time in my life, all of my test results were within the “normal range”! The other big news is that I no longer take pre-meal insulin. I remain on the ballast insulin, but I am taking one-half of the dosage I had taken for the past six years! I find that it still takes a conscious effort, but it has become easier.
Although my eating habits have changed, I will still have a donut or a long john every couple of days… and I am content with just one! I no longer practice the title of a book by Frank B. Gilbreth, “Cheaper by the Dozen” when I stop at the convenience store or bakery.
Through conscious and healthy decision-making, I have changed my lifestyle, my health, and my outlook on life.
The WCA Group Health Trust was created when county officials joined together to create an employee benefit program that would meet the unique needs of local governments. Today, their founding principles still remain at the core. WCA Group Health Trust is governed by officials from participating units of government and school districts, making the organization more responsive to local healthcare needs.
