The year 2009 was a revelation for me. It’s when I took a step back and looked at my life. Even though my life changed for the better by becoming the market leader for Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care in 2008, something was still missing. It was in January of 2009 when I realized if I didn’t do something about my weight, I was going to end up with multiple health problems, just as every woman on my mother’s side of my family has. All I can remember is my mother telling me, “Please, don’t end up like me.” I knew that the reality of what my mother kept saying was coming true, and it was time to make a change.

One night as I watched “The Biggest Loser,” I kept hearing Bob Harper, the personal trainer on the show, say  to count your calories and workout, even if it was for 30 minutes a day. “Do something,” he said.  So I did.

I started working out on the elliptical 40 minutes a night. I chose the elliptical because I had reached my heaviest weight ever, 205 pounds, and because my knees hurt so badly, I couldn’t do what I used to love: running.

The funny, or painful, part about counting calories is realizing how many calories you should take in each day to reach your target weight. I planned for my calorie intake to be 1,200 calories a day, but if I burned 500 calories working out every day, I could have 1,700 calories, which made my goal much more bearable.

I lost 55 pounds in five months by counting calories, exercising on the elliptical for 40 minutes a day and riding a bike six miles a day.

May of 2009 was the best month ever, because I had lost enough weight for my knees to feel free again. I started running, and little by little, I worked my way up to running four miles a day. It was then I told Jennifer Thompson about my weight loss and how excited I was to be able to run again, and she told me about Team Burnham and the Walt Disney World Marathon. I continued to stay on my regimen, working out five to six days a week and counting calories, but for a new reason: I was working my way up to seeing if I could even fathom running 26.2 miles by January. What was I thinking? I had just started losing all this weight, and now I was tasking myself with running a marathon that wasn’t even six months away.

With the help of family and friends, especially from my husband (who thought I was crazy for waking up and running at 5 a.m. three to four times a week), my mom, my sisters, and of course, Team Burnham, I completed my very first marathon on January 10, 2010. Not only was I able to lose 70 pounds in one year, I was also able to run 26.2 miles.

If you want something bad enough, you have to go after it. If you don’t have illness in your family, don’t think you’re exempt from diseases like obesity, heart disease or diabetes. I know that without perseverance, sure will, and a little competitive spirit, I would still be 205 pounds, sitting on the couch watching “The Biggest Loser” and wondering why I couldn’t take my life back.

Article by Bea Kochheiser

The University of Central Florida has earned its second recognition this month as one of the nation’s “best value” colleges and universities.

The Princeton Review, one of America’s best-known education services and test preparation companies, has joined Kiplinger magazine in selecting a UCF education as one of the best values in the country.

“The Princeton Review Best Value Colleges for 2010″ was posted today on the Web sites of The Princeton Review and USA Today.

The Princeton Review selected its 100 “best value” institutions — 50 public universities and 50 private colleges — based on its surveys of administrators and students at more than 650 institutions. The selection criteria covered academics, costs of attendance and financial aid.

“There are many first-rate institutions offering outstanding academics at a relatively low cost of attendance and/or generous financial aid, including some that may surprise applicants,” said Robert Franek, publisher of The Princeton Review. “We’re pleased to have again teamed up with USA TODAY to identify and commend the 100 colleges that do just that and do it best in the nation.”

Last week, Kiplinger announced that UCF ranked 36th on its list of the best college values in the country. Like The Princeton Review, Kiplinger selected colleges that combine excellent economic value with an outstanding education.

UCF continues to receive noteworthy national rankings, including recognition last year from U.S. News & World Report as a top 20 national university for students graduating with the least amount of debt, in the magazine’s “Great Schools, Great Prices” category.

U.S. News & World Report also named UCF one of the top five national universities to watch. UCF was the only Florida school listed in the category “Top Up-and-Coming Schools,” which includes national universities that “recently made the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities.”

To view the complete Princeton Review lists of “best value” colleges, go to www.princetonreview.com/best-value-colleges.aspx or www.bestvaluecolleges.usatoday.com.

To view the Kiplinger rankings, go to www.kiplinger.com/reports/best-college-values.

Kick Ball. The sport of champions. Played across playgrounds and baseball fields nationwide, this December it’s your chance to get out your tube socks, gather up your friends and bring your ‘A’ game for the first annual Community Kick Ball Challenge Charity Tournament.

On December 12 Avalon Park will be transformed into the kick ball capital of East Orlando as 30 teams from around the community come together to play in an elimination-style charity kick ball tournament to benefit the Burnham Institute for Medical Research. Kick ball teams will be made up of businesses and local residents alike who have joined forces to enjoy a little healthy competition and help raise money for state-of-the-art medical research taking place in Lake Nona.  Each year, the the Burnham Institute for Medical Research creates “Team Burnham” which consists of dozens of community members who come together to train for, raise money and compete in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon & Marathon in January. The funds raised by Team Burnham members will directly support disease research at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun, I can tell you that much,” says Jennifer Thompson, president of Insight Marketing Group and co-creator of the Community Kick Ball Challenge.  Thompson created the event with the help of her marathon running partners, Mandy Taylor and Bea Kochheiser, as one of several fundraisers they are organizing to benefit Team Burnham.

Last year, Thompson and Taylor joined forces and trained together for six full months, running more than 500 miles throughout the communities of East Orlando in preparation for their 26.2 mile marathon debut with Team Burnham. “Training for, and competing in, the marathon forever changed my perception of what I was capable of achieving,” says Thompson. She describes the duo’s journey as one of self discovery, humility and physical transformation. But most importantly, she says, were the lessons they learned in mental toughness. “Running tests your will to succeed like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. When it comes down to it, it’s just you and determination.”

Taylor agrees: “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but I’ll never forget the things it taught me about myself and what I’m capable of.”

All of the funds raised by Team Burnham’s activities, like the Community Kick Ball Challenge, are donated back to the Burnham Institute locally. Burnham is one of the anchors of the emerging life-sciences cluster dubbed “Medical City” located in Lake Nona. Collectively, the region is projected to have an economic impact in the neighborhood of $6.4 billion and generate nearly 26,000 jobs throughout the course of the next 10 years, according to a recent study.

“The Kick Ball Challenge is a fun, unique opportunity to help raise funds on our way to completing the half and the full marathons in one weekend as part of Team Burnham,” says Thompson.

So far, interest in the Community Kick Ball Challenge has been high. “Response has been encouraging,” says Kochheiser, the third, and newest, member of the running trio. “We filled a lot of the team slots in the first days of registration and sponsors were quick to jump on board so we’re looking forward to a full, fun day.”

Thompson agrees: “I think a lot of people understand the value of what we’re doing with the kick ball tournament,” she says. “More than being just a rewarding way to spend a Saturday, it’s a way to set and accomplish a goal for yourself and your team. It’s an opportunity to come together as a community and share an experience to remember.”

For those interested in forming a team, there are still several slots left for the Community Kick Ball Challenge. Teams may consist of up to 10 players and must have a minimum of seven players. At least 20 percent of each team must be female. Interested teams may register through December 11, however registration will close once the 30 team slots are filled.

To find out more information or to register, click this link right now.

Article by Corey Gehrold

Picture this if you can: holidays without the stress of buying hoards of gifts, burning batches of Christmas cookies and making the house spotless before your relatives arrive. While you may still choose to buy gifts, cook and clean, wouldn’t it be nice to have a stress-free holiday this season?

For some, stress creeps up from the moment that holiday music is heard on the radio in what seems like mid-October. Americans listed lack of money and time, pressures of gift giving and credit card debt as their top causes of holiday stress, according to a 2006 survey by the American Psychological Association.

So how can you stay positive and relatively stress-free this year?

Since lack of money was the biggest stresser for surveyed Americans, sticking to a budget and getting creative may make a difference this season.

“We make a lot of our gifts and love to barter for toys with local merchants,” says Andrea Branagan, a mother of two who lives with her husband in East Orlando. “It really does help to know that money doesn’t have to be involved to find the perfect gift.”

The APA recommends setting realistic goals like dealing with small holiday tasks one at a time to keep things in perspective and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Celebrating traditions with loved ones is another way to cope with holiday stress. “For many years we have purchased food from a local restaurant to go and give to the local homeless camp here in East Orlando,” says Branagan. They also buy dinners and pies which they give to the first people they see on Christmas Eve.

Remembering that the holidays are a time of family love and togetherness can be a challenge, but it may help to ease the stress as well. And, this year, the holidays will be an even greater time for love and support for the Branagan family since they are still grieving over the loss of their newborn baby girl, Story. “In addition to giving dinners to the homeless we will be donating new baby outfits in Story’s memory to Parrish Hospital Maternity Ward for mothers who need them,” she says.

For Branagan and family, the holidays are about more than presents and decorations.

So instead of stressing this holiday season, sing some Christmas carols, sip some hot chocolate and take Branagan’s advice - remember what the holidays are really about.

Article by Aimee Hoyt

While most employees expect to be rewarded with time off and a hefty holiday bonus, employees at the University of Central Florida and Lockheed Martin Corp, two of East Orlando’s largest families, are taking a different approach by giving back. Home to over 53,000 students this fall, the University of Central Florida expects to be the third-largest university in the nation; and Lockheed Martin is the largest industrial employer in Central Florida.

UCF and Lockheed Martin employees have each held numerous holiday charity efforts over the years, and this year is no exception.

Instead of a typical employee gift exchange or Secret Santa, UCF Office of Faculty Affairs and its coworkers select a charity every holiday season to give to. Last year, they provided two new gifts to more than 600 homeless children through the HOPE Foundation in Oviedo. Chosen as their charity again this season, HOPE aims to reduce and prevent homelessness in Central Florida.

The office collects unwrapped toys, children’s socks and underwear, gift cards for teens and gift wrapping supplies. These items will be delivered for HOPE’s “Christmas in the City” event on December 20 where a Christmas dinner will be served to hundreds of families and the donated gifts will be distributed.

Lockheed Martin employees have a tradition of their own: For the past eight years, they have donated hundreds of gifts every holiday season to Community Care for the Elderly. The CCE organization provides services to older adults to help them continue living at home while maintaining their independence. Last year, Lockheed Martin employees provided more than 925 gifts to local seniors. This year, employees continue to support Community Care for the Elderly, which is teaming up with Seniors First, to hold a “Shoebox Drive.”

“Due to the large quantity of senior citizens in need, this year’s drive focuses on personal care items and small gifts in order to be able to reach the maximum number of seniors possible,” says Janina Rivera of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Many of the more than 4,000 clients that Seniors First serves are frail, homebound and on low incomes, so a donated gift may be the only thing they receive this holiday season.”

Lockheed Martin is the largest corporate group that supports the drive for Seniors First, according to Rivera.

Along with these two holiday efforts, both UCF employees and Lockheed Martin employees support numerous other charities during the season.

Some employees at UCF Institute for Simulation & Training support the Navy’s partnership to provide gifts for students at Blankner Elementary School in Orlando, according to Chad Binette, assistant director for UCF News & Information. The students then get to select donated gifts to give to a sibling.

UCF Physical Plant employees, along with other university departments, also decided to forego exchanging gifts with each other in order to help families in Bithlo. Several years ago, two employees at the plant created their Adopt-a-Child Program where participants donate unwrapped items from their chosen child’s wish list.

At Lockheed Martin, employees also participate in Toys for Tots by donating new, unwrapped toys or bicycles. “During last year’s campaign, employees donated more than $40,000 to Toys for Tots, including 400 new bicycles and helmets and $5,000 worth of toys,” says Rivera. “Lockheed Martin has a 53-year legacy of serving the Central Florida community, and activities such as our holiday outreach programs show that we are committed to enhancing the quality of life in the communities in which we live and work,” she says.

As UCF and Lockheed Martin continue to grow in their workforces, so do their contributions to the East Orlando and Central Florida communities they serve.

Article by Aimee Hoyt