Spark Spotlight: Celynne (CEL3131)

At SparkPeople, we love helping people accomplish big goals—but we believe it's equally important to celebrate the small successes along the way. Each week in the Spark Spotlight, we'll check in with a featured member about his or her proudest moments, biggest challenges and advice for others on living, thinking and feeling healthier. We hope these quick snapshots will help motivate you to keep moving steadily toward your own goals, week by week.

This Week's Spotlight: Celynne (CEL3131)
Age: 29
Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Small Success of the Week

Celynne hiked 15 kilometers while carrying a 30-pound pack. She is training for long-distance overnight hikes and this was her longest hike at the time of her Community Feed posting. Since then, Celynne has worked her way up to 20 kilometers!  

What's your overall goal?

I hope to eventually solo hike the Pacific Crest Trail, so everything I do is working toward achieving that someday. In general, though, I just want to be healthier and take better care of myself, so my body can keep doing the things I love like hiking, swimming and dancing.

How is SparkPeople helping you get there?

Tracking was a big eye-opener in terms of what I was and wasn't getting from my food. Now I'm eating more protein and concentrating on whole foods. Plus [having] access to great teams like the 5% Challenge Community (which I'm currently doing this summer) are great motivators, not to mention all the other resources like articles and videos. Plus everyone here is so encouraging and helpful, it's just a really great community.

What's your biggest challenge right now?

I'm returning to college full-time, with part-time retail work in September. It's going to mean a completely different schedule and a completely different lifestyle to which I'm going to have to adapt. I'm working now at making healthy choices a habit so that when things change I'll have that habit ingrained to keep me exercising, keep me eating healthy and keep me on track.

What advice do you have for someone who just joined SparkPeople today?

Explore everything! I spent my first few weeks reading so many SparkPeople articles, checking out different teams, watching videos and scrolling through the Community Feed. You will find something that suits you if you take the time to explore a little, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much is available here.

Want to be the next small success we spotlight? Share your successes on the goal feed or in the comments below, and you might be the next person we contact!