SparkPeople Community Coordinator
Denise's first introduction to SparkPeople was January 1, 2004, as a member. It took her eight months to lose 40 pounds and reach her goal weight, which she's maintained for many years thanks to regular walking, yoga, and fitness videos. Losing weight and exercising inspired Denise to change her life. She went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree in wellness at Lincoln University in Missouri and become an ACE-certified personal trainer. Now a SparkPeople employee, she helps others achieve their health and fitness goals, including the 13- to 17-year-old members of our sister site, SparkTeens.com, where Denise works as the Community Leader. At SparkPeople, you'll find her throughout the Community, answering questions, leading SparkTeams and challenges and providing support to members.
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VIDEO: 23 and 1/2 Hours -- What is the Single Best Thing We Can Do for Our Health?
When you look at your day, how much of it is spent sitting or being sedentary? For a lot of people the answer to that is most of their day. Many people might find that they spend 8+ hours sitting at work and then come home and sit some more, whether it is to watch TV or for some other sedentary activity. We then go to bed and sleep the rest of the time. That’s a lot of time spent each day being sedentary!
So what can we do that has the biggest impact on our health to help counterbalance all that sedentary activity? Dr. Mike Evans, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital, created a video to help us learn what the best thing we can do for our health.
Posted 1/26/2012 9:00:00 AM By: : 44 comments 55,552 views
This Month's Best Member Blogs
I Got OUT of the Wendy's Drive-Thru Line
Vision Board
One Year with SparkPeople
Why I LOVE SparkPeople Live
You can teach an old taste bud new tricks!
Posted 1/22/2012 6:00:00 AM By: : 6 comments 11,479 views
Top 10 Things You Should Know About the SparkPeople Community
As some of you may know, before I became an employee for SparkPeople, I was a member just like you. My husband and I joined SparkPeople on January 1, 2004. Back then, the site was great and had a lot of helpful features, but it was nowhere near what it is today. Today, SparkPeople offers a lot of the same basic features that it did back then, but now it has even more, especially when it comes to the Community features! Can you believe when I started there were no SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkGoodies or SparkTeams? Crazy, I know!
Something that hasn’t changed on SparkPeople throughout the years though, is the fabulous Community. From day one of using the site, I found that the SparkPeople Community was one of the most valuable pieces to my success and keeping me motivated throughout and beyond my weight loss journey. As a member, I made many friends by posting in the Message Board forums (this was before SparkTeams and SparkPages were available on the site). I found a lot of support from other members, along with the SparkPeople Coaches. I truly felt like I was a part of something really special, and honestly, I still do!
Posted 1/12/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 44 comments 24,089 views
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Setting Non-Diet Goals: Helpful for Overall Well-Being
It’s that time of year again, the time when people make resolutions, or in my case, goals. I’ve never been known to make resolutions, but I do like to make a list of goals for myself for things that I want to accomplish throughout the year. However, the start of a new year is not the only time I make goals for myself – I actually do this at least a few times a year. When I do make my goal list, I like to look at what I have accomplished so far and see if I need to make any adjustments to my current goals or add new ones. I see this as a list that evolves with me and what I feel is important.
Of course though, my list always includes goals that are health-related. Actually, that is what most of my goals have been in the last few years, but this year I am trying something a little different. While I do have some health goals on my list and will continue to work towards those, this year I want to put a little more focus on some goals that are not health-related.
Posted 1/8/2012 6:00:00 AM By: : 87 comments 41,214 views
This Month's Best Member Blogs
An Amazing Year ... with pictures!
Little victories...
Woah... I DO have a collarbone!
Made My First Spark Cookbook Recipe Today - Photos Included
Posted 12/18/2011 12:00:00 PM By: : 2 comments 10,873 views
Everything You Need to Know about Preventing Cold & Flu
Just as you hear someone cough or sneeze this time of year, you may wonder if that is something you should be worried about. Many people will come down with a cold or the flu during the winter months. But how should you take care of yourself when you are sick or around someone who is sick? Do you know the difference between the symptoms of a cold, allergies, and the flu? We have rounded up a variety of resources to help you learn about and sort out all the details about colds, the flu, and your immune system.
Posted 12/15/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 11 comments 32,442 views
Everything You Need to Know about Stress Relief
Stress is something that everyone encounters at least once in their lifetime, and some may experience it more than others. Some people are also able to manage their stress levels well, while others have a difficult time in dealing with it. Let's face it, while the holidays are meant to be a joyous part of the year, stress is rampant during this time as well, and many of us experience even more stress than usual! With all the parties and events that you need to attend, shopping that needs to be done, entertaining out-of-town guests, etc. , you may find yourself running out of time to get things done, including your workouts. I've rounded up a variety of resources to help you learn about stress and combat/relieve your stress in healthy ways. I hope that you will be able to use some of these rescources to de-stress during the holidays (and after they are long gone), especially if you have ever felt like the woman in the picture.
Posted 12/8/2011 6:00:00 PM By: : 29 comments 25,667 views
A SparkPeople Love Connection--Meet the Newlyweds
Some may think of SparkPeople as just a healthy living website, but it is so much more! Many members form long-lasting friendships with other members (even in other parts of the world). Recently we found out that there was a couple that met on SparkPeople and got married earlier this year, which I believe may be the second SparkPeople wedding to date. Where else can you find such fun, long-lasting friendships and/or a possible mate who also enjoys living a healthy lifestyle? Only on SparkPeople, of course!
Being someone who also met their spouse on the internet by chance (over 15 years ago), I truly enjoyed the story about how Jan (JANHIM) and Greg (TRAILTRODDER) met (and are now married). I am very excited that they allowed me to interview them for the dailySpark so we can share their beautiful and fun story with all of you too. As you will see, Jan and Greg are definitely Making Their Lives An Adventure together!
Posted 12/1/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 75 comments 23,883 views
This Month's Best Member Blogs
Accepting Myself
Vision For the Rest of My Life or a Part of It
40lbs Gone and Kissing the 300s Goodbye
Well I am officially not a couch potato anymore! Signed up for a real live 5k
Posted 11/3/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 7 comments 11,059 views
Staying on Track When You're Hurt
I don't know about you, but for me, this year has not gone according to plan, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I've had a lot of great things happen this year, but I've also had what I think is more than my fair share of injuries, which most have been pretty random. As I reflect on the year so far and my current situation, I am reminded of something that John Lennon once said: “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” The more I reflect on this year, the more I find this to be such a true statement. Although, I know I’m not the only one that has found themself with an injury this year, as I have seen numerous Message Board posts on SparkPeople about members having various injuries and wondering how they can continue their healthy lifestyle plan with the injury.
My latest injury is a torn ligament and broken bone in one of my fingers, which makes everything harder to do one handed, including typing. I also had to have surgery to repair the damage, and that definitely was not in any of my plans for this year. Because of how bad the injury was, I did have to skip out on some workouts, along with alter my original workout schedule, but I didn’t let it get me down or distract me from keeping my healthy habits and reaching my other goals. When injuries happen, it can be really easy to fall in the trap of the “all-or-nothing approach,” but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Posted 10/20/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 64 comments 26,284 views
This Month's Best Member Blogs
C25K - Day 2
SparkPeople Has Changed My Life!!!
What Has Worked for Me So Far... 7 Lessons from the Battlefront
I Learned a Very Important Lesson Today...
You Can't Control Me!
Posted 10/6/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 2 comments 11,059 views
Pet Obesity: A Growing Trend
As obesity has risen over the years, the waistlines of our pets have unfortunately followed that trend as well. While we are in charge of our own journey to a healthy lifestyle, our pets don’t have that choice. We are in charge of what and how often they eat, along with what types of exercise they get and how often.
According to this study in The Wall Street Journal, the main culprit of overweight pets are “owners who routinely overfeed pets, don't exercise them enough and are unaware of the severe, and costly, health problems caused by excess weight. Common woes include diabetes, arthritis, kidney failure, high blood pressure and cancer.” Wait...aren't those some of the same problems that we face due to excess weight?
If you have visited my SparkPage, you may have noticed that I am an animal lover. I currently have 3 cats and a 10 month old puppy. Over time and even more recently I have seen some very overweight pets, even right here in my neighborhood. While I may not be the perfect pet parent, I am always doing what I can to make sure that none of my fur-babies become a statistic of having any complications of being overweight.
Posted 9/16/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 51 comments 17,576 views
This Month's Best Member Blogs
Bravely Posting My First Video Blog
I am not perfect.
Six Month Sparkversary
I am a rockstar no matter what the scale says!
Ten things I love about my journey to fitness
Posted 9/2/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 4 comments 13,310 views
This Month's Best Member Blogs
My (not so) itsy bitsy teeny-weeny black and rainbow striped bikini
6 months, 50 pounds, and it's only the beginning!
The same dress - 86 pounds later
Dear Fat, I want a divorce!
Posted 8/5/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 7 comments 12,173 views
How Snacking Can Help--or Hurt--Your Weight Loss
Let's face it, most of us are bombarded with access to food on an almost daily basis. From our fellow co-workers bringing in the daily supply of morning donuts, to weddings, baby showers and office parties, along with the growing number of restaurants spotting the landscape, many of us do not have to worry about when and where our next meal or snack will come from. According to research, this massive availability to food, in addition to our declining activity levels, may be two of the biggest factors responsible for our ever expanding waistlines. We are also spending more time eating between meals and sadly many of us underestimate the amount of food we are eating at any given meal or snack.
So what can you do to avoid the snacking trap?
Posted 7/22/2011 9:00:00 AM By: : 18 comments 22,774 views
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