Employee Story: Michelle Sampson, Presstran Industries
Download PDFLeading by Example
Michelle Sampson, who’s been with Magna since 2003, dropped over fifty pounds after deciding to focus and get serious about her health. She credits her children for giving her the motivation to lose weight and get fit. “I want them to live happy, healthy lives and thought the best way for them to learn was to follow my example.”
The 33 year old mother of two, who was recently promoted to HR Department Leader at St. Thomas’s Presstran Industries, used to be a competitive figure skater, but her children’s busy hockey and dance schedules left her little time to pursue her own hobbies. She adjusted her schedule to include 5am workouts, leaving her free for family activities in the evenings, and sought the help of a trainer for nutrition and exercise advice. “This was the best thing I ever did. Learning effective ways to workout was really helpful,” Michelle explains.
Michelle tries to eat six small meals a day. Rather than make drastic eliminations from her diet, she opted for moderation and strives to choose healthy options as much as possible. “I still indulge once in a while if I go out for dinner, or enjoy the occasional glass of wine, but I don’t beat myself up for it, I just get right back on track.”
Thanks to her lifestyle change, Michelle sleeps better, feels better and has lower stress levels. “Once it was part of my routine, it became habit.” If she misses a few workouts or strays off healthy eating for a few days, it affects her mood and energy, which gives her the motivation to get right back on track.
For those seeking to follow Michelle’s example, she offers this: “Don’t worry about the scale, measure your success by how you feel and how your clothes fit. Weight isn’t everything. Understanding this made it much easier for me to notice results like [muscle definition] or my clothes fitting differently.”
