Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ - #healthynurse Spotlight Series - Corazon White, MSN, RN
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Conway Medical Center nurse makes exercise a habit she can’t break.
Five-foot-tall Corazon (Cora) White, MSN, RN, carried extra weight on her body for years — ever since having children. She always thought to herself, “this is the year I’ll take off the weight.” But yet another year would pass.In 2016, Cora transitioned from a floor nurse to a clinical educator position at Conway Medical Center. This change added more weight to her short stature due to the sedentary, computer-focused job duties. She was no longer walking the floors for 12-hour shifts, tending to patients and burning more calories.
Within a year, Cora’s primary care physician diagnosed her with high blood pressure. That’s when she reached her “aha” moment. It was time to make a change for the better.
“I thought to myself, if I don’t get a handle on this, I’m going to become one of the patients I’m caring for,” said Cora.
Incorporating Daily Exercise
Cora paced herself on her health journey. She started by going to her local gym and using the track to walk and jog. At first, she was mostly walking. Soon, she could run 5 miles without stopping.
“The weight was slipping off, but I started to get bored and felt myself losing motivation,” said Cora. “That’s when I decided to join a new gym that was more engaging.”
She hit her sweet spot with the new gym. It offered a wider variety of classes and programs, and continues to motivate her today. So much that Cora goes there almost every day and has lost a total of 31 pounds.
Next on her list of health and wellness goals: get off her blood pressure medication.
Common Nursing Challenges
Cora is familiar with the temptation and setbacks common in nursing, because she and her colleagues face them every day. When staying healthy, nurses have to deal with:
- Stress from a hard day leading to unhealthy eating, like high-calorie comfort foods
- Lack of time from long or late shifts, making it difficult to find time to exercise when all you want to do is go to bed after a 12-hour night shift
It’s possible to conquer these challenges with daily efforts to have healthy habits — just like Cora did.
Cora’s Health Journey Continues
Today, Cora finds inspiration in the health and weight-loss stories of others, especially those on the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation blogs. She’s become even more mindful of what she’s eating and tracks her calories daily.
She continues to exercise at least 5 days a week. Missing a day takes her out of her comfort zone — working out is officially part of her daily routine.
Corazon White, MSN, RN, is a Clinical Educator at Conway Medical Center in Conway, SC.
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Blog #healthynurse Spotlight
04/15/2019 3:14pm CDT
The #healthynurse Spotlight is a shout out to nurses who are making changes in their lives to improve their health and wellness. You can too! Read their stories for inspiration here.
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