Jeff Blackwood's Story

Jeff Blackwood, an Employee Benefits Specialist at C&S, loves sports, running and weightlifting. In fact, for a while he was a competitive power lifter.

But as he grew older and more involved in his career, Jeff found less and less time to exercise. Inevitably, the pounds crept on. “I wanted to get back in shape,” he recalls, “But finding the time and motivation was difficult.”

What turned him around was the “C&S Win at Health Challenge”, a workplace wellness program modeled after television’s popular “Biggest Loser” program.

“The Win at Health Challenge really got me started,” Jeff says. “The idea was that participants would lose weight and become more fit by stepping up their activity levels and making healthier food choices.  The company gave a pedometer to everyone who signed up, so we could track the number of steps we took each day. We also kept track of the pounds and inches we lost.”

That burst of motivation was just what Jeff needed to ramp up his exercise program. He joined an informal team of employees who took up running on their lunch hour.

After nine weeks, Jeff had lost nine pounds. At that point, the Win at Health Challenge was over – but Jeff felt so good he continued to meet with his running colleagues two or three times a week for a 40-minute run. Within three months, he lost another eleven pounds.

“The Win at Health Challenge was the initial motivator that got me to start exercising,” says Jeff. “But it’s the C&S culture that’s kept me going. The company does a lot of great things to promote healthy lifestyles. Here in Keene we have after-work classes nearly every day. It could be yoga, Zumba dance, Pilates, core fitness training -- anything. And all the classes are free to C&S employees. They even hold Weight Watchers meetings here.”

Jeff has also taken advantage of the many health-related discounts C&S offers to employees, including memberships at local gyms and physical therapy and chiropractic services.

“C&S wholeheartedly supports a culture of healthy living,” says Jeff. “That’s something I really value.