SPOTLIGHT ON WELLNESS DECEMBER 2023

Millions of employees spend most of their time in the workplace, so the impact that the workplace has on their wellness is increasing every year! GPV understands this and values their employees' wellness, so they are determined to offer the resources needed to stay healthy and well. Every month GPV Wellness features an employee to find out how they get moving and stay healthy.

For the month of December meet Mark McCreary and get an insight on how he gets moving and stays healthy.

What do you do to stay active?
I enjoy playing outdoors with my children, working out at the GPV Gym, walks over my lunch break and hiking when weather permits.

Do you have any health-related goals you are currently working on?
I would like to execute a 72-hour fast twice a year. I am currently working on understanding what diet should look like to get the greatest benefit from the fast.

Tell us about a recent wellness success you had?
Beginning at the age of 7 I have committed to each of my children that they would get a trip with Dad, a sort of father son trip to help keep our relationships strong.  Each of the boys get their choice of where they want to go.  Recently, my oldest son Adam and I went on a backpacking/hiking trip in which we packed in our supplies (he carried 25lbs and I carried 55lbs).  We hiked 5 miles and camped on the trail.  This inspired my 9 year old, Samuel, to want to hike as well and we went back to the same trail and hiked 6 miles the first day and 3 miles the second day.

What have been some barriers to staying active?
The largest barrier for me is the numerous other activities that command time. With a large family, it seems we are often on the go and there is not always time to fit in exercise. One great way to overcome this barrier in is to choose activities that incorporate walking, such as going to the zoo or a walk at the park. I have also began to utilize my lunch hour to participate in bootcamp and have found joy adding activity to my mid-day routine.

Is there anything on your bucket list?
I would like to one day spend 5-7 days up in the border waters camping and portaging our canoes from water to water.