Appearances can be deceiving, especially when it comes to health and wellness. Even a person who looks healthy on the outside may have unhealthy habits — along with problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar.

Last year, this was Kimberly Jordan-Dillard, a Newport News Shipbuilding trades superintendent. As a part-time fitness instructor, she was working out and teaching classes at least twice a week, yet she noticed that her weight was increasing.

“I thought my jeans were shrinking,” Jordan-Dillard said. “But it turned out I was gaining weight. I was exercising, so I just didn’t get it.”

Her wake-up call came during her annual Know Your Numbers program biometric health screening. Her blood pressure was fine, but her blood sugar levels were not. Given her active lifestyle, she was shocked. She was also worried.

“It really hit home for me because I’d just lost my mother,” Jordan-Dillard said. “I knew what she had gone through with her diabetes and blood pressure issues, which eventually led to strokes and dementia. She was unable to function on her own, so I took on being her caregiver for the last five years of her life.”

With her caregiving experience in mind — as well as the newfound knowledge of her own blood sugar levels — Jordan-Dillard decided that she wasn’t going to let her health numbers slip out of her control any longer.

“Knowing what my mom went through, I knew I couldn’t go down that path,” Jordan-Dillard said. “Plus, I’m a fitness instructor, and my mission is to help people live healthy lives. I told myself ‘No, this can’t happen to me.’”

From her onsite health screening, Jordan-Dillard was set up with the tools and support she needed to get her blood sugar back on track. After speaking with a nutritionist at the HII Family Health Center, she had a better idea of how she could reverse her prediabetes diagnosis.

“What’s funny is that I knew what to eat because I’d been taking care of my mom,” Jordan-Dillard said. “But I hadn’t been following it personally. I needed to apply it to myself.

“I LEARNED THAT HEALTH ISN’T JUST ABOUT WORKING OUT. YOU NEED TO EAT RIGHT TO BE TRULY WELL.”

Even though she was a seasoned fitness instructor, her nutritionist helped her gain a new perspective on what it means to be healthy. With small steps and changes — like incorporating more protein into her diet — Jordan-Dillard started keeping a healthier diet, and her blood sugar levels started to drop.

“I had been a fitness instructor for five years, but the change in my diet really changed things for me,” Jordan-Dillard said. “I cut down on sweets and increased my protein intake. I took baby steps to make better decisions, like when I ate at Chick-fil-A, I’d substitute the fries for a salad, or I’d order my grilled chicken sandwich wrapped in lettuce instead of bread.”

In addition to working on her diet with the help of a nutritionist, Jordan-Dillard also made some changes to her movement and exercise routine.

“I started walking three to five miles on the weekend,” Jordan-Dillard said. “In addition to my dance cardio class, I now have a walking group where we walk 14 miles every weekend. As a fitness instructor, I want others to be able to reach their goals, and I want that for myself too. It’s all about being and feeling healthy.”

Since taking her first steps on her wellness journey, Jordan-Dillard has seen real changes in her physical health — both on the outside and the inside.

“BY CHANGING MY EATING HABITS AND ADDING WALKING AND STEP AEROBICS INTO MY ROUTINE, I WENT FROM A SIZE 12 TO A SIZE SEVEN. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS WAS A WAKEUP CALL. WHEN I WENT BACK THE NEXT YEAR TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, ALL MY HEALTH NUMBERS WERE GOOD AND IN RANGE. I CONTRIBUTE MY SUCCESS TO THE KNOW YOUR NUMBERS PROGRAM AND TO THE NUTRITIONISTS AT THE HII FAMILY HEALTH CENTER.”

With the knowledge I gained, I can help those around me even more. Now I can talk to my students and friends about eating healthy, and I can give them tips to help them live a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle.”

SUCCESS STORY:

TAKE A FEW TIPS FROM KIMBERLY JORDAN-DILLARD

• Know your health numbers! The HII Family Health Center has knowledgeable people who can help you be a healthier YOU!
• Stay active — whether that means walking, swimming in the pool or taking a dance class. Just keep moving and get your steps in.
• Have an accountability partner, like a friend, family member or group. Mine are my fellow fitness peers in my walking group and dance class. You need someone to say ‘come out and walk with me’ so you’re pushed to really move.
• Know your why! It doesn’t happen overnight. Set goals and GO!