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Mary McClannahan doesn’t want to be held back. She wants to be able to do anything she decides to try, whether that’s riding a rollercoaster, small hikes or even climbing a mountain. Mary’s health and wellness was holding her back, so she made it a top priority. 

Mary, who serves as Telematics Logistics Supervisor, has been with �ԹϺ����� for a little more than two years. She began her career with �ԹϺ����� right as the pandemic shut down the world. She took the same opportunity many did and began focusing on her health during that time.

“I came from a physically-demanding job prior to �ԹϺ����� — but it wasn’t good exercise,” Mary said. “That job was terrible for my mental health and well-being, so I wasn’t in a good place when I came to �ԹϺ�����. Once I got comfortable and started enjoying my job and my mental health improved, I decided to take better care of my physical health.”

Mary set a goal to walk for one hour per day and listen to audiobooks as an incentive.

“I could only listen to the book if I was walking so it was more of a motivator to get up and walk if the book was really good,” Mary said. “I bought a pandemic treadmill, like so many other people, so that I have an option when the weather is bad.”

Mary has a familiar health history to many people – having started and stopped many diets and exercise programs in the past in an effort to lose weight. Many of her family members suffer from chronic illnesses that can be caused or exacerbated by obesity. Mary doesn’t want to repeat those patterns.

With the opening of the Candace Stevenson Fitness Center at �ԹϺ����� Headquarters in Columbia, Mo., in May 2021, Mary began taking group fitness classes and saw the scale steadily go down each week, averaging about one pound per week.

“I started attending the 4 p.m. classes after work so that I could lose any leftover thoughts of work and not take that home with me,” Mary said. “I tend to be someone that takes work home and this was a good way for me to end the day and leave thoughts and worries about work behind me. I have no energy to worry about anything after an hour of working out. I’m also doing things I never thought I could do. I can do a push-up, it may only be one push-up, but it’s a push-up!”

Mary had tried group fitness classes in the past, but she likes the offerings at �ԹϺ����� because of the small class sizes and guidance offered by the personal training staff. 

“For one hour a day, I’m being told what to do, and I can show up and do it and not think about it,” Mary said. “When I’m working out I can shut down mentally for an hour and focus on exercise.”

The on-site gym also provides a layer of accountability for Mary. If she doesn’t show up for her usual workout, someone will notice and check in on her to make sure she’s okay.

“We believe when you’re healthier, you're happier — and not just at work,” Danielle Schlacks, member of the �ԹϺ����� executive leadership team, said. “We want our employees to enjoy life to the fullest when they’re with family, friends and coworkers. Seeing Mary take advantage of the options available to her is inspiring to me and many others at �ԹϺ�����. She is a true inspiration and has added so much to her life.”

At �ԹϺ����� Headquarters, breakfast and lunch are provided each day and a healthy option is always available to staff. Mary, who admittedly doesn’t like breakfast and usually has a protein shake, finds having her lunch taken care of each day, and knowing it’s going to be healthy, really helps her to stay on track.

“I love that lunches are provided at work and I don’t have to worry about it,” Mary said.  “I always have a great healthy option no matter what, even if I grab a salad from the cold case. I can’t make myself eat salads at home, but at the office I love it, it doesn’t make sense, the salads are just better there.”

To maintain her progress, Mary sees a medical professional once a month for help with nutrition and creates goals for herself. 

“I have three weekly goals,” Mary said. “I want to eat out one time or less, do 45 minutes of exercise 6 days per week, and drink two or fewer alcoholic beverages per week. I have an old school sticker chart on my fridge and I get a sticker for each goal I achieve.”

In addition to improved mental health, more energy, great sleep, better cardio health and lowering her resting heart rate, Mary has lost around 60 pounds.

“I’ve always been private with numbers, but I’m proud of losing 60 pounds so far,” Mary said. “And by sharing that, I find that others are proud of me, too, and they are so encouraging. I’m glad to be making changes now by choice rather than being forced into changes later because I have no other option.”

�ԹϺ����� also provides meals, snacks and gym membership stipends to each employee that isn’t based out of the headquarters in Columbia. Additionally, all employees can and do earn points each month for their physical activity that translate into Amazon gift cards and Awarded Time Off (ATO). In 2021, employees walked, jogged, ran and biked a total of 1,746,953  miles – which is a total of 70 laps around planet Earth. 

Every ES team member is encouraged to make their health and wellness a priority and is given tools to help them. For more information, please visit Careers at �ԹϺ�����.