Welcome to Wellness

Welcome to the Myers Group Wellness Portal!

Good health means thriving in all aspects of our lives: physical, mental, emotional, occupational, financial and community/social. This portal offers advice, resources, recipes, and tools related to these interconnected dimensions. It also provides information on MG employee programs, updates on MG community events, links to nutrition and fitness coaching, and our tobacco cessation program.
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The Wellable Continuous Wellness Program
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With our continuous wellness program, you will have the opportunity to learn about a new wellness topic each month, for example, Nutrition, Sleep, Physical Activity, and receive points and rewards ($20, $40, $60 Myers Group gift cards & fitness trackers) on an ongoing basis just for engaging with the program. No physical activity is required to earn a reward! To register for the program, visit Wellable/The Myers Group.  To learn more details about the program, click below.

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July 2026 Health Hero - Valarie Lanyon (North Albany IGA)
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Finding Health Again: Valarie Lanyon’s Journey Back to Wellness

I’m proud to announce that Valarie Lanyon is the Myers Group's July Health Hero! Valarie has worked for North Albany IGA for seven years and currently serves as the store’s deli manager. For most of her life, she has been highly active, spending weekends biking, hiking, paddle boarding, and lifting weights while raising her three children with her husband.

In September 2024, however, her life changed dramatically when she injured her right shoulder while carrying an overly heavy load. Medical scans revealed two herniated discs in her neck and a flattened bicep tendon that caused inflammation in her AC joint. Along with shoulder and arm pain and weakness, she also developed back pain.The injuries made everyday activities extremely difficult. Household chores became challenging, exercise was nearly impossible, and even walking aggravated her shoulder. For months, she lived with constant discomfort and pain. In addition, Valarie was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. She also struggled with persistent fatigue and found herself drinking up to six cups of coffee each day just to get through her routine. The ongoing pain, combined with her inability to remain active, contributed to depression and stress eating. As a result, she gained more than 30 pounds, and her increasingly sedentary lifestyle became difficult to break.

A major turning point came in January of this year when she was invited to serve as a youth camp leader at a retreat in the mountains. Since her children were attending, she was excited to be involved. Once there, however, she quickly realized how much her fitness level had declined. During group hikes, she struggled to keep up with the other participants. She also became increasingly aware that her clothes no longer fit comfortably. When she returned home from the retreat with her daughters, Valarie decided it was time for her and her family to adopt a healthier lifestyle despite her physically limiting injury. Her husband was equally committed to making changes, as he had also gained weight over the previous few years. Together, they stopped buying processed and junk foods and began paying closer attention to nutrition labels.

Valarie realized that many foods she had considered healthy, such as granola bars and fruit bars, actually contained large amounts of sugar. The family had also been regularly snacking on chips and dip, largely because their children enjoyed them. Instead, she began swapping them out for healthier alternatives such as pickles, hummus, fruits, and vegetables.In addition to eliminating packaged foods high in salt and sugar, the most impactful changes to her diet involved reducing refined carbohydrates and added sugars. She stopped eating bread, increased her protein intake, and focused on preparing meals centered around seafood, lean proteins and vegetables. The family also made use of their home garden, enjoying fresh salads with every meal and using light dressings. Valarie now keeps her refrigerator stocked with fruit for desserts and snacks. Her kids were initially resistant to the changes, particularly the reduction in sugary and salty snacks. Over time, however, they adapted and now genuinely enjoy healthier options.

Since January, Valarie has lost 30 pounds. Her blood sugar levels dropped from the pre-diabetic range back into the normal range. She has significantly more energy, and her husband has noticed the same benefit. Her improved stamina allows her to enjoy longer and more frequent walks with her daughters. Even her back pain has lessened, likely due to both increased activity and the anti-inflammatory effects of her healthier diet.She no longer depends on excessive caffeine to get through the day. Instead of six cups of coffee, she now drinks just one cup each morning and relies primarily on water and protein shakes. She feels calmer and her mood has substantially improved.Today, Valarie feels more like her old, active, healthy self despite continuing to experience pain and discomfort. She has also recently undergone surgery on her bicep tendon that is expected to relieve her remaining pain and help restore full function.Looking back on her journey, Valarie says the most important lesson she learned is that even when faced with significant physical limitations, she still had the power to make healthy choices. That realization has been both empowering and life-changing—and for that, she is deeply grateful.

Get in Touch
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Our Director of Wellness, Katy Nishida, is also available via email with any health related questions you have. Feel free to reach out to her at Katy@myersgroupllc.com. Katy is happy to provide advice and resources on nutrition, fitness, stress management, sleep quality, and so forth.