For some, it takes tons of energy just to make it through the day in one piece. For Human Resources & Health Benefits CEO, Katie Thomas, exercise and eating right are the core components of a happy, healthy and productive life.
By AOL Editor Dori Fern
By AOL Editor Dori Fern
Congratulations, Katie. All of our CEOs are terrific time managers, but you really know how to work your team into a good sweat! Why is fitness so primary for you and your family?
The main thing is I realize how lucky I am to have three healthy kids and a healthy husband -- it’s my responsibility to keep them that way.
What's amazing to me is how much you manage to do with such young kids. What are their ages?
I have a 5-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son and another son who's 18 months old.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I try to maximize every waking hour, so a typical day is one like today: I'm the first one awake to be sure my kids start with a homemade breakfast including fruit and grains. I squeeze in a three-mile jog on my lunch break to keep up my strength and sanity, work on alphabet letter with my 4-year-old while watching my daughter at gymnastics and feeding the youngest a healthy snack since he just received shots today at the doctor. Dinner is almost ready when we get home because I stuck chicken in the crock pot with veggies before Bryce's doctor's appointment. The children set the table with my husband while I serve up the plates. A couple of games of checkers, baths, stories, brushed teeth, prayers and time for bed. I would like to plop on the couch but I have 35 e-mails that await me from my OTHER full-time job.
Wow! What do you do?
I’m a regional sales manager for Bush Brothers, the baked bean company, covering the Midwest region.
Do you do a lot of traveling?
I do travel, but I can drive everywhere. I’m from a large family, so I get to catch up with family. I’m the youngest of eight. My sister lives in Wisconsin and my brother-in-law in Indianapolis. The rest of my siblings live near me in Morris, Illinois, my hometown. My parents have 26 grandchildren and one on the way.
What are the virtues of having family nearby?
As the youngest, I’ve been fortunate to watch the way they parent their kids and I’ve picked pieces of what I like from their parenting style to create my own style. We’re all Catholic, so religion is important to us. It’s neat to go to church on Sundays and see six or seven rows that my family makes up.
How did fitness and well-being become so important to you?
The main thing is I realize how lucky I am to have three healthy kids and a healthy husband -- it’s my responsibility to keep them that way.
What's amazing to me is how much you manage to do with such young kids. What are their ages?
I have a 5-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son and another son who's 18 months old.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I try to maximize every waking hour, so a typical day is one like today: I'm the first one awake to be sure my kids start with a homemade breakfast including fruit and grains. I squeeze in a three-mile jog on my lunch break to keep up my strength and sanity, work on alphabet letter with my 4-year-old while watching my daughter at gymnastics and feeding the youngest a healthy snack since he just received shots today at the doctor. Dinner is almost ready when we get home because I stuck chicken in the crock pot with veggies before Bryce's doctor's appointment. The children set the table with my husband while I serve up the plates. A couple of games of checkers, baths, stories, brushed teeth, prayers and time for bed. I would like to plop on the couch but I have 35 e-mails that await me from my OTHER full-time job.
Wow! What do you do?
I’m a regional sales manager for Bush Brothers, the baked bean company, covering the Midwest region.
Do you do a lot of traveling?
I do travel, but I can drive everywhere. I’m from a large family, so I get to catch up with family. I’m the youngest of eight. My sister lives in Wisconsin and my brother-in-law in Indianapolis. The rest of my siblings live near me in Morris, Illinois, my hometown. My parents have 26 grandchildren and one on the way.
What are the virtues of having family nearby?
As the youngest, I’ve been fortunate to watch the way they parent their kids and I’ve picked pieces of what I like from their parenting style to create my own style. We’re all Catholic, so religion is important to us. It’s neat to go to church on Sundays and see six or seven rows that my family makes up.
How did fitness and well-being become so important to you?
