Svec Newsletter Aug 2016

Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative Lighting the way since 1937

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Suwannee Valley

currents August 2016

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800-752-0025 SERVING RURAL AND URBAN SUWANNEE VALLEY OWNED BY THOSE WE SERVE 11340 100th Street • Live Oak, FL 32060

CEO’S COR NER

Staying safe together Michael S. McWaters Executive V.P./CEO

Every day we come into contact with safety measures designed to make sure we’re protected from danger, whether we see it or not.

We put up railings in high places so people won’t fall, place stop signs at busy intersections so we don’t crash, and install alarms so we aren’t caught off guard by hazardous conditions.

Here at SVEC, we do the same to protect our employees and members, investing in safety equipment for linemen who work with electricity every day and making sure substations are fenced off to prevent people from wandering into dangerous situations.

But eventually, keeping ourselves and others safe becomes a personal responsibility. That’s why this month’s newsletter is focused on keeping our members educated so they can make the right decisions for themselves and others.

In these pages you’ll find information on how to stay safe in the sweltering heat of summer, as well as a reminder to always pay attention on the road and move over when you see utility workers parked on the shoulder.

You can also read a story about one SVEC employee who is setting a fine example for all of us when it comes to living healthy lives. Jessy Preston, our systems administrator, has lost more than 150 pounds over the last year. It’s an inspirational achievement and one that holds valuable lessons for anyone looking to live a healthier, happier life.

I always say that the well-being of our employees is the top priority at SVEC, and that goes for our members as well. I hope you all enjoy these last days of summer and, most of all, stay safe. 

FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT? Cool tips for hot weather

August and September are going to be hotter than usual throughout most of the United States this year, according to predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The NOAA says nearly every state in the union is expected to face hotter-than-normal temperatures this summer, which means heat-related illnesses could also be on the rise.

But they don’t have to be.

Heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration are easily preventable, even in the most extreme circumstances, says Mark Mosley, job training, loss control and safety director for Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative.

Take line workers, for example. The nature of their jobs often requires them to be out in the sun for hours during the hottest part of the day, wearing thick, flame-resistant clothing, hard hats, as well as black rubber gloves and sleeves to protect them from high-voltage electricity.

“The heat index for a lineman in full gear in summer is well over 108 degrees,” Mosley says.

Sunglasses, wide-brimmed visors for

their hard hats and sunscreen provided by SVEC help block UV rays from their faces and necks, but the heat still takes its toll.

However, even with the intense temperatures, Mosley says SVEC has had few problems with heatrelated illnesses.

That’s because the cooperative encourages line workers to practice heat safety measures, such as taking breaks in the shade, drinking ice water and cooling down in the air-conditioned service trucks.

They also keep an eye out for each other and signs of heat stress.

Line workers acclimate themselves starting in the spring with increased training, awareness and a gradual increase of activity into the hotter days.

Without these procedures, linemen and anyone else working or playing in the heat of summer could be at risk for heat stress, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, rhabdomyolysis, heat cramps and heat rashes, to name a few.

If you’re facing a particularly hot and strenuous day, or if you know someone who is, check out the information in this newsletter. The graphics offer symptoms and firstaid applications for heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Continued on Page 4, see HEAT STROKE

How one SVEC employee lost 150 pounds in 14 months

A HEALTHY O U T L O O K Since losing more than 150 pounds in just over a year, Jessy Preston’s friends and family have seen big changes, both in his appearance and in his health. But for Preston, it’s the little things that count for more.

“Being that big just makes it harder to get around,” he says. “Initially my biggest accomplishment was being able to bend over and tie my shoes and that not hurt. It sounds kind of funny, but for me that was one of those things that helped a lot.”

Preston, systems administrator in Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative’s IT department, says it was the prospect of adding yet another medication to treat his growing list of health concerns that prompted him to try a new approach to weight loss last summer.

At the time, Preston was taking medicines to treat high blood pressure and high heart rate and pain killers for sciatic back pain. When his doctor prescribed more medication to lower his cholesterol levels, he decided it was enough.

“When my doctor put me on that last medication, I told her I didn’t want to be on anything else,

and she just suggested trying a low-carb diet,” Preston says. “She didn’t insult me like most doctors have in the past. She just said, ‘If you’re ready and you want to get off these medicines, let’s try this.’”

And he did. Preston began his weight-loss journey on May 8, weighing 437 pounds. Today, he has embraced a healthier lifestyle and has shed more than 150 pounds as part of what he calls one of the best decisions of his life.

THE DIET

What Preston’s doctor recommended was a ketogenic diet, often referred to as a low-carb, high-fat diet. The idea is to drastically cut down on carbohydrate intake and replace it with fat. The reduced carbs put the body into a state known as ketosis, in which it becomes much more efficient at burning fat for energy.

Rather than starving themselves, dieters learn what kinds of foods they can eat and what they should avoid.

Preston says he’s almost completely cut out

sugar from his diet, with the exception of one brownie on vacation, as well as bread and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn. For the most part, he eats lean meats and vegetables, along with cheeses, which the ketogenic diet allows.

“If you think about it, it’s kind of going back to what we would’ve eaten before all this processed food was invented,” Preston says. “It took a little bit of adjustment and learning, but it works.”

He did have some help along the way, though.

While first looking into the diet, Preston came across a Facebook group called “Low Carb, High Fat.” With thousands of people ready to answer questions and encourage new arrivals, the group became an invaluable resource as he began to get a feel for what worked and what didn’t.

As a show of support, Preston’s fiancee Ashley Fletcher also joined him on the diet. Helping to keep each other on track, the couple have lost a total of 278 pounds between them. Preston is still part of the “Low Carb, High Fat” group, as he says there’s always more to learn. But these days he isn’t so green.

“I don’t really have to ask questions that much

anymore,” he says. “Mostly I try to help everyone else out or encourage people to join the group.

A lot of people I know tell me they’ve tried every diet they know and they don’t work. That’s what I used to say, too.”

GETTING FIT

Before he could even begin to think about regular exercise, Preston had to lose enough weight that pain and breathing difficulties wouldn’t get in the way. After about nine months, when he had already dropped approximately 120 pounds, Preston made the mistake of poking fun at his future father-in-law, Kevin Fletcher, for the Cross Fit-style workouts he led at Eisen Haus Fitness in Branford.

“He called me out on it and said, ‘Let’s see you do it,’” Preston recalls. “I tried and made it halfway through the warmup before I couldn’t do anymore. I was just out of breath, dying.”

It was a rude awakening, but Preston has never been one to let a challenge beat him. So he went back the next week, and the week after that.

Before he knew it, not only could he complete the warmup, but he also found he was enjoying himself.

Since then, Preston has become a regular, working out four or five times a week for the last five months. And according to Fletcher, not only has he made tremendous strides in improving his own physical range of motion, but Preston also provides a unique perspective to motivate other new attendees.

“We have some people here who are really physically fit, but we have others who have never worked out in their life,” he says. “For them, it

can be intimidating to see people in great shape jumping all over the place, throwing stuff in the air and doing lots of pullups. But that’s where Jessy can step in and tell them he was right where they were when he started, but they can get where they want to be if they just stick with it.”

GAINING TIME

In July, Preston finally gave up smoking, kicking the last major vice Fletcher and the rest of the Eisen Haus crew had been encouraging him to abandon since he began exercising. He remains more committed to living a healthier lifestyle than he did before, but the goal isn’t to reach any particular target weight.

Instead, Preston is intent on simply feeling better, something he encourages other people struggling with their health to focus on.

“It’s important to take it slow,” he says. “Some people, if they just lose a pound in the first week, they might be upset they didn’t lose more. That doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re still losing weight and you’re going in the right direction. The whole thing’s a learning process.”

These days, it’s the small victories that count the most: being able to crouch down and unplug a cable under a desk at work or getting out and do more without feeling tired or out of breath. He’s even managed to take back time itself.

“It used to take me two hours to mow my yard; now it takes 25 minutes maybe,” Preston says. “There are lots of little things you get back that people don’t even think of. That’s one of the big ones: all the time that you get back.” 

TIPS FROM THE TRAINER Looking to embrace a healthier lifestyle of your own? Kevin Fletcher shares a few tips to make dieting and exercise less daunting for beginners.

FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. Whether it’s a

diet plan or exercise regimen, the most important first step is choosing something you can stick with. While it’s tempting to go big while you’re feeling motivated, an overly intense workout is useless if you quit after the first week.

ONE POUND A WEEK. An easy way to incrementally lose weight is simply using an online calculator to determine how many calories you need per day to maintain your current weight, then subtract 500 calories from that number. That’s how much you can eat and still lose about a pound a week. It may not seem like much, but at the end of the year you’ll be 52 pounds lighter.

TAKE IT SLOW.

Don’t fall for diets that promise huge weight losses over a short period of time. Starving yourself may help you burn fat, but you’ll lose muscle mass as well.

This makes it more difficult for your body to consume calories, causing many people to gain that weight back just as fast as they lost it. Small progress is the best progress.

HEAT STROKE, continued from front

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

MOVE OVER WHEN YOU SEE UTILITY WORKERS! Florida law requires that when motorists see utilitiy vehicles on the roadside, they should move over an entire lane if on a four-lane highway. If on a two-lane road, they should move over as far as possible inside their lane and slow down to 20 mph. This is called the Move Over Act, and it is designed to make sure our workers, as well as all emergency workers, can go home safe at night.

Remember: Violating the Move Over Act can result in a fine and points on your license.