Cisco is the Reason, Not the Excuse to Stay Fit

Time. Everyone is always wondering how to get more of it, or how other people are effectively managing it! How do people have the time to wake up, make something for breakfast, drop the kids off at school, look presentable for an 8am meeting, work all day, eat lunch, pick the kids back up, make dinner, clean the house, walk the dog, and on top of that, have a fit and healthy life style?

Having a full-time job can be an easy way to dodge working out or going for a walk. Yes, our work does take up a lot of time, and at the end of many days we might even be really tired. But, I’ve found that being a Cisco employee actually helps you to MAKE the time to stay fit – and we’re encouraged to do so!

As an early in career employee, accepting a full-time job was scary. You see, I love to run, and it is what propels me to be the best I can be. Running challenges me and takes me out of my comfort zone. If I don’t run, I feel like something in me is missing – and I was scared that by taking a full time job, I’d have to give my passion up to sit in an office all day.

However, I took the risk and found that Cisco didn’t want me to give up running either! In fact, they only encouraged me to pursue it further, and this has given me the chance to achieve so many goals I never thought possible!

Here’s How Cisco Keeps Me Running:

1. Cisco’s Gym Facility = Amazing! I can find all the equipment I need to stay on top of my training schedule right here on the Cisco campus. At the Fitness Center, there’s always a friendly staff member who’s ready to help answer any questions I may have or provide advice. I can even visit my doctor, Matt just a few steps from my desk! This comes in handy when running injuries pop up and I need to schedule a PT appointment.

2. Cisco Fitness Rewards! Not only does Cisco provide us with an incredible facility to get a great workout in, they also reward us for making the time to stay healthy! By logging our physical activities on the online portal, we can actually get monetary rewards for being active!3. Community Fitness Events & Giving Back – These events make me feel good about my commitment to my health and my Cisco family. In fact, there is an annual 5K where all employees are encouraged to participate. All donations go to our annual Be the Bridge Campaign with an aim to make an impact in the world. This year I had the honor to take the Overall Female award, which was an amazing experience!

4. That Cisco Family Support! As a marathoner, training can be very time consuming and it can also socially inhibit you – but there’s nothing like the support that comes from the spectators at each race! At Cisco, that’s exactly what my Cisco family is like – they know my running schedule sometimes better than I do! They know what race I have coming up, what race I just had, and they even know the name of my best friend who I usually run with, Carrie. Knowing they are cheering me on means the world to me!

5. Vacation Time! At some companies, traveling for marathons is really tough to do. However, Cisco actually encourages me to take PTO to go visit amazing cities while running! So far, I have been able to run Raleigh, Disney with some of my Cisco friends, Chicago, and Richmond all on PTO! Next year I will be setting my out-of-office for Boston and New York City! Oh, and if something urgently comes up, I can always hop on Cisco’s collaboration tools to chat with co-workers no matter where I am to get our tasks accomplished!

Thanks to my Cisco family and Cisco’s dedication to its employees overall success – I have been able to excel in my athletic career as well as my professional career. Without the support, encouragement, and motivation of the Cisco community I would not have been able to make my Boston Marathon dreams a reality.

It’s tough to manage all of the requirements life has for us within a single day and not drop the ball sometimes. But, the reality here is also that we all get 24 hours in a day. A person is not more successful than you because they’ve figured out how to get a 25th hour in their day. They’re achieving their goals because they’ve MADE the time and prioritized accordingly.I now know that being a full-time employee is the reason, not the excuse to be the fittest I can be!

Want to join a company that encourages you to pursue your dreams? We’re hiring!