Tabitha Fernandez was sick and tired of being overweight and feeling sluggish. So when her employer, ALTRES Staffing, started a free corporate wellness program that involved working out while at work, she jumped at the opportunity to make a change.

The 45-year-old Kapo­lei resident said she started using the company gym a few days each week. When she began exercising, Fernandez took short walks, under 30 minutes, around her neighborhood. After a couple of months, she could go longer distances.

Fitness classes were intimidating, though.

"I’m a big girl and wondered if I could keep up," she said.

A year later the results are better than a raise: Fernandez lost a third of her body weight and completed her first 5K event (roughly 3 miles) last year at The Color Run, which she walked with some of her co-workers. She now finds joy in things that were difficult before.

She does pushups. She lifts weights. She does interval training.

"I made it through a very intense 45-minute, high-intensity interval-training class," Fernandez said. "Every single class I take, whether it’s Zumba, Power Flow Yoga, Cardio Hip Hop or interval training at work, I can see constant improvement, which motivates me even more."

Nearly 100 ALTRES workers take part in the wellness program, which also offers monthly health classes and a support system for participants. Fernandez said the wellness program extends further than the workplace, and her family has been reaping the benefits.

At home Fernandez started preparing healthier meals for her 47-year-old husband, Eddie, daughter Tiana, 21, and son Michael, 19. Collectively the family has lost more than 100 pounds and has kept it off.

Fernandez said she enjoys the challenge of turning her once-rich, high-caloric recipes into tasty, nutritious meals. She uses less salt and leaner cuts of meat.

"I’ve learned more about portion sizes and found ways to keep meals that my family likes within the proper caloric counts," she said.

In the wellness classes, Fernandez learned how to make a healthier version of two family favorites: chicken enchiladas and chicken katsu. For the katsu she toasts panko in the oven until browned. Then she coats chicken tenderloins with egg white and toasted panko before popping them in the oven.

"Our workplace trainer really educated us on what’s good to eat," she said. "He gave us lots of options."

Fernandez is overjoyed that healthful habits have become an integral part of everyday life in her household. The family goes swimming, hiking and walking along the beach at Ko Olina.

"We went from eating packaged foods to fresh food," she said. "We’ve become more active as a family."