Meet One of SparkPeople's Newest Employees

By , SparkPeople Blogger
You said you'd love to know more about SparkPeople, so we launched a new series: Meet the SparkPeople Team. Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be interviewing various SparkPeople employees. The behind-the-scenes folks here are really excited to tell you a little about what they do at SparkPeople!

Paul kicked off "Meet the SparkPeople Team." Then our perky, generous and hilarious office manager, Kelly, continued it.

Now it's time to get to know the woman behind all things Local on SparkPeople! (Some of you probably met her at the Spark Your Life Convention!)

Name: Jenny Uhlmansiek

Position at SparkPeople: Category Brand Manager

Age: 27

Stats: 5’7" and athletic build. Lost 5 pounds since working at SparkPeople thanks to eating healthy and incorporating more workout bursts.

Family: I come from a large close family. A family party is never a small deal. Typically, a holiday celebration consists of 30+ people, ranging from age 1 to 80. I have a wonderful boyfriend, and we hope to add a new puppy to our family soon!

How long have you worked for SparkPeople? One of the newer employees, less than a year.

Tell us your proudest accomplishment at SparkPeople or a fun fact about your job:
Getting to work on the first-ever SparkPeople Spark Your Life Convention. It was so much fun to put together, and I loved working with members and our staff to pull it off. It was amazing to hear everyone’s stories and see the excitement the day of the Convention. I was definitely moved to tears and so were our members! It felt awesome to know that we touch everyone’s lives each and every day, and seeing it in person was so rewarding – I look forward to many more!

How do you stay in shape?
Sports and working out. I absolutely have to get a workout in daily! I usually try to squeeze them in at lunch and then four nights a week I play co-ed sports. I grew up being a soccer player and still try to get on the field for a great workout. I play soccer, volleyball and softball during the week.

I also love running but have recently switched to the elliptical to go a little easier on my knees--they're banged up from soccer. About a year ago, I began taking a weight lifting class two days a week, and it has changed my body. I feel more toned and fit. Nothing is better than walking out of the weight lifting class fatigued and sweaty but knowing the results are worth it.

What's your favorite food?
If I had to choose just one – pizza, but that’s really hard. I like pretty much anything except for seafood.

What's your favorite indulgence?
My favorite food indulgence--this may seem silly but sweet and sour chicken from Chinese restaurants. I know it’s so unhealthy but it’s sooooo good! If I know I have a night to myself sometimes I get carry out Chinese and curl up for a good chick flick.

How do you feel when you exercise?
Healthier. When I exercise I feel better about myself. The days when I have to skip or miss an exercise I don’t feel as energized or motivated. Some days it’s really hard to push myself to do it, but when it’s all said and done with I feel amazing! I feel sexier going out all dressed up if I got a workout in prior.

What do you do to de-stress?
If I can, I go for a run and crank up my iTunes to some motivational music. I also love getting together with a good friend and chatting over a nice glass of wine.

What is your passion in life?
This is a tough question…I have a lot of them and I’m sure they will change as I grow. My passion is family and friends, because without them I wouldn’t be who I am today. I love each and everyone one of them. They have been there in hard times and with me during the best of times. They are the people that make me laugh, and I look forward to seeing them each and every day.

How has working at SparkPeople affected your life?
I was always a healthy person, but I would say I’m even healthier working here. I am more conscious about what I eat, my exercise routine and more educated about myself and my health. It has been a really good thing.

Have you gained or lost weight since starting here?
I have probably lost about 5 pounds since working here. Nothing too crazy, but I’m happier with my definition. Adding the workout burst and lunch breaks into my usual cardio has given me more muscle and definition.

Have you started any new habits?
I used to skip breakfast if I was too busy or not eat if I wasn’t hungry, but working here made me realize how important breakfast is. I make sure I eat breakfast every day, even if I’m not hungry. It starts my day off right and I feel better throughout the morning. Thanks to Nicole, I tried Spinning and actually do like it…I just need to get the nerve to go to a class without her!

What's your favorite breakfast cereal?
I love cereal. I could list about 20 I love, some good, some bad. I will list my top choices: Life, Kellogg's Berries and Yogurt, Pops & Honey Nut Cheerios.

What did you eat for dinner last night?
Turkey tacos. I love guacamole and recently discovered Wholly Guacamole makes 100 calorie packs. It’s great. My boyfriend and I will split it, and it’s just enough to fill my guacamole craving.

Do you have any hidden talents?
Well, not necessarily hidden, but I don’t showcase it as often since moving away from home. I can play the piano. I took lessons for 15 years! I always had an ear for music and reading music. I hope to someday own my own piano.

What are some of your goals?
My goal in life is to be happy with a healthy family. I would like to be well balanced in love, career, wealth, health, family and adventure. Kind of a vague answer, but it covers all the bases!

What's your favorite SparkPeople feature?
I could be biased and say SparkRallies since I work on local, but I use the Quick Track every day. No matter where I am I can log my minutes, water and veggies. Even if I only have a second I get it in, I gotta get those SparkPoints!

What do you think about our Behind the Scenes series? What sort of questions do you have for Jenny?