Anne Zielinski Employee Profile

Anne Zielinski is the assistant director of Recreational Sports and is in charge of student development and sports clubs. She received her bachelor's in sports marketing from University of Connecticut in 1998 and her master’s in recreational sports administration from Indiana University in 2000. After graduation, she worked at Ball State University for two years before moving to VCU in 2002.

As the assistant director of student development, Anne manages the student workers in all of the recreational facilities on both campuses.

Anne said she always worked out, but still had weight fluctuations, in some cases losing, then regaining 60 pounds. After learning her stepmother was joining the Weight Watchers program, Anne found motivation to join the group herself.

“There was no way she was going to look better and I wasn’t,” she said.

Anne said for her workout program, she usually does 45 minutes to an hour of cardio, followed by light lifting. By sticking to this program almost every day, Anne has lost 90 pounds.

Anne said in addition to Weight Watchers and working out, she cut down on how much she ate and tried to make healthier choices when preparing food.

“I started to make vegetables my friend,” she said.

Anne said she also rediscovered her love of running. A three-time finisher of the Richmond Marathon and numerous other races, Anne said nothing takes the pounds off like running.

“I’ve found that running is the best exercise for me. When I couldn’t run, I walked, which is also more effective for me than using an elliptical trainer. Walking uses all of your muscles and balance, where the elliptical trainer maintains you in one position.”

As a result of her weight loss, Anne said that it has been easier for her to shop for clothes, she has not had any debilitating back pain since January and she feels that people’s perception of her have changed for the better. “It’s much better with 90 pounds off my back,” she said.

Anne said even if people are capable of living their lives at their current weight, if they feel they could stand to shed some pounds, it will improve their overall standard of living.

“It’s the rest of your life. It can be so much better,” she said.

If you have any questions about Anne’s weight loss journey, please contact her at azielinski@vcu.edu.