Group Lifestyle Balance Program

Posted on May 18, 2012 in blog |

Guess what FIT body & soul readers?!!!

FIT body & soul  is live! We recently started our classes using the Group Lifestyle Balance Program , and we want you to be able to take full advantage of the information and resources that the program has to provide for living healthier lifestyles…

The Group Lifestyle Balance Program stems from the original Diabetes Prevention Program, in which 27 health centers throughout the United States conducted a study on over 3,000 adults who were at risk for Type 2 Diabetes…which means they all had a condition called pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is when the body has blood sugar (glucose) levels that are elevated but not high enough to be considered diabetes.

Participants were assigned to one of three groups: one group participated in a program  to lose weight and be more active, one group took metaformin – a pill that treats diabetes, and one group was given a sugar pill (placebo).

After 3 years of following the participants, metaformin cut the risk of diabetes by 31%, however making lifestyle changes such as, losing 10 to 15 pounds through moderate activity (150 minutes a week), cut the risk of diabetes by 58% (over 71% for 60 +), and metabolic syndrome (syndrome in which large amounts of fat are stored in the body, along with other symptoms including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and/or high blood sugar) by 41%.

The Group Lifestyle Balance Program is designed to help you make lifestyle changes to both prevent diabetes and prevent or treat the metabolic syndrome.
In the Group Lifestyle Program we will help you:

  1. Learn facts about healthy eating and being active
  2. Learn what makes it hard for you to eat healthy and be active
  3. Learn how to change these things so they work for you, and not against you
You’ll learn how to:
  • be more aware of what you are eating and make healthier choices
  • find time to be active
  • ask for what you want when you eat out
  • keep things around you at home and work that make it easier for you to eat healthier and be more active
  • stop negative though and replace it with positive thought
  • get back on your feet if you slip/cheat when it comes to eating healthy and being active
  • handle stress, social events, and other people that make it hard for you to change

The main goals of Lifestyle balance are:

  1. Lose 7% of your weight through healthy eating and exercise…
  2. Do 2 1/2 or 150 minutes of brisk, physical activity each week.
You can reach these goals by making gradual, healthy, and reasonable changes in your eating and physical activity

 

And reaching the Lifestyle Balance Goals:

  1. May prevent diabetes
    -the DPP showed that reaching the same weight loss and physical activity goals reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes
  2. Will help you look and feel better and be more healthy.
    Research shows that losing weight and being active can
    -relieve tension and help you sleep better
    -give you more energy, and make it easier to get around
    -lower blood pressure
    -lower blood levels of LDL (bad cholesterol)
    -raise blood levels of HDL (good cholesterol)
  3. Will set a good example for your family, friends, and community
Changing behavior takes work…but you can do it!