The mission of the Tri-County Diabetes Alliance is to raise awareness and improve the health of people with diabetes and those at risk for developing diabetes by creating and sustaining an effort to inform, educate, and assist individuals to improve their health.
It is that time of year again. It is time for catching up with
friends and family, having picnics, going to pool parties, and
taking trips to the beach. It is also a great time to start
embarking on a healthier lifestyle. With fresh fruits and vegetables
at every farm stand along the side of the road and daylight savings
time allowing for more time to spend outdoors, it is a great season
for making some healthier lifestyle choices. Listed below are some
ideas on how to start making some simple changes to help improve
your health:
• Set small, specific achievable goals
• Build on goals: Once you reach your first short-term goal,
build on that goal. For example, let’s say that your goal was to
walk for 5 continuous minutes at least 3 days per week, for the
first week of your exercise program. To build on this goal, you
could either increase the days per week that you walk for 5 minutes
or increase the duration that you are walking. •
Reward yourself: When you reach your short-term goals, treat
yourself. Buy yourself a new CD, DVD, book, get a manicure, or go to
see a movie. • Accept that lapses can and do occur: If you
encounter a setback that is okay. Accept it and begin again.
• Set both short and long-term goals: The
short-term goals should be a “stepping” stone to reach your ultimate
goal. For example, the short-term goal might be, “This week I will
eat one serving of fruit/vegetable every day.” The long-term goal
could be, “By next year, I will be consuming at least 5 servings of
fruits and vegetables every day.” • Make the
goal realistic: Make it something that you are willing and capable
of achieving. Do not set unrealistic goals and set yourself up to
not succeed.
Maintaining a healthy body
weight,eating a heart healthy diet, and
accumulating a minimum of 30 minutes of daily physical
activity on most days of the week can help decrease one’s
risk for developing health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and
type 2 diabetes. The
Diabetes Prevention Program was a landmark, multi year study that
demonstrated that simply making healthier eating choices,
accumulating 30 minutes of physical activity at least 5 days a week,
and losing 5-10% of current body weight, reduced the likelihood of
developing type 2 diabetes by almost 60%.
The
Worcester County Health Department
is proud to announce that they will implement the Diabetes
Prevention Program, also called the Lifestyle
Balance Program, in Worcester County. Lifestyle
Balance is an evidence- based program that has been
effective in decreasing the risk for type 2 diabetes and other
chronic disease, assisting in weight loss and maintenance of a
healthy body weight, and reducing the risk for heart disease and
stroke. Program participants earn incentives such as step counters,
resistance bands, exercise videos, and more. This program also helps
individuals establish networks and friendships to help with healthy
lifestyle behavior changes. It is taught by a registered dietitian
and two exercise specialists. Each participant receives their own
personal lifestyle change coach that will assist them with goal
setting, progress, and overcoming barriers.
The Lifestyle Balance Program will be offered at
the Snow Hill Health Department, 6040 Public Landing Road, starting
on August 10, 2009. The program will meet Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 5-6 pm for a total of 16 weeks. Each
session will include an education component and participation in
physical activity. Light refreshments will be served. To learn more
about the free program or to enroll, please call the
Worcester County Health Department at 410-632-1100
extension 1102.
TheTri-County Diabetes Alliancewill sponsor and conduct several health education and outreach
programs addressing prevention of pre-diabetes and diabetes. This
will include presentations and free health screenings in a variety
of settings including schools, worksites, faith based communities,
and other community centers. Please check our
events calendar by clicking here .
