The Dale Turner YMCA in Shoreline is taking registrations now for an upcoming diabetes prevention program starting Feb. 2.
Classes will meet on Thursdays and run from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the YMCA located at 19290 Aurora Ave. N. in Shoreline. YMCA membership is not required to participate in the program, but participants will receive three months of free membership by participating.
The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program helps adults at high risk of developing type 2
diabetes adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles by eating healthier, increasing physical
activity and losing a modest amount of weight in order to reduce their chances of
developing the disease.
In a classroom setting, a trained lifestyle coach will facilitate a small group of
participants in learning about healthier eating, physical activity and other behavior
changes over 25 sessions. The year-long program consists of 16 weekly sessions and
three sessions every other week during the first six months, followed by six monthly
sessions in the second six months.
Program Goals:
Reduce body weight by 7 percent
Increase physical activity to 150 minutes per week
Participants who qualify for the program must be at least 18 years old, overweight
(BMI > 25) and at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes indicated by a
confirmatory blood value or a clinical diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes (GDM) during
previous pregnancy. If a blood value or diagnosis is not available, a qualifying risk
score may be used to enroll.
Those already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are not eligible.
PROGRAM CURRICULUM
Participants will receive a notebook which contains worksheets and handouts for them
to use in each of the sessions of the lifestyle intervention. Participants will also receive
a weekly journal and be asked to track their food and physical activity during the
program.
The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program uses a Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC)-approved curriculum in the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Recognition
Program.
To register for the program, contact Brie Davis at 206-344-3181 or email [email protected].
Sessions will include the following topics:
Session 1 – Welcome to the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. In this session,
participants are introduced to each other, their Lifestyle Coach, and the purpose and goals of the program.
Session 2 – Be a Fat Detective. Participants learn how to begin keeping an accurate food journal.
Session 3 – Ways to Eat Less Fat. Participants learn to use available resources (such as
food labels) to identify healthier options.
Session 4 – Healthy Eating. Participants discuss the food groups and meal planning.
Session 5 – Move Those Muscles. The physical activity goal is introduced in this session.
Participants explore ways to add physical activity to their daily routine.
Session 6 – Being Active – A Way of Life. Participants learn the difference between
purposeful physical activity and lifestyle physical activity.
Session 7 – Tip the Calorie Balance. Participants explore the principles behind “calories in
verses calories out.”
Session 8 – Take Charge of What’s around You. Participants discuss the physical cues in
their environment that trigger certain behaviors around eating and physical activity.
Session 9 – Problem Solving. Participants practice using the five steps involved in solving a
problem.
Session 10 – Four Keys to Healthy Eating Out. Participants discuss tips for making
healthier choices when eating out and practice selecting and ordering meals that fit in their
plan.
Session 11 – Talk Back to Negative Thoughts. In this session, participants practice
recognizing when they use negative self-talk. Then, they practice talking back to those
negative thoughts with more positive ones.
Session 12 – The Slippery Slope of Lifestyle Change. Participants practice identifying
typical barriers that cause them to slip from their plan. Then they create action plans to
recover from these slips.
Session 13 – Jump Start Your Activity Plan. This session has participants explore new
activities they wish to try in order to avoid boredom in their physical activity routine.
Session 14 – Make Social Cues Work for You. This session allows participants to explore
the way that other people affect their choices around eating and physical activity.
Session 15 – You Can Manage Stress. Participants recognize how stress affects their bodies
and minds as well as their choices. They learn methods for both avoiding stress and coping
with stress.
Session 16 – Ways to Stay Motivated. Participants discuss methods they will use to stay
motivated to maintain the healthy habits they have worked to create.
Session 17 – Eating to Prevent Diabetes: Planning Ahead. This session helps participants
plan meals and snacks that will help them achieve their program goals.
Session 18 – Staying Motivated to Keep Being Physically Active. Participants revisit the
benefits of physical activity and strategies to stay active.
Session 19 – Maintaining Your Healthy Lifestyle. Participants recommit to their weight
loss and physical activity goals and set new goals as appropriate.
Session 20 – Preventing Relapse – An Ounce of Prevention is Worth Pounds. This
session helps participants understand the relapsing nature of behavior change and establish a
plan for preventing or recovering from relapse.
Session 21 – Handling Holidays, Vacations, and Special Events. Participants discuss how
to stay on their behavior change journey during times where they may face challenges to their
progress.
Session 22 – Lifestyle Physical Activity. Participants revisit opportunities for increasing
lifestyle physical activity during their daily routine.
Session 23 – Healthy Cooking. Participants explore tips on food preparation and recipe
modification.
Session 24 – Variety and Balance in Your Dietary Intake. Participants revisit the food
groups to help ensure variety and balance in their daily food intake.
Session 25 – Maintaining Behavior Change for Diabetes Prevention. Participants assess
their progress and discuss time management as a strategy for making and maintaining
behavior changes that will help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.