YMCA of Metro Denver changing lives with health classes, diabetes prevention program
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 1,444,000 Coloradans with prediabetes, which means their blood sugar is higher than recommended and they're verging on developing Type 2 diabetes. The YMCA of Metro Denver offers a Diabetes Prevention Program as part of its Health Initiatives.
"The Diabetes Prevention Program is a year-long program that is basically offered to people who are diagnosed with pre-diabetes," said Hazel Urbaniak, a Lifestyle Coach with YMCA.
The classes are in-person, and throughout the year, participants get the opportunity to break down their eating and exercise habits and rebuild them.
"They get a lot of guidance on their nutrition, the importance of moving, just getting more exercise in general," Urbaniak explained. "Movement has a lot of benefits just in terms of chemical releases in the brain. It helps to lower pressure."
Another of the YMCA Health Initiative classes is Blood Pressure Monitoring.
"It's a one-on-one coaching that we do with people. They help monitor their blood pressure and make sure that they understand what causes those triggers to go up," Urbaniak said.
Alice Dent struggled with high blood pressure and prediabetes. She suffered a sudden disability that forced her to retire from work and left her adrift.
"As a senior or a person with disability, I started to feel less than myself," she told CBS News Colorado.
She also started to eat more, causing her to put on weight, which raised her blood sugar and her blood pressure.
"My blood pressure was a roller coaster, constantly," she explained.
Dent found the YMCA Blood Pressure Monitoring Program. She learned all the factors that cause your blood pressure to go up and down.
"You have to know that your emotional state, what you allow into your mind and heart, causes a lot of that fluctuation," she explained.
She went right from Blood Pressure Monitoring to the Diabetes Prevention Program, where she got even more in-depth guidance on nutrition and exercise.
"Mindful eating and to pay attention to my food intake, and how important is was to actually eat vegetables and more fruits," she said about what she learned in the class.
Dent took all the lessons to heart and added in the Silver Sneakers exercise class three days a week as the foundation for a new, healthier lifestyle. Silver Sneakers is an exercise class for older YMCA members which includes cardio, light weight lifting, and stretching. It's all set to music which Dent said she loves the best.
"I'm happier now than I have been in a really, really long time," she said.
YMCA DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM
Upcoming sessions:
Arvada YMCA: Thursdays | 12 – 1 p.m. | Starting Mar. 27
*Classes available in English and Spanish. Insurance coverage and financial assistance available.
BLOOD PRESSURE SELF-MONITORING PROGRAM
Offered virtually and at multiple locations throughout Denver metro area
FREE program. Rolling enrollment.
SILVER SNEAKERS PROGRAMMING –
Special membership options and older adult programming available at all locations.
