YMCA programs can help make 2018 a healthy new year
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
If you’re looking for a fun way to get fit in the new year – with the added spice of a little friendly competition – the Let it Melt! Winter Weight Loss Fitness Challenge at the Hartsville Family YMCA might be just the ticket.
“We want everybody to start the new year with healthy lifestyle goals to help you lose those pounds and increase your physical activity,” says Nique Knockemus, Hartsville Family YMCA wellness coordinator.
Y members can sign up for Let it Melt! at the front desk, and they will receive an information packet containing program guidelines, goals, and handy tips to get started on the right foot. Participants will also receive weekly emails packed with ideas and inspiration to help keep them on track. They will weigh in once a week at the YMCA, but success isn’t solely measured by the number of pounds shed.
“It’s going to be based on their total percent weight loss – not the pounds, but the percentage. And if there is a change in their BMI (Body Mass Index), they will get points for that. We’ll also count the total number of minutes they exercise per week, and the total number of times they’ve come in to the Y to workout,” says Knockemus.
The person with the highest number of total points at the end of eight weeks will receive a prize as a reward for their hard work and commitment, but Knockemus hopes the real reward is a new set of healthy habits that will last them well into the future.
The Y is also encouraging people to take a proactive role in treating and preventing disease with three new classes aimed at helping those with cancer, pre-diabetes, and high blood pressure.
The nationwide LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program focuses on helping cancer survivors through their recovery by incorporating a variety of exercise and fitness activities, wellness education, stress reduction techniques, and tactics for continuing these healthful habits after the 12-week program ends.
Knockemus says that in the past, cancer patients were often told to limit physical activity and prioritize rest, but current science indicates that patients often rebound from illness better if they maintain some level of fitness and stay active. LIVESTRONG at the YMCA participants are required to have a medical clearance from their physician before enrolling, and they must be able to demonstrate baseline fitness before proceeding with the program.
“There’s never really been a program before for cancer survivors, encouraging them to exercise,” says Knockemus. “We do a functional assessment for each person before they take part in the class. We check their endurance with a walk test, they have to do a stretch test and flexibility test so we can see where they are.”
She adds that the first LIVESTRONG class of five (which just finished up) made great progress and bonded quite well. The Y already has a waiting list for the next class in February, and inquiries about enrollment are welcome. LIVESTRONG classes meet twice per week for 90 minutes.
The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program targets those who have not yet been diagnosed with diabetes, but who have precursors to the disease like elevated average blood sugar levels measured by the A1C test. This yearlong program features a different topic each week, ranging from proper nutrition to exercise to dealing with stress.
“This class has a curriculum approved by the Centers for Disease Control, and the goal of the program is for participants to lose seven percent of their body weight and increase their physical activity to one hundred and fifty minutes a week,” says Knockemus. “Studies have shown that those two things can help someone lower their A1C numbers below the pre-diabetes range.”
In the Hartsville Family YMCA’s current Diabetes Prevention Program (which is only about halfway over), almost half of the participants have lost 7 percent of their bodyweight, and some class members have lost as much as 12 percent.
“A couple of them have seen their A1C numbers fall below the pre-diabetes range already, so we’ve had really good luck with that class,” says Knockemus. “They’re already talking about forming a little alumni group so they can keep meeting and encouraging each other.”
The Y is also offering a Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program to teach those living with high blood pressure some valuable methods for controlling the condition, thereby minimizing risks of stroke, heart attack, and death.
Participants will team with trained Healthy Heart Ambassadors for this four-month program. They will learn how to properly take their own blood pressure and log the results at least twice per month; they will also attend two consultations with a YMCA Healthy Heart Ambassador each month (just drop by for a ten-minute consult), and attend monthly seminars focused on nutrition education and heart-healthy eating habits.
Knockemus says that the range of what is considered high blood pressure has recently changed, as a reading of 130/80 or above is now considered high. This, of course, expands the number of people to whom doctors will prescribe HBP medication. If your high blood pressure does not stem from a hereditary condition but instead is caused mainly by unhealthy behaviors, you might be able to roll back those numbers without adding on another prescription.
“The whole point of this program is to help people who may be on blood pressure medication, if it’s not hereditary but is based on their lifestyle, maybe this kind of intervention can help them get off the medicine,” says Knockemus.
For more information on these and other exercise and wellness programs, contact the Hartsville Family YMCA at 843-383-4547, visit them online at www.upperpdymca.org, or stop by at 111 East Carolina Avenue in Hartsville.
