What if you could avoid the risks and costs associated with diabetes? One out of three U.S. adults has pre-diabetes and nine out of 10 of those individuals aren’t even aware that they have it. That’s the bad news. The worse news is that 11 percent of pre-diabetics will become diabetics within one year.

The Woodson YMCA is on a mission to help turn these statistics around. This September they will offer the nationally recognized Diabetes Prevention Program. This evidence-based program aims to help participants learn about and adopt the healthy eating and physical activity habits that reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The program will be led by Becky Zelent, Active Older Adults (AOA) Director at the Woodson YMCA.

“We will offer 16 core sessions with subsequent monthly support delivered over a 12-month period,” states Zelent, who is very excited about offering the program. “If a participant signs up and makes the commitment, they will see their health improve because this program is based on the evidence of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

DPP is a 12-month lifestyle behavior intervention with 16 core sessions followed by monthly maintenance sessions. The program is based on the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Diabetes Prevention Program has shown that with lifestyle changes and modest weight reduction, a person with pre-diabetic symptoms can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. The program strives to help participants achieve two primary goals:
•Reduce body weight by 7%
•Engage in regular physical activity
The Fall session starts Tuesday, Sept. 12. Sessions will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Wausau Branch North Conference Room.
More program details available at: www.woodsonymca.com/diabetes-prevention-program/