SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia is helping Savannah residents cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes through the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program. The innovative program teaches folks to make lifestyle changes that lead to greater health. The program also helps people lose 5 to 7 percent of their body weight through healthy eating and physical activity.
The YMCA of Coastal Georgia is one of 74 Ys nationwide participating in the program. The Diabetes Prevention Program is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Diabetes Prevention Program. It is based on the National Institutes of Health led, CDC supported, Diabetes Prevention Program study, which shows that losing a moderate amount of weight and increasing physical activity can reduces the number of cases of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.
"Through the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program, we are helping people in the low country area make lifestyle changes that can help avoid developing type 2 Diabetes and other chronic diseases," said Susan Lindsey, YMCA Diabetes Prevention Coordinator for the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, in a press release. "The Y is a leading nonprofit dedicated to improving the nation's health and well-being, and the prevention of type 2 Diabetes not only benefits the individual, but our community at large."
The YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program is a year-long program. Participants will begin with 16 one-hour classroom sessions with a trained lifestyle coach who will help them learn about healthy eating, physical activity and other lifestyle changes. Participants will then meet monthly for added support in reaching their goal of reducing body weight by 5 to 7 percent and participating in 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
To learn more, contact Susan Lindsey at 912.354.5480 or susan@ymcaofcoastalga.org. For more information on diabetes prevention, visit http://ymca.net/diabetes-prevention.
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