CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Neighbors around Corpus Christi might have noticed a flyer in their mailbox over the weekend. This flyer is from Texas A&M Healthy South Texas and it’s asking those who are pre-diabetic to join their Diabetes Prevention program.
The start of a new year is a great time to start make some healthy changes, which is why health educators, trainers and dietitians are working together to help neighbors achieve their health goals sooner rather than later.
“It is aimed at lifestyle change. We teach about healthy eating habits, increasing physical activity, managing stress,” health educator Victoria Carrasco said.
The program lasts 16 weeks.
“It sounds like a big commitment but I always tell people it’s 16 hours of your life to hopefully change the trajectory of your life,” Carrasco said.
It’s also a group class with one on one conversations, so neighbors don’t have to feel alone. Everyone is working towards the same goal.
“So if you're nervous or kind of scared or not sure about it, it’s nice to have that community support from other members in your group,” Carrasco said.
There’s also an accountability aspect to it from both those in the program and yourself. Those involved are asked to track their physical activity with how many minutes per week as well as keep a food log.
“There’s someone checking in with me every week, making sure I’m on track and pushing and helping me more than just reading something online and trying to do it yourself,” Carrasco said.
The program is free, but there are some requirements to be eligible -
- You cannot have already been diagnosed with diabetes
- You can also not be pregnant or are under 18 years old
- You do qualify if you are 18 or older, considered high risk for developing diabetes, and overweight or obese with a body mass index of 25 or more
- If you are unsure if you meet these requirements, that is something the office can determine for you.
Carrasco said if you stick with the healthy changes, the risk for developing diabetes will lower, which will also lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, amputation, blindness and kidney disease.
This is the second year of the program. Educators took what worked and didn’t work from last year and were able to iron out the wrinkles to help even more people this time around. And if that’s not enticing enough, they also offer incentives for meeting your goals.
“Like air fryers, airpods and really cool things to keep you on that journey. We also give you a little welcome kit to get started and tools to help you out at home like measuring cups and scales,” Carrasco said.
Classes begin Monday, Jan. 27 at 6 pm at Amistad Health in the Community Life Building. They'll run for 16 weeks every Monday from 6 a.m. - 7p.m. If you’re interested in enrolling for free with the program, call 361-886-3022. If you would like to take a pre-diabetes risk test, you can do so by clicking here.
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