As a pre-diabetic, Julie Casey began making healthy lifestyle changes to cut her risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
One of her goals was to lose weight. She was thrilled as she got closer to reaching her weight loss goal, but she eventually reached a point where the number on the scale would no longer budge.
Casey’s participation in the Diabetes Prevention Program, provided by Tanner Health System’s Get Healthy, Live Well initiative, played an important role in her initial weight loss. After the weight loss stopped, she was looking for a way to overcome her weight-loss plateau. She soon learned about Move It Mondays from Gina Brandenburg, a certified health education specialist and program manager with Get Healthy, Live Well.
Move It Mondays is an eight-week program designed to turn walkers into joggers. The program offers training in a group setting.
“I wanted to participate because I was at a standstill with losing weight,” Casey said. “Gina suggested I change my routine up and I wanted to step up from walking to jogging. I liked that I was expected to be there and have someone there to answer questions if I had any. This program helped me to get over my plateau and I was able to kick start losing weight again.”
While participating in the program, she completed the Bremen 5K. After completing the program, she has continued to walk and jog regularly.
“I am now three pounds away from my goal weight,” Casey said. “I would recommend this program for someone like me who at first needs to be accountable and encouraged while starting something new. I am glad that I participated in the program; it has given me the confidence I needed to try something new.”
Move It Mondays pairs beginners with experienced joggers from the West Georgia Track Club. According to the American Heart Association, 30 minutes of physical activity a day, five days a week, can reduce the risk of cancer, depression, heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes.
“I enjoyed the class very much and I am sure that I will never become a runner,” Casey said. “But you should see me jogging up some of these hills in Bremen that, a year ago, I wouldn’t have attempted to walk, let alone jog.”
The next session of Move It Mondays will begin on Feb. 1 with a drop-in meet and greet from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton in Classroom 3. Regular meetings for the program will begin at 6 p.m. on the walking trail on the Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton campus, with parking available in the Clinic Avenue Parking Deck.
To learn more about Move It Mondays and other walking programs in west Georgia, visit www.GetHealthyLiveWell.org.
