Class at the HAWC promotes healthy habits

  • Published
  • By Jonathan Rejent
  • Nucleus staff writer
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  Beginning today, the Health and Wellness Center will offer a weight management class every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for active-duty Airmen, dependents and retirees.

The 16-week program is based on gradual changes that are adaptable to everyday life, according to Connie Sava, health care integrator at the 377th Medical Group.

"We talk about realistic goals, specific to the individual ... for a healthy weight they should aspire to get to and maintain," Sava said.

Each week, someone will lead the class -- such as a mental health provider or a nutrition specialist -- and discuss one key component to weight management, including dining out on a diet, changing a recipe in a health-conscious way and surviving potluck.

While the HAWC has an hour set aside for the session, the actual class will be approximately 20 minutes long each week, according to Sava; the other 40 minutes will be used for weighing in and reviewing personalized nutrition tracking.

"We're going to be able to -- in a group setting -- take a very individualized approach, so participants will get the benefits of both," said Judy Armgardt, registered dietitian at the HAWC.

Sava said, whether going with an old friend or a meeting a new one during the class, group support is a key element to making healthy lifestyle changes.

"But it is work," Sava emphasized. "There's not any pill you can take or button you can push that will make the weight disappear."

According to Sava, you have to decide what you can personally do. If you drink soda, cutting your intake in half can be a starting point.

She said the class also emphasizes a "no excuses" approach to exercising, reciting something a friend once told her -- "Anybody who knows the names of the contestants on American Idol has plenty of time to exercise."

Whether it's patients with high blood pressure or high cholesterol, diabetics or people just trying to stick to a New Year's resolution, Sava said healthy weight management can be always be beneficial.