New YMCA/Hy-Vee program sets goal of improved health, wellness

December 31, 2012
Grand Island Independent

he YMCA of Grand Island and Hy-Vee are teaming up to sponsor the Shape Up G.I. total health and well-being program, starting next month. This program is designed to help community members lead a healthier lifestyle through wellness and nutrition.

What is new about the program this year is the use of a BodyBugg for the duration of the program (with a $100 refundable deposit).

The Bodybugg Calorie Management System lets you know how many calories you're burning. It includes an armband device that tracks calories you burn throughout the day. Combined with a user-friendly web-based program, you can manage the calories you consume and the calories you burn so that you can stay in control of your weight.

The program also includes:

-- Before and after photos, weigh-ins, body measurements, and body fat composition.

-- Individual nutrition consultation.

-- Wellness orientation.

-- Two personal training sessions.

-- Weekly group education classes on wellness and nutrition.

The Shape Up G.I. program is part of an ongoing effort in Grand Island and across America to improve individual health. Along with the YMCA program, Central District Health Department (CDHD) started a new Healthy Living program this year to help educate people in Hall, Merrick and Hamilton counties about the health concerns of the obesity epidemic that is impacting the health and well-being of the nation.

In Hall County alone, nearly 70 percent of the population is considered obese and the obesity rate in Nebraska has increased more than 80 percent over the last 15 years, according to the Central District Health Department.

The Central District Health Department is teaming up with area schools, including the Grand Island Public School District, to help educate students about the health dangers associated with obesity.

According to Amy Wieczorek, CDHD's health educator, obesity is "one of the most challenging health crises our country has ever faced."

Along with the local obesity epidemic in the three-county area CDHD serves, Wieczorek said Nebraska ranks as the 24th most obese state in the country, according to "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011," the eighth annual report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Causes of the obesity epidemic abound, but, Wieczorek said, the most recent research suggests that it is environment that influences the choices people make.

"The environment in which we live supports the intake of high-calorie food and beverages and at times, even discourages the choice of healthier food," she said.

According to www.getamericafit.org, the obesity statistics are alarming and obesity is one of the reasons health insurance costs are skyrocketing as more and more Americans are being treated for health problems related to being overweight.

The website reports that:

-- Obesity is the No. 2 cause of preventable death in the United States.

-- 60 million Americans age 20 and older are obese.

-- 9 million children and teens ages 6-19 are overweight. 

-- Being overweight or obese increases the risk of health conditions and diseases, including breast cancer, coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, colon cancer, hypertension and stroke.

The Shape Up G.I. program is limited to 50 participants.

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