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A new year. A fresh start. It’s time to take control of your health with preventative measures to help you stay out of the doctor’s office and on the path to optimal health. It’s time to sign up for RiverView Health’s free lifestyle change program, Prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

The program is open to the public and offered to anyone at risk of developing diabetes or who have been diagnosed with prediabetes – a condition that occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

New classes are starting soon in Crookston, East Grand Forks, Fertile and Red Lake Falls. RiverView Dietitian Darcey Larsen, RD LD, and RiverView Health Coach Kelsey Billing, RN, BSN, will lead the program.

Each location will offer the year-long program with weekly hour-long meetings until July when meetings move to a bi-weekly schedule through December.

Four Locations, Four Opportunities to Participate

Meeting locations are as follows:

• Crookston: Starting Tuesday, Feb. 5th, Noon, Meeting Room 2, RiverView Health, 323 S. Minnesota Street
• East Grand Forks: Starting Tuesday, Feb. 5th, 9 am, Senior Center, 538 Rhinehart Drive SE
• Fertile: Starting Friday, Feb. 1st, 9 am, Community Center, 101 South Mill Street
• Red Lake Falls: Starting Tuesday, Feb. 5th, 3 pm, Sunview Community Room, Sunset Court, 124 Langevin Avenue NW

Each session will include discussion and education on a variety of topics including nutrition and activity to help prevent Type 2 diabetes, and participants will go home with helpful handouts, tips and activities.

You Can Change Your Path

“I changed the way I eat and increased my activity level,’’ shared a previous class member. “The class helped me be more aware of the nutrients I am putting into my body. I’ve lost weight since joining the class and kept it off. I didn’t completely eliminate any certain types of food, but I greatly cut down on sugary carbohydrates and eat more protein and fiber than I used to.’’

This participant did not realize she had pre-diabetes until a routine physical. She is not alone. Eighty-six million Americans have prediabetes – that’s one out of three adults. Of those 86 million, nine out of 10 don’t even know they have it. People with prediabetes not only have a higher risk of developing diabetes, but also heart disease and stroke. You can take the Centers for Disease Control’s prediabetes screening test at www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/pdf/prediabetestest.pdf.

You don’t have to accept the fate of becoming diabetic. You can fight to reverse your path and become a champion of your own health.

“I would tell anyone ‘on the fence’ about signing up that they will not regret taking the classes,’’ shared the participant. “The information presented is beneficial to anyone interested in improving their health and wellness. The instructors are very knowledgeable and supportive and the class interaction is also fun.’’

Registration for the free program is required. To register or for more information, please call Larsen at 218-281-9589 or Billing at 218-281-9259.

Pictured above: Program leaders Darcey Larsen (left) and Kelsey Billing.