ASHEVILLE N.C.— I have been taking this diabetes management class at the YWCA for about two months now. I have also been doing the 150-minute exercise component each week, too. We also get weighed and measured.
We have been learning a lot of things. Each weekly session, which lasts about 2.5 hours, includes time for goal-setting. In the class, we learned how to set a goal and modify it, the use of “I” statements instead of saying “you” to a person. You learn that you are not the only one in the class who has diabetes.
They teach you self-care techniques, how to meet challenges, carb-counting, motivation, mindful eating. You learn about reasons for taking medication and keeping up with glucose meter usage. It is a fun and worth-your-time class. The class runs through March 2018. They support you in keeping up with your exercise component. That part may sound like a lot, but it adds up quickly after you log it in each week.
Diabetes management is not the only subject the class talks on. Some of the class members become your friends. During the first two months, the leaders model healthy eating by bringing in some snacks to eat. There is also another diabetes management class starting in April 2018.
Please call the YWCA for more information about how to sign on. You will not regret it in taking charge of your overall health. The benefit far outweighs the time spent in class each week. The contact at the YWCA is Leah [Berger-Singer at leah.bs@ywcaofasheville.org or 828-254-7206 ext. 212].
— Marci McGowan
Asheville
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