Intermountain program helping patients find their 'Way to Wellness'

SOUTH JORDAN — When Kevin Anderson had his annual physical last year, his A1C levels came back in the pre-diabetic range. A1C tests measure the average blood sugar levels a person has over the span of three months

"It kinda freaked me out a little bit," he said. "I would hate to cut my life short."

His father died of heart disease and kidney failure as a result of diabetes, and Anderson didn't want to take the same path. So, the 67-year-old decided to take charge of his own health.

"My wife found this 'Way to Wellness' class (through Intermountain)," he said. "It talks about nutrition, things that you should be eating, the things you should be avoiding."

He said his favorite part was taking a field trip to the local grocery store, where the nutritionists showed them how to read the packaging on food labels.

"That helped tremendously," he said.

"Way to Wellness" is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved diabetes prevention program through Intermountain Health. The yearlong program includes 20 in-person or virtual group classes on healthy eating, physical fitness, sleep and stress management. The program also offers one-on-one consultations with a dietitian.

"It helps them to actually become more independent in their health," Melanie Holden, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Intermountain Health, said. "It's so, so empowering to see them make those changes and be able to make those changes for the rest of their lives."

Anderson has been participating in the program for nearly a year and has seen a significant difference, not only in his weight — he lost 31 pounds over the past year — but how he feels overall.

"I feel better. My health is better. I feel like I have more energy. I'm able to do more things," he said.

For more information on the "Way to Wellness" program, visit intermountainhealth.org.

Intermountain also offers "Way to Wellness Bites" — free, 90-minute classes to give participants a taste of what the yearlong program is like.

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