February is American Heart Month and as a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening community through healthy living, the YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy urges everyone to take steps to prevent chronic diseases, such as heart disease, so they can lead longer, healthier lives. 

To address the prevalence of heart disease in the United States, the Y made a commitment to the Million Hearts campaign, an initiative spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.  

The root causes of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, are unhealthy behaviors such as physical inactivity, unhealthy eating and tobacco use. With a presence into more than 10,000 communities across the nation, the Y has the ability to address the root causes of chronic disease at both the individual and community level and improve health and well-being.

The Y offers community-based healthy living and chronic disease prevention initiatives that support people in changing their lifestyles, encourage organizations and communities to adopt behaviors that promote healthy living and promote the public’s health through advocacy.

Part of the Y’s commitment to the Million Hearts initiative is to increase the availability of the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program – which is part of the CDC-lead National Diabetes Prevention Program.  The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program helps those at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles in order to reduce their chances of developing the disease. Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and people with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke as those who do not have it.

Our YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program has helped more than 50 people reduce developing type 2 diabetes. The program takes place over the course of 16 one-hour sessions where a trained lifestyle coach will teach participants about healthier eating, physical activity and other behavior changes with the goal of reducing body weight by 7 percent. Increased physical activity and moderate weight loss not only reduce diabetes risk, but also have an impact on lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

The YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy offers a community of diverse individuals who can support all members of our community in meeting their health and well-being goals.  Stop in to one of our branches to learn more.