DC families learn heart healthy habits from the new Healthy Lifestyles Network

WASHINGTON DC – Educating community members on simple lifestyle changes to be heart healthy is an essential part of our mission to help others live their longest, healthiest lives.

To do just this, the Greater Washington Region American Heart Association (AHA) has teamed up with the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington (YMCA) and Children’s National Medical Center to teach DC families about heart healthy habits through the Healthy Lifestyles program. We recently received $88,000 in grant funding to bring this program to life through DC Health, which will establish a multi-disciplinary anti-obesity program for local families.

Families will be referred to the AHA and the YMCA through Children’s National Medical Center. A total of 25-30 local families will participate in a 12-week session and receive the following:

• First, families will participate in a community dinner to meet the instructors and learn about the program.

• Then, participating families will attend a six-week cooking class using the AHA’s Simple Cooking with Heart curriculum taught by the YMCA.
• Next, they will attend a six-week behavioral class taught by Children’s National. While parents are in the class, kids will participate in a physical activity class.

All 24 weeks of sessions will be in DC, with two taking place at the YMCA Bowen and two others at the Nationals Baseball Academy. The program will run through September 2019.

The overall goal is that families learn long-term habits to decrease their weight and increase healthy eating and physical activity. We are working towards a healthier community and taking the first step through educating families!

For questions or to learn more about the program, contact AHA’s Senior Community Impact Director Jessica Moise at Jessica.Moise@heart.org.