Better Body. Better Life. part two

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joshua Edwards
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - --  The Better Body. Better Life. program started classes at the Health and Wellness Center here, Jan. 10.

The Better Body. Better Life. program is a five week, hands-on workshop with highlights such as group support, cooking demos, exercise sessions, commissary tour, individual fitness plans, meal planning and optional body fat testing.

The first day of the program, participants had a weigh-in so they can keep track of their progress as the class continues on.

After weigh-ins, participants gathered to introduce themselves and share the goals they wished to achieve with the help of the program.

"Right now I'm trying to lose weight and learn to eat healthy, not just for myself but for my children," said Maria Dossey, 316th Training Squadron training technician. "I was losing weight pretty steadily for awhile, but now I'm kind of at a standstill; stuck."

"Well we are going to get you unstuck," said Kathy Viau, 17th Medical Group health promotion dietitian and program facilitator.

Viau was supportive of all the members and what they had to say and once everyone had finished their introductions Viau and Lana Simmons, 17th Force Support Squadron recreation assistant and program facilitator, shared their own personal experiences.

"I've always been really heavy," said Simmons. "I had Mason, my oldest and gained a little weight. Then had my daughter - gained a little weight. I worked with a dietitian, she looked at my nutrition and in around a year I lost about 100 pounds."

After Viau and Simmons finished their personal stories, they made sure that participants were signed up on a diet and fitness social networking website, so that they can help keep track of everyone's progression.

After everyone completed their sign-up, the learning portion of the program began. Viau taught the members about calories, the food group portions that a meal should consist of and the differences in certain brands of foods.

Once the classroom portion finished, everyone went to the Mathis Fitness Center where Viau prepared one of the rooms for circuit training. The circuit training consisted of supermans, planks, jump rope, squats and more. Viau demonstrated the stations to everyone and made sure they all knew what to do at each station.

During the circuit training, Viau gave words of encouragement to everyone.

"The more you put in, the more you'll get out," said Viau.

The circuit training lasted about half an hour ending the program for the day. It was time for the individuals to go out and use what they learned on their own.