From Spotlight on Health July/Aug. 2008

Get your motor running

When Jean Rushmeyer’s cholesterol hit 275 in January, she decided it was time to do something
about it. She had gained 56 pounds after undergoing a hysterectomy in 2007, and her cholesterol kept climbing. Her doctor recommended she go on medication, but Rushmeyer decided to give
weight loss a try first.

“This was such a wake-up call for me,” she said. “I had high cholesterol, I was a borderline diabetic and my size 18 pants were getting tight. At age 50, I didn’t want to be a size 20, on insulin and high-cholesterol medication.”

Rushmeyer chose the CentraCare Diabetes Center’s Rev It Up program to help manage her health issues.

“This class is not just for diabetics,” said Christina Drontle, a registered dietitian and class coordinator at the Diabetes Center at CentraCare Health Plaza in St. Cloud. “Anyone can benefit from learning more about their metabolism and how to feed their bodies. By achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, people may be able to prevent diabetes and heart disease.”

Rev It Up, a 16-week program, aims to help people achieve a more efficient metabolism and healthy, balanced life through eating and exercise strategies. The program stresses a balance of food, fluid and fitness. It compares taking care of your body to taking care of your car. Your body is the car, your metabolism is its engine and food is its fuel.

Rev It Up teaches you how to pay attention to your body’s “fuel gauge.” You learn to rate your hunger on a scale of one to 10 to determine when it is time to eat. You also learn how to tell the difference between physical and emotional hunger. Knowing when to eat and when to stop is the key to the program.

Today, Rushmeyer, 26 pounds lighter, is a much healthier woman who feels good about herself. Her cholesterol has dropped 53 points.“I still have weight to lose and with the Rev It Up program I know I can do it,” she said. “The program has taught me to eat breakfast every morning, to get my eight glasses of water in each day and to exercise.”

Learn more about CentraCare Diabetes Center.