This 10 week program, supported by The Duke Endowment , the Healthy South Carolina Initiative and your donations, is an exciting church based approach to lifestyle change. Through your path of spiritual growth, you will find the strength and discipline to change habits for health. You will learn to treat your body as a holy temple for life. Lighten Up consists of a health check at baseline, after eight weekly educational sessions, and one year from baseline. The health check includes height, weight, blood pressure, percent body fat, a fasting lipid profile and fasting glucose.
All results are available within minutes of the test.
A brief cardiovascular risk assessment is also completed. The weekly educational sessions are based on love, knowledge, peace, faith, kindness, joy, self control, and Godliness. Important health information is provided at each session to help you to make smart food and exercise decisions for life. Mary Joan Oexmann, M.S., R.D. has been a research nutritionist at the Medical University of South Carolina for over 25 years. She began working as Program Director in February, 1998.