Posted 1:33 am Sunday, July 01, 2012
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Breckenridge Village Residents Slimming Down
During the past eight years, there's been a lifestyle change at Breckenridge Village. Today, the residents are 700 pounds lighter.
One hundred of those pounds came off Brian, a resident. He burns calories in chair aerobics and on the power plate.
"I knew there had to be something better for our guys. I wanted them to be like everyone else. Active and healthy, normal blood pressures, normal blood sugars," nurse Patricia Matthews said.
Ms. Matthews and Belinda Brock are nurses at Breckenridge Village. They monitor the residents closely to identify nutritional-related problems and help the residents find the right exercise for them.
"They exercise almost on a daily basis in their groups. We have stationary bicycles, power plate, ellipticals. The residents love their exercise time," Ms. Brock said.
Exercise has endless benefits for folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities. So does a heart healthy diet, low in sugar and packed with healthy fruits, vegetables, protein and lots of water.
"We have been able to actually transform them from the inside out. Their meds are going down. They are not as hypertensive, and their life expectancy is going up. I'm very thankful for that," Ms. Matthews said.
Linda, a residentm has lost more than 30 pounds since coming to Breckenridge Village.
"When I first came here, I was doing water aerobics about once or twice a week, but now I am doing the exercise bike everyday for about 30 minutes," Linda said.
Linda also enjoys the benefits of a good walk, like many of her friends at Breckenridge.
"It is an incentive to go buy more clothes," Linda said.
The nurses at Breckenridge said kids and young adults with disabilities have a higher risk of obesity. They encourage parents to guide them to eat healthfully early on and to find exercises that work for them.
Watch Dana Hughey's "Fit City Success" reports on KYTX CBS19 news Thursdays at 10 p.m.
