Calesta Anderson speaks during a healthy living program at the NET Health Center for Healthy Living in Tyler, Texas, on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. The center offers a free healthy living program and a low-impact exercise class on Tuesday evenings. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Sheryl Chester may not yet be sold on the green-colored juices or plant-based protein sources she’s learned about in weekly healthy living workshops, but she is taking other steps to improve her health.

Chester, 63, of Tyler, began attending the classes with a friend a few weeks ago and has since learned more about the importance of understanding her caloric intake and eating less salt and processed foods.

She’s a passionate gardener and jokingly calls herself a gopher because of how much time she spends in the dirt. Since her time at the workshops she’s cut out sugar and hopes to continue improving.

“I don’t want to wither while I wait,” she said.

Every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. the Northeast Texas Public Health District offers the free healthy living workshops and healthy living exercise classes at its Center for Healthy Living, 2815 Frankston Highway.

The workshops cover different topics each week, such as how to jump-start weight-loss goals, plan meals or decrease stress. Classes often feature demonstrations on how to prepare healthy snacks and meals.

Each week, attendees are asked to write down one goal that they’ll focus on until the next Tuesday to improve their health. When they’re successful, they are asked to fill out another card and adopt another positive health goal.

Joy Johnson, assistant director of community outreach at NET Health, guides participants through the journey and is keeping the cards as a way to show the class all that they’ve accomplished when the workshops are complete in May.

“It’s really to show people that small changes can lead to big results,” she said.

The free workshops are provided through a four-year grant NET Health received in 2015 from the state to operate as one of four sites that provide healthy living and low impact exercise classes for those with diabetes or who are at risk for the disease, although anyone can attend class.

Participants also are encouraged to go to the Zumba class that also takes place at the Center for Healthy Living every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m.

“Statistically one out of eight people in East Texas has Type 2 diabetes,” said Terrence Ates,  director of community outreach and public information officer at NET Health. “The issue is that there may be people who have Type 2 diabetes but may not know (they have it). That’s the reason that we applied for this funding.

“That’s the reason we’re doing these workshops,” he said. “That’s the reason the Center for Healthy Living was created back in 2013.”

NET Health recently started offering the classes in Hideaway Lake. 

Johnson said the decision to attend could lead to great results.

“We don’t focus on any type of fad diet,” she said. “We’re more into sustainable lifestyle (modifications).”

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For more information, or to register for the classes, call 903-593-7474.