Ready, Set, Go! pretende fomentar hábitos saludables entre los hispanos de Tyler. (Foto contribuida)

Tyler nonprofit Monarca Initiative aims to encourage Hispanics to form healthy habits through their new 12-week pilot program.

For immigrants, the change in lifestyle when coming to the United States can be an adjustment. Monarca Initiative co-founder and co-executive director Lorena Rebagliati remembers walking to a train, kiosk and other places in Argentina.

However in Tyler, walking and exercise has to be planned. Monarca Initiative wants to help Hispanics be healthier through exercise.

“The goal is health,” Rebagliati said. “Losing weight will come after. We are looking for a change in habits.”

Three times a week, participants of the Ready, Set, Go! program will exercise with a trainer. As part of the program, data will be collected before the program starts and at every stage of the program to measure the impact of exercise on the overall health and wellbeing of participants.

The 12-week program will be split in phases and includes a nutritionist and trainer.

“This is a preventive program,” said Cecilia Cuellar, Junior Research Analyst at UT Tyler, who is working with Monarca Initiative as an economist helping them gather data. “If you exercise, or start with the habit of doing exercise, you will start to improve your health. In this pilot program we will measure various determinants of health.”

They will measure blood pressure, BMI and gather data on their habits outside of the program. In the future, they hope to add mental health and health components. They also hope to apply for grants.

Immigrants have to “start from zero,” Rebagliati said. Through this program, Monarca hopes to encourage community among participants.

“The social aspect is important,” Rebagliati said. “Beyond health, Monarca also enters the social, that transformation.”

They plan to rotate locations for the exercise sessions. The exercises will be low to moderate intensity so people at all levels can participate. The exercise sessions will start with a warm-up of 10 – 15 minutes, followed by a walk.

“We are open to anyone,” Rebagliati said. “Not just beginners, and it is not just for people who exercise, it’s for everyone.”

Participants must be at least 18, Hispanic and from Tyler or the surrounding area. Participants will be split into two groups: a control group and a treatment group. The treatment group will do the exercises while the control group will make no lifestyle changes.

It is important to encourage exercise for the Hispanic community because it prevents diseases.

“If you don’t exercise, you reach a certain age where the comorbidities start like obesity, then blood pressure goes up, then diabetes,” Cuellar said.

As of early August, 35 people had signed up for the program. They hope to have 65 to 70 people sign up.

“We encourage people to sign up,” Cuellar said. “In the end, it is a program directed by Monarca, but it will be carried out by the community. Without the community participating, there is no program.”

The exercise sessions will be at 5 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The locations include Three Lakes, Fresh, North Campbell and Lindsey Park. In addition the trainer is bilingual.

The deadline to sign up for the program is Aug. 31. For those interested, you can email administrator@monarcainitiative.org or call 903-345-5007. For more information on Monarca Initiative visit, https://www.monarcainitiative.org/.