Create a Family Wellness Plan

One Family’s Success Story

Sometimes achieving success with a family wellness plan takes time. I’ll share with you a story about one of my clients named Marissa (not her real name).

Marissa loved hosting parties on weekends and holidays for her large, extended family—parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins. The more, the merrier. Going to Marissa’s home for special meals was a much-loved tradition. But things were about to change. After an annual physical, Marissa was diagnosed with Prediabetes. She knew she had to make adjustments to her lifestyle, but she also didn’t want to disappoint any of her family members.

Before the next party, she did research on adding more healthy, whole foods to her menu. She planned to cut back on grains while loading up on the vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats that were becoming a bigger part of her regular diet. Marissa was really excited to share these new foods with her family. She also planned some creative backyard activities to get everyone moving after dinner.

One Very Predictable Challenge

Unfortunately, family members arrived for the next gathering armed with chips, dips, cookies, cakes, and soda—all the foods they’re used to eating at their weekend parties. Marissa’s high-quality, healthy creations sat on the table, beautifully presented and essentially untouched. The backyard activities were forgotten when everyone started watching the endless parade of football games on TV.

At the end of the day, Marissa felt like her efforts to prepare healthy foods and activities for the family were a waste of her energy. She was hurt and disappointed. Frustrated. How could she maintain positive momentum to reduce her risk of Type 2 Diabetes when her own family was in denial about the situation or simply unwilling to support her?

Overcoming Denial

Marissa was actively searching for answers when she discovered my Solution Starter program for Prediabetes. In fact, she was one of the first to sign up for this unique, online education program that gives people the power to fight Prediabetes from home. Through the classes and interactions with the online community, she learned much more about her disease. She gathered plenty of tips and tricks for preparing healthy meals that taste absolutely delicious. Marissa found the motivation to join a walking group with her neighbors. She gained helpful strategies to cope with temptations and triggers. And she developed the confidence to tell her family members more about her efforts to avoid Type 2 Diabetes.

When Marissa was able to lovingly talk about her needs for adding healthy foods, her family became her greatest source of support. They politely sampled her veggie-packed dishes and often discovered some new favorites. Even requested them! Plus, they created a new tradition of playing softball in the yard after dinner. That friendly competition became a genuine highlight of their time together.

Marissa used what she learned in the Solution Starter program to take control of her own health.

As an added bonus, she showed her family how to make wellness a priority and planted the seeds of healthy new habits for generations to come.

If your family is in a deep-fried, Netflix-bingeing rut of making unhealthy choices, you have the power to change that trajectory. Get started now with a Family Wellness Plan!