Sheila Tippie, R.N., knows firsthand what it’s like to be overweight. This is one of the first things she tells participants in Fairview Physician Associates’ CAN DO program—a holistic healthy lifestyle and weight-loss program. “Growing up, I was the skinny kid who ate what I wanted and didn’t worry about exercise,” Tippie says. “That changed as I got older, had kids, and all of a sudden found myself 30 pounds overweight.”
After trying fad diets that didn’t work long term, Tippie changed her lifestyle to incorporate healthy habits. The same strategy is the centerpiece of the CAN DO program, for which she is one of the health coaches. CAN DO’s approach to weight loss addresses all areas of the client’s life: food choices, activity level, work/family issues and overall attitude. Tippie boils it down to “activity, appetite and attitude.”
Setting modest, reasonable goals for weight loss helps keep clients rom getting discouraged and establishes a pattern of success, Tippie says. The personalized approach from the health coaches also is key to continued success and has led to praise from program participants.
One of those participants is Edina resident Barbara Lambert. A former high school English teacher, Lambert says her recent retirement was the impetus for making some changes in her own lifestyle. “Over the years I had developed some pretty bad habits,” Lambert says. “As part of my retirement I decided to set some personal goals for myself. I wanted to take advantage of my new life in a healthy way.”
The CAN DO program was just what she needed to kick-start those changes. Lambert’s personalized program meant cutting down on red meat, keeping food and activity journals, and increasing her weekly exercise. One of the key components of the Can DO program is addressing the participants’ ingrained attitudes about food and how those feelings affect behavior. That was helpful to Lambert as she embarked on her new healthy lifestyle.
At her initial meeting, Tippie created a framework for Lambert outlining healthy eating and templates for breakfast and snacks. “One of my biggest challenges was training myself to eat breakfast every day,” Lambert says. “My schedule as a teacher for so many years meant I didn’t have much time in the morning, so I was in the habit of grabbing a cup of coffee on my way to school.”
Monthly check-ins with Tippie through the CAN DO program helped Lambert stay on tack with her individual goals. “Sheila also was available by phone so I could check-in with her every couple of weeks,” Lambert says.
Tippie also worked with Lambert to help her set fitness goals for cardio, strength, flexibility and balance. Lambert found just the right fitness classes for her at the Edina Community Center. Those classes have kept her activity level up since completing the six-month Can DO program. In fact, Lambert has lost track of her activity log because fitness has become such an important routine in her life.
While the results were gradual, Lambert did reach her goal of losing 10 percent of her weight over those six months. But that wasn’t the only positive result from this program. “I have more balance, more energy, lower blood pressure and have been losing additional weight incrementally since I started the maintenance portion of the program,” she says. “What I like about this program is that it’s knowledge-based, which works well for me.
“The information isn’t necessarily new, but it’s presented in a user-friendly way, which motivated me to get started, and it’s easy to keep going because you’re working one on one with the educators.”
The program has registered more than 800 participants since its inception in 2005. Unlike other programs with a more singular focus around food or exercise, the CAN DO approach is a three-pronged. “I’m not aware of another program that takes this holistic approach to healthy living—focusing on exercise, food as well as overall attitudes of the participants,” Tippie says.
The need for coaching around healthy lifestyles was recognized by Fairview Physician Associates after noting the rise in obesity and a lack of hands-on help. The organization decided to create a program that could proactively deal with health and weight issues before they became chronic or acute issues for patients.
According to Tippie, the recommended reduction for sustainable weight loss is 16 pounds during the six-month program. “We keep the weight loss goals reasonable,” she says. “Really, the goal is healthy living more than simply weight loss. We help them look at how they’re eating and how they’re living. Then, we help them make healthy lifestyle changes through coaching.”
