ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – The YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge is helping our hometowns jump-start physical activity and adopt healthier eating habits for a lifetime of wellness and weight loss.
The Lifelong Essentials for Activity & Nutrition (LEAN) program is an interactive way of teaching people the science behind nutrition and exercises that fit their goals.
“We’re going to focus on nutrition, physical activity, and how to incorporate that into your daily life. There are a lot of aspects of the program that are going to allow you to make it a lot more accessible. We’re going to help you set goals. We’re going to help you understand why it’s important for you, not just what other people tell you,” said Senior Wellness Director Kyle Hindman.
“It’s a program that is going to allow you to build community and connect with people who are maybe going through the same things in their lives or facing the same struggles,” said Hindman.
The 6-week program is personalized to each participant’s goals.
“The first week is really just introductory, kind of get to know you. And then we split the class. For half of the class, we’re doing some type of personal training or physical activity. And then the other half, we’re talking about some type of nutrition tip that they can take away,” said YMCA Fitness Instructor, Emma Todoroff.
Nutrition is a vital part of the program, featuring interactive cooking demos and a grocery shopping tour.
“For adults, it’s really, really helpful to see how things can apply to your real life. And that’s really what we want people to get out of this program. The grocery store tour is really valuable because we get to go and talk about what we’ve learned. We get to walk through the store, talk about how to shop for your groceries, and just how to make those changes really happen,” said Todoroff.
The YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge adopted the LEAN program in 2022. Offering it to members and non-members every January with high success rates.
” We still have members who participate in that program and come in and work out regularly in our YMCAs. We still will make connections with them. They may be moved on to personal training clients or group exercise classes, but I still have actual friendships with people who were in that program even up to three years ago,” said Hindman.
This year’s program runs from January 13 to February 17. Register here.
Copyright 2026 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
