Transformations: The Napa Valley Weight and Lifestyle Management Program ™

Program Content

The content of the TRANSFORMATIONS program is divided into ten modules. The materials in each module will not be delivered in order. They are simply a method to organize the information and experiences you will have here. They include:

Module One: Smart Start

This module is designed to get you off to a great start. The module addresses and organizes the personal, business and logistical information you processed before you arrived. You will enjoy a tour of the facilities and participate in an introductory meeting where you will hear from our Medical Director. You will also see a presentation that introduces basic concepts of weight management. Assessment appointments will be scheduled and you will have an opportunity to get acquainted with other participants.

Module Two: Smart Assessments

Weight control is a highly individual process. What works for one person may be totally inappropriate for another. The best way to customize a weight management program for you is to assess your health on many levels. Module Two describes the assessments that will help us determine your current health status so, together, we can, create a unique, individualized plan for your success.  

Module Three: Smart Action

Module Three draws on your assessment data to structure your weight and lifestyle management plan. We’ll help you understand the role your values plays in success and use a written action plan for commitment that includes identifying the people who can support that success. You’ll also write a contract between you and the St. Helena Center for Health clarifying mutual expectations during your stay.  Setting that plan in action will require the use of motivational "technical" tools to help you comply with that action plan including: a pedometer to record your activity, a heart rate monitor watch and a software program to manage record keeping for your energy intake and energy expenditure.

Module Four: Smart Metabolism

Your long-term weight management success is based on a combination of energy input (food intake), energy expenditure (exercise), and the efficiency of your metabolism. You’ll learn basic principles of nutritional biochemistry and exercise physiology that will help you understand how metabolism is affected by the daily food and exercise choices you make. We want to clarify the role keeping your metabolism in top shape can have on your success. Our goal is to make metabolism so interesting that every choice you make will factor in the answer to the question "what will this do to my metabolism?"

Module Five: Smart Exercise

Exercise is the foundation of any weight loss and weight management program. This is where you will keep information about the physical activity options our exercise physiology will introduce. This module is jam-packed with information about basic principles of exercise. Together, we will use this information to create a balanced exercise program that will boost and maintain your metabolism. You’ll also store the handouts you receive to support a Smart Walking program, strength training, cardiovascular conditioning, and a medley of balance, flexibility and coordination alternatives that assure you can meet any physical challenge that comes your way.

Module Six: Smart Eating

Whether you choose food for nurture or nutrition, wise choices can fuel you for a lifestyle on the go. Knowing the basics about nutrition will help you appreciate the importance of healthy eating. You will learn proven strategies for diet management. The St. Helena Center for Health staff dietitian has been teaching healthy, practical eating strategies to health promotion professionals and consumers for more than 25 years. You can count on her for up-to-date nutrition information based on sound research. She’ll introduce you to the advantages of a vegetarian diet and teach you how diet can impact the course of most diseases. You will also learn new ways to shop, prepare, and cook tasty foods that are beneficial for mind and body. You will leave the St. Helena Center for Health with a jump start to a new way of eating for a lifetime.

Module Seven: Smart Behaviors:

Have you ever said, “I know what I need to do, but I just can’t seem to do it?” If so, you’ve come to the right place. In addition to teaching you how to manage self-defeating behaviors, identify your emotional zones, manage stress, prevent lapses, juggle time and stop distortions that precipitate disordered eating patterns, our psychology staff will lead discussion groups that will assure you understand behavior principles that can support your new lifestyle.

Module Eight: Smart Consumer

If you have ever succumbed to a quick weight loss diet or other plan that turned out to be based on junk science, you will enjoy learning how to ferret fact from fiction when it comes to weight loss. The information on food labels and restaurant menus will no longer be confusing. We will also equip you with information to become a smart shopper and teach you to make wiser choices in the fast food lane.

Module Nine: Smart Spirit

As a lifestyle change program, TRANSFORMATIONS addresses every aspect of your life. This includes understanding how we return to that true self that wants to live healthfully. We often use words prefixed by “re” to signify “back” or “again” to describe this process. At St Helena Center for Health you will become restored, experience recreation and renewal, explore resiliency and, through rest of body and mind, become revitalized and reassured that this is an important experience leading to a natural goal for a healthier life. You will have an opportunity to experience the art of optimism, the necessity for focus, and a sense of connectedness that will remain with you after your TRANSFORMATIONSÔ experience.

Module Ten: Smart Resources

When you leave the St. Helena Center for Health, you’ll know the basics of exercise and nutrition. You’ll understand the behaviors that drove you to a less-than-healthy lifestyle. Beyond that, we urge you to use the technical tools you will receive to keep motivated and the Balance Log software system to remain connected to us and report your progress. That connection will be a primary source for updates to keep you on track and announcements about alumnae programs that can further your commitment to lifestyle change.

Since your transformational journey is only beginning, while you are here we will encourage you to take advantage of the many resources that are available to support you after you leave. In Module Ten you will learn about web sites, newsletters, books, videos and other resources that will keep you current about what is happening in the weight management community here and nationwide.