SUMMIT COUNTY — Home-grown organic vegetables, pilates classes and nutritious cooking demonstrations: This is a vision of better health for participants in La Vida Sana, a well-being group for Summit County's Latino population.

The wellness campaign, organized through the Summit Prevention Alliance, addresses health and nutrition issues associated with diet and weight.

“The goal is to prevent and reduce diabetes and cardiovascular disease within the Latino population. According to research, they're more at risk than other populations in general,” said Liliana Meza, a prevention coordinator with Summit Prevention Alliance. Meza's main focus at work is on the La Vida Sana program.

About 285 participants belong to the “Latinas en Movimiento” fitness program organized under La Vida Sana, and Meza said she thinks the group's message is reaching up to 1,000 Latinos.

“We did a questionnaire, and we got a lot of great feedback,” Meza said. “A lot of ladies said they're working out and changing their eating habits. We definitely feel like we're impacting the community.”

And, though the group is predominantly female, Meza said she's always looking for ways to target men.

La Vida Sana activities

La Vida Sana promotes the following programs and initiatives: Latinas en Movimiento, cooking and nutrition demonstrations, education, and sports participation for children and adults.

“It's everything that has to do with prevention,” Meza said.

Latinas en Movimiento, the campaign's popular exercise and nutrition program, was started by the Summit Prevention Alliance and the Summit County Care Clinic.

The weekly group is coordinated by native Spanish speakers, and meetings are held at various places, including the recreation centers in Silverthorne and Breckenridge. Activities include nutritional and physical activity tips, weigh-ins, warm-ups, exercise and stretching, education on nutrition and goal setting.

Classes — occurring weekly in Silverthorne, Dillon, Breckenridge and Frisco — cover a wide range of pastimes: Salsa dancing for couples, hip-hop for kids, pilates, general fitness and even winter sports. And the classes are given by Spanish speakers.

La Vida Sana also provides cooking lessons on nutritious meals and snacks. A bilingual cooking show airs on SCTV10 Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m.

The group even has a garden plot at the new Silvana's Community Gardens, where group members learn about growing organic vegetables

“The end goal is for them to be growing vegetables at home,” Meza said.

The organization's educational campaign additionally focuses on presentations throughout the community, diabetes talks and a segment on the Spanish radio channel.

La Vida Sana works with the school system to get referrals, Meza said. The group teaches kids to swim and it works to increase participation in the local soccer programs. Grants are also given to SOS (an organization that teaches winter sports to underprivileged kids) and the High Country Soccer Association.

The Summit Prevention Alliance is able to provide La Vida Sana activities through a grant from the Office of Health Disparity in the Colorado Department of Public Health And Environment. Each program funded by a health disparity grant is different, Meza said.

Started in 1985 as the Summit County Alcohol and Drug Task Force, the Summit Prevention Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health and wellness issues in Summit County.

For more information about La Vida Sana, contact Meza at liliana@summitpreventionalliance.org or (970) 668-2077.