MMC Weight Loss & Wellness Taking a Stand Against Obesity in Adults and Children

Murfreesboro, TN - Last week the MMC Weight Loss & Wellness team grabbed their paint brushes and rakes to paint and clean up Blackman Elementary School’s playground. Their efforts were a part of the Hometown Huddle project hosted by United Way in Rutherford County. Through this project thirteen local schools received a refurbished playground with the help of volunteers.

“We decided to participate in Hometown Huddle because it helps improve playgrounds within our local community,” said Kimberly Shannon, M.D., MMC Weight Loss & Wellness Medical Director. “We are passionate about assisting our schools in any way we can to promote good health and a healthier lifestyle through being active.”

MMC Weight Loss & Wellness LAUNCH program is specifically focused on helping obese/over-weight children ages 5 through 18 in our community. LAUNCH is a medically supervised program that focuses on individualized nutrition, exercise, and supportive counseling to help patients reach their goals and maintain their weight. Similar to the adult program, LAUNCH is a modified 3-phase plan that addresses the specific exercise and nutrition needs of children. Since the program’s start a year ago LAUNCH has helped many children & families in our community develop a healthier lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight.

LAUNCH is an acronym with a hardy message:

Let’s Play

Activate Metabolism

United Family

Notation of Food

Conscientious Eating

Healthy Foods

“We know that if children are overweight they are more likely to develop diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease at a much younger age,” said Dr. Shannon. “They are also at increased risk for a number of different kinds of cancer. Most overweight children have established unhealthy eating habits and if not changed before they are teenagers, are much more likely to continue with unhealthy habits. We are concerned about the children in our community and want to do all that we can to help our children live a healthier lifestyle and decrease their risk of medical diseases as they grow into young adults.”

National Childhood Obesity Month just ended in September and November is National Obesity Awareness Month. Obesity and being overweight has become an epidemic in our county and in our local community. “Since we see both adults and children, many times families are on this health journey together,” said Shelly Purnell, MMC Weight Loss & Wellness Office Manager. “We provide the tools and resources necessary to help families lead healthier lives and ultimately get their life back, as a family.”

For more information about MMC Weight Loss & Wellness, visit mmclinic.com or call 615-867-8100