Belen is a busy mom, with many responsibilities at home and at work. Her family is her motivation to eat healthier and to be more active. She wants to set a good example for her kids and their cousin Jovana. At age 41, she wants to have energy to keep up with her family. 

Belen was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and is managing her disease with medication and a monitor that tracks her glucose level.

While she is enthusiastic about embracing new goals and taking charge of her health, she knows that the part she’ll find most difficult is exercise. To help her with this challenge, Belen has learned that family activities are the best way to exercise. The first small steps that she embraced are banishing soda from her refrigerator, and making fresh foods available for the family to prepare and eat together.

As the head of the De La Cruz household, Raul feels responsible for providing for his family’s well being. He believes that adopting better eating habits and increasing the family’s physical activity is a priority.

Raul’s overall health is good, except he has high triglycerides, a type of body fat. His doctor recommended he exercise more and eat healthier. Raul believes that by demonstrating healthier eating habits for his family, he can positively affect their behavior without nagging. However, he admits that for him, breaking some of his bad eating habits will be the biggest challenge.

To help Raul embrace healthy food choices, nutritionist Malena Perdomo suggests he cook more foods on the grill, watch the portion sizes of meats, and include more vegetables to better balance his meals.

Karla is determined to take charge of her health by improving her diet and increasing the amount of physical activity she gets each week. 

At 17, Karla’s health is average. Just a few pounds short of being extremely obese and with high levels of body fat, she’s at increased risk for developing diabetes. Her doctor emphasized the need for her to lose weight by setting new lifestyle goals. She is learning to watch her portions and drink water instead of sugary beverages. 

While it’s hard for Karla to find the time to exercise, she is consciously increasing the walking she does, even during everyday chores such as shopping. Karla and Jovana are starting to enjoy working out and have learned that when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady will be the most sustainable.

Karen was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age, and now struggles with low bloodsugar. She knows from experience that eating healthy foods and getting sufficient exercisewill help her manage any healthy condition.

She is very motivated to help her family make thesame positive changes she adopted a few years ago.Every 13-year-old girl wants to feel confident at school and among her friends, and Karen believes that the health benefits that come from eating healthy and exercising will boost herself esteem.

While Karen is readily embracing some small steps, such as eating more vegetables andconsuming less dairy, she worries that getting regular exercise will be her biggest challenge.Inspired by her sister’s goal to walk more throughout the day, Karen will join her familymembers for regular walks.

Adrian, age 11, is the youngest member of de la Cruz family. However even at his age, Adrian knows that good nutrition and exercise are key to looking good and maintaining a healthy weight. At a recent doctor visit he learned that his current weight status puts him at risk for becoming overweight.

Because Adrian wants to maintain his health and improve his sports performance, he is highly motivated to join his family on this journey. And even though he knows how important healthy eating is, he admits that giving up his favorite snacks will be his biggest challenge.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean bland, boring food, though. He has learned to make “fun and easy food that is cooked as a family activity while maintaining their nutritional value. 

Even though a recent doctor visit determined he is healthy, he wants to maintain his good health, while helping his family prepare and eat more healthy foods.

Like her cousin Karla, Jovana wants more control over her health. She is ready to take the small steps necessary to improve the quality of her life. She enjoys cooking and is a great support for her cousins. 

After a recent visit to the doctor, Jovana learned she is healthy. However, her doctor informed her that she needs to be mindful of her weight.

An avid soda drinker, Jovana feels the switch to water will be difficult. She is also concerned about having the endurance to take on more exercise. To address these challenges, Jovana needs to choose fruits for snacks, drink more water and prepare more balanced meals to give her the energy to work out and walk with her cousins. 

Another small step Jovana intends to make is limiting her intake of refined sugar, particularly candy.