The MENTOR Wellness Program
Mindfulness, Exercise, and Nutrition To Optimize Resilience
Sportable is proud to partner with the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) to offer the MENTOR wellness program to our athletes. MENTOR was created for adults with disabilities, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and designed by NCHPAD in collaboration with the Lakeshore Foundation and University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). MENTOR’s holistic approach is aimed at restoring, improving, and protecting health across the lifespan.
MENTOR is a free 8-week, virtual wellness program designed for adults who have mobility limitations. By joining the program, individuals receive interactive instruction on mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and other wellness topics led by trained professionals and health coaches.
This 8-week program includes 40 hours of instruction across 11 evidence-based wellness domains.
You’ll virtually attend live group classes 5x/week . Education on exercise fundamentals is followed by actual fitness and strengthening classes. A nutritionist not only teaches about healthy food choices but guides you through making healthy recipes in real time. Motivational interviewing techniques facilitate group discussion on wellness behaviors and how to incorporate them into your daily routines. You are even given exercise equipment to ensure you have all the tools you need to set you up for success on your wellness journey.
People that have completed this program report many benefits including: increased physical activity, improved energy and mental alertness, enhanced self-esteem, improved sleep quality, and positive lifestyle changes. Program participants also praise the program for being engaging, supportive, and an outlet for social connection with peers.
MENTOR (Mindfulness, Exercise, and Nutrition, To Optimize Resilience) is an 8-week virtual wellness program designed for people with physical disabilities. MENTOR focuses on helping you improve your mental, physical, and emotional health with classes that cover all areas of wellness.
MENTOR classes are delivered in a live, interactive, and group format that take place virtually through Zoom 5x/week for 8-weeks. Each class is focused on a different topic: Monday - Mindfulness, Tuesday - Exercise, Wednesday - Nutrition, Thursday - Exercise, Friday - Health Coaching (explores other wellness topics like goal setting, routines, spending time in nature, etc). Exercise classes are actual work-outs that will teach you how to build your own exercise routine. Nutrition lectures are followed by live cooking demonstrations of healthy snacks and meals with recipes you can try as well. Mindfulness teaches you all the basics to begin taking control of your thoughts and emotions to access a healthier outlook. And Health Coaching on Fridays ties everything together, helping you apply what you’re learning while exploring other wellness topics.
MENTOR was created by and is still led by the National Center on Health & Physical Activity for Disability (NCHPAD). Sportable is one of several sites spread throughout the country that is recruiting for this wellness program and teaching some of the classes. All classes are taught by various experts including some instructors who have disabilities, and some instructors who work for NCHPAD and others who work directly for Sportable. Two of the weekly classes you will take, Mindfulness and Nutrition, are taught by NCHPAD staff and will have individuals from all over the country in them as these are group classes for anyone going through the program right now. Exercise and Health Coaching classes are taught by Sportable instructors and are smaller class sizes with just participants from Virginia.
Class time offerings vary for each new wave of participants.
40+ hours of wellness instruction including tools and strategies you can immediately use to improve your overall health. You’ll also be mailed a box of exercise and wellness equipment to help you participate in the program including resistance bands, a balance disk, wrist weights, water bottle, journal, and more!
Thanks to grant funding, MENTOR is completely FREE for all participants. The only thing it costs is your time and energy.
Are they recorded? Over the course of the 8-week program, there are 40 classes, so it’s expected that you will have to miss class sometimes. Like anything in life, the more energy you put into MENTOR the more you’ll get out of it. So it’s encouraged that you attend classes as often as you can. However, there’s no specific attendance requirement. Currently, classes are not recorded, but there are some additional resources the instructors can share to help you review any material you missed.
Contact Sportable Health & Wellness Outcomes Manager, Caitlyn Berry by phone 804-340-2991 or email Caitlyn@sportable.org. Or fill out the MENTOR interest form here! The next MENTOR group starts at the end of January so don’t delay, sign up today!
MENTOR Program Interest
This project and related materials are supported (in part) by Contract # A262 – 90012 from the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative (CNI) Trust Fund administered by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CNI Trust Fund or DARS.