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In the News

Sisterhood helps on road to wellness

Prime Time Sister Circles is a 12-week program for African American women at midlife, offering help with nutrition, fitness and coping with stress.

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Aug. 7, 2012

Behind closed doors, participants share their feelings at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington County. It's a "culturally competent" support group program for African American women between the ages of 40 and 75. The idea came from Marilyn Gaston, 73, a former assistant surgeon general, and Gayle Porter, 66, a clinical psychologist. They wrote the book "Prime Time:The African American Woman's Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness." The program is intended to help women support each other in making wise choices about stress, diet, exercise, behavior and improving their lives.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Participants exchange progress and prayers at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington.The Prime Time Sister Circles meetings are held in churches, libraries, recreational centers and bookstores. They're free, thanks to grants from institutions including the Ford and Kellogg foundations, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and the District’s Department of Health.

Aug. 7, 2012

Participants exchange progress and prayers at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington.The Prime Time Sister Circles meetings are held in churches, libraries, recreational centers and bookstores. They're free, thanks to grants from institutions including the Ford and Kellogg foundations, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and the District’s Department of Health.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Jackie Lynan, 49, gets teary for a moment while talking at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. The circles are kept relatively small: no more than 25 women. Participants include those who make six-figure incomes and others with more modest means. They meet for two hours once a week over three months and often learn that more things connect than separate them.

Aug 7, 2012

Jackie Lynan, 49, gets teary for a moment while talking at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. The circles are kept relatively small: no more than 25 women. Participants include those who make six-figure incomes and others with more modest means. They meet for two hours once a week over three months and often learn that more things connect than separate them.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Jackie Lynan, left, and Angela Haynie, 42, hug at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington.

Aug. 7, 2012

Jackie Lynan, left, and Angela Haynie, 42, hug at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Allison Smith, 40, listens at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. “I’m at a turning point where I’m actually beginning the next chapter of my life,” said Smith, an engineering technician and single mother who recently turned 40. “I’m pulling a lot from the different sisters — how they handle stress and their experiences. And in learning from others, I’m learning how to deal with my own.”

Aug. 7, 2012

Allison Smith, 40, listens at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. “I’m at a turning point where I’m actually beginning the next chapter of my life,” said Smith, an engineering technician and single mother who recently turned 40. “I’m pulling a lot from the different sisters — how they handle stress and their experiences. And in learning from others, I’m learning how to deal with my own.”

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Jeri Groce, right, helps a participant weigh in at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. Women weigh themselves and take their blood pressure at the meeting.

Aug. 7, 2012

Jeri Groce, right, helps a participant weigh in at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. Women weigh themselves and take their blood pressure at the meeting.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

A participant takes her blood pressure at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington.

Aug. 7, 2012

A participant takes her blood pressure at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

From left, Patricia Scott, 57, Frances Walker, 57, Jackie Lynan, 49, and Angela Hayne, 42, get a healthy meal at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. The menu included fish in couscous, mixed vegetables and fruit.

Aug. 7, 2012

From left, Patricia Scott, 57, Frances Walker, 57, Jackie Lynan, 49, and Angela Hayne, 42, get a healthy meal at the Prime Time Sister Circles gathering in Arlington. The menu included fish in couscous, mixed vegetables and fruit.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Gayle Porter, left, a clinical psychologist, and Marilyn Gaston, a former assistant surgeon general, said one of the key pieces of advice in the book they wrote was to form Prime Time Sister Circles.They learned through focus groups that black women wanted to be in a supportive environment where they could give and receive.

Aug. 7, 2012

Gayle Porter, left, a clinical psychologist, and Marilyn Gaston, a former assistant surgeon general, said one of the key pieces of advice in the book they wrote was to form Prime Time Sister Circles.They learned through focus groups that black women wanted to be in a supportive environment where they could give and receive.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

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