Health and Wellness

Spirit Within Project (SWP) is what drives the DIHFS Health and Wellness Department. The SWP aims to build traditional skills and practices that improve and prevent health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

SWP focuses on four strategies to improve whole-person health and wellness: diabetes prevention, treatment and management; nutrition counseling; physical activity training; and community wellness events. Outside of our group health programs, individual coaching and guidance can help you build knowledge and confidence for your wellness journey.

Explore Our Services

We provide services that support physical, emotional, and nutritional wellness. Our Health and Wellness team promotes a whole-person approach to care through one-on-one coaching, nutrition support, and culturally grounded lifestyle programs.

  • Outline of a person with arms raised, surrounded by three icons representing health, fitness, and nutrition.

    Health Programs

    Diabetes Education

    Weight Management Program

    Hypertension Management Program

  • Icon of four people connected around a speech bubble with lines, a calendar icon above, on black background.

    Community Workshops

      Rock Your Mocs Event

    Cooking Classes

    Traditional Activities

  • Line drawing of an apple, a carrot, and a carton of milk.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Counseling

    Disease Prevention and Management 

    Meal Planning

    Traditional Foods

  • Outline drawing of a person running outdoors holding a broken heart, with a sun and cloud in the background.

    Physical Activity

    Individual Coaching

    Group Fitness Classes

    Weight Management Counseling 

Nutrition Counseling & Support

We believe food is medicine. Our Registered Dietitian can help you build helpful habits and create a toolkit to support healthy eating. A balanced diet is a strong foundation for your whole health and is an important part of preventing and managing disease.

My Native Plate is a guide from the Indian Health Service to help you build a healthy meal. Fill half your plate with vegetables, a fourth with whole grains, and a fourth with lean proteins. Add a portion of fruit. This template can help you lower disease risks, manage heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and help you maintain a healthy weight. Click the image to learn more.

Nutrition counseling is free for those who are tribally enrolled in a federally recognized tribe. There may be a co-pay required for those who are not tribally enrolled, depending on insurance.

If you want to manage your weight, improve your health, learn more about the importance of nutrition, or work through a specific challenge, schedule a nutrition counseling visit by calling 303-953-6600, ext. 3.

Healthy Lifestyle Coaching

Movement for All

At Denver Indian Health and Family Services, we believe movement is medicine. Our Healthy Lifestyle Coach provides 1-on-1 and group fitness coaching that’s rooted in holistic wellness.

Our goal is to empower our community members to feel confident and supported in their wellness journey.

Incorporating a variety of movement into your life can build strength to reduce pain and improve balance, improve your metabolic health, and protect against the impacts of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

Movement Coaching

The Spirit Within Project

Spirit Within Project (SWP) aims to build traditional skills and practices that improve and prevent health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. SWP focuses on four strategies: diabetes prevention, nutrition counseling, physical activity training, and community wellness events. Our program is accredited by the ADCES Diabetes Education Accreditation Program (DEAP).

At Spirit Within Project workshops, you'll explore a variety of topics — including Rock Your Mocs, a movement event for Native American Heritage Month; Cooking Series with a modern twist on traditional foods; and other culturally informed wellness practices that help reduce health risks.

Our Past Workshops

  • Colorful poster for Pride Color Run event organized by Denver Indian Health and Family Services on June 22, 2023. Features vibrant splashes of color, rainbow stripes, and event details including registration deadline, location, and race instructions.
  • Flyer for Youth Winter Sport Day, hosted by Denver Indian Health and Family Services Spirit Within Project, with details about free skiing and snowboarding lessons, rental gear, transportation, and lunch, with photos of kids skiing and a person in winter gear against mountain scenery.
  • A promotional poster for a workshop titled 'Make Your Own Spices' scheduled for February 27th at DIHFS, with session times at 4pm, 5pm, or 6pm. The poster features an illustration of six spice jars containing various spices, arranged in two rows of three, against a green background with doodle-style illustrations of vegetables and herbs. The event is an in-person workshop with contact information provided for registration and location at 2880 W Holden Place.
  • A collage of photos from a community event organized by Denver Indian Health and Family Services, featuring people participating in outdoor activities like running and walking, with handwritten notes about the event's purpose and community benefits. The top showcases two running silhouettes with the title, and the bottom has a group photo of diverse participants, surrounded by thank you messages and decorative icons of ice skates.
  • Flyer for a health and wellness program on elders nutrition, featuring fruits and rice, with event details and contact information.
  • Flyer for a Kid's Healthy Snacks Workshop by the Denver Indian Health and Family Services as part of the Health & Wellness Program for Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The event is Tuesday, September 27th at 5:30 PM, live on Zoom, with RSVP required by September 20th. The contact for signing up at 720-510-2069. The flyer has illustrations of vegetables and fruits around the text.
  • Flyer for Family Fun Walk event promoting childhood obesity awareness, scheduled for September 20th at 5:30 PM, organized by Spirit Within Project and Denver Indian Health and Family Services at the Betty Gress Clinic, with illustrations of three people running in a park setting.
  • A movie night event flyer featuring a film called 'Keepers of the Game,' showing a poster with people playing lacrosse. The flyer includes details about watching a movie, enjoying food, meeting new people, and bringing family and friends. It provides location at Denver Indian Health and Family Services, and date and time as Thursday, September 29 at 5:30 pm.
  • Flyer for a Halloween-themed health and wellness program event called Pumpkin Fest featuring painting pumpkins and pancakes, with a chef demonstration by Chef Ben of Tocabe Indian Eatery on October 27th at 5:30 PM at Denver Indian Health and Family Services.

Activities like beading, hand drum making, and smudging can increase a sense of connection with culture and community, establishing a more grounded sense of identity.  From this foundation, it becomes easier to stack healthy habits that support whole-person health, like engaging with supportive services, selecting healthy foods, finding forms of movement that strengthen the body, and engaging with life challenges using productive strategies.

We offer a variety of group programming and events, including classes, workshops, and support groups. Check out our community calendar page for more information and upcoming dates.

  • Three people standing together outdoors in a park, smiling at the camera. The person on the left is wearing a navy and beige jacket with a race bib number 56. The person in the middle is an older woman holding pink clothes and a plastic bag, wearing sunglasses and a gray sweatshirt. The person on the right is wearing a blue jacket and gray pants. There are trees, a cloud-filled sky, and other people and tents in the background.
  • Group of women and children playing with beach balls and pool noodles on a grassy field on a sunny day
  • People playing a game outdoors on a grassy field, running towards a beach ball, with some holding pool noodles, in front of trees and a glass building.
  • A display table with jars containing dried herbs, informational cards for Sage, Cedar, Sweet Grass, and Tobacco, and a basket of packaged items, with a partial sign reading "Indian Health" visible.
  • Two women standing on grass near a lake, with city skyline in the background, smiling and one with arms raised, wearing warm clothing and hats.
  • An elderly woman with gray hair and glasses sitting outdoors at a community event, holding a bowl and spoon, with a Denver Indian Health and Family Services booth in the background.
  • Two women standing on the sidewalk near a lake, smiling and making peace signs, with trees and mountains in the background on a sunny day.
  • DIHFS Event - A floating white cube on a table with a braided plant stem and six black pens nearby in a room filled with people and chairs.
  • Child painting a landscape scene on a round piece of wood, with a painting palette nearby.
  • Young girl with black hair in a gray hoodie and black leggings walking outdoors near a lake during daytime, surrounded by adults in blue and dark clothing.
  • Three women standing outdoors on a sunny day, wearing skirts with race numbers attached, dressed warmly with jackets and beanies, surrounded by autumn leaves and leafless trees.
  • A woman dressed in decorative ethnic clothing, running outdoors by a lake with mountains in the background during the daytime.
  • Young woman jogging outdoors along a path by a lake with a mountain range in the background, wearing athletic clothes and smiling.
  • Group of diverse women and girls participating in a 5K run and walk event outdoors, wearing matching light blue shirts with event details, some holding balloons, some with race bibs, on a sunny fall day with trees and fallen leaves.
  • Three women preparing food in a kitchen, wearing gloves, with onions on a cutting board and a metal bowl with cherry tomatoes.
  • A diverse group of people, including children and adults, gathered outdoors at a community event under blue skies, with a tent and trees in the background, celebrating together.
  • A woman with glasses and black gloves chopping red bell peppers on a white cutting board in a kitchen.
  • A person wearing glasses and black gloves is slicing mushrooms on a white cutting board. In front of them is a bowl of cherry tomatoes, and to the side are bowls containing sliced mushrooms. The person is wearing a black t-shirt with the word 'SHINS' printed on it.
  • A group of people standing in a circle on an indoor sports field, with various sticks and batons laid out on the ground in front of them, inside a facility called The Cage Training Center.
  • Display table with glass jars filled with dried herbs, each labeled with a description. Informational sheets are placed in front of each jar, detailing the herbs such as sage, cedar, sweet grass, and tobacco. There are additional items including a woven cloth and a basket with packaged items towards the back of the table.
  • Group of people gathered outdoors under a rainbow-colored arch and a blue start banner, some holding signs, on a grassy area with trees and cloudy sky in the background.
  • Elderly person measuring a piece of stone with a ruler and a pencil, wearing a smartwatch and a sports T-shirt.
  • Person wrapping vegetable or plant material around a framework on a table, with water bottles and scissors nearby.
  • A group of people gathered around a table, with a woman sitting and showing something on her phone to a young girl standing next to her. Other children and adults are in the background, some watching and some engaged in activities, with various bottles and items on the table.
  • Two runners participating in a race near a lake with mountains in the background. They are wearing race bibs, athletic clothing, and sunglasses, with a clear blue sky overhead.

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